The door swung open, giving off a low, booming creak from its hinges. In came a young woman, in a black and tan dress, with a white, frilled apron. She entered with a silver tray in hand, in the midst of a report given by her senior - the Head Maid.

In attendance was the King, ever nailed behind his desk in recent days, and His Majesty' Court Mage, always mysterious with the cowl he refused to remove even indoors.

The two men gave the girl but a passing glance with Alphonso greeting her with a subtle nod, whilst the stoic Head Maid continued, "...and now with Duke Hemmingsworth bringing his army to Fort Ealdenhammer, the garrison now totals at 3,800 strong. That is all."

After a short silence, the King let out a low gurgling sigh, muttering, "So the war from 6 years ago is about to resume..."

As the tension simmered, the younger maid quietly poured glimmering chestnut-brown tea into a pair of porcelain cups and served them to each man. After which, she pulled back, stepped closer to the Head Maid and whispered into her ear, who later added, "And, your Majesty, it seems the Lord Heroine had just returned."

As soon as she said this, the younger maid with the tray gave a took a bow and left the room.

"I see," the King blankly responded, "if only she was in a state that could actually help in this coming crisis."

"Speaking of the heroine," the court mage interjected, "has my Lord finished reviewing her newly ratified set of proposals?"

He rubbed the ridge between his eyes. "It puzzles me. What would it bear to loosen the tax burden over the peasantry? I surely left the village without any sort of unrest. And, if the time comes, would she then have the room to lower it further...?"

"Hmm... Since the person in question has returned, shall I bring this matter up with her?"

The King shook his head and sighed. "No. It's fine. Let her do what she likes. Dellwick is but a tiny village. Whatever plunge in revenue her reforms will do won't matter to the Kingdom at large..." He then wrung his calloused fingers around his cup by its delicate handle and brought it just underneath his nose. A thin mist enveloped its rim, rising slowly and then wisping left and right with every movement. "...and besides, that is the point of this little experiment, is it not?" He took a sip. "To see the fruits her command over a small village would bear."

Alphonso nodded in response.

"I only hope it bears fruit before our direst hour."

"I..." For a moment, he considered his words before putting them on his tongue. "...wish to believe in the Heroine. Though she may at times be unmotivated, she has proven herself earnest in deed. To this end, perhaps, placing responsiblity upon her shoulders could become her motivation and awaken her true potential."

"So we must buy time." At this moment, the King's eyes fell upon an isolated piece of paper set aside on his desk. "This proposal by Duke Velosa... tell me more about it."

"Of course, Your Majesty." The Head Maid nodded. "Several Lords from the West bench have proposed a summit with Rafale in aims of improving relations. It was endorsed by His Grace, the Duke of Castell."

Alphonso then added, "We can expect at least half of the East bench to oppose this outright, My Lord. Duke Saunders, most of all."

"I know." He then took the paper and slid it underneath the stack in front of him. "But I shall keep it under consideration."

The King thus relaxed his posture.

"Our next move now rests upon the result of Aster's operation."

His brows furled.

"Neither Rafale nor Easter must win a decisive victory."

Even amidst the heroine's homecoming, it was her companion that would catch the eye of every servant that passed. Murmurs followed wherever she went - always just within earshot and spoken in subdued tones.

"Hey, isn't that the Secretary of Dellwick?" a maid asked a passing porter.

"Woah, you're right! She seems a bit different..."

"What happened to her...?"

"Must have been an accident."

"Poor thing..."

Eris limped behind her Lady at a brisk pace. The pain had largely subsided, and only when exerting pressure on her bad leg did she feel so much as a sting. But that was why she had the cane.

Despite her affliction, she escorted the young girl all the way to her room, both agreeing in tacit that, injury or not, her duties, or at least the appearance of carrying out her duties, came first.

As always, they walked along eastern halls, Sylphia's room being in that wing. But as they approached a row of windows overlooking that side of the castle, the noise from outside slowly came to the fore as cheerful voices rose from below, charging the air with a light spirit.

