TRGDP 25

Chapter 25: Meeting the Knights (2)

“It’s nice to meet you.”

The Grand Duchess smiled warmly as she handed out small packages.

“It’s an honor to meet you.”

With his face flushed red, Theor bent his knee slightly, accepted the package, and stepped back.

“Sir Hassel.”

“Yes! Your Highness!”

At the call of his name, the knight Hassel quickly stepped forward.

Meanwhile, Loic used his tall height to sneak a peek into the basket.

Each neatly wrapped package had a beautiful ribbon and a luxurious name card attached. The knights’ names were elegantly written in cursive.

It was the Grand Duchess herself who tied the ribbon with such care and precision.

Did she really wrap each one by hand? And even write the names herself?

When Loic glanced at her hands, he noticed faint traces of black ink that hadn’t been completely washed off.

He bit the soft flesh inside his mouth.

Sir Hassel took his package and returned to his seat, carefully examining the gift.

There was a faint floral scent coming from the name card.

As he slowly untied the ribbon and opened the package, he found a pouch of high-quality cookies and a neatly folded handkerchief inside.

This is…!

On the front of the handkerchief, the letter B was embroidered with an elegant decorative pattern, symbolizing the Blenheim Knights.

“Oh? Yours is blue?”

“Mine’s red.”

“Wait, you got red too?”

As the knights pulled out their handkerchiefs, they realized that the embroidery colors were different.

And they were all color-matched within their respective knight divisions.

“Wait… did she match the colors to our captain’s hair?”

“And yours are blue because they match the captain’s family crest?”

The training ground quickly became lively with the knights chatting excitedly.

A few knights muttered sarcastic comments about the daughter of a marquis trying too hard, but the majority were simply delighted to receive a personal gift from the Grand Duchess.

The cookies also received positive reactions.

“These taste great.”

“I’m saving mine for tonight.”

Watching the knights, the Grand Duchess pulled out the last package from the basket.

It was for Hedrick, who had been debating whether to stop the knights from acting so freely in front of the Grand Duke and his wife.

“Sir Hedrick, yours has a silver embroidery pattern.”

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

Hedrick took the package without much thought but was briefly distracted when he noticed his lord’s expression.

Loic looked completely dumbfounded as he stared at the now-empty basket.

As if he couldn’t believe it, he peeked inside multiple times.

Of course, since the Grand Duchess had her back turned, she didn’t notice.

I never thought I’d see our commander make that face…

Hedrick blinked at the unexpected sight.

“Well, I’ve greeted everyone, so I’ll be heading back now.”

As Annette turned to leave, Loic quickly masked his expression and gave a small nod.

“Thank you for taking care of the knights.”

Before she could leave, the Grand Duchess suddenly looked at the Grand Duke and asked,

“Your Grace, why haven’t you been wearing your cravat since yesterday?”

A small coughing sound came from somewhere.

“Your neck looks so bare. It’s still chilly in the mornings and evenings… Should I have someone bring it for you?”

“…It’s here.”

“You have it?”

Loic pulled out a crumpled piece of cloth from his pocket.

“Then why haven’t you been wearing it? Hand it over.”

As soon as the Grand Duchess took the cloth, Loic instinctively lowered his head slightly.

She skillfully wrapped the cravat around his neck and tied it into a neat knot.

And at that moment, every knight, including Hedrick, held their breath.

The commander… is letting someone touch him?

One knight was so shocked that he even hiccupped.

Just last year, their lord had refused flowers from young girls during a territory inspection, making them cry in the streets.

The knights all silently agreed that their commander hid a severe case of mysophobia (a fear of contamination).

He fought on the front lines against monsters, leading his knights and protecting the vast territory by himself.

It would have been even stranger if he had not had a medical condition.

Because of that, one of their unspoken duties as knights was to ensure their commander had minimal contact with others.

But now…

Not only was he letting someone touch him, but he was also letting her wrap something around his neck.

And his face was turning red up to his eyes.

The training ground became eerily silent.

“I know you’re busy, but not even taking the time to tie a cravat?”

“I just forgot.”

The Grand Duchess gave Loic a sharp look before patting his chest, signaling that she was done.

Loic almost smiled instinctively, but then he lifted his head—

Seeing the strange looks from the knights, Loic’s face stiffened.

Some of the senior knights had suspicious, amused looks in their eyes.

“Well then, I hope you all finish the rest of your training well.”

The Grand Duchess left the training grounds with a satisfied expression.

But even after she was gone, Loic had to endure the intense stares of the knights for the rest of the afternoon.

***

“Your Grace?”

That evening, I visited the Grand Duke’s office.

“It’s not nighttime yet, so I can come in, right?”

The setting sun casts a deep red glow along the edge of the window.

I had thought I wouldn’t get a chance to visit today since he had been training all day.

But according to Whitley, the knights had been so excited about their gifts that they finished training earlier than usual.

The Grand Duke opened his mouth a few times as if hesitating, but when our eyes met, he reluctantly nodded.

“Come in.”

“I just dropped by to give you something.”

I walked over to his desk and held out a neatly wrapped package.

“This is for you, Your Grace.”

The Grand Duke hesitated and looked up at me in surprise.

“I… have one too?”

“Of course! It’s a gift for the knights, and how could I leave out the commander?”

The Grand Duke ran his fingers over his name on the attached card.

“Open it quickly.”

He watched me with excitement as he carefully opened the package.

Inside, a finely embroidered handkerchief gleamed with golden thread.

“It’s pretty, right? Yours is the only one embroidered in gold, to make it special.”

“….”

“You don’t like it?”

“I do. I’ll use it well. Thank you.”

He lowered his gaze slightly as he spoke.

What kind of reaction was this?

I had planned this carefully and even set aside a special gift for him, but I couldn’t tell whether he liked it or not.

He showed his emotions clearly when he was anxious or uneasy.

But since I had never seen him happy before, I had no idea what that looked like.

Well… as long as he doesn’t dislike it, I guess that’s enough.

“Are you done with work?”

“Not yet. I still have more documents to go through.”

It didn’t seem like a lie. As always, stacks of paperwork covered his desk.

“Then… can I read here while you work?”

I held up the book I had borrowed from Whitley, A Guide to Formal Dinners for Newlyweds.

The Grand Duