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Love…

Love counseling, you say!!

Is it that Sir Louis who’s talking about this?!

Elena took a moment to grasp Louis’s words, needing time to understand their meaning, and soon realized the impact of what had been said.

The Steel Maiden, regarded as the embodiment of knightly virtue, is talking about love!

Of course, the titles will be attached in the future, but at this moment, Elena couldn’t hide her astonishment at Louis’s unexpected statement.

Asking her to associate affection with someone like Louis Graham was as far-fetched as imagining a fire burning in water.

It wasn’t that her expressions were few and far between. Elena was well aware that Louis Graham, despite appearances, was a person with a rich emotional depth.

Having fought alongside him as his faithful knight in past battles, she couldn’t claim to be completely ignorant of him. Rather, it was because she knew him well enough that she was so surprised he would seek her advice on romance.

The sword of the House of Kraus and the harbinger of Heretics’ misfortune.

A general who commands his soldiers with rationality over emotion, an embodiment of perfect control and strict law.

Such a nickname doesn’t come without merit!

Elena knew Louis Graham to be a cold and sharp figure; a knight existing for the sake of the House Kraus, prioritizing commands over personal feelings.

This demeanor wouldn’t inherently be an obstacle to feeling love, but hearing Louis outright swear he wouldn’t harbor such feelings for anyone else only deepened her reaction.

“No, that’s not right… Alphonse and Lizorote’s meeting has changed, so why can’t it happen with Sir Louis…”

Elena reflected on how she had come to know him earlier than before.

While she hadn’t asked about the reasons behind his oath, possibly because it was still a story for the future yet to unfold.

When she thought about it, many things had changed from the past.

This too was similar to that, Elena recalled yesterday’s events as her heart gradually calmed down.

If her past self, unmodified by regression, was told she would soon fall in love, with Damian nonetheless (even if he’s someone else), how would she have reacted? Probably with disbelief?

But the unbelievable had indeed become true… Now, this line of reasoning regarding Louis’ words felt somewhat more digestible.

Once her situational analysis settled, Elena sensed a surge of deep curiosity and interest in this newfound relationship, just as she had felt yesterday. She was a girl in love, and naturally, found such topics fascinating.

Her only experience discussing this matter had been with Hailey, who always played the listener, while Elena took the role of the speaker.

Thus, discussing others’ romantic escapades rather than her own, especially with someone other than Hailey, felt like a first for her.

Perhaps that was why? Whether it was due to the uniqueness of this first experience or whether Louis’s excitement was contagious, Elena felt her heartbeat quicken in a different way from when she was first surprised.

“Let’s head inside for now.”

Elena couldn’t stand in shock at the door forever, so she pulled Louis inside the room.

Once inside, Elena hurriedly cast a barrier with magic, worried someone might eavesdrop, and then sat her down in a chair. After all, secrets were paramount in a girl’s conversation. Even though Elena wasn’t exactly savvy about things, she knew that much.

“….”

“….”

Although they had set the stage, both Elena and Louis found it hard to break the silence.

Usually, it would be appropriate for Louis, the one facing the dilemma, to speak first, but now her face was flushed red, much like her hair, indicating she was clearly not in her right mind.

It seemed that just coming here and bringing this up had pushed her to her limit, and Elena felt she could empathize with Louis’s state of mind. After all, she had felt no different when confiding her own troubles to Hailey.

Elena was equally nervous.

Though she had willingly taken on the role of counselor, now that she had to offer advice, it felt as if her mouth was glued shut. After all, Elena had always been in the position of speaking, while being on the receiving end was a first for her. She was worried whether she could truly provide the right counsel and if it would even be helpful for Louis.

Ultimately, it was Elena who mustered the courage first. Donning a serious expression unlike the one she had moments ago, she asked Louis,

“Who is the person in question? It wouldn’t be Damian… so it must be Sir Robin?”

“Y-yes?!”

“It’s Sir Robin, then?”

Louis’s expression was one of surprise as if she hadn’t expected Elena to guess it so quickly. In truth, Elena felt just as flabbergasted, having thrown the name out there almost randomly, yet maintained her calm as a counselor.

“Well… I haven’t mentioned it’s about me yet…”

“Come on, that’s obvious. Would Sir Louis come all the way to Ruden to seek counsel about someone else? Unless it’s concerning herself, there wouldn’t be any reason for this, right? Plus, your hurried visit this morning suggests something must have happened when you were alone with Sir Robin yesterday. Am I correct?”

“Ah…”

Elena quickly pieced together the clues from Louis’s reaction, and it seemed Louis found her reasoning sound, nodding slightly in agreement.

Still a bit hesitant, Louis appeared uncertain, but after a few deep breaths and Elena’s reassuring smile, she finally spoke clearly.

“…First, let me tell you about what happened yesterday.”

