“What did you say?”
Helos’s expression froze instantly.
She stared blankly at the youth before her, those pale purple eyes filled with utter confusion.
Leaving?
The word was like a cold hammer, smashing into her heart and leaving her mind blank.
“Where are you going?” she asked instinctively, her voice dry.
“To the Holy Kingdom of El.”
Julius’s face lacked its usual ease, replaced by a heavy calmness. “Master Cedric came back this time to pick me up. He said… His Holiness the Pope personally asked to see me.”
The Pope?
The weight of that title made Helos’s heart sink. She knew there was no room for negotiation.
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” Her voice trembled slightly.
“I didn’t know how to say it.” Julius turned away, not daring to meet her eyes. “Besides, I was only here for a trial in the first place. I had to leave eventually.”
“That’s different!” Helos interrupted him sharply.
Her chest heaved, and a nameless fury rushed to her head, burning away all reason. Without even sparing Julius another glance, she spun around and bolted toward the main building of the duke’s mansion.
“Hey! Helos!” Julius cried out behind her, but the young girl’s back had already vanished around the corner of the courtyard.
***
The door to the study was flung open, slamming against the wall with a loud bang.
Helos stood at the doorway, her small face flushed red with anger and frustration. Her long silver hair was disheveled from the sprint, and her pale purple eyes burned with a fierce fire.
“Why?!” she demanded of the two men inside, her voice shaking with agitation. “Why did nobody tell me Julius was leaving?!”
Eisende looked at his daughter’s fury, a faint trace of surprise flickering in his eyes. It was the first time he had seen his youngest daughter like this.
But he did not scold her for her rudeness. The duke simply set down his documents and gazed at her calmly with his deep blue eyes, his tone as flat as ever.
“Julius came here for a trial as a Saint Knight Squire under Cedric.”
“Originally, his mission was to serve as Eleanor’s guard. Although the subject of his protection changed to you due to some accidents, that was merely one of the tasks he had to complete.”
His voice was devoid of emotion, yet it acted like a cold knife, cutting through all of Helos’s unrealistic fantasies.
“He does not belong to Olivius City, much less the duke’s mansion. He belongs to the Church, and his final destination is naturally the Holy Kingdom of El.”
“I’m not listening to this!” Helos interrupted him rudely.
She stepped forward and slammed both hands onto the desk.
“I don’t care about his status! All I know is that he is my assistant, my sparring partner, and a member of the Zero Squad! I don’t agree to him leaving!”
It wasn’t until Julius told her himself that she realized, however belatedly, just how important this person had become — someone she usually ordered around and treated like a fool.
However, her somewhat childish declaration could not change the established facts.
Cedric stood up from his chair, his tall figure casting a shadow over Helos.
“Miss Helos.” His voice was steady and powerful, leaving no room for doubt.
“This is the will of His Holiness the Pope — Julius has performed excellently in this trial, and his talent and ability have been recognized by the Pope.”
“He must return to the Holy Capital for further training and investiture.”
“I don’t care about some Pope!” Helos looked up stubbornly, meeting Cedric’s gaze. “He is my best friend! I won’t let him go!”
Yes, that’s right. Best friend.
The moment the word left her mouth, she even surprised herself. But the realization soon took root in her heart.
Julius was not just her squire; he was the first and only friend in the more than ten years she had been in this world who had truly entered her heart and fought by her side.
“Helos, stop being unreasonable.” Eisende’s voice finally carried a hint of severity.
Just then, rapid footsteps came from outside the door. Eleanor rushed in upon hearing the news. Seeing the tense atmosphere in the study, her face was filled with worry.
“Father, my sister just hates to see Julius go. She isn’t being unreasonable.”
Her sister’s arrival cleared Helos’s heated mind a little. She glanced at her father, then at Cedric, and finally fixed her eyes on her sister who had rushed over.
Gavi also appeared silently behind her, her cold palm gently taking Helos’s hand. Under everyone’s complex stares, the burning fire in Helos’s eyes gradually dimmed.
Without saying another word, she silently turned and left the study in a daze, accompanied by Gavi.
When she returned to the courtyard, she saw Julius standing under the familiar oak tree, seemingly waiting for her.
“I heard everything from outside.” The youth’s voice held a tenderness she had never heard before.
He looked at the girl’s lowered face, which was heavy with loss.
Julius flashed a self-deprecating smile and joked, “I really didn’t expect that a lowly squire like me would carry so much weight in the heart of our noble second young lady.”
Helos ignored his teasing. She simply spun her head away, trying to hide her reddening eyes with her stubborn back.
‘Damn it… why am I crying?’ She cursed herself in her heart. ‘I’m supposed to be a tough guy! How can I be crying like a real little girl? This is so embarrassing!’
Yet, the more she thought this, the more the traitorous tears fell uncontrollably from her eyes like a broken string of pearls.
Although the days Julius spent by her side were short, they were far more vibrant and interesting than the lonely ten years she had spent previously.
While she was immersed in sadness, a pair of warm hands awkwardly wiped away the tears at the corners of her eyes. Julius had walked up to her at some point.
Seeing her struggle to hold back tears, his heart softened, and he made a bold move that surprised even himself.
He reached out his arms and pulled the petite figure, who was a bit shorter than him, into his embrace.
“Don’t cry.” He comforted her softly, his voice awkward but unusually sincere. “Hmm… let me think. If… if you can become a truly proper lady…”
He looked at the trembling girl in his arms and made a promise that sounded a bit distant. “When that time comes, I will definitely come back to see you. I promise.”
Hearing this, Helos’s sobbing paused slightly. She looked up from his embrace, her pale purple eyes bright after being washed with tears.
She roughly wiped the tears from her face, her mouth twisting into a smile that looked worse than crying as she returned to her teasing tone.
“Huh? Your suggestion makes it sound like you never want to see me again.” But this time, her voice carried an unmistakable sob.
She looked at the youth before her and finally extended her pinky finger.
“Then it’s a promise. If that day really comes… you must come back to see me.”
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