[V15EX3] The Magic Knight and the Princess Go On a Date

Elianne Hyatt was visiting an apparel store in the royal capital, examining ribbons with a stern look on her face.

Behind her was Glenn Dudley, the son of a butcher, who spoke in a somewhat exasperated tone.

“…Do we really need to get them souvenirs?”

“My! How thoughtless of you! A few souvenirs is only natural.”

“Ehhh…”

Currently, Elianne was picking out souvenirs for Glenn’s younger sisters.

The two had been overjoyed the last time, when she gave them a pair of mint-green ribbons, shouting things like “This is a real princess ribbon!” and “It’s so lovely!”

“If you need to tie up your hair,” Glenn muttered. “A piece of string should be good enough, right?”

That was something Elianne couldn’t let slide. She interjected while keeping her back to Glenn, still focused on the ribbons.

“Ribbons can do much more than a piece of string. They help you look cute no matter where you put them. Your hat, blouse, parasol, shoes, or even gloves. It all works.”

Last time, Elianne had given the sisters matching ribbons, but now she had a better understanding of their individual tastes. It might be a good idea to get them different ones this time.

The energetic Anna preferred orange, so the ribbon could be orange, or perhaps a color for complimenting orange clothing.

On the other hand, Betty admired noble ladies and was interested in the latest fashion. She would likely be delighted by a ribbon with a trendy pattern.

(And I’ll make sure it suits their hair colors too…)

“You don’t need a ribbon to look cute…”

Glenn continued murmuring behind her, but Elianne was too absorbed in her ribbon selection to hear him.

＊　＊　＊

They watched a play at the popular Crown of Penevia theater, shopped at several apparel stores, then loaded their purchases onto a carriage. Now, Elianne and Glenn were strolling through the streets side-by-side.

The old Elianne would’ve never traveled outside of her carriage. Such was not proper behavior for the daughter of a duke. However, after frequent visits to Glenn’s family home, she was now accustomed to walking through town.

She had even selected stylish boots that were comfortable to walk in.

Elianne tilted her parasol slightly and looked up at Glenn walking beside her.

“Did you enjoy the play?”

“Yeah, it was awesome! That villain burst in like ‘Bam!’ all of a sudden, then got taken down with a ‘Pow!’ That part was sick!”

The characteristically simple reaction from Glenn filled Elianne with relief. After all, she was the one who suggested this theater and play.

She normally visited high-class theaters to watch romances or operas. But today, she selected a mainstream theater just tasteful enough to be within her range of tolerance.

And to keep Glenn from falling asleep, she went with a popular action-adventure story. That seemed to have been the right call.

Elianne glanced at Glenn’s clothes. Though neater than usual, it was ultimately just a simple shirt and vest.

In contrast, she wore a lemon-yellow dress with plenty of lace. Frills and ribbons decorated her partially-grown hair.

When walking side by side, they surely looked like a noble lady and her servant.

“Next time, I insist you escort me in attire befitting a Magic Knight.”

“Eh… By Magic Knight, you mean the sword and the spurs? I can’t even use a sword, and I have no idea how to ride a horse. What would I need spurs for…?”

“Oh, but the sword and spurs are the marks of a knight.”

Both were required to be worn at any knighting ceremony.

That said, the title of “Magic Knight” was unprecedented even in Ridill. After much deliberation, the kingdom decided that it would suffice to combine the robe and staff of a mage with the sword and spurs of a knight.

“Where did I put my sword and spurs again…” Glenn muttered pathetically while glancing at Elianne’s parasol. “Well, I guess girls have it tough too. Do you have to carry that parasol around all the time?”

“It’s simply proper etiquette.”

“But doesn’t holding a parasol make it hard to hold hands?”

Elianne almost gasped in surprise, but the conversation was interrupted by someone calling Glenn’s name. It came from a group of young men standing at the edge of the road.

All three of them were around Glenn’s age and dressed similarly to him, so they appeared to be his acquaintances.

Elianne quickly lowered her head and tilted the parasol to hide her face.