*

“I’m sorry, but all the members of the Imperial Knights Order have been summoned, so you won’t be able to meet the young master. If you need a place to stay until he arrives, we can provide you a room…”

“No, that’s alright. Just let them know Louis Graham has come to Ruden. If there’s contact, send it to the Kraus Mansion.”

“Yes, understood.”

Having spoken like that to a servant in front of the mansion, Louis left without a hint of regret.

The desire to meet had been her friend’s intention, not hers, and since her reason for being in Ruden was officially for a mission, she couldn’t linger for long.

Even though the thought of having to revisit later felt bothersome, it seemed a bit cruel to leave the South without having met at all after sending that letter. Louis couldn’t shake off this contradictory sentiment.

However, aside from that, she felt good about her current mood.

‘Could it be briefly…?’

Louis looked at the man standing beside her.

Though he had been yanked out as her shield from discomfort, with the intended meeting now gone, their time was free. Though unexpected, Louis thought it might be more advantageous this way than meeting a friend.

The old her would have returned to the mansion as soon as she learned the meeting had fallen through, but now she was with Robin.

Under normal circumstances, even if her lord Damian told her to rest, Louis would have pressed on, but being alone with Robin in this situation made her wonder if indulging in a brief deviation was acceptable.

Certainly, it was far from a given that Robin was thinking the same.

“I can’t believe it’ll just end like this…”

Now left in an anti-climactic situation, Robin grumbled, looking a bit lost.

Louis briefly felt irritated, wondering if he truly disliked being with her, but then remembered he had been the one working as her coachman during their travel from Sarham to Ruden.

Though knights were known for their stamina, refusing to rest despite fatigue was foolish. While that didn’t mean Robin was feigning weariness, Louis knew her debt to him was distinct.

‘Surely, dragging him out here was a form of coercion, so asking him to stay longer would be a burden…’

“Then I suppose we should return to the mansion… Robin?”

Just as Louis began to give in, she felt her body sway to one side.

Robin had taken her hand, leading her somewhere. Did he really want to hurry back to the mansion? As she sighed momentarily with that thought, she noticed Robin was heading in the opposite direction of the mansion towards the shopping district.

Didn’t he just show fatigue from the journey? Wasn’t he wanting to rest at the mansion? She questioned whether he could have read her mind…

Louis found it puzzling.

With a look that asked why they were here, she met Robin’s gaze, and he beamed brightly at her.

“Don’t look at me like that! We’re in the greatest city in the continent, Ruden, so we can’t just skip sightseeing! Besides, if the Lesser House said to take it easy, then a little indulgence is only fair, right?”

Upon hearing Robin’s words, Louis realized he hadn’t considered that his invitation to explore was indeed coming from him. If it had been anyone else, she would have instantly suggested heading back to the mansion, as that would have been her typical response.

With this unexpected fortune in her lap, Louis relented and reluctantly matched her pace with Robin.

While she had wished to enjoy some time with him, it was hardly likely that diligent Louis had such experiences.

Actually, she had spent considerable time in Ruden, but leading the way now was the newcomer Robin.

“What kind of person visits here without knowing what’s around the Academy?”

Robin said that, and Louis found herself at a loss for words, while he just smiled as he began guiding her around.

Robin was a born entertainer.

Imagining what he might have become had he not pursued knighthood was amusing to him as he wandered the unfamiliar streets with ease, as though it were his hometown. Maybe under Robin’s influence, Louis started to mirror his expressions and mannerisms as they walked.

For the first time, she found herself indulged in snacks she had never touched before and holding bizarre little toys she had previously disregarded. When she eventually snapped back to reality, she would likely question her choices, but for now, she saw no harm—it was simply fun!

After wandering for quite some time, Louis abruptly stopped as something caught her eye at a stall.

The wares there ranged from items made of stone and iron to accessories crafted from faux gemstones. Though they were not high-end, at least from the outside, they looked rather beautiful.

Why she was suddenly entranced by such things now, even she couldn’t say.

As a noble lady with little interest in adornments, she had kept her distance from precious metals and was someone who couldn’t fall victim to the allure of jewels. So why now? Strangely, walking alongside Robin, her gaze was naturally drawn to that stall.

As Louis paused, Robin’s attention followed suit.

“How unexpected. I didn’t think Sir Louis would be interested in this kind of thing.”

“No, it’s not that… I was just caught off guard…”

“Hm… Wait a moment.”

Speaking thus, he exchanged glances with Louis and the stall, putting on a thought-provoking expression. Moments later, he picked up a hairpin adorned with a red stone from the stall. Quickly paying the vendor, he turned and tossed the hairpin at Louis while saying,

“This one’s the best I could get. Wear this when you meet your friend next.”

Shocked by this sudden gift, Louis rushed to follow Robin as he resumed walking.

After receiving the hairpin from him, her interest in that stall faded away entirely.

 

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