That east wing had always been the noisier half of the palace, due in large part to the Royal Knights' barracks located nearby. In recent weeks, however, the low grunts and huffs of burly old men in training had been largely superseded by laughter and enthusiasm - all from the addition of a single member into their ranks.

And even then, today seemed noisier than usual.

"Just two more laps!" Yelled an old man, apparently the Captain of the Royal Knights, "Don't even think of slowing down! The day may come that you will carry our little heroine herself upon your back! She's injured and you're the only help she's going to get! Do not let her down! Run faster! You're being chased! Regulate your breath! Your stamina must not fail!"

"Yes, Sir Dorlan!" the girl screamed back.

Adding to the noise was the gallery of other Royal Knights cheering her on, or perhaps goading her.

Attracted by the the commotion below, Sylphia paused for a moment and peered out of the window, to which Eris followed suit.

"Keep your back straight!" said a knight observing from inside the barracks, "You won't be able to breathe if you arch your body forward like that!"

Meanwhile, the one beside him yelled, "Hey, your legs are getting wobbly, newblood! Hahaha! Is the young lady that heavy?"

Amidst all of this a tiny, sprite-like voice filled the background with her laughter. "Kyahahaha! Give it your best, big sister Rika!"

"Seems she's enjoying it, though!"

There, in the fenced-off grounds, was her Lady's personal knight, running around the circuit alongside six other men. But that was not all. Like some sort of hazing ritual, she carried on her shoulders a small girl, perhaps the size of Sylphia, as the men seemed to imply, whilst she ran.

So Miss Evrika had a little sister too... how nice. She even reminds me of Emi... Though I could only wish I had the time to do something like this with her...

The two spectated for a while as Rika staggered again and again up to the starting line, before finally, after her last grueling circuit around the training ground, the lady knight fell to her knees, letting the young girl dismount from her shoulders.

Sir Dorlan soon approached, holding a flask in his hand. "Well done, Miss Rika! That's enough endurance exercise for today. Here, get some rest. Tomorrow, we'll return to building your strength."

"Yes, sir...!" With heavy gasps of breath, the redhead then turned to the girl beside her and asked, "Was... it fun?"

"Yep!" the girl clasped her hands behind her as she answered.

It wasn't the first time Eris watched her stand on her knees, exhausted to within an inch of passing out. She had seen her a few times before she was even acquainted with their Lady.

Why keep pushing her to such extent? She snuck a glance at the little girl beside her. Or, more like, why insist that a girl like her train as a Royal Knight? Is she just another victim of your cruelty? I know how royal appointments of knights work, and with the title of heroine, she could have even gotten the Knights Captain appointed as her personal guard. And yet...

"Ehehe...!" With this short burst of laughter, the lady knight reached her limit as she doubled over, clutching her belly.

"Big sister Rika!?" the young girl cried as she latched on to Rika's arms.

At that exact moment, a gust of wind swooped past, taking her hat along with it.

Then, as if lightning struck her, Eris froze completely still.

For beneath that cream-white hat was a full head of jet-black hair, tied in a pair of loose pigtails.

And with the young girl's face now in plain view, Eris made a crushing realization.

That's...!?

She rubbed her eyes with violent force.

No, no. I'm mistaken! She can't possibly be-

But as her eyelids shot open once more, she saw those unmistakable eyes that shone of deep silver; that small, gently curving nose and tiny, delicate lips.

Eris' knees buckled, and she soon wilted onto the floor.

No longer able to control her emotions, her sister's name slipped from her lips. "Emi...!?"

At that moment, she caught, out the corner of her eye, a glimpse of her lady's face. A smirk greeted her, accompanied by a pair of vicious, sharp eyes.

And right before the girl turned around, she mouthed a single word:

'Surprise.'

Then, with her back turned away, she then added, "Get up and let's go, we need to talk."

Indeed, Eris did stand up. But rather than follow behind her, she instead attempted a mad dash downstairs, forgetting her bum leg.

She hadn't even taken two steps before a piercing sting travelled up her leg, draining it of all strength. As a result, she crashed magnificently onto the ground, letting out a tiny squeal in the process.

