Luther and I knelt down in front of the lady. White robes hung from her shoulders, reaching the floor as they grazed against the lilac carpet. The faint light coming in through the windows of intricate carvings highlighted the shadows of the rosewood furniture. Next to the lady in full armor was a tall brown-haired knight with a stoic face.
The lady's voice echoed.
"The ddlers are here," she spoke. I couldn't hear the 'tone' of her voice, yet the echoes held in it were filled with incomparable authority. "So, who is this?"
I placed my hand on my chest and answered. "My lady. I am Adventurer Dusk, I have been stationed as your guard—"
The lady tapped her desk and I quietened down. She slowly turned her gaze toward , her veil waving with her movents.
"How botherso. I already have a knight protecting for the last 9 years," the lady sighed and said. "I believe a sudden change in these last few days would be riveting."
With a snap of her fingers, the knight standing behind stepped forward.
"You're fired," the lady told the knight. I stared in surprise as sothing completely unexpected played out. "Luther, give him so money. I don't want to see you around again, go."
The knight bowed deeper before walking away from the lady.
"Did he just walk away..." Titania spoke, awed.
Even I was surprised by the knight's nonchalance, but noticed that his hands were trembling just the slightest amount. Was he afraid?
Why did she fire her knight in the first place—
"—Mister adventurer," the lady said, walking back to her desk where a tall mountain of papers and docunts sat. She pointed at and gestured for to walk over with her fingers.
The lady grabbed my shirt and pulled down to her face. In a whisper that barely reached past her veil, she spoke. "You are now my guard. I have dismissed my knight, so only you will protect ."
Her voice softer, she continued.
"Put your life on the line to protect . Whether it is a duke or a king that threatens , is not of your concern. And if you can't do your job, kill yourself."
What in the fuck was all this about?
For as much as I wanted to dismiss it as a young lady's ramblings, the way her voice curled around my heart like a snake and her command dug into it like its fangs were sothing that I couldn't brush off.
"She's scary..." Titania said from the side.
"I understand," I said in the sa low voice.
"Good," she said. The lady whose na I still didn't know sat back on her chair and turned back to the papers. Just like her knight had earlier, I walked up to the window without making a sound and stood behind her.
"Luther, get lost."
"Yes, my lady."
Luther rushed out of the room. As the door closed behind him, the lady's office was covered with a blanket of silence.
Only the sound of the fluttering curtains leaked inside the room, and along with it, the sounds of her quill scribbling over the stack of docunts and papers ca together in an etude of silence.
The person said to have a hold over the underworld of the empire. It was intriguing to think just what she was working on, but I refrained from taking a look.
A guard didn't have to bother with those things. That, and I was confident that she would notice if I did take a look. She didn't exude the aura of a strong person, but I still believed she would notice such a transgression.
"Boring~" Titania humd while standing on my head.
"Shush."
Both I and my fairy turned to the side in surprise as the lady hissed. She didn't look away from the papers but still noticed our gaze.
"Fairy, be quiet or get out."
How was she...
It wasn't possible for people to see a fairy since they were closer to spirits than a physical entities. In a way, Titania's existence was not that different from the ethereal form of Mana or Ki. I could see her since I summoned her. Kai and the Death Queen probably noticed her since they were strong enough to be in-tune with such spiritual beings.
Then how did she...
Neither of us said anything but remained quiet.
We had tons of questions, but there was no space to address them.
Morning breezed past us. The light of the sun grew stronger and eventually weakened as afternoon crept away as well.
The lady hadn't moved from her seat as she continued working. The large pile of papers was eventually sorted away as only a small stack was left on her table.
The entire ti, she hadn't said a word to beyond her initial talk.
Eventually, when the sun started going down, the lady stood up. Not even a glance ca my way as she walked away from her desk and toward the door. I followed behind her past the office and through the beautiful gray-lined castle walls and its pink-tinted wooden embellishnts.
After a short walk, we ran into a young maid. The maid noticed the lady and perford a deep bow.
"Send sothing to eat," the lady muttered to the maid. The young maid perford another bow and walked away imdiately toward the kitchen.
I thought we would go elsewhere, but the lady turned back and went toward her office. Though confused, I followed her without saying a word.
We entered the room, its purple tint now gleaming with a slight orange.
The lady sat down on her desk and I returned to my spot. The entire ti, Titania was rolling around on my head.
Not long after, the maid we had seen earlier entered the room with a cart full of snacks and left as quickly as she had entered.
The lady pulled up a cookie and chomped down on it.
Watching her eat, I spoke up.
"You could have told to fetch so food, my lady."
The sounds of crows returned in the orange-tinted skies.
She stopped.
The rays of the setting sun fell on her pure white hair, a shade the sa as mine.
"This is the last ti I'll hear you speak out of turn," said the lady. "Stay quiet."
Her hair was beautiful.
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