I woke up early in the morning, and after having a nice but quiet breakfast with my father, the Count, I asked Anna to bring me something simple from my wardrobe.
Anna: "Simple? Oh, you mean the one gifted by Saintess Lylia? You didn't really like it, but I'll bring it."
She brought in a long dress, a shade lighter green than my eyes, with a big bow at the collar and short puffy sleeves. A gift from the Sister? Really? Was it actually from her?"Uh, thank you, Anna."
"My Lady, are you going somewhere? Should I summon the knights?"
Woah, knights? Since I'm a noble lady, I guess they're supposed to protect me, right? In the novels I've read, I always fell for those side characters—knights who weren't really given much importance. It might get annoying having them around all the time, but experiencing it in real life would be fun.
"Alright, sure."
…Surrounded by knights
Ah… maybe not such a good choice after all.
We arrived at the market. The reason I came here was to buy items I might need for the war in which I must save the Count. Honestly, I had no idea what I really needed. At the very least, I knew I needed some kind of defensive weapon.
I glanced at the shops and spotted one selling weapons a few steps away. I started running toward it, and the knights followed me with worried looks.
In unison, they said: "My Lady, please be careful! Don't run, you'll fall!"
Oh my, charming gentlemen—yes, I was flattered. But isn't your concern a little too much?
…
I entered the shop and told the knights to wait outside. The walls were lined with all kinds of swords, and behind the counter were gleaming bows.
As I turned back from the entrance, suddenly the head of a bear appeared before my eyes. I let out a small scream and flinched. It was just a stuffed animal, but it scared me.
One of the knights rushed in—the tall, broad-shouldered young man with brown hair. His hand went to his sword.
"There's no problem," I said quickly, pointing at the bear.
He lowered his head. "As you say, my Lady."
Then the shopkeeper asked what I wanted. He was a muscular man, with orange hair and a scar across his eye.
I said to him: "I'd like to try some weapons. Which one do you think would suit me best?"
The man looked surprised, as if he were about to say a lady like you? and asked: "Have you ever tried one before?"
"No, never. But I need something practical to use for self-defense. That sword there, may I hold it?" I said, pointing to a long, heavy blade beside us.
The man smirked, almost mockingly, and handed it to me."Oh, oh, hey, this is way too heavy!" I complained.
"My Lady, such swords require a sturdy and trained body. As you can see, you struggled just to lift it. May I ask why you need one?"
I felt a little annoyed. Melanie really was weak and frail. Her hands looked like they had never touched cold water, let alone held a weapon. There was no way I could become a sword master in a week. I just needed something to protect myself. I planned to stay in the back during the war, not to fight head-on.
"You're right. I just want it to defend myself. It doesn't need to be anything too big" I said.
The man still seemed puzzled as to why a lady with so many knights would need to defend herself.
"Would you like to try a bow? Ladies rarely ever come here, so I'm not sure what to suggest. Let's see." He grabbed one of the gleaming bows and brought it over.
He placed an apple on a suit of armor and slowly showed me how to nock and shoot an arrow. He split the apple into pieces with ease, then handed the bow to me.
I was impressed. I tried pulling the string the way he had shown, but my arm began to ache. It looked so easy when he did it, but I quickly realized it wasn't. Somehow, I managed to draw it—and the arrow shot straight into the ceiling.
Scratching my head a little
"Yeah… this one probably isn't for me either."
The shopkeeper looked thoughtful for a moment, then suddenly turned around. He opened one of the drawers and pulled out a medium-sized, snow-white sword.
"This sword just arrived. I was wondering who would ever need such a light blade… Turns out it was meant for you."
I held it—it was light as a feather, neither too long nor too short. It felt easy to swing.
"I really like this one. Thank you. Whatever the price is, I'll pay."
The shopkeeper looked embarrassed by my smile.
"Y-you're welcome. I just hope you'll never have to use it" he said.
But I knew I would. After all, I was heading into a war. I sheathed the sword and left the shop.
The knights were waiting outside in the heat, sweating. Seeing them like that made me feel guilty. I called the tall, brown-haired knight who had rushed in earlier.
"Hey, what's your name?"
"Leroy, my Lady."
"Alright, Leroy. Come with me. I'd like to get some cold drinks for all of you from that café over there."
Leroy looked confused. "But my Lady, that's unnecessary. We don't eat or drink while on duty. Thank you for your thoughtfulness, though."
"Shhh, no objections. I summoned you, and it's really hot. Come on." I said, pulling him by the hand.
Leroy looked as though he wanted to protest, but I went and bought the drinks. We sat in the shade.
Maybe because of the heat, their faces were flushed pink.
"Thank you for working so hard" I said warmly.
All of them answered, "My Lady, we thank you! You are the best!"
They didn't even realize how sweet they looked.
While they sipped their drinks, I wandered off a little to look around.
…
A pleasant, authentic music was playing. The square was crowded with people. Food stands were packed, and people were jostling each other. As I tried to pass through, I found myself straying further away from where I came. I finally broke free of the crowd and took a deep breath.
In a corner, I spotted a tiny purple shop. Though its sign said "Closed" the door was slightly ajar. Curious, I went closer.
"Is anyone here? Um, the door was open—are you closed?" I called out.
Silence~No one seemed to be there. Maybe I should leave.
The shop looked like it sold souvenirs, but the atmosphere felt… different. Just as I turned toward the door, something caught my eye—a ring gleaming in the sunlight.
It had green stones on it. A jewel? I wanted to try it on.
Puffff
"What the—why is my voice—why does my voice sound like this?!"