“Hey Ms Anne, what do you think they’d like? My sisters, I mean.”
“Oh dear. I’m sure they would accept anything you got them, young master.”
“I need something more concrete than that.”
“Young master, you’re their precious brother. If anyone, shouldn’t you know best?”
If only Francis Rayleigh could tell her there and then. But the imposter had his own role to play. Whether he wanted to or not was of no concern to the True Dragon.
“Hm. Then is there a town or a city nearby?”
“There’s a small town right outside our gates, young master. Do you want to travel there?”
“I guess so. Maybe it’ll give me some ideas.”
“Now normally, you’d need his grace’s permission, but since they’re gone at the moment, you’re the highest authority here.”
“Permission? I’d need permission to leave?”
“Oh yes, young master. But in these circumstances, you make the decision. Besides, young master, it's not as if you’re going to the Ruidion Mountains or anything dangerous.”
“Is that so? Thank you Ms Anne. Then, could you please prepare some casual clothes? I don’t plan to go out in any fancy regalia or anything like that,” Francis said between after his chewing.
“Oh young master, you plan to go out in commoner clothes?”
“Yes. I don’t want to stand out too much. Makes me a target.”
“I see. Very well, young master. I’ll prepare a set for you.”
“And a set for Ms Katalina too,” Francis said.
Turning around, he met her eyes. The long brown hair stayed perfectly still in the absence of wind. Her grey eyes had an aloof, calm, and ready presence to it. When she said that he changed for the better, perhaps she decided to give him some room. Or, she could have just gotten better at concealing her hatred. Either way, she seemed to have calmed down just a bit, through Francis’ eyes.
“Are my current clothes inadequate?” she asked.
“You’d look out of place.”
“I think you should be more concerned about yourself first and foremost, my lord. Blend in with commoners? With your eyes, my lord? You’d bring trouble.”
“Ah.”
Francis forgot about his eyes. In the mirror, they looked on the pinker side than crimson. But, regardless, even if it was pink in its fullest, no one had pink eyes. It was impossible for a human to have crimson red eyes.
“Coloured contacts, maybe?” he muttered to himself.
“Hm? What was that, young master?”
“Are there, by chance, any, uh cosmetics? Like, something to put on your eyes?”
The two looked at him like he grew an extra arm. Were cosmetics not a thing? Impossible, even the ancient Egyptians were using makeup. Cosmetics had to exist. Then, were contact lenses too far in the future? That was the more likely answer.
“I guess not. Hm. Then I guess I’ll just keep my head down?”
“That would be the best course of action, young master,” Anne said.
“Well, it is what it is.”
Francis shrugged. It wasn’t as if he would be disadvantaged by those pink eyes. And even if he were to be targeted, he had his knight there with him.
“Then we shall leave in the afternoon.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Very well, young master.”
Anne chuckled with a warm smile. It resembled a parent, whose child just showed off a bad drawing to be put on the fridge. She moved closer to him, close enough to whisper. If it was any other member of the Rayleigh family, perhaps she would have stayed far away.
“Young master, I wish you the best of luck on your date.”
Francis choked on his food as soon as those words left her mouth. A date? With Katalina? The one that could end him with a thrust of her sword? Unthinkable. Maybe the news of being an Arcleus was not announced to everyone. Then, within the Rayleigh mansion, were the only ones that knew, his parents, and the Arcleus himself?
His cheeks flushed red at the thought of going on a date with a woman as pretty as her. In his previous life, his ex-girlfriend couldn’t even match the knight in beauty. And he was certain that she detested that thought. With a thankful heart that Katalina was behind him, he calmed himself down.
“Ahem,” he whispered back, “I am not going on anything like that.”
“Huh? Why not? This is a good opportunity, wouldn’t you say so, young master?” Anne pulled back and said.
“Because! She is my guard! And she herself has already said that they are not to engage in any other activities with their master!”
Flustered, he didn’t realise that he stopped his whispering. He sighed, and collected himself. It was unlike his normal self, well, the imposter self, to lose that calmness. But the late Francis Rayleigh lost his temper every other day.
“That is correct. As his guard, I am not to engage in any romantic or sexual activities with him. Even if he wants it.”
“Aaaah! You heard it?” he shouted.
“Yes my lord. You said it out loud.”
With his hands, he covered his face. It felt warm to the touch. How could he let such a slip up happen? Surely it didn’t mean anything. In the first place, why was he acting like that? It wasn’t his first time; he had experience with women.
