I was escorted to the bedchambers. At first, I didn’t think it was much different than at Malatise Manor. The bed and sheets appeared to be made of different materials, which I assumed were more expensive, but that was it, until I realized there was a second door. Alyssa followed me in, before moving through the internal door, apparently that was her room. At Malatise Manor, she would have slept next door, like how William had on our travels.

  It was late, and I wasn’t quite tired yet, but Alyssa did help me into my nightwear. It was one thing I had grown used to over this trip. It was really soft and delightful to sleep in. Alyssa got out of her metal armor; she didn’t have sleepwear as I did. She wore thicker clothes than I did. I learned earlier that it was a special material called a gambeson.

  She sat in a chair near my bed with her hands out. She had been my helper with my mana control. It was much nicer to do this with her than with Lady Evelyn, who was far more experienced. I felt like Alyssa was someone I could, in theory, catch up to.

  When we really got into it, I felt like I left the world behind and was dancing with Alyssa’s mana. She’d make unique shapes, and I would copy her as quickly as I could. If she paused, I would make my own shape, and we would go back and forth like this. At first, it was hard to do for more than a few minutes at a time, but now it felt like I could get lost in it.

  Alyssa broke the connection with a breath. “You're starting to hold that even better than I can.”

  I smiled, but honestly, I don’t think it was a fair comparison. She was wearing heavy metal armor all day. Of course, she’d be tired faster. I couldn’t even use magic outside of a cleansing spell. A tap came from the door.

  “Lady Evelyn is seeking permission to enter,” a feminine voice of the maid outside asked.

  “Let her in,” I said.

  She walked in looking as she usually did, but at this point, I could read her a bit better; she looked tired. “Alyssa, I need to speak to her alone now.”

  Alyssa nodded and said goodnight before going into her room.

  “Stille Verursachen,” she said, but this time I couldn’t tell a difference. It was quiet before and after.

  “Something wrong?” I asked.

  “Kind of, but first, how did the meeting go? Did the pink goblin like you?” she asked.

  “Uhm, yeah, I think,” I said. I was still a bit creeped out by that thing. “She said something about serving me.”

  “She did!” she explained loudly. “What did she say. Exactly! Don’t leave out one word.”

  “I, well, I wasn’t as focused on that, but she said like my full title, and even mentioned Luft, and that she would serve me, but wanted me to return her body if she died. ”

  “Did she say these exact words, ‘I swear I shall serve you to the best of my ability,’ or were they different?” she asked.

  “No, I think that is what she said. Why?” I asked.

  “Yes!” Lady Evelyn said as she jumped up. That had shocked me. I had never seen her so expressive before. “Then it was worth it.”

  “Worth it?” I asked. “What happened?”

  “I tipped off Tessa El’ber that you’d be arriving today. I thought I had covered my tracks, but the king caught me. Quite the scolding I got,” she said with a sigh.

  “Are you, he isn’t going to kill you? Or your family is he?” I asked. I didn’t want anyone to die over me if I could avoid it.

  She shook her head. “I’m too valuable, at least right now. I don’t have any family anyhow. No one for him to kill but me. And he’d much rather work me for free than do that right now.”

  “After all this time of you saying we had to be secretive, and you went and did this! How could you?” I asked, I was nearly seething.

  She chuckled a bit and crossed her arms. “Sorry, but you don’t know when to take these risks yet.”

  “Couldn’t you have at least warned me!”

  She shook her head. “Nope again. Had you not been shocked to see a pink goblin like Tessa, that would have been a giveaway that I tipped her off. It wasn’t my goal to get caught. But now that I did, it is less important as far as secrets go.”

  “Why! What was the point of this?” I asked.

  “Tessa El’ber, a pink goblin ambassador. Goblins are as honest as a race ever gets. They can be bad secret keepers, but they are wonderful allies if you can win them over. You made a good impression if she said she’d serve you. And that means. You officially have an ally outside of Anlage! Do you get what that means?”

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  I understood I wanted allies, but not really what it meant here. “What does it mean?” I asked.

  “King Rosen doesn’t want to make enemies out of the entire goblin federation, and killing a maiden without cause would instantly do that. Goblins value the title maiden a bit more than humans. That means, in all likelihood. Hatula is safe, and so are you. At least from Anlage.”

  Tears began streaming. “You’re serious. No fooling? No kidding?”

  She pinched my arm, but I didn’t care. “No fooling? Come now, I taught you better than that.”

  I forced a smile. Lady Evelyn wasn’t one to make jokes, least of all about this. “I am ever so thankful to you.”

  “That doesn’t mean you are completely out of the woods. Hatula is part of the world; if the world is dying, Hatula dies too. This was just one step, but I had a feeling this would help you understand the value of what I have been teaching you.”

  I hugged her. I squeezed as tight as I could. “Wait, but I don’t understand. The king punished you, and you did this just for me?”

