Knight Commander (1)
Late at night, after the party had ended.
Having finished all my preparations, I was writing in my diary for the first time in a while.
Bang!
The door opened before Lucis could even enter.
“Ah, Young Master!”
Behind him, the maids, their clothes still wet, followed. Judging by Lucis’ damp hair, it seemed he had just finished bathing.
“We’re sorry, my lord.”
“We apologize!”
Lucis’ personal maids bowed deeply, unsure of what to do.
“And Sia?”
Normally, it was Sia’s role to wash Lucis and dry his hair. One of the maids answered me with a guilty expression.
“The young lady is already asleep.”
Sleeping?
Sia wasn’t the irresponsible type who would break a promise to me.
I tilted my head for a moment, then quickly understood the situation and nodded.
“So, passed out, huh.”
That made sense.
Between my father’s death, the funeral, and the succession ceremony… at the end of these consecutive events, it was only natural that he could finally return to his daily life.
Not to mention all the worry he must have endured because of me… or rather, because of Seymour.
Even if he acted mature, Sia was still a student who hadn’t undergone the coming-of-age ceremony.
“Alright. You may leave.”
The maids bowed repeatedly, then closed the door and left.
“Alrighty.”
In the meantime, Lucis climbed onto the bed, grabbing the blanket, and threw himself onto me.
Lucis, rolling over my legs, smelled of fragrant soap.
He lifted one of my hands with a grunt and placed it atop his head.
When I gently stroked his wet hair, he stared at me as if it wasn’t enough.
“Shall I tidy you up?”
Lucis nodded vigorously when I asked.
The sparkling look in his eyes, full of hope, was so cute that I couldn’t help but trail off teasingly.
“I was going to write in my diary today…”
Lucis buried his face in my stomach and shook his head.
“Diary can wait.”
Lucis’ charm made a smile naturally spread across my face.
“Really?”
“Yes. Diaries don’t run away.”
It was as if he was implying that he would run away.
In a way, Lucis might not have realized he was giving me an honor—the honor of grooming a dragon.
Which human in the world would get a chance to groom a dragon?
“Well, in that case, I have no choice.”
I surrendered and closed my diary. Lucis raised both hands into the air, cheering silently.
A gesture of joy, yet his face remained expressionless as usual, making me laugh unconsciously.
I called the maids waiting outside to bring a full-length mirror and Lucis’ grooming set from the dressing room.
“First, let’s start with combing.”
“Yes.”
I began by gently combing Lucis’ hair with a wide-tooth comb. Using gravity magic, I drew out the moisture until it was fluffy and dry.
After a first pass with the wide-tooth comb, I switched to a finer one.
While combing, Lucis gazed at me through the mirror.
Every so often, I met his eyes in the mirror and continued my work.
After changing combs about five times, I finally reached the fine comb we had purchased from a master craftsman in the Mausoleum estate for a large sum.
This comb, with bristles almost two or three hairs thick, was more of a work of art.
Swipe…
As the fine comb ran through Lucis’ hair, his head tilted back naturally. He tensed his neck slightly to resist the pull.
“Mm…”
Lucis seemed to enjoy the gentle resistance, humming softly.
After finishing with the fine comb, his hair was as soft as silk.
Finally, I used the wide-tooth comb again, applying generous amounts of scented oil as I combed.
Sniff sniff.
Lucis confirmed the familiar fragrance and lazily leaned against me, partially releasing his polymorph form.
Poof!
His wings and tail, always beautiful and pure white, emerged.
“Now, let’s do your tail.”
“Yes.”
His short, plump tail wagged toward me as if urging me on.
I reached out and brushed it from tip to base.
Warm, soft, yet firm—the sensation alone lifted my spirits.
Let’s start with a massage.
I held the tail gently, pressing along the central bone with my thumb, then rotated the tip to loosen the muscles.
“Uuuhh…”
Lucis lay over my legs, fully enjoying the touch.
After the massage, I applied oil to protect the scales and maintain hygiene.
“Now, wings.”
“Yes.”
Lucis’ wings were more like those of a bat than a bird, made of membrane rather than feathers.
Still, they were white with soft down, giving the appearance of angelic wings at a glance.
I gently pressed the wing bones.
“Did you have fun today?”
“Yes.”
After a pause, I asked the question I was truly curious about.
“Do you like Erad?”
“Erad?”
“The prince.”
“Pr…ince?”
He didn’t seem to know who or what Erad was.
“The little blond with blue eyes.”
“Oh, sparkling!”
That was Lucis’ entire opinion of the prince, humming as he wiggled his toes.
As expected. No human can compete.
I smiled fondly and continued massaging Lucis’ wings.
In the night sky, a single faint star twinkled.
Whoosh…
The sea, swallowed by darkness, blurred the line with the sky.
Without the white foam of crashing waves, one might mistake the cliff for a beach.
A man stood there.
Splash…
The waves relentlessly hit him, shattering into white spray.
The man stood silently, like a rock, gazing at the sea.
No, he was staring at the lone star above the dark waters.
“…Seymour?”
I recognized the black hair instinctively, but it wasn’t him.
