The next morning I woke up feeling happy.
Even if I had a dream while I was sleeping, I would have forgotten everything when I woke up, but for some reason I remembered bits and pieces of that day, and what was more, the contents were nostalgic and fun memories from my previous life, which made my heart feel warm.
"Did I dream about Sirius because I slept with his sword?" (Fia)
In my dream, he mentioned my appearance, which was unusual.
"...You always look at me with those golden eyes and affirm everything. And you save me."
He said something strange, and I tilted my head.
No matter what color my eyes were, if I continued to push myself to the limit like Sirius, I would definitely approve with all my might.
"Supreme Great Saint of my kingdom. I will protect everything that makes up you. Your beautiful shining crimson hair, your golden eyes full of compassion, and your white arms that create miracles…I will protect you forever and ever. I promise."
...Come to think of it, someone told me that red hair and golden eyes like mine were a rare combination.
I wondered if Sirius paid attention to the color of her hair and eyes when he talked about Serafina, the great saint, because she was such a rarity.
"In the first place, I was told that the deep red color like my hair is a rare color called 'Great Saint Red.' Not many people have golden eyes, and it's a combination of two colors that are rare to begin with. I guess that's why it seems so unusual." (Fia)
Now that I had said that, I realized that the last time I had a conversation about the unusual combination of hair and eye color was recently, not 300 years ago.
As I tried to remember when it happened, I remembered... oh, that's right.
Before going to Sutherland, Commander Savvis told me that "Crimson hair and golden eyes are a unique combination."
Since red hair was the mark of an excellent saint, many women with red hair were bound to become saints.
Therefore, Commander Savvis, who had many opportunities to come into contact with saints as a member of the royal family, should be used to seeing red hair, but if he insisted on it, then my color was probably unusual.
Indeed, even among the current saints, I was convinced that my color combination might be rare....
――Now, four days after I returned to the royal capital, Commander Savis returned from an inspection tour of the region.
According to that schedule, a date was set for me to meet with His Majesty the King.
Apparently, as declared, Captain Cyril intended to involve Commander Savvis in the royal interview no matter what.
Or, even though he spoke a little sarcastic, he might simply be arranging for the busy Commander Savis to have a chance to meet his immediate family, the King.
Commander Savvis was busy, and the King was even busier, so unless we intentionally created an opportunity to meet each other, we wouldn't get to see each other very often.
"According to what I heard from Captain Cyril in Sutherland before, Commander Savvis and His Majesty the King were on good terms when they were young. If that's the case, wouldn't they still be on good terms?"
I tilted my head and blurted out my guess, but I wouldn't know the answer until four days later at the king's interview.
That day, I showed up at the leader's office as scheduled.
"Welcome, Fia. It's finally time for your interview with His Majesty. Are you nervous?" (Cyril)
As usual, Captain Cyril greeted me with a refreshing smile, and as soon as he saw me, he stood up and approached me.
"Huh? Yes, that's right. His Majesty the King is the brother of Commander Savvis, so I'm really worried and nervous about whether he has black hair and a good-looking face." (Fia)
"...That's not what I meant when I asked, but I have received the answer to your question. I see you are doing as usual. Well then, let's go. General Savvis is the office of His Majesty the King. I'll meet you in the antechamber in front." (Cyril)
As we walked down the hallway, Captain Cyril explained the day's plans.
"Fia, the purpose of today's interview is for His Majesty to see with his own eyes the knights who will be guarding him. Even though His Majesty is extremely busy, he only interviews one person at a time. So, you will be the only one who will have a meeting with His Majesty today. However, I will be present as the captain of the knights brigade you belong to, and Commander Savis will also be present, so there is no need to worry." (Cyril)
"Right" (Fia)
"His Majesty is not a scary person, and he just wants to assess the newly assigned knights, so it is fine for you to interact with him as usual." (Cyril)
"Right"
While replying, I wondered if there would be some kind of test if the king wanted to judge me.
In the first place, it was unusual for a busy king to deal with each new employee one by one.
It would not be enough to have an interview where you simply had a casual conversation.
When I glanced at Commander Cyril, he smiled at me as if it was okay.
"His Majesty may be able to try out various things, but please think of it as confirmation that you have completed your training and respond as best you can." (Cyril)
Apparently, various things were being tried.
I looked at Captain Cyril, wondering how much he would test me, but he just stared back at me with his usual calm smile.
...No. He returned it with a perfect poker face.
It seemed that Captain Cyril had no desire to explain any further.
I didn't know if there was an ulterior motive behind the meeting with the king, or if it was out of pure interest to see the personalities of the knights who would protect him, but I hoped Captain Cyril would respond to the king as much as possible. If that's what I was told, I would have no choice but to do what I could.
Having said that, there was no hint as to the content of the interview, so I didn't know how well I would be able to handle it, but while I was thinking about it, I arrived at the king's office.
As I waited in the antechamber next door, Commander Savvis entered the room after a while.
When the Commander saw me, he raised one eyebrow, as if surprised.
"Fia, are you the person I'm interviewing with today?" (Savvis)
Apparently, the Commander hadn't been told who the person he would interview today.
Commander Cyril opened his mouth with a cool face, ignoring the surprised look of Commander Savvis.
"Yes, Fia was on a special mission in the north until last week, so the interview with one person was delayed. Because of that, she had the honor of being able to be with Commander Savvis, so it was very reassuring her." (Cyril)
Captain Cyril added another word to Commander Savvis, who was staring at me with an indescribable expression.
"Also, when His Majesty and Fia have a meeting, I had guessed that Commander Savvis would also want to be present, so I thought it would be a good fit." (Cyril)
When he heard Captain Cyril's words, he shrugged his shoulders.
"I don’t think anything can happen during today’s interview." (Savvis)
"That's fine. As the leader of the knight brigade she belongs to, I would be grateful if nothing happened." (Cyril)
Commander Savvis let out a sigh and placed his large hand on my head.
"Fia, even if something happens, Cyril and I will be right behind you. There's no need to be nervous just because you're having a meeting with the king." (Savvis)
The Commander's comforting expression made me feel like he was talking to me with the assumption that I would fail at something.
I wondered what he meant, but there was no doubt that I had received more than enough words from the president of the order for a new knight, so I smiled and cheerfully replied to him.
"Understood, Commander! I will respond with civility as usual." (Fia)
"...It sounds as if Fia's normal behavior is a polite response. Words are difficult." (Cyril)
I decided to listen to Captain Cyril's tired murmurings, thinking that it was just nonsense because he was tired.
After waiting for a while, the King's chamberlain wearing a blue and gold chamberlain's uniform came to call it was time.
Commander Savis was in the lead, followed by Captain Cyril and me.
A large door opened and a large room spread out.
A luxurious office desk was placed at the far end of the room, and a man was sitting comfortably on a chair.
I decided not to look at his face until we exchanged formal greetings, so I averted my gaze as I walked forward, but regardless of whether I wanted to or not, I caught sight of a gorgeous figure from the corner of my eye.
The person looking at me with an interested look was the King of Näv Kingdom—the glittering Triple Crowned His Majesty Laurence Näv.
Author's Note
Thank you for always reading!
...