"Geez, what are you doing?" Sylphia held out her hand, only for it to be swatted away.

"Don't you touch me!"

"Hmm..." The girl's eyelids fell. "That was pretty rude."

"You! It was you, wasn't it!?" Her words, steeped in rage, echoed from the palace walls, which had taken on a tinge of red from the now setting sun.

Meanwhile, the disinterested young lady looked over her shoulders, to the inquisitive maids walking around and whispering to each other. "Let's go to my room," she insisted, "It's time I told you everything."

The door had barely closed behind them when Eris exploded without warning, "Why!?" she yelled, "why do you have my little sister!? She has nothing to do with this!"

Her scream caught Sylphia's ears off guard, and for a second all she could hear was a dim ring. "Geez! Let me sit down first, will ya'?"

Indeed, she took her time pulling out her chair and nestling in his midst - all to tease Eris just that little bit further.

"Anyway," the girl finally said, "who says she's not involved?"

"Of course she's not! I was the one who turned on you. I was the one who had you kidnapped! Just kill me, for godsakes!"

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on. You can't be going for that cliche. The noble sacrifice route doesn't really suit your character, Eris."

The woman gnashed her teeth and practically snarled at the little girl who was entirely unfazed. But eventually, her impotent rage drained her, and she soon crumpled to her knees, wailing, "Just what lengths will you go just to torment me!? Just end me already!"

She sighed. "No need to be so fatalistic. I already told you, I'm done tormenting you."

"Then what the hell is this all about!?"

Well, I guess I'm still teasing you a little bit...

She stood up and walked to the windowsill, upon which she placed her hand and leaned in against it. "I was excited, you know? When I heard from your guardian angel that you'd sent out a letter."

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Eris's brows twisted in bewilderment. "What!?"

"The kobold I tasked to protect you." She shook her head indecisively. "And well, I guess I had him do a bit of spying too. Anyway, he came to me one morning with a letter and some instructions you apparently gave to a courier. I thought it'd lead me to the guy paying you. If I could nip the problem in the bud, then it would have saved on a lot of damage to the village itself. But it turns out it was only a letter to your little sister."

"Letter...? Ah..." Her shoulders fell. At this point, she had no more energy to even get angry. "So that's how you found her... So I'd been compromised for so long, and I didn't even realize it... How absurd..."

"Well, in retrospect, that turned out for the better..."

"Please... do whatever you want to me, I don't care. Just don't hurt her!"

"Geez, I'm telling you, It's not like that!" She sighed before turning away towards the window. "Geez."

She peered out into the distance, casting her gaze onto the city, and quickly noticing an anomaly. She wondered.

And after a few moments, it hit her. "Oh, what do you know," she muttered to herself.

"Huh?"

"Look here, Eris." She beckoned for her to come closer. "Can you see that?"

Like a newborn deer, the exhausted secretary staggered back to her feet and, cautiously, joined her lady by the window. "What is it?"

"Over there, past the walls."

In the far distance, a plume of smoke rose into the clouds.

"A fire. So what?"

"And can you guess what's burning right now?"

"Huh? Like I should know." Or so she said, but the longer she looked over the capitol, the more and more landmarks she recognized. And soon enough, she had made a skin-crawling realization. "No...!" She crumbled to the ground, barely anchoring herself by the arm she had slung onto the windowsill! "Aaaaargh!!" Tears finally began to stream down her cheeks. "Even our home!? You damn monster! Just how far do you plan to ruin our lives!?"

"Not me." Sylphia shook her head. "Them."

Wiping her tears, she muttered, "...what?"

She then glanced at her with a single eye and asked, "Did you really think that I was the only one who already knew everything about you?"

Eris's entire body went limp. With a soft thud, her back fell against the wall and she slid down onto the ground. There, she stared blankly at the floor, like a lifeless doll, while tears streamed down her cheeks and dripped onto her clothes.

"Hah, haha..." Bitter laughter escaped Eris' lips whilst sobbing. "So he was planning on killing me from the beginning. All this time, it was I who was being played for a fool..."

