Chapter 13: Chapter 13

“All right, I am coming out. Are you ready?”

For such a brave tone that she spoke with, the fact that Venna didn’t back out of those courageous words was quite amusing.

Thinking about it, Saulus wondered who could even imagine that the day the proper revolution would start would begin with this situation… Tired to no end with all the paperwork that kept him awake through the night, the general could barely stand straight. There was no way his brain would allow him to think straight. Because of his exhaustion, even with his loyalty, it was hard to abandon all those unbecoming thoughts about his childhood friend.

Thankfully, before any more wrong thoughts appeared in the young general’s mind, Venna finally moved out from behind the screen, revealing her fresh look.

All the maid’s clothes were gone. Her brown hair, previously hidden by a special net, was now gracefully falling down her back, giving a great contrast to the white dress that she wore. With a tail of an arctic fox wrapped around her neck, she looked both adorable and immensely graceful.

“You may now raise your hand, my dear knight.”

While some sparks of joy appeared in the girl’s eyes as she played around in her new outfit, Saulus could easily tell that she was forcing herself. But with how tired he was, the idea of playing along seemed simply too alluring to ignore.

“May your grace bless my soul, my queen.”

Falling down on one knee, the Saulus lowered his head over his bent leg. Reaching forth with her hand coated with some kind of delicate, see-through material, Venna attempted to stop her old friend from acting this way. A light blush suddenly appeared on her face, only to explode in bright redness when Saulus suddenly grabbed her hand and brought it towards his mouth.

“You have my utmost loyalty, my queen.”

Saulus placed a gentle kiss right on top of the outer part of Venna’s extended hand.

“You…”

Unsure how she should respond, she suddenly had trouble reading her childhood friend like the open book he normally was. From the momentary hint of hesitation that rose in her eyes, a careful spectator could tell that she was unsure whether Saulus’s act was playful or actually serious.

In fact, the man himself wasn’t sure about it either. What started as a follow-up to his previous joke caused by how tired he was, had now turned into an awkward situation.

Knock, knock…

The sound of someone gently tapping against the door saved the two from the catastrophically weird atmosphere.

“Come in.”

After taking a quick look at Venna, either in order of savoring her beauty or making sure that she was already fully dressed and prepared, Saulus invited the guest in.

“My princess… It’s… Oh, firstborns…”

Entering through the doors, the newcomer simply stood in place, staring at the beautiful girl as if he was looking at a ghost.

“Come on, Gabriel. She does not bite. Welcome your queen properly.”

Now that there was a third person in the room, Saulus no longer dared to act as familiar as he did before. This moment was simply too important to taint it with some unnecessary jokes.

“My queen… Venna… My little girl…!”

Still unable to utter a proper sentence, Gabriel dropped to both of his knees, not hitting his head against the floor only because of his hands supporting his weight. Yet he quickly fixed that, slamming his forehead against the wooden floor.

“Come on now, there is no need for that. You know that I’m as good of a queen as you are a tailor.”

Approaching the kneeling man, Venna placed her delicate hand covered in muslin on the veteran’s shoulder. With his head moving up, everyone could see how his eyes brimmed with tears.

“My little girl…”

Amongst many other things that defined him, Gabriel was a stickler for the rules. That’s why, when he shot his arms to the side only to swallow the delicate girl in his bear-like hug, Saulus was way beyond surprised.

“Welcome home, uncle.”

This wording.

Without even realizing it, Venna’s words had punched Saulus right in the gut.

Home… huh? Maybe it was due to his exhaustion. Maybe due to what was about to happen soon and the stress related to that. Or maybe Saulus allowed himself to acknowledge his own reasons for doing everything he did. Just for a moment. And that moment alone was enough to bring him back down to reality.

Because what was home for the general? Retesia? While his entire career and history took place in the lands of this household, there was no statement as far from the truth as one declaring this place Saulus’s home.

Maybe it was the fallen Household of Burn, or more specifically Burn’s former capital, where they were right now?

Being the place of the general’s birth and the host of all his happy childhood memories, it fell close to the mark, yet missed the true point. Because for as long as Venna was safe and sound on his watch, Saulus never felt as if he had left his home in the first place.

“Also…”

Forcing Saulus out of his immersive nostalgia, Venna escaped from the overbearing hug of the older officer. The quick look that she sent to Gabriel’s face seemed to be filled with slight annoyance, yet there was no wrath in her pupils.

“Do not call me a queen when we are alone. We both know that Saulus is the actual ruler of this land. I’m just an adorable mascot to rally the people behind.”

Those words weren’t meant to hurt, as the girl spoke them with an ironic smile plastered to her lips. Yet, they left a deep bruise on Saulus’s soul. Because Saulus never intended to use Venna for his own purposes. In fact, going back to the very day when a ten year old kid took a path that would define his entire future, it was with just a single intention in mind.

To create a world where Venna would be safe.

And apparently, she thought that Saulus continuously risked his life not for her sake, but in order to fulfill some stupid mission that the dying King of Burn household had burdened him with?

To a point, that was true. The King had ordered Saulus to protect his heritage. But what the princess couldn’t know was that the deceased monarch took quite a liking to this little and curious attendant of the court. What Venna also didn’t know was that her father’s words had an entirely different meaning than what they appeared to mean on the surface.

For that gentle old man, Venna was his last remaining family. She was his heritage.

And to protect and save Venna from any harm was a challenge that even a barely ten year old Saulus was sure to be up for!