“Prepare it now!” he said through his hands.
Anne backed away, and bowed. She turned around and left the room with haste. Her feet scurried along. In actuality, he just wanted her to leave the room, any reason could have sufficed. She would’ve obeyed it even if he just told her to leave. But he couldn’t just tell her straight up, could he? It would be like directly asking to be left alone with the knight that he found pretty.
“Aaaaah. Alright. Uhh, first of all, don’t misunderstand me.”
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“I think I have understood what you meant.”
“And?”
“Unfortunately for you, I have no interest in you.”
“That’s…”
He had to gulp. Although he didn’t think that he would have any interest in her, it still hurt to hear that. Even if he didn’t think he had any, he still wanted to be liked.
“That’s not what I meant.”
Did he? Judging by standards of attractiveness alone, she scored high. Indeed, he wouldn’t have minded if she asked him out. Actually, he would have accepted her, if she so wished to.
He shook his head, and tried to calm his heart down. His heartbeat was fast, and there was a strange nervousness within him. It was familiar, and yet foreign.
***
The day proceeded as usual. The lord took his lessons, and spent time in the library. His private quarters, the dining room, or the library. More often than not, the lord could be found in one of those three places. But there wasn’t a need for her to find him. As his guard, she was either with him, or somewhere close. And yet, she couldn’t shake off that weird feeling from the morning.
Standing outside his room, she waited. Separated by only a door, she could hear his clothes rustle as he changed. That was enough confirmation of his well being. Alone, and left with herself, she began thinking.
Was there a better way to have handled it? There definitely was. Katalina gripped her sword tight.
“Impossible.”
She shook her head. The sword shifted within her sheath. The gemstone was firmly embedded within.
“Him? Just because he's mixed doesn’t mean that I want him. But if I do marry him, it’ll be an easy promotion, huh?”
Her lips curled up at the ends. With only a door in between them, she couldn’t help but recall what she saw. The translucent dressing gown. His clothes that clung to his slim body. Her own physique was stronger than his in most ways. And from what she saw, his skin was not suited for him. Rather, his own skin was in a much better condition than hers. Had it not been for those pink eyes of his, he would look much like a fair maiden.
“Then I suppose I’m the knight in shining armour?”
She chuckled at that thought. It was impossible. Pulling up the sleeve of her commoner clothes, she took a long look at her own skin.
In a simple tunic and skirt, it was loose in places that she was uncomfortable in. It was breezy between her legs, and her long brown hair was left untied. Without that much variety of colour, she could blend in. Colours were a luxury to most. On her hip was a spare sword. Its weight was one that she wasn’t used to, and was slightly heavier. There wasn’t a mana stone inside the sword’s guard. Those were inaccessible to a normal civilian.
The door opened, and she stood at attention once more. The one that emerged through the door was someone she had never seen before. Breathtaking beauty. Enough to even stun girls her age. What came out from there was not a handsome, striking man. But rather, a person without the usual handsomeness of a Rayleigh. Allegedly, even the ladies with Rayleigh blood had sharp charming features. Francis’ sisters may have been more handsome than other men their age. But, Francis did not have that. Perhaps rather than a fine young man, he was more suitable for a young, pretty princess.
Already lacking in many masculine features, it was rather easy to be more like a girl. But with the right clothes, his features could be seen differently. His natural symmetric, narrow jaw, long eyebrows made Katalina herself wonder. Even her own heart skipped a beat at the sight of him. Without the addition of cosmetics, wasn’t he already close to the centre? If fully defined masculine features that would make the hearts of girls swoon was on the left side of the line, and the features that could capture the hearts and interest of knights all over were on the other side, then in his normal state Francis Rayleigh was close to the centre.
“Pretty cute,” she said.
Immediately after, she clasped her hand over her mouth. She did not mean to say that. What was that? A slip of the tongue? A mistake like that could mean the difference between life or death. People have gotten punished for less.
“Oh...”
His eyes averted. That head turned away, and he pulled his hand towards his face. Hiding his mouth, the pale fingers twitched as she apologised.
It seemed that he wasn’t angry. Or rather, didn’t particularly care about her mistake. A slight blush spread across his face, but it didn’t look like he noticed. Anne walked out from the room, with a smug and proud smile.
“Well then, off you two go!”