"Err... not necessarily. That old fart, right? Your contact, the one I had you set up the other day."

Eris lifted her face. "What about him?"

"Yeah, well..." The little girl scratched her temple. "He, uh... sort of, got away?"

The woman's eyes widened. "He's still alive!?"

She shrugged. "And probably thinks you're involved with an attempt on his life. Which isn't entirely wrong, but..."

"Urgh..." Eris' head thudded against the solid stone.

Sylphia soon joined her, pinning her back to the wall and then sliding down onto the floor. "So here's what's happening. You're marked for death. And so is your sister, it looks like. They really want you to suffer for crossing them."

"So Emi is here... because you saved her?"

"Er..." Sylphia's eyes darted quickly across the room. "Y-yeah! You can say that! I mean, I did expect your former employers to eventually get back at you by going after your family, but I didn't think they'd hit you this fast, and... well, in the meantime," she then averted her gaze and muttered, "I thought I could use her to... blackmail you or something?"

Eris winced. "You're... not holding anything back at all, are you?"

"I did say I'll tell you everything, right? But anyway, things turned out like this instead! How convenient! Well, for me, at least. So it turns out that Rika did, in fact, save your sister. And by extension, I did so too! ...But that's beside the point. Either way, you don't have a future left. That is-" Next, she laid her palm over the back of Eris' hand. "-outside of what I will offer you."

This attracted the latter's gaze, her eyes reflecting caution, though hidden underneath was expectation.

"I'll let you choose: You and your sister can run away from here. I won't stop you. But then, I can't help you either. Chances are, you'll run into one 'terrible accident' after another, and die a dog's death."

The woman clutched her arms and shuddered.

"Or-" She lifted Eris' hand. "-you can work for me."

For a moment, her lips parted, as though she was about to say something, but relented.

So Sylphia continued, "It will be the end of your freeter life, floating from racket to racket; constantly looking for that extra coin to top up your measly wage. I will give you and your sister a home. I will protect you from anyone who wants to hurt you." She then gleamed a warm smile her way. "And in return, you will do the same for me."

"But... how could I possibly protect you, when you, yourself, have reduced me to this state?"

"You have this." She tapped her finger on her own temple. "Frankly, if it weren't for the kobolds... and sheer darned luck, I'd probably be in the middle of nowhere getting God-knows-what done to me by that sick pal of yours."

"Here's the thing - I'm not from here. I don't know anyone. I don't even know how any of this works. So far, I've gotten by just from the privilege of my title and nothing more. But sooner or later, I'll get myself into trouble that's a little bit bigger than myself. Your employer for instance. It's that Count Rosteforough, right? It wouldn't be a good idea to just send out some kobolds and murder him in his sleep. There are steps to these things. But in the meantime, he probably won't be standing idly while I've foiled his great big plan. So I need someone in the know."

She then jabbed her finger into Eris' shoulder.

"That's where you come in."

"But.. why? Why do you still ask me to serve you, after all I've done? And why do you need me, when you have Miss Evrika?"

"I already told you." She ran her hand along Eris' cheek, wiping the tearstains along the way. "You're a competent woman. Clever. Diligent. A natural secretary, if you will. Now, Rika's a good girl - charming, hardworking; but uh... just between you and me, she isn't the brightest bulb in the bunch. Moreover, I might need someone who can make any decision without batting an eyelid. She's too pure-hearted for that. You, on the other hand..."

Sylphia chuckled.

"I could use someone like you." she continued, "Someone could... say, kidnap a small girl for monetary gain? Because who better to protect me from scoundrels, but a fellow scoundrel?"

For the first time all day, a tiny smirk appeared on Eris' lips. "I see..."

"So." She held out an open hand. "The choice is yours. Leave or stay?"

The room fell dead silent.

Several tense moments passed as she contemplated her decision. All the while, Sylphia waited eagerly for her reply, not even once moving the hand she offered.

Moments later, Eris took a deep breath. And after a drawn-out sigh, she finally straightened her back and looked her lady straight-on. Her eyes were bloodshot from all the tears she had shed, but they were as sharp and focused as ever.

The wait was over.

"My Lady," she said, "I believe the fine line that separates a noble and a commoner is an education."

Or so she thought. Those words, out of the blue, took the little girl by surprise, evident from her expression. Caught off-guard with neither the 'yes' nor 'no' she expected, she could only stutter out something to pad out her time to think, "Ueh? Uhh... sure?"

"A noble may fall to poverty, but he is able to claw himself back up from the wisdom he has thus gained. On the other hand a commoner may stumble upon riches... only to lose it all in one fell swoop from his ignorance.

"All my life, I sought only wealth.

"People can turn on you, even the ones you love the most. Kindness is always in short supply, and in any case, it often only serves to mask the ugliness we wish to hide. Wealth can be lost, but if you strive for it, no amount is out of your reach. In my world, it is the only thing you can trust.

"But throughout my life, there was one thing that I could never buy.

"An education.

"I still wonder how my life would have turned out if I was not a peasant and was able to study in any of the Kingdom's academies."

At this point Sylphia was catching on to her point. Except she was further taken aback when Eris got up and got down on one knee, reached out to her hand and laid her forehead upon it.

"So here I kneel before you." Eris said, "Through my foolishness; my hubris, I have lost everything-" She shook her head."-no, almost everything."

She then lifted her face and looked Sylphia in the eyes with absolute determination.

"My Lady, I am prepared to give you all I have left. Not just my services, but my loyalty, my body, even my very life. I offer them to you in perpetuity."

The girl's brows jumped.

"I only ask, no - beg, for one thing."

"Oh? And what would that be?"

"I... don't want Emi to live the same life I've led. But she is still young. Perhaps, if she could get an education now, then she might look forward to a better future than I could ever give her..." Once more, she lowered her head, tightening her clasp upon Sylphia's frail little hand. "Please consider this earnest wish..."

The two stayed like that for a while.

It might have been a full minute - she couldn't quite say, but all throughout, Sylphia wasn't sure how to react. But eventually, her mind pieced together what exactly was happening, and for some reason it was hilarious to her.

"Hahahaha!" She burst into laughter. "You have guts, haggling from your position!"

Despite this, Eris did not waver, nor did she so much as flinch.

"But I like that about you." She then patted her on the shoulder. "Alright-"

In an instant, the secretary lifted her face, eyes just seconds from bursting to tears.

"-you've got a deal."

Ever since they met, Sylphia had always looked curiously at Eris' lifeless, grey eyes. For the longest time, they kept a near-endless depth to them that seemed to swallow all light. But now, she saw a tiny glint of hope reflecting from those very same eyes. Without thinking, she smiled, as a single thought crossed her mind:

A smile ought to suit those eyes more.

"My Lady...!" Eris's glasses clouded over as tears dripped onto them. No matter how much she strained to contain herself, she could no longer rein in her emotions.

Next, the girl brought her arms over her secretary's shoulders, bringing her closer, and then gave her a squeeze. "There, there." She could feel the sobs coursing through her body; the tears permeating through her clothes.

But she did not mind.

Instead, she held ever even closer, and whispered, softly, into her ears, "Welcome back, Eris."

They stayed like that until both of them calmed down.

Afterwards, the recomposed secretary and stood up, ever dignified, before the little girl.

"Now," Eris held out her hand "my Lady, if I may..."

"Hm?" Without thinking, she took her hand, which pulled her back to her feet.

Next, the woman bent down on one knee and said, "My Lady, Sylphia, I hereby pledge to you my absolute loyalty - inviolable, and in perpetuity. From now, till my death, I belong to you and no one else. I shall serve no other Lord, no country-" She focused sharply into Sylphia's bright amber eyes. "-no King. So declared, with Maxim, the God of Oaths, as my witness. My name is Evelyn Canaris, your loyal servant."

"Evelyn... Ahh. I see. Mm!" She grinned. "Once again, I'm glad to have you, Eris!"