“And accompanying her is none other than Viviane of the Castellia ducal family!”

I didn’t hear anything after that. I mean, it’s impossible, right?

“...tie!”

A dame... accompanied by a lady? That’s just impossible. I refuse to accept it.

“...ettie!”

All my life, I’ve had it drilled into me. A dame cannot be paired with a lady. A dame cannot be paired with a lady. A dame cannot be paired with a lady. Yet what is this utter fa—

“LETTIE!”

“U-Uwaaah!? W-What the hell was that for!?” I exclaimed in surprise, stumbling back and to the side. I uttered a quick apology to the knight I’d bumped into before returning my attention to my friend, Kaitlyn.

“Leticia Alcor! Just what is wrong with you!?”

“Nothing’s wrong with me, Kate! Why’re you suddenly on my ass?”

Instead of responding, Kaitlyn simply gestured to the railing that I’d been leaning on mere moments ago.

“...Ah.” From a cursory inspection, it would seem that I had gripped the railing so hard, I’d ended up crushing it.

“C’mon now! What? Are you jealous of Medrauta or somethin’?”

“...Not really,” I replied, turning away.

It wasn’t that I was jealous of Medrauta. More like... Hm. Peeved? Annoyed? Upset? I wasn’t sure how to describe this feeling, honestly.

“Oh, come on, Lettie. You can’t hide your feelings from me, y’know? We’ve been friends since we were kids!”

I sighed. It seemed like Kaitlyn wasn’t going to let up if I didn’t give her at least something. “It’s just... Isn’t it weird? Medrauta’s been paired with lords this whole time, but now she suddenly shows up with a lady?”

“I guess it is kind of weird now that you mention it, but there’s no explicit rule preventing dame-lady pairs, right? It’s just against tradition.”

“...Right. Tradition.”

That was the crux of the matter.

Although House Alcor governed over nothing more than a mere barony, they had defended their land and their sovereignty under the crown for centuries. Therefore, despite the family’s bottom-rung position on the social hierarchy, they placed a heavy emphasis on tradition.

Even though I’d grown up as a knight and without the need for regard toward social status, I was still forced to conform to my family’s strict adherence to traditional values.

That was why I had been locked in my room for days on end after my father discovered that I had planned to pledge myself to Lady Rosaline upon entering Avalyne Academy.

Graceful, charming, and dignified, Lady Rosaline was everything that I had imagined in a noble and more. Whenever I saw her face, my body trembled. Whenever she smiled, my heart skipped a beat.

Lady Rosaline was my world for a time, and upon one starry night during the most beautiful of eclipses, we had made a pledge together.

“...I would love nothing more than to become your lady, but... Is that really alright with you, Dame Leticia?”

I had glanced up at her with sparkling eyes as I knelt before her dazzling figure. Her beautiful white dress hugged her shapely curves, and the silver rays of moonlight streaming through the gazebo reflected off her soft pink hair with a heavenly glow.

My heartbeat accelerated, and I felt my face grow hot. At last, my wish would be fulfilled and I would stand beside my lady in exquisite union.

But it was not to be.

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Before we could finalize our oath, my father had happened upon us. He tore me from the fair Rosaline and locked me in my room without even allowing me a word of protest. Only when I was to be admitted to the academy did I finally go free.

And when I arrived... Lady Rosaline had already taken a knight.

Nowadays, we scarcely crossed paths, if at all. And whenever we did, not a word was shared between the two of us.

I grit my teeth at the memory, frustration flowing through the whole of my body. I had only been confined for a few days, and we could have completed our oath here at the academy where I would be free from my father’s gaze.

Yet, within those few days, she had abandoned me.

Why?

It was a question I’d always wanted to ask, but I could never find the courage to.

“Lettie.” Kaitlyn’s stern voice came from beside me. “You’re doing it again.”

I looked down at my hands. It seemed I’d managed to crush yet another section of the railing.

“...Sorry. I just...”

“Is this about Lady Rosaline?”

I stared at Kaitlyn, my mouth agape.

“You’re like an open book, you know?” She giggled. “But... She’s pretty popular, isn’t she? I mean, her Crest is a semi-autonomous type, so she’s got no shortage of knights lining up to serve her.”

“Don’t care. Didn’t ask.”

“You fancy you can take her current knight on?”

“Probably.”

“Oh? You’re pretty confident, aren’t you?”

I shrugged. “Not really. I’m just aware of my own strength... and my limits.”

