“And there they go…” laments Max.

“Well, she is a lively one, isn’t she, Max?”

“It started 1 month after she woke up. At first, we thought it was just curiosity. Next thing we know, she started running all over the palace. There’s even a time where we couldn’t find her. You couldn’t imagine what we felt back then, thinking she was kidnapped.”

“Oh? What happened then? I didn't hear about this.”

“I’m sorry, my friend, but I decided to keep the matter of Trinity a secret,” said Max with an apologetic face, “Because of her illness, she wasn’t able to live her life, so now we decided to just let her do all the things she wants. As for the matter where she disappeared, well, nothing happened. After some time, she just came back on her own. This has become a common occurrence, so now when she’s gone, we just have to wait for her.”

“She’s an unusual one, but I think Seraphine and Trinity will be good friends. Our Ser needs someone like Trinity to be able to be more like a kid while Trinity needs Ser to make sure she doesn’t go too far.”

“I hope they can have the same relationship as Laura and Sylphia, hahaha!” Max laughed, “Anyway, they’ll be busy for a while, so let’s talk about Duke Ruben’s expedition now.”

“So what happened? Did they succeed in breaching the wall?”

“I got a report that says they’ve lost contact.”

“Sigh again? At this point, is it really worth it, Max?”

“It’s their dream, Griffith. They’ve been doing it long before I've come to power. I heard that they will try again; they’ll send another fleet in a couple of years.”

“At least tr…”

~*~

Right now, I’m being dragged by the Princess. It’s a bit surprising; this is not what I thought the Princess is like. In my mind, a princess is an elegant woman with a calm demeanor. Princess Trinity, she’s not like that. If I have to compare her to something, it would be a wild fox – carefree, wild, and adventurous.

We dash through corridors, gardens, and stairs, until we reach a large door.

“Princess, slow down! Where are we going?!”

“To my room, of course!” she grins.

As she said that, she barged into the room, still holding my hand, and rushed inside. Before I could take in the surroundings and see what the room looks like, she dragged me to her bed and dove onto it while laughing, pulling me with her and ending our run.

"Ugh, are you okay, Princess?" I asked, worried she had pushed herself. I tried to sit up and look around but my gaze settled to the person next to me. I see Princess Trinity, laying beside me, her face flushed and sweaty, her chest heaving.

“Haha..hah…hah. Phew! This is the first time I have a friend my age in my room!”,she exclaimed.

Now that we’ve both calmed down, I can finally see what the room looks like. It’s a large and spacious room, big enough to run around and play, with a study table right around the corner. But besides that, there’s almost no decoration. If she didn’t say that this is her room, I would assume it's a slightly larger guest room.

After I finish looking around, I look at the Princess again, still laying down in her bed with an excited face. I notice a drop of sweat on her forehead and instinctively reach for my handkerchief. I gently wipe her face, making her sigh contentedly.

"So, Princess, may I ask you why you suddenly brought me to your room?" I asked, curious about her intentions.

She smiled and said, "Well, I want to get to know you! We're going to be together for a long time, so I want to know everything I can about you! But for now, I'll be satisfied with knowing your hobbies and dreams!"

I cleared my throat and said, "Well, uhh, Princess. My name is Seraphine Ashford from the Ashford Ducal Family. Although we're a ducal family, we don't have any territory. Instead, we've been acting as the royal family's closest aide, protecting them and raising knights as the empire's main mi-"

She interrupted me and said, "Wait, stop! I know about your family, what I want to know is you, Ser! Um, can I call you Ser?"

I paused for a moment, wondering if it was okay. I was happy that she wanted to know me, but why did she interrupt me when I was telling her about my family? Hm, mother said when dealing with a child, you should be a little more patient. It looked like I would have to teach her about the world!

"Umm, yes, Princess. You can call me anything you like. Uh, what would you like to know, Princess?" I said, trying to be polite.

She clapped her hands and said, "First! How old are you?"

"I just turned 10 years old." I said.

Her eyes widened and she said, "Oh! You're older than me! I'm now 9!"

I see, that's why she was behaving like this. I was right, she was a child! Therefore, since I was older and more mature, I would have to take care of her.

