The Newest Knight's Promise
The new recruit had been assigned grueling, bothersome tasks, yet Vivienne did not shirk from any of them. She scrubbed clothes in a huge tub, stomped on the blanket inside, and especially wrung out the laundry before hanging it on the line—most of it was her responsibility.
She had needed a few tricks here and there, but mostly it was straightforward labor.
Since she had never done rough work before, her whole body ached as if beaten. Thankfully, from her mermaid days she had always possessed one thing above all: strength. Vivienne clenched her teeth and endured it.
No matter how hard she worked, the tasks never ended.
Noon. The laundry maids were too busy sprawling on the mats to bite into their rye bread.
Vivienne had considered stretching her waist for a moment, but—
“Hey, Vivi.”
That kind of familiarity was never given to the youngest.
“Yes?”
“Bring that towel basket to the training grounds for me.”
“…Yes!”
Vivienne sat down, grabbed the towel basket without looking, and hurried to the training grounds.
The training grounds were alive with Larson knights in practice. The towels were always short no matter how often they were washed, which was why they had to be constantly replenished. As the weather began to turn warmer, the need had only grown.
Bothersome and annoying. That was also the youngest’s duty.
The basket was piled high with towels, blocking her view ahead, yet Vivienne urged her steps. If she did not return quickly, the lunch break would end.
Perhaps because she had carried too much at once, the stacked towels in the basket swayed dangerously.
“……!”
Just as the towels were about to spill to the ground, someone caught them with a firm hand and took the basket instead.
“T-t-thank you.”
If she had fallen, the clean towels would have dirtied the ground and become unusable.
Vivienne offered a grateful reply without thinking. The man smiled kindly as if nothing had happened.
“Alan. Take this.”
“Yes, sir. Ick.”
While the two men passed the basket back and forth, Vivienne’s face was revealed beneath the towels. The knights’ eyes widened upon seeing her, and then—
Clatter—
They ended up dropping the basket.
Oh, for the love of— The clean towels were scattered across the dirt floor.
“What now…!”
Vivienne quickly crouched and gathered the fallen towels.
The two men, who had been staring blankly at her for a moment, soon bent their waists and joined in collecting the towels.
“I-it’s my fault… My hand slipped and I dropped it…”
“No. I took too much at once. I should have been more careful. I’ll go find new ones and bring them back.”
Alan apologized with a pale face, but Vivienne shook her head.
“Listen, Alan.”
“Yes, sir.”
“These towels are going to get dirty on the ground anyway. No need for them to be perfectly clean, right?”
“What?”
Was that even a question? The strict knight had spoken so out of character, and Alan’s ears rang with disbelief.
“Answer properly. It’s your own fault.”
“Aw, of course! It doesn’t matter. They’ll end up filthy and sweaty anyway.”
“Pick them up roughly and take them. Explain and use them.”
“Yes, sir.”
“If the others cause trouble, tell the knight in charge. It was his fault.”
“Yes!”
Alan gathered the towels and left with the basket.
Did it really end without any issue?
He had said he would bring replacements, yet he had surely expected a scolding from his superior maid. Vivienne felt dazed—could she really trust him like this?
Still, she had received help, no doubt about it.
“T-thank you.”
“Um… may I ask your name?”
The knight asked her name in a roundabout way. His somewhat rough, masculine face was inexplicably flushed.
“Vivienne.”
“Ah, so it is.”
“What?”
“Hello. You are the head maid… aren’t you?”
“The head maid?”
“So if I say Matilda, you know her, right?”
“Yes. Matilda!”
Upon hearing the familiar name, Vivienne’s face brightened.
“She is my mother.”
Matilda’s son? She had only heard stories about her daughter.
Vivienne’s eyes widened in surprise, and he smiled gently.
“Mother still hasn’t told you about me. I am Theodore. You may call me Theo.”
Theodore suddenly extended his right hand. It was a gesture of greeting, but Vivienne, who did not know what a handshake was, simply stared blankly at the outstretched hand.
“Ah, I have only been around men, so a sudden handshake felt odd.”
“…A handshake?”
“Ah, no. Forget it.”
He waved his hand awkwardly and laughed self-consciously.
“Um, so I am the captain of the Larson Knights. I do not ride horses. My role is to protect Larson and the citizens.”
“Ah…”
So Matilda’s son was Theodore, captain of the Larson Knights.
