Chapter 2: Don’t say goodbye too early!

“Miss, please compose yourself.”

The black-haired boy instinctively pulled back his neck, a faint blush coloring the tips of his ears.

Only then did Helos realize how rude her behavior had been.

A noble lady actually poking a stranger boy’s cheek with her finger—if the etiquette instructor saw this, she’d probably faint on the spot.

“Ah~ Sorry, sorry~”

She withdrew her hand with a giggle but showed no sign of genuine remorse, still circling the boy to examine him from all sides.

“I was just too surprised, that’s all.”

“You know? You’re the first person who can get this close to me without getting dizzy!”

Julius pressed his lips together, his black eyes shining unusually bright under the moonlight.

He seemed to be pondering how to respond to this oddly behaving noble lady.

Though he was only twelve years old and just a Saint Knight Squire, he had encountered quite a few noble daughters so far.

But he had never met one quite like Helos.

“Maybe it’s because my magic is weak?”

He answered cautiously, his tentative manner making Helos stifle a laugh.

The girl exaggeratedly waved her hand:

“No way, no way! Even newborn babies start crying immediately when I get close.”

Suddenly, she leaned in, her silver hair nearly brushing the boy’s nose.

“Ah! I know!”

“You’re actually a magical puppet disguised as a human, aren’t you?”

Julius’s expression froze.

Helos couldn’t help but burst out laughing at his stunned face.

“I’m just kidding!”

She turned and sat down on the edge of the rooftop, swinging her legs.

“But you really are interesting, Julius.”

The night breeze teased their hair, and the faint music from the distant banquet quietly drifted into their ears.

Helos gazed at the starry sky and suddenly asked Julius:

“Why did you come here? Can’t stand all those fake formalities down below?”

The boy was silent for a moment, then chose to answer honestly:

“There are too many people… it’s hard to breathe.”

“Ha! I knew it~”

Helos clapped her hands like she’d uncovered a big secret.

“Even the Saint Knight can’t stand that kind of thing!”

“I’m only a Saint Knight Squire, not a Saint Knight…” Julius quietly corrected her.

But the girl had already deftly pulled out a slice of apple pie from her skirt pocket.

“Here!”

She broke the pastry in half and handed one piece to the boy.

“Consider it a thank-you for keeping me company~”

Julius hesitated but took the jam-coated treat.

When his fingertips accidentally brushed against Helos’s palm, she seemed to freeze for a moment.

This was the first normal physical contact Helos had experienced in nearly ten years.

Her elder sister, Eleanor, had been the apple of everyone’s eye, while Helos had never even dared to let anyone touch her as a child.

If not for her memories from a past life that taught her how to entertain herself, she would have long since broken down.

She asked softly, a barely perceptible hint of hope in her voice.

Julius nodded, a faint smile tugging at his lips:

“Yeah, it’s sweet.”

At that moment, a commotion broke out downstairs.

They faintly heard the Head Maid’s anxious shout:

“Where has the Second Miss run off to again?! Master ordered her not to leave her room tonight—”

Helos’s smile froze instantly.

“Looks like my break time is over.”

She sighed and shrugged as if carefree, but when turning around, she accidentally stepped on her own skirt.

Just as she lost her balance, Julius reacted with astonishing speed and grabbed her wrist.

“Careful!”

The distance between them suddenly shrank.

Helos could clearly see the starlight reflected in the boy’s eyes and her own shocked expression mirrored there.

Even more surprising was that Julius showed no sign of discomfort despite their close proximity.

“Th-thank you…”

She stammered her thanks, her heart inexplicably racing.

Julius quickly released her hand and took a step back, resuming a proper knight’s posture.

His expression didn’t change at all:

“It’s my duty.”

Just as Helos was about to say something, hurried footsteps sounded from below the attic.

Her face changed, and she hastily shoved the remaining apple pie into Julius’s hand:

“Uh, although it’s unlikely, if there’s a chance—see you!”

Helos darted into the skylight like a startled rabbit, her skirt fluttering.

Julius caught a glimpse of a scrape on her ankle.

He stood there stunned, moonlight stretching his shadow long.

The warmth of the apple pie still lingered on his palm.

“Are you—ah, Master Julius?”

Suddenly, an anxious maid’s face appeared at the skylight.

Her fingertips hovered over a Magic Light Orb, its glow flickering across her face.

“Have you seen a silver-haired lady? She looks a lot like Miss Eleanor, but…”

Her voice abruptly stopped, as if realizing she’d said too much.

“Sorry, I haven’t seen her.”

Julius’s calm voice echoed softly in the night.

“Would you like me to help look for her?”

“No, no need!”

The maid recoiled from the skylight as if burned.

The light flickered across the attic floor as she hurried away.

With the footsteps fading, the rooftop returned to silence.

Julius sighed, not knowing why he had lied on a whim.

“See you…?”

***

Divine sunlight poured over the red-carpeted steps.

Ten-year-old Eleanor Olivia stood in pure white holy robes, kneeling before the Archbishop.

The Saintess Headdress nestled in her golden hair glittered brilliantly under the sunlight.

“In the name of the Goddess, you are hereby appointed Saintess Candidate.”

Julius stood at the end of the knight formation, his gaze fixed on Eleanor, now a Saintess Candidate.

Suddenly, his eyes flickered.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a silver figure darting behind a column on the second floor.

“Julius.”

Just as he was distracted, the Holy Knight Captain’s solemn voice boomed through the hall, stiffening him instantly.

“By the decision of the Church and the Duke, you shall serve as Eleanor’s personal guard and take residence in the Duke’s Mansion effective immediately.”

“Understood!”

The boy knelt on one knee.

The Holy Knight Captain stepped forward, helping him up with a proud smile.

“This is your trial and the path to becoming a full Saint Knight.”

“Make the most of this opportunity.”

“Yes!”

After the ceremony, the elderly Steward led Julius through the mansion’s labyrinthine corridors.

“Your room is next to the Young Miss’s quarters.”

The Steward handed over a brass key, seemingly etched with magical runes.

“Please be careful. The Duke’s private area lies to the east. Do not enter without permission.”

Julius had just nodded when suddenly—

Bang!

A loud crash came from outside the window, prompting him to instinctively draw his sword.

He turned his head, looking through the large window toward the west side of the Duke’s Mansion.

At that moment, a plume of black smoke rose slowly from that direction.