The body lines differed slightly from the Seymour I had designed.
Liam Mausoleum?
Could it be the previous count? No, not him either.
From behind, the man didn’t seem very old.
Then, could it be…
He slowly turned to face me.
Black hair, golden eyes.
A grim face that seemed forged from all the world’s suffering and loneliness.
The man was crying.
Thunk!
I woke suddenly from the pain on my face.
The dim early dawn light illuminated my bedroom ceiling.
Feeling something beside me, I realized I was holding something soft and plump—it was Lucis’ foot.
“….”
Thwack! Thwack!
He was kicking fiercely even now, my face squarely in the path.
“What on earth are you dreaming about?”
Sitting up in bed, Lucis tumbled over and buried his face into my pillow.
I chuckled and laid him back properly.
“Mmnya…”
He clutched my hand tightly, snoring softly as he fell into a deep sleep.
Looking out the window, the sun was slowly rising.
From afar, I could hear the knights training, shouting across the estate.
I guess it’s almost time to get up.
Instead of returning to sleep, I decided to wake slowly, thinking about the day ahead.
Patter-patter~
I patted Lucis’ plump belly thoughtfully.
The succession ceremony, the empire’s largest event, had passed safely. Now it was time to focus on other matters.
The church of contracts replied; I just need to go at the appointed time. I warned the underworld; it should stay quiet for a while. Nobles… judging by their reactions yesterday, no need to worry. As for commoners, the newspaper will sort out their opinions soon enough.
As I reviewed my list of tasks, a small smile escaped me.
I thought I wanted to be a lazy landlady…
Yet, here I was, busier than anyone else.
But, somehow… unlike on Earth, work now felt enjoyable.
Wearing clothes I designed and receiving admiration, seeing all my projects directly earn me profit—these were thrills I’d never experienced on Earth.
Though my dream of early retirement remains unchanged.
Smiling faintly, I patted Lucis’ head and refocused on my remaining tasks.
The big upcoming events: relaunching the fashion business and Simon’s circuit foundry presentation.
So, society events.
As the lady of the house, attending social gatherings, parties, hunting clubs, or gambling houses would be necessary.
I’m not confident in verbally sparring with nobles…
Leaving it to Sia or Simon wasn’t ideal either—they were slowly returning to their own work.
Marco’s a commoner; not suitable to send in my place.
I tapped my chin, pondering suitable candidates, as the distant morning training commands of the knights reached my ears.
Hmm…
A name came to mind.
After a hearty meat-filled breakfast with Lucis, I dressed and left the mansion.
“Where are we going?” Lucis asked in my arms.
“To see my aunt.”
“Sia?”
“No. Not the pretty aunt. The scary aunt.”
“Scary aunt…?”
We didn’t even take a carriage, walking to the knight barracks within the townhouse complex.
“-Haah!”
“-Harder!”
“-Hyaaah!”
The barracks consisted of four buildings: headquarters, dormitory, training hall, and warehouse.
In front of the training hall was a huge parade ground.
“-That’s all you’ve got?!”
“-No, ma’am!”
“-If your voice is quieter than mine, you clean the bathrooms today!”
“-Understood!”
Various artifacts were installed to block noise and magic pollution from spreading to the townhouse.
Even so, the sound of training and magical waves was intense, felt even from afar.
“Whoa…”
Lucis, seeing this for the first time, stared at the parade ground with sparkling eyes.
I stepped into the corridor around the training grounds, carrying Lucis. The heat and magic surged over me.
Most intense among it all was a woman’s shout.
“Jerome! Are you going to keep swinging your sword like that?!”
“No, ma’am!”
“Even the cobra dancing to the flute moves more skillfully than your sword!”
“Sorry, ma’am!”
“If I see such sloppy swordsmanship one more time, consider yourself demoted!”
“I understand!”
A woman, slightly taller than the others, roamed among the training knights with a greatsword on her shoulder.
“Hm?”
Sensing my presence, she turned sharply, revealing thick black eyeliner enhancing her peripheral vision—like smoky makeup.
She approached quickly, surprised by my sudden arrival.
Hella Mausoleum.
Commander of the Black Dragon Knights, one of the two major knight orders of the Mausoleum family, holding a seat in the prestigious “Round Table Knights.”
At the same time, she was my cousin.
“Aren’t you the famous fashionista?”
Specifically, Richard Mausoleum’s exiled daughter.
In a way, we’re awkward and uncomfortable around each other.
Yet, I couldn’t dismiss Hella.
Not just because in the original game she was a loyal supporter of Seymour, but her stats were irresistible.
As a knight, she’s exceptional. But more importantly…
Her physique was phenomenal.
Behold the decadent, permanent smoky makeup.
Behold the wildness exploding from her loosely tied horsehair.
Behold the strength in her arms and broad shoulders, capable of bursting leather armor.
Imagine a white shirt and black vest over that.
No jacket. Hella is strictly shirt, vest, and leather gloves.
With a pocket watch chain dangling from her vest?
I silently admired her.
Hella Mausoleum was truly born to wear a suit. Not putting one on would be a global fashion crime.
