" Knights have everything. The best equipment, food, teachers. They teach us a lot, plus two languages. I like history the most—it's like a window into bygone times. And the boys get magic lessons. I'm not very good at magic, but I try."
" Good for you, you're trying," there was something warm and feminine in her voice. It was strange to hear such tones from a girl my age. "And what about yourself?"
" I've made a lot of friends. The whole squad is friends, each one like a ray of light in the darkness. I was often chosen as captain. Although..." he hesitated, but decided to be honest. "I'll never be able to command a real army. I don't have the right background."
" You'll have it!" Eley jumped up, the book falling from her lap. "When I become queen, the first thing I'll do is give you a noble title!"
A fire burned in her eyes that could melt the royal treasury. But the world isn't as simple as princesses would like.
" Thank you, but I'll decline," he said quietly. "Titles are often just masks over emptiness."
" I won't let you refuse," sadness sounded in her voice. "So ask me to always be captain. Promise."
I looked at her—a girl willing to rewrite laws for the sake of a boy from her childhood—and I realized: some battles are better lost.
— And how are you?
Eley picked up the book, her face becoming serious.
" Studying and traveling to other countries. I don't have any friends—there are people who want something from me. I don't like them. And there's one more thing..." She trailed off, looking at the roses swaying in the wind. "I don't want to talk about it."
The bitterness was so strong that it left a pang of guilt. We complain about our problems, but who thinks how hard it is to be a princess? When every friend can be a flatterer, every word a political statement.
" You don't have to tell me," he said softly. "It must be hard being a girl. And even harder being a princess."
" No," she shook her head, a spark of mischief flickering. "It's great to be a girl."
— I don't understand this. I don't want to argue.
- Why do you think so?
" It's hard for a girl to become a knight. But I've always wanted to, ever since Sir Leighton proposed."
" I see," she nodded, looking at the sky where stars were just beginning to peek out. "It's nighttime. I have to go. See you tomorrow?"
- See you.
She stood, brushed off her dress, and headed toward the castle, leaving behind the rustle of her footsteps and the scent of flowers. And I was left thinking about how strange life works. A princess studies the language of the beastmen and wants to know how ordinary people live. A simple knight dreams of great deeds but is afraid to accept the title. And somewhere between dreams and fears is born what philosophers call love, and ordinary people call happiness.
The stars grew brighter, the garden was drowning in shadows. Tomorrow I will wait for evening again. Some waits are worth it if they last forever.