  She patted my head with the kind embrace I expected from Mother. “Julia, as an educator, I must lead from ahead. Luft has placed a heavy burden on you, and we are all asking you to carry it with a smile. I would be a sorry excuse for a teacher if I were not willing to shoulder some of that with you. I am an old woman, and you can save the world. It was not a difficult decision.”

  The tears poured even more quickly as I cried harder into her shoulder. “Thank you.”

  “We have a busy day tomorrow, you should get some sleep.”

  I nodded. I hadn’t read my letters yet, and some part of me wanted to do that first, but crying had definitely worn me out. I guess, at some level, I had gained the kind of awareness that Lady Evelyn had wanted from me; that I was able to see that letters from my family would wait. It wasn’t like I was going to write a response tonight or mail it immediately. As she had, tomorrow is going to be busy, so I had to be willing to push what I wanted to a bit later in favor of what I needed. Rest.

  The next morning, I was back to a routine I had at Malatise Manor: maids came in to dress me, brush my hair, and even bathe me. We had arrived late the previous night, so we had agreed that a morning bath made more sense today. These maids were far better than the ones at Malatise Manor, or perhaps it was just that, after two weeks of travel, I wasn't used to this, but it felt nice all the same.

  My retinue gathered for breakfast on the balcony, and the view was truly breathtaking. We were so high up that I could see the edge of the royal capital and the open roads miles off in the distance. Sitting down, I took notice of the pink goblin. I was able to suppress my desire to gasp; it was a sight I had not grown used to yet. The knight commander was the last to arrive. Oh, right, the king added him to my guards; I had forgotten about that.

  “Sir Beladone, this is a surprise. What do we owe the occasion?” Lady Evelyn asked.

  “Lady Lachs, were you not informed? I have been tasked with protecting Lady Julia.”

  “Oh, I see,” she said with her face twitching. “In all the excitement, it must have escaped her memory.”

  Oh crap, I recognized the way her face twitched. That was a “I’m very mad” twitch. This wasn’t good. The fact that she didn’t use his title and reverted to just "sir" was already a blatant way of saying she didn’t like him, and it was clear he felt the same.

  “You two, I will be dismissing you as of today. I have my own officers to replace you,” he said towards Alyssa and William. They saluted in response, but otherwise didn’t respond.

  “Sir Beladone, that is unneeded. They have done more than well enough,” she added.

  “All do respect, Ms. Lachs. Guard duty is my field; you can focus on teaching her,” he added.

  Oh god, that twitch again. I was getting quite fearful of how she might respond. She was the platinum angel after all! She took a breath. “Mr. Beladone. The rapport she is gaining with her knights is part of her education. You are free to bring another knight if you are lacking confidence in your own ability, but we should not dismiss her current knights.”

  Oh, he scowled. Wow, that must have been super obvious to everyone. “I am the knight commander. You should address me with respect. My skill in both the sword and the picking of knights is beyond dispute. I find it very telling that you would be willing to leave fresh-faced recruits to such an important job. They are barely adults.”

  That made me angry. I was in a good mood, but I didn’t want to hear things like that. Plus, I needed to put Lady Evelyn’s teaching into practice eventually. “Sir Beladone.Assigned by the king or not, I shall not listen to you disrespecting my retainers. I picked them, and you will show them respect, and if you attempt to dismiss my retainers without my permission, then I will have no choice but to speak with the king about your assignment.”

  Oh gods, my stomach was in butterflies. I hope I did that right. Lady Evelyn’s smile told me pretty instantly that I had. I sighed in relief. The last thing I wanted was to lose Alyssa; she was a great comfort to me. William, I saw less, but I had no issues with him, and that in itself was valuable.

  The knight commander dropped to his knee. “My apologies, but can you explain why you’d not want stronger knights by your side?”

  “If Sir Beladone disapproves of their strength, then he should teach them,” Lady Evelyn added.

  He glared at her. “As a blacksmith is said to see every problem as if it is solved with a hammer, it seems every teacher believes that a lesson solves every problem. A much more practical solution would just be to use better knights.”

  “Sir Beladone. I quite agree with Lady Evelyn here,” I said. I didn’t like this jerk! “If you cannot teach these knights, then perhaps the king will provide me a knight that can?”

  He bowed his head. “If that is what my Lady wishes, then I shall make it so.”

  I looked at my two knights. “Sir William, and Dame Alyssa. I look forward to the progress you make.”

  The knight commander looked up with wide eyes. Yes, my message was clear. I had referred to him without his title and, in the exact moment, used the titles for my other knights. His aggression was not valued here, and he’d be foolish to continue it. I presume a king’s knight commander is no such fool.

  Lady Evelyn sat down with a smile. “Such a lovely day, isn’t it? Well, I think our morning excitement has reached a good stopping point. After all, Lady Julia has a tea party to get ready for this afternoon.”

  “Oh? I didn’t realize you had already arranged such,” I said. “Who is hosting?”

  “Queen Angelica Sarah Anlage.”

  My heart almost stopped. More royalty! Already! I didn’t want to go!