“In the blink of a few years, she seemed to have climbed out of despair, not only able to complete the Knight Order’s courses, but also joke and laugh with the girls here, completely unlike the empty look she had when she was trapped in her own world and couldn’t extricate herself.”
“Why do you say ‘seemed’?”
Roman asked.
“Because, as far as I know, in private, her research into the extraordinary field has become even more fanatical than back then, to the point of being relentless, night and day.”
Thinking of the faint lines and eyeshadow he saw beneath Lastelise’s black-framed glasses, Roman nodded in agreement.
“However, in my view, rather than calling it fanaticism, it’s more like a near-mad obsession.”
“So this is what it means to talk behind someone’s back.”
“In my eyes, people so full of obsession are always paranoid and uncontrollable, and can bring turmoil to those around them at any moment.”
“So all these years, I’ve been carefully monitoring her, afraid she’d act on an impulse and do something irreparable.”
“Your sense of responsibility is as strong as ever.”
With pursed lips, Roman smiled at Rosetta.
At his smile, Rosetta felt that even being humiliated by Lastelise earlier was worth it.
Even…
In fact, she wasn’t as averse to the other’s words in private as she let on.
She didn’t dare think about the reason behind it, fearing it would lead her to some wrong ideas.
“After saying all this, I’m also telling you,”
Turning to Roman, Rosetta spoke with utmost seriousness.
“You must not be swayed by her bewitching words.”
“Of course. Am I that easy to fool?”
Roman pouted slightly in dissatisfaction.
What he didn’t realize was that his pouting expression was so cute it could make one’s heart melt.
Rosetta’s heart softened as she hurriedly spoke.
“A clever person like you is certainly hard to deceive.”
Hearing Rosetta’s approval, Roman’s beautiful eyes curved slightly, revealing a happy smile.
Rosetta quietly averted her gaze, knowing she couldn’t keep looking…
When Rosetta looked away, Roman’s beautiful eyes also withdrew their warmth.
He had said something wrong earlier.
That was, he really was an ‘easy-to-fool’ person.
Roman thought with a sigh.
What Rosetta had just told him about Lastelise also weighed on his mind.
That is, Lastelise once had a family and had already borne children.
But from his earlier observation, he found the facts somewhat different from Rosetta’s description.
This professor was undoubtedly an intelligent, cold beauty, but her seemingly mature brows and eyes held an innocence that didn’t match her experiences.
Moreover, every movement of this professor did indeed possess the charm of a mature woman, but to Roman, it felt somewhat forced…
This was an answer he instinctively gave after witnessing Lady Catherine’s gentle allure.
All in all, Roman felt that Professor Lastelise’s past must be far more complicated than what Rosetta had described.
Accompanied by Rosetta, Roman walked for a while, then bid her farewell and hurried to his next class.
He had never imagined that, as a Knight, he would have to learn so many seemingly unrelated things.
Like theology, literature, magic studies, and so on.
There were even courses on piano, poetry, art, and specialized classes like flower arrangement…
Before he knew it, campus life flew by, and soon, the day drew to a close.
Looking at the sunset in the distance, Roman glanced at the colorful arrangement he had made—praised by the teacher as ‘a work of considerable creativity’—and couldn’t help but shake his head.
He turned and left the classroom.
“Your Highness…”
As he expected, Rosetta had long been waiting at the door.
Her familiar silhouette stretched long in the sunset, and as soon as he stepped out, he was enveloped within it.
Seeing Rosetta’s beautiful face under the setting sun, and the joyful look in her eyes that appeared naturally upon seeing him, Roman felt a deep sense of peace.
“You haven’t been waiting too long, have you?”
Walking to her side, Roman asked softly.
Rosetta shook her head.
“No, I just arrived too.”
She replied.
In fact, she had been watching the sunset here for nearly half an hour.
She herself didn’t realize that her so-called honesty had been silently set aside again and again in the gentle white lies told to comfort His Highness.
“How do you feel after today?”
Holding the stack of textbooks Roman had accumulated throughout the day, Rosetta asked with concern.
“It feels great.”
Roman replied earnestly.
“The atmosphere here is even better than I imagined.”
“The students are all very kind, everyone treats me well, and so do the teachers. Maybe because I’m new, they’ve been especially nice to me.”
Roman spoke gently.
But the more Rosetta listened, the more her brows furrowed.
“As long as you’re happy.”
In the end, she said nothing more, only smiled.
“But…”
“Hmm?”
Sensing the hidden discontent in Roman’s tone, Rosetta made a sound inquiringly.
Pinching his fingers, Roman hesitated for a few seconds before speaking a bit awkwardly.
“After a whole day, I didn’t feel like a Knight at all. What I learned was completely different from what I imagined.”
“What kind of Knight did you imagine?”
Rosetta asked.
Immediately, a look of yearning appeared in Roman’s clear eyes, and he spoke with a tone of admiration.
“The Knight I imagined is, of course, the kind of invincible hero, a vanguard on the battlefield, unstoppable in every charge.”
“With one hand on the reins and the other gripping a lance, shattering enemy formations again and again.”
“Mounted, they’re unstoppable cavalry; dismounted, they’re warriors who hold the line alone.”
“They can use their Knight’s Sword to tear open paths on the battlefield, yet they themselves stand firm like city walls.”
The more Roman spoke, the more excited he became.
After all, in his past life, he too had fantasized in a chuunibyou way.
At that time, what enlightened him was a novel—a book at home called .
When he read it as a child, he didn’t think much of it, only felt that the Don Quixote in the book was exactly what a true Knight should be.
“Of course…”
“I also know that whether it’s the Sacred Seal or physical training, I can never become such a Knight.”
“But having someone like you, a real Knight, by my side is enough for me.”
Listening to Roman’s words, Rosetta’s amber, clear eyes wavered slightly.
After a moment’s hesitation, Rosetta suddenly spoke.
“What’s so hard about that?”
“Hmm?”
Meeting Roman’s clear gaze, Rosetta pressed her lips together, then spoke warmly.
“Today, I can make you a Knight and let you experience all those things you’ve dreamed of.”