She tilted her head and said, "What do you like to do, Ser?"

"Training, I want to be a knight." I said.

She gasped and said, "That's perfect! I will need someone to protect me in the future!"

I frowned and said, "Huh? Why do you need that, Princess?"

She giggled and said, "I'll tell you later!"

We keep talking while sitting on the bed in her cozy room. She asked me to call her by her name, but how could I do that! I thought about it, and realized that what I was doing right now was really rude and broke all of the etiquette rules that I had learned. To call her by name, I didn't want to get scolded later! She pouted a bit after that, though.

She talked about what she wanted to do. She said she wanted to go on an adventure. Exploring ruins, finding secrets of the world, meeting dragons and the like. Truly, a childlike dream. I used to have the same impossible dream, but not anymore. I was 10 years old already, so I had left that kind of dream behind me. I wondered if she would ever grow out of it, or if she would always be this way.

I heard a knock on the door, and a servant's voice saying, "Your Highness, your lunch is ready."

Before I knew it, it was already lunch time.

~*~

We arrived at the dining room, being escorted by the maids. There was a lavish meal already prepared, with seats already occupied. The king sat at the head of the table with the queen to his right. Across him was my father with my brother beside him. It looked like they were waiting for us.

I hurried along and sat next to my brother, and Princess Trinity naturally sat beside her mother. We all started eating.

After the meal, we were still in the dining room.

"Did both of you have some fun?" the king opened the conversation.

"Yes, Father! Ser said she swung her sword a thousand times every day!" the Princess exclaimed.

"Oh? Is that true, Seraphine?" the king asked.

"Yes, Uncle." I said.

"Gahahaha! It looks like I won't have to worry about Trinity's escort in the future, huh, Griffith?" the king said loudly. My father only grunted as a response.

While both of them were talking, I felt my feet get nudged by my brother.

"So, how is the Princess, Ser?" my brother whispered quietly to me.

"She's...special." I replied.

"Do you not like her?" he asked.

"I like her...I think." I said.

She was cute, full of energy, and really pure. I felt like I had gained a younger sister. What was not to like about her?

"That's good, then," my brother smiled, seemingly satisfied.

“Trinity, what do you think of Seraphine?”

I heard a similar conversation across the table, this time it was the Queen that asked the Princess about me. I’m a bit embarrassed, but also curious about what the Princess would say.

"Mother, I like her! I want to be with her!" the Princess said, smiling.

"Oh my, I'm going to have to ask for Sylphia's permission again later then." the Queen said, pretending to be worried.

"Huh? What permission, Mother?" the Princess asked, confused.

"Well, today was supposed to be a test to see if both of you would get along. So for Seraphine to be able to come back here, we're going to need her permission. Hmm, what should I do? I think it's going to be very hard to get it." the Queen said, making a dramatic gesture.

The Princess widened her eyes, and then fell silent. She looked like she was thinking about something.

After some time, she finished her thought. She looked at me with a determined face.

"Ser, don't worry. Even if your mother doesn't agree, I'll make sure you can come here. I want you to be my knight, so I will do something about it. I will make you mine." the Princess said, boldly.

Silence reigned in the room.

Princess, we've just met! How could you say something like that?!

"Sweetie, I was just joking. We've already arranged everything. She will be back." the Queen said, trying to hold her laugh.

It took a few moments before the Princess realized that she was teased.

"Mother!" the Princess screamed, annoyed.

The whole room laughed, leaving both me and the Princess blushing.

~*~

A few days had passed since my visit to the palace. My father and I had returned home, while my brother had to stay in the capital for his test.

Right now, I was in the training ground. My father was in front of me, his sword drawn.

"Since it has come to this, I shall personally train you, Seraphine. It won't be the same as what your brother did before. I will not hold back. Are you ready?" he said, his voice stern and serious.

"Yes, Father!" I shouted, gripping my sword tightly.

I kept my eyes on him, ready to attack or defend. This time I knew it would be different. I can't afford to lose my focus.

"Good."

After he said that, I felt my body flying and my consciousness immediately blurred.

“You died”

That was the last thing that I heard before I faint.