“Your limits, huh?” Kaitlyn allowed that to hang in the air for a good couple of seconds before continuing. “Do you mean the limits that your father imposed on you... Or your real limits?”

I flinched. “W-What the hell do you mean by that?”

“Oh, you know. The kind of garbage he was always spouting. Ahem!” Kaitlyn cleared her throat before taking on a rather severe-looking expression that didn’t fit the cute features of her face at all.

“‘Lady knights are not meant to win in matches! They are merely there as accessories to beautify the arena! Take care to prioritize elegance over victory!’” She had pushed her voice the deepest it could go in an attempt to emulate my father, but her high-pitched and energetic voice didn’t take her very far.

Even so, I burst into a fit of giggles. The impression certainly wasn’t the best, but it was funny, and it helped me stave off the frustration just a tiny bit.

“How was that, Lettie? Accurate, huh?” Kaitlyn puffed out her chest proudly.

“Yeah, it was great,” I laughed. “...Thanks, Kate.”

“So, what’re you gonna do? You’ve been avoiding Rosie ever since you got here, haven’t you?”

As always, Kaitlyn had hit the nail on the head. In truth, it wasn’t that Lady Rosaline and I rarely crossed paths. Rather, it was because I had specifically planned out my routes and schedule to avoid her that we rarely crossed paths.

I just didn’t want to see her at all. I didn’t want to see her smile for a knight who wasn’t me. I didn’t want to see her win a match with a knight who wasn’t me. I didn’t want to see her laugh with a knight who wasn’t me.

I didn’t want to see any of it.

Maybe I’m self-centered. Maybe I’m a horrible person for pushing away someone who had been a longtime friend of mine. But even if society was against it, I had fallen irreversibly in love with her.

Was that so wrong?

Was it so wrong for me not wanting to see the person I loved taken from me by someone else?

“...I just... don’t want to see her, Kate.”

“Why?”

I don’t know what it was, but something about her question ticked me off. Maybe it was the way she sounded, so casual and innocent. Or maybe it was the way she was lazily leaning on the railing, seemingly unconcerned about the whole situation. But I snapped.

“Why!? What the fuck do you mean ‘why’?” I shouted at Kaitlyn. “How the fuck would you feel if you left your lover for a few days and all of a sudden, they’re with someone new? Have you ever fucking thought about that?”

I had expected Kaitlyn to shout back, but surprisingly, she was completely calm, almost as if she had expected this.

“Well, first off, she wasn’t your lover yet,” Kaitlyn said. “And second, aren’t you acting a bit like your father?”

In a flash, I found my hands around Kaitlyn’s collar, blinded by rage. I jerked her hard towards me, not caring whether or not she got hurt. “What the fuck did you just say?”

“You never even gave her a chance to explain, Lettie.” Kaitlyn stared back at me, her eyes gentle and forgiving. “I saw it, you know? Every time she tried to approach you, you’d run away. You’re a knight, Lettie. How do you expect her to catch up?”

Slowly, I released Kaitlyn’s collar. She was right. Every time I saw Lady Rosaline, I’d just run away on instinct. I even spent time planning out my routes and my schedule to make sure that we’d have as little contact as possible.

Just... what the hell have I even been doing? I need to make things right. Right now.

“Kate... I’m sorry. I’m really sorry about everything I just did and how I treated you, especially when you were just—”

Kaitlyn placed a finger on my lips, silencing me. “I know you have a lot you want to say, Lettie. But I’m not the one you should be talking to, right?”

“...I... I’m going to go right now, then!”

“Do you even know where she is?”

“Of course! It’s noon right now, so she’s definitely in the garden!”

Kaitlyn nodded. “Go get ‘er, Lettie. Oh, and by the way?”

I stopped in my tracks, turning back to face Kaitlyn. “Hm?”

“I’ll let it slide this one time since we’re besties, but like, don’t grab me like that again, okay? I hope you remember that I’ve been festival champion every year since we were squires. I’ll probably take second place this year if Medrauta’s competing. She’s a real monster, y’know?”

I felt a cold shiver run down my spine. “Y-Yeah?”

Kaitlyn adjusted her half-plate as she fixed her collar. Then, the most frightening smile I’d ever seen blossomed on her lips, and her voice took on a sweetness that sounded as if it belonged to a different world. “I’ll beat your fucking ass next time you pull that shit, mmkay~?”

I fucking booked it.