Half out of embarrassment. Half because she wanted to avoid questions about being dressed like a noble lady with such short hair.

“Glenn… Are you seriously on a date?”

“What about it?”

Glenn snapped back, and his friends erupted into shouts of shock.

“You idiot! Who would bring a proper lady like her to this street?! Take to her, uh… a candy shop or something! That kinda place!”

“And why are you making her walk?! Take her somewhere with benches at least!”

“Wait, is it even okay for a lady to sit directly on a bench? Wouldn’t she need a cushion or something?”

(Oh…?)

Elianne lifted her parasol slightly to get a look at Glenn’s friends.

The moment they noticed her gaze, they froze with their eyes wide.

“Damn, she’s cute…”

“Like a princess…”

“Her hair is all soft and fluffy…”

(Well, well, well.)

Their compliments put Elianne in such a good mood that she decided to tilt her head and return a smile. The next instant, all of Glenn’s friends were blushing.

Noticing this, Glenn frowned and stepped in front of Elianne. Then, he spoke in a far lower voice than usual.

“…Don’t even think about it.”

However, Glenn’s friends seemed completely unfazed by his warning. One of them grinned and slapped him on the shoulder.

“Wow, Glenn-kun, your shoes sure are clean today! You usually go around trailing mud everywhere!”

“…”

“And where’s your usual bedhead? Did you actually use a comb today?”

“…”

“That vest was the one you sent to our shop for tailoring, right? I remember my mom saying how the Dudley boy wanted to look cool.”

“Argh, just shut up! Leave me alone already!”

When Glenn raised his voice, his friends burst out laughing and scattered. However, their laughter seemed more like an affectionate tease, as if they were genuinely celebrating their friend.

“Seriously, those guys, ugh…”

As Glenn grumbled, Elianne tugged gently at the hem of his clothes.

There was something she had been wanting to ask for a while now.

“Glenn-sama, could it be that…”

“What?”

“Did you make an effort to speak more politely at Serendia Academy?”

“…? Well, yeah. I do that when my master is around too.”

From the beginning, Glenn had never really tried to hide his downtown accent. However, he did use a more casual tone with friends and family. This was a new discovery for Elianne.

She would continue learning more things about Glenn, one discovery at a time.

Suddenly, Glenn’s friends came running back. The young man in front held a small bouquet in his hands.

“Here, Glenn! Girls like flowers, right?”

“Good luck, man!”

“You better treat us next time!”

They shoved the bouquet into Glenn’s hands before vanishing like a gust of wind.

Glenn looked stunned, staring at the bouquet in his hands. After a while, he turned to Elianne and awkwardly held it out to her.

“Uh… do you want it?”

“I hope you can pick the flowers yourself next time, Glenn-sama.”

Elianne took the bouquet with her free hand.

It was simply a bundle of small flowers, nothing like the grand arrangements back at her family’s estate. But whether big or small, flowers were lovely all the same.

Elianne turned her back to Glenn and closed her parasol. Then, she spun around just enough to make the hem of her skirt flutter.

Her favorite lemon-yellow skirt spread out to reveal the lovely patterns.

“Glenn-sama.”

She twirled a ribbon trailing from her headdress around her finger, looking up at Glenn from the angle that made her look the cutest.

“I’m wearing a new headdress today. See? Isn’t this ribbon so cute?”

“Yeah, it’s really cute. Looks good on you.”

“Of course it does. Feel free to brag to your friends. Tell them that Glenn Dudley is the Magic Knight who protects such a cute princess.”

She was no longer the pitiful girl crying under the sheets. The woman standing here was a truly lovely woman.

Elianne wrapped herself around Glenn’s arm, causing Glenn to go stiff with tension. His face turned a bit red, and it wasn’t just because of the sun.

“Next, let us visit an apparel store for gentlemen. I’ll pick out a scarf that matches that vest.”

Elianne was a proud lady, so she was not content to be the only one with a racing heart. She must make Glenn experience the same feeling.

“Please wear it for our next date, okay?”

With that, Elianne flashed a dazzling smile.

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