Theo.
Vivienne slowly nodded, drawing a mental map of their connections.
“Is the maid’s work going well?”
“I am still inexperienced. I am working hard to learn.”
“I see. Are you in pain anywhere? Mother worried about you until the very end.”
“Aside from a little soreness, I am fine.”
“It hurts? Where?”
She had spoken casually, yet his face immediately looked concerned. Vivienne wondered if she had said something wrong and felt a bit flustered.
“Wait a moment.”
Theodore rummaged through his pocket and pulled out a small glass bottle.
“Here, take this.”
“What is this?”
“It is an herbal ointment for muscle aches used by the knights. Rubbing it on a sore spot will relieve the pain.”
Vivienne, in a daze, accepted the bottle and stared at Theodore.
“Thank you.”
“Why such a thing?”
He smiled shyly, a little embarrassed despite giving kindness.
“If you ever have trouble or anyone bothers you, come find me anytime. I am always at the training grounds during the day, and at the knights’ barracks at night… no, do not come at night. There are too many rough men there.”
“Thank you for your consideration.”
Because he was Matilda’s son, Theodore was kind.
In fact, since Matilda, no one had been this kind to her.
For a moment, Kian’s words about kindness never being given without reason crossed her mind, but she did not want to think that way.
“Everyone is looking for you. I will take my leave now.”
Lunch break was almost over. Vivienne bowed to Theodore and left the training grounds.
***
“Captain.”
While watching the back of a woman running at a brisk pace, someone called Theodore. It was Alan, the knight who had carried the towel basket earlier.
“What is it?”
“Isn’t that the famous woman? The one who collapsed on the beach?”
Why had he not said that before? Theodore’s brows furrowed irritably.
“There may have been unavoidable circumstances. What fault does the person who collapsed have? Do not speak carelessly.”
“Yes, you are right. I was thoughtless.”
“That is fine.”
Theodore answered irritably, yet his eyes could not leave the retreating woman’s back.
“But you know, Captain.”
“What?”
“Never have I seen a woman this beautiful. Right?”
“Wake up from that dream, idiot.”
“No, who said it was a dream? You cannot even say a pretty thing is pretty? You are too much.”
Alan grumbled at the repeated scolding.
“…She is indeed pretty.”
Yes, anyone would agree she was beautiful. No, the problem was that she was too beautiful. They had heard she was beautiful, but seeing her in person left them stunned for a moment.
Moreover, she was the protagonist of such sensational rumors. With the rough men of Larson everywhere, it was understandable why Matilda would worry like she had placed her child on the water.
“Why would the master bring such a beautiful young lady into the household as a maid?”
“What kind of talk is that?”
“I think it would be more natural to bring her in as a mistress.”
Theodore finally turned his gaze away after Vivienne’s back disappeared from view.
A mistress? With her stubborn nature?
He knew better than anyone that his master would not easily yield to anyone, not even a woman.
Theodore looked up at Kian’s bedroom on the fourth floor of the main mansion.
Just as usual, the terrace facing the bedroom was open wide, yet Kian was nowhere to be seen.
He let out a soft sigh and glared at Alan with a stern face.
“Alan. Keep your mouth in check.”
***
Because Kian’s bedroom faced southeast, morning sunlight poured in especially long each day. This structure made it impossible to sleep late even if one wished to.
After waking at the usual time and finishing a simple shower, Kian put on a robe and lounged loosely on a single-seater sofa, spreading out the newspaper.
Clink—
Along with the crisp sound of the teapot, the aroma of black tea filled the air. The maid serving the tea moved quietly yet efficiently, as if she were not there yet there.
Routinely, milk, sugar, and lemon were prepared for the black tea, but Kian always took none, as usual.
He read the newspaper all the way to the third page, skimmed the main articles, and only when the trivial gossip remained. After setting the teacup down with about a quarter left.
That was the end of it.
Clink—
The maid in charge looked at the teacup at the sound of the cup being set down. Today, oddly, it was perfectly empty.
Today was a little different from other days.
“What is your name?”
The maid was about to clear the cup and leave when Kian spoke to her.
“Eliza.”
“I see. Eliza. You have worked hard for the time being.”
“What? Did I do something wrong?”
“No.”
The maid, who asked in confusion what she had done wrong, received a warning.
“Starting tomorrow, send Vivi in your place.”