Lucius greeted a few nobles and had a quick audience with the emperor before signing to leave. William went to call for Justin as I went to the stable, fetching the carriage and horses. It's already past midnight when we left the imperial palace. The journey back was peaceful, like a night stroll on a horse. It does feel a bit chilly, though.
"You're quiet," Lucius said, peeking through the carriage's window.
"It's freakin' past midnight now, do you want me to wake the entire land?" I shot him an annoyed glare.
"Are you cold?"
"Freezing."
Right after hearing that, he immediately used his fire attribute and enveloped me in a layer of heat. The once cold and prickly air had turned warm and cozy! Even Cassie let out a satisfied snort.
"Woah, that's great! You'd make an excellent portable heater!" I was pleasantly amazed.
As if expecting a different reply, he muttered, "…you're welcome."
The journey continued for another couple of hours. Justin had been yawning for the tenth time while William was keeping an eye on my well-being. Lucius stopped talking to me but he left the window open. Soon, we finally arrived at the Leonhart's manor.
"Ah, finally…." I dismounted the Cassie.
Lucius had already gone inside by the time I returned from the stable. He should be getting some rest while he could, considering the long days awaiting him. Being a Lord isn't easy, after all. Although he just got back from war, Lucius still had to tend to the people of the march. He's a multi-talented workaholic, that one.
Knowing that everything is done and well, I also returned to the dorm and settled for the night. Once I laid down on the bed, though, I could feel the strain that have been accumulating in my spine. Seriously, Cassie should've really gone easy with me!
As the pain gradually receded, I closed my eyes and let out a sigh of relief, "Ah, I could finally rest now…"
***
It's been two weeks since then. The first few days were spent on resting, visiting family members and burial of the fallen. Since I don't have any family members here, I just helped with the burial. After that, the usual routine of a knight began.
'Wake up, breakfast, train, lunch, train, dinner, sleep. Take turns to do the patrolling.'
"Good thing that Catherine's rank is already high, I don't need to go patrolling!" I hummed happily, munching an apple by the training ground.
*What a lazy one,* entity complained.
"Hey, we never know when I could have such a leisurely time in the future."
I took yet another bite of the apple while looking around. A few people that met my gaze either waved at me or gave a slight nod. As I thought, everyone here is familiar with Catherine, and blending in was fairly easy. The maids, servants and knights all acted friendly, as if they've known Catherine since long ago. Maybe because I'm a transmigrator so the setting just became that way?
"Dame, let's spar!" Asked an approaching female knight with a ponytail.
"No, me first!" A freckled teen boy demanded.
I've grown quite popular too since I helped the knights back during the Scourge. Once in a while, knights like these will approach me for a spar.
*Oh, well. Not like I mind it.*
Wiping my hands off, I picked up the wooden sword laying next to me and threw away the apple's stem.
"I'll take both of you at once, then," I accepted the request.
I had successfully used most of the wind attribute's skills by now. Probably because of Catherine's high mana efficiency, it was doable even in a short time. With the memories from 'Blade of the Unwanted', I could imagine how to wield it around, based on the written description. I mean, I've reread it multiple times that it got stuck in my head.
Sparring also increases my swordsmanship abilities. Having known of only the theory, real life experiences will enhance my knowledge better! However, I also depended on the muscles' memories. Having Catherine's body feels like cheating, actually. As if I just got into a high grade avatar.
"Dame Catherine!" A maid called out from the gate.
I stopped sparring, leaving the two other knights on the ground, already out of breath. As I walked towards the young maid, I noticed that she had even brought a small towel with her.
"Yes? What is it?" I wiped off my sweat with my sleeve.
Seeing my action, she offered the towel before saying, "The marquess had requested for you in his office."
*Oh, it's been a long time since I last heard of him, glad that he's still alive.*
"Alright," I nodded, accepting the towel. "I'll get changed first!"
Delighted that I accepted her gesture, the maid grinned widely before excusing herself. After she left, I went back to my room, washed my face and changed into a clean attire. It's a simple clothing, loose white blouse, tucked in a high-waisted, black pants. My previous outfit was too filthy, soaked in sweat and stained with dirt.
*Ugh...I have to do the laundry soon,* I sighed.
*It's all piled up in your room now. Like a mountain of shit-smelling rags. What a lady you are, tsk, tsk!*
*Shut up! Can you even smell it?* I rolled my eyes at its remark.
Once I'm ready, I made my way to Lucius' office, deliberately taking my time as I did that. I took the flight of stairs, walked down the corridor and finally reached a large, brown door with the Leonhart's family crest right on the middle of it. I knocked on the door thrice, waited for his response, and entered.
Mountains of documents on his table, blocking my view. The head butler stood by his side, arranging the papers stack by stack. Lucius was reading through a document intently, stamping on another with his left hand before passing it to the old butler. The sun is about to set but he is still stuck with work. Just looking at him drained my energy.
"…you look bad," I said, noticing the dark circles under his eyes.
*Probably has been overworking for days.*
"You'd probably look worse if you're in my place," he replied, looking up at me. His eyebags are more apparent now.
"Well, I won't argue with that," I shrugged, sitting down on the chair in front of his table. "So? Why did you call for me after such a long time? Don't tell me you missed me," I snickered.
"I was too busy to call for you before," he explained, stamping yet another document. Once he set aside the seal, he propped his chin on the back of his hands and said, "I want to assign you as my personal knight."
"Huh?" I raised my eyebrow at the sudden proposal. "Why would you need a personal knight? It'll feel like protecting other people from you rather than protecting you!"
The butler laughed quietly by Lucius' side, covering it with a cough. Anyway, this butler looks like a refined Santa Claus, seeing that bushy white beard and droopy pair of kind eyes. He seemed rather surprised with how casual I am with Lucius, but hides it well.
"It pays three times your current wage," Lucius said.
*Three folds?!* I perked up at the mention. *Damn, sweet money! He really knows what he's doing, doesn't he?*
"Ahem," I cleared my throat while straightening my posture. "Soo…when do I start, my Lord?" I inquired, looking at him with determination.
Noting my quick change of mind, he nodded before replying, "You'll start tomorrow."
"Alright!" I agreed readily, eager to fill my pocke— I mean, serve him.
*Well, I was getting bored anyway!*