“Now, how do we make Elsa an official knight?” Merope asked, finally no longer floating, both feet landing firmly back on the residence floor, as if the heavy conversation that had just taken place was nothing more than a small interlude before returning to practical matters.
Felt stared at her with her mouth open, as if unable to believe how quickly the girl could move from “just got murdered” to “what’s the administrative process” without a single ounce of normal emotional pause.
“You—” Felt rubbed her own face with both hands, trying to calm herself down, “you really aren’t like a normal person, you know that.”
“I’m not a normal person, true,” Merope answered innocently, making Felt only able to let out a long sigh, giving up for the moment.
Reinhard, who had fully regained his calm expression even though his eyes still occasionally cast wary glances toward Elsa, finally answered the question in his usual formal tone.
“The process is simple,” he explained.
“A knight candidate must register their knightly name with the Council of Wise men, accompanied by an oath of loyalty that Elsa will recite to you in their presence. After that, the knight’s name will be officially recorded until the Royal Selection period ends.” He paused for a moment, looking straight at Elsa.
“However, given Elsa Granhiert’s track record, I doubt the council will approve it easily.”
“I doubt it too,” Elsa chimed in, her tone remaining casual, as if discussing the weather rather than her own future. Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
“Some of them might still hold a personal grudge against me.”
“So what do we do?” Merope turned her head, furrowing her brow, clearly not yet fully grasping how complicated the royal bureaucracy just mentioned was.
Felt, who had been trying to calm herself down all this time, finally spoke up, her voice returning to its usual tone though a hint of lingering annoyance remained within it.
“Well, at the very least you can try first.
If it gets rejected, then we’ll think of another way.
But—” she turned a sharp gaze toward Elsa, her eyes narrowing with a warning, “—if you mess with Merope again, I won’t just stand by like before.
Understand?”
“Understood,” Elsa replied, bowing slightly with a style closely resembling the politeness of an actual knight, though the slight smile on her face still kept something entirely hard to guess.
Merope turned toward Reinhard, her eyes sparkling with hope, her fingers already clasped in front of her chest in a pleading gesture that had become her habit.
“Reinhard, could I ask you to handle that? I don’t really understand those kinds of things.” This story is hosted at g.com.
Reinhard looked at her for a moment, letting out a slight sigh—not out of objection, but because he knew Merope well enough to know that a request like this would come sooner or later.
“Very well,” he finally answered, “I will handle the application letter and arrange an audience schedule with the council. But you must still attend in person during the process, Merope. The council will certainly want to hear your reasons for choosing Elsa directly from you, not through a representative.”
“Ready!” Merope nodded enthusiastically, completely forgetting the tension that had colored the room just minutes ago.
Felt shook her head, a mix of amusement and exhaustion facing how fast Merope’s mood turned around.
“You really have no fear at all, do you?”
“What is there to fear?” Merope smiled widely, turning toward Elsa who was still standing quietly near the door.
“Elsa promised to be my knight. I trust her.”
Behind her usual faint smile, something that rarely ever appeared on Elsa Granhiert’s face flickered for a moment—no longer just a hunter’s curiosity toward her prey, but something more complex, harder to name, slowly starting to grow every time the girl in front of her uttered the word “trust” so easily, so lightly, as if the word never carried a single risk for her.
…..
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