The confusion was mutual for the bodyguard as well.

If he sent all these kids back home, he would likely receive criticism from Charlotte. Yet, leaving an unauthorized group in the palace might lead to problems extending beyond the children, involving the issues of the adults due to the actions of the young lord.

“They seem suspicious! I’ll catch them and send them back home!”

In the end, he chose the option of raising a safe threat, holding back tears as he caught the children and sent them home.

That’s when it happened.

The sparrow warriors of the Chirp Exploration Team, Red, Yellow, and White.

First, the Red Knight rushed forward and headbutted the bodyguard’s back, knocking him down. Then, the Yellow and White Knights climbed on top of him.

“Black Knight, take it away!”

“Got it! Now, throw them away! We believe only in Master Evan!”
“Come on! Save the brave Black Knight comrades!”

“….?!”

Really, nothing is going as planned.

“T-Thank you! Tomorrow, I’ll share the Black Knight’s lunch! Everything…!”

“Yeah! Not for a day! It’s for five days!”

“Okay!”

Meanwhile, Evan, proposing negotiations, spread his fingers, pointing them at the fleeing children.

The two most awkward children who were left behind amid this chaos. Nia, following Evan after seeing his unmasked expression, took off her mask.

Evan, left behind with the least profitable and most troublesome child, sighed at the pathetic sight.

Furthermore, the residence they arrived at after various twists and turns was an incredibly large building. Given the number of palace servants, it was naturally spacious.

So, how could 5-year-old children find a single room among countless others?

After staring out the window for a long time, the children became increasingly tired.

“Let’s stop.”

“…Oh, not yet.”

‘Oh, how bothersome.’

This crybaby was not on Anna’s special list. It meant that he was considered less valuable than the foolish Roy’s family with vast lands or even the family of Cesar, who worked as an academy professor.

From Evan’s perspective, there was no time to serve such a trivial child.

“Did you hear what I said that day?”

“…Huh?”

The child, who was eagerly trying to see out the window by tiptoeing, giggled and turned his head at Evan’s cold silence.

And in the silence, that day flashed back into Evan’s memory.

‘If only useless things like them would just die.’
The black pupils with an unfathomable depth.

Nia, in fear, instinctively averted her eyes.

Continuing to stare into them, she felt as if she might fall into a deep abyss.

As Nia suddenly lowered her head, Evan, as if anticipating it, turned around with a faint smile.

“Tell the kids yourself. You’ve searched this hard; you should explain it. Right? This was truly a useless endeavor, though.”

Of course, the child would be frightened and cry.

And after crying, the child would now realize their position.

However,

“…It’s not useless! It’s an important matter for Shasha!”

‘That…!’

The once quiet voice of the child had become considerably louder, catching the attention of others more than the knight’s. Evan quickly covered Nia’s mouth with his hand, then looked at the frightened child in response to his signal.

Contrary to expectations, Evan was the one who seemed flustered.

From the calm and earnest gaze emanating from the child’s unwavering eyes.

That earnest and noble gaze, like dispelling a dark shadow in an instant, turned the child’s head snow-white.

At that moment,

[Dash] Thump, thump.

“Intruder, where are you? We will escort you home. Please come out quickly~”

It seemed that the knight from earlier had followed them.

Instinctively, Evan grabbed Nia and threw himself into the flower bed.

Due to this, his skin was grazed by the sharp branches, but until the knight passed by, he couldn’t make a sound.

As the footsteps safely faded away,
“…Ah, this somehow turned out to be…”

“Thank you, brave warrior!”

…!

What entered Evan’s eyes as he tried to come up with an excuse he couldn’t find was the child’s smile.

The moment he saw that, his heart sank all of a sudden.

In fact, Evan had a concern recently.

It was that, no matter how hard he tried to push it away, the face of his younger sister, who used to follow him around with a bright smile, didn’t come to mind.

But at this moment, the white face of his sister, like a copied flower, came to his mind.

Why?

“…Epi…? No, it doesn’t look like her.”

It was a smile that didn’t expect anything, unlike Evan, who always had a purpose, precisely expressing the joy of the current moment.

“…Ah! Fox, I found her!”

…?

Still not fully recovered from his thoughts, Evan looked blankly at Nia’s delighted expression.

“Jogi, Mia unni decorated Nia’s doll on the window sill.”

…Ah.

…So, that’s why he kept checking the window and wandering around.

“But it’s on the second floor. How… how can we…?”

The child stood on tiptoe and twisted their foot here and there.

It seemed that they had come this far but thought there was no way.

“…Wait.”

Evan picked up a small stone that seemed like it wouldn’t break the glass, aimed precisely at the second-floor window, and threw it.

[Dash] Tock, tock, tock.

With the familiar skill they had practiced a lot, Nia clasped her hands together and looked at Evan like a savior.

Evan, who found the big eyes annoying, had an annoyed expression, but still, he never missed a shot.

Then,

[Dash] Splash, creak.
“What’s going on? Is there a bird at this hour? Huh?! Nia!”

“…Wo, woo… Unniyaaa…!”

Evan was taken aback by the sight of the child shedding tears like a storm, as if crying for a long time.

The maids who quickly descended from the royal palace comforted Nia, and the child whispered something in their arms.

Seeing that, Evan deliberately avoided the scene and went to find the knight.

Now that the mission was complete, he could finally go home.

On the carriage where the exhausted children leaned on each other, Nia and Evan took their seats. Nia quickly fell asleep, leaving Evan the only one awake.

On the carriage heading home, the last thing bothering him was the face of the maid from the palace he had seen before.

A terrifyingly stern face, as if even being called a venomous snake wouldn’t be an exaggeration.

What kind of story could she have told to make such an expression?

However, soon he shook off those thoughts.

‘Well, what serious matter could there be for a seemingly carefree kid? It must be something trivial. Calling this a mission, it’s really childish. Just tripping over nothing…’

But somehow, as Evan looked at the child who was quietly smiling, the wounds on their body seemed to tell a different story.

The raised cheek of that child was being reflected between the sleeping children through the swaying window of the carriage.

[Star Icon]

On the day of the peace talks.

Having not slept a wink, Mia hurriedly headed to the Black Knights’ quarters early in the morning.
Although she was a palace maid, as a commoner, the girl couldn’t approach banquets or accommodations without permission. The only thing she could do was to quickly find Lucía, aligning with her work hours.

“Isabel, who used to be so quiet, telling such a big lie.”

It was an unexpected turn of events.

“I can’t be late. I overheard that finding the commander is related to the negotiations.”

The girl, who had run with all her might, arrived at the Knights’ quarters.

And without hesitation, she knocked on the door.

[Dash]Knock, knock.

[Dash]Knock, knock!

However,

“Uh, who is it?”

“T-There! I’m sorry! I have to meet Commander Lucia…!”

In her urgency, the girl pushed her way through the open door, but Lucia was not there.

There was only a small knight with white hair.

“The commander went to the shrine. Haaam.”

Hismann, yawning and rubbing his tired eyes, was standing there.