Anne clapped her hands together. Waving goodbye, she closed the doors after they left. And she walked towards the windows of the ground floor, and saw them walk away. With a turn, they met her eyes.
“I have to clean, young master,” she mouthed.
He nodded and turned his attention back to the town. Katalina looked at him all over. Sure, his clothes may have been fitting, but were the cosmetics necessary? In a simple shirt and leggings, if anyone but him wore those, it was enough. But, it was Francis Rayleigh.
“My lord, shall we ride on a horse?”
“I’m not sure if I could, haha.”
“Going on a horse would be much faster than walking.”
“If I fall off a horse, I think my legs will break.”
“Well, I’m here to make sure that doesn’t happen. And besides, I don’t really want to walk there.”
She pulled him towards the stables. The fresh smell of horses acted with haste, and set itself within his nose. It was unlikely that he would ever forget that scent. Even if he wanted to forget it, a person of his type couldn’t possibly do so.
“Get on,” she said after finding one that suited her.
“Are you sure? You’ll protect me right? I don’t want to die here.”
What kind of concern was that? Of course she would. Even if he were to forgive her, his parents were an entirely different beast altogether. As his knight, that was her duty.
Katalina sat atop her steed, and left space for him in front of her. He followed her instructions, and she held him close. From that distance, her being taller proved to be an advantage.
The horse lurched forward as he placed his entire weight on its back. Alone, he didn’t weigh much. And Katalina wasn’t wearing any armour at all, but was still heavier than him. Francis reached reflexively for her arms as a sort of handrail.
In the distance, as the horse galloped, a town began to reveal itself. No doubt still on the lands of the Rayleigh family. The small bag of coins hooked onto their hips jingled as they rode along. Although small, the monetary value within it was about a month’s worth of earnings from a regular farmer. Anne had given each of them a bag before, and its weight reflected its value. Within it were 5 gold coins.
“Do you have an idea of what to buy?” Katalina asked.
“Sorry,” was his reply.
The mixed child of the Rayleigh family clung onto her arm. In her hands were leather reins, used to control the horse. It seemed like that son was trying his best not to fall off, even though she would catch him before he reached the ground. Was his trust in her that low?
Trees passed by as the horse ran along a straight path. Cutting through a small forest, the path was well maintained, for it was the only official way to the Rayleigh mansion. Townsmen would, on occasion, visit them to ask for some monetary assistance. The servants that maintained the mansion also visited the town on their rest days, presumably to get away from the cursed aura of the Rayleighs. Those who didn’t had probably gotten used to that tense, prickly feeling. Yet, absolutely none of them were able to look at the duke’s crimson red eyes.
Whether she had gotten used to the presence of the young master, or if he simply didn’t have that much hostility was a question she didn’t know the answer to. All she knew was that Francis Rayleigh was different from the rest, but she had no idea why. Perhaps it was due to his mixed blood? That was the closest thing that she could come up with.
“We’re here.”
The knight dismounted from the horse with the motions of an experienced rider. Reaching her hands out to support him as he came down, she grabbed onto his sides. The thin, loose hanging shirt did not provide much cover. With her hands on his hips, he slowly jumped off.
Right in front of them was a bustling town. They had stopped just outside the border, and Katalina kept the horse still. She brought it to a nearby stable meant for adventurers and kept the horse there. She paid out of her own bag of money, though there was no need to. Heading back, she found Francis looking at the town was a curious look. It was the young master’s first time out, after all. But his expression wasn’t one of wonder, or of amazement. Nothing that she expected. No, rather, he had a curious, but bored face, as if he had seen sights like that dozens of times before. But that was impossible. He stayed inside the mansion, never leaving, always terrorising his servants, and even when he did leave, it was only to other noble houses. Francis Rayleigh had no chance to see a town like that.
“Well then, let’s get started. Do you know the way around town?” he turned around and asked.
“Yeah,” she said, approaching closer.
“Lead the way. Also, don’t call me by any title here. If you started calling me lord out of nowhere, it’ll bring unnecessary attention.”
Her eyes focused onto his face. The townspeople carried on with their lives, unaware that the man with pink eyes was visiting them. But her suspicions still clawed at her. He was the only one of the Rayleigh family that acted like that. Regardless if he was mixed, she didn’t want to think that there was someone within that cursed family with pink eyes that were different. They all had to be the same. Evil, hostile, selfish, ruthless, needlessly strong. Was the man standing in front of her truly one of them? Or maybe he could be the change she so wanted.