Lucia arrived a little later than usual again today.

Ever since the princess started attending kindergarten, it seemed best to avoid encountering her escort knights.

And she still saw Emily’s tips of hair hiding under the podium.

‘Why does she act like that? Is she so shy that she can’t even show her face?’

She had been so cordial in the palace garden, but she suddenly changed again.

“Mommy!”

The child who had been waiting for her mom in the classroom saw Lucia and threw herself into her arms with a bright smile on both cheeks.

She now embraced the child with growing familiarity.

“Nia, did you have fun today?”

“Yes! It was fun!”

“Alright, shall we go home now?”

“Yes!”

Just as she was about to leave with her spirited child’s response,

“……Black Knight……?”

A shy goldenhaired child peeked his eyes out from behind the classroom door.

When Lucia looked at the child, Nia introduced her friend.

“……Roy! Mom, this is Roy!”

Then a boy named Roy came running and saluted sharply.

It seemed that another child had stayed later than Nia for the day.

“I am Roy of the Whitney noble family! I’ll become a Black Knight in the future!”

“……?”

Roy, completely captivated by the Black Knight since the play.

Nia had called the Black Knight ‘mommy,’ which had been brushed aside due to the princess’s anger, but fan Roy kept his eyes on Lucia more than any flying petals.

“Is this a real sword?! Where’s your sword? The redglowing sword?!”

Almost as if they had become fast friends with just a greeting, Roy started to circle around Lucia.

Lucia felt awkward with this different level of enthusiasm.

“Roy, what are you doing? Oh my, Lady Lucia?”

“Ah, Lady Whitney, long time no see.”

Saved.

It seemed that the child’s mother had come to pick him up.

Roy’s mom, Sasha Whitney, was also a woman of gentle impression with round face and plentiful golden hair.

“Nice to meet you. Call me Sasha. Nia, you too!”

“YYes……! Nice to meet you!”

Upon Nia’s shy greeting, Sasha burst into words about how adorable she was.

Roy, who had been excited by such a mother, started to stamp his feet.

“Mommy! Mommy! Look! It’s the Black Knight!”

“Oh, look at you again. Not everyone with black hair is the same person, Roy. Apologize to the lady.”

“Uhhuh……. I’m sorry, Lady Lucia. ……But it’s true……. it’s really her…….”

Roy became sullen, shuffling his short legs and making a frustrated face.

“Ah, my child. When will he grow up? I took a rare day off to dine out with him today.”

She finished speaking and stared at Lucia, as if waiting for a response.

Normally, a butler or nanny would come to pick up the child, so it seemed curious as to why she had come in person.

“I work at the palace, so we commute together every day.”

“How nice. Nia, your mom comes to pick you up every day!”

At Sasha’s words, Nia, holding her mom’s hand, shyly smiled.

But then, Sasha suddenly pulled Lucia to one side.

“Madam, may I have a word?”

“Yes?”

Sasha started to whisper.

“You see, Duke Wil who was known in social circles nearly died, do you know who did that?”

“……No.”

Although she knew better than anyone.

Her expression was tense as if discussing a serial killer in the next town.

“They say it’s the Black Knights! Blood splattered and teeth were flying, I heard they are really cruel people.”

“…….”

So it was like that.

She thought she had escaped well….

The eyes of those watching her in that place were unavoidable, of course.

Then another disciplinary meeting would probably be convened soon.

‘……Another business trip, I guess.’

Unaware of her inner turmoil, Sasha began to whisper again.
“But madam! The more shocking thing is, the Baron actually hid that he had a lover and appeared at the matchmaking event. The one who showed up with that lover was the Knights of the Black Order! So now you understand, right?”

“Huh? What…”

“So, in truth, they gave that audacious man a good beating! Everyone was so relieved, during the investigation they all kept their mouths shut about the criminal! Ah, such a wretched man.”

Lucia hesitated at her words.

“……Huh? Could you say that again, they kept their mouths shut?”

She was now doubting her own ears.

But she had clearly heard.

Could it be, like the moral of a simplistic fairy tale, that people remember and acknowledge good deeds even from those who are generally shunned?

Though it was still a very small change, to her, this might have been quite a big hope.

“Oh my, I’m sorry. I think I spoke too harshly for our first meeting.”

She mumbled softly, saying she wanted to become friends.

“No, no, it’s fine. But how did Miss Susha come to know about this?”

It was a reasonable question.

Because it wouldn’t make sense for her to know if no one had spoken.

“Ah, that’s because… ”

“?”

“Actually, I wasn’t planning to say this… but they say the one who went to the matchmaking was Emilysensei. Coincidentally, my cousin was in the lobby and happened to overhear it. We graduated in the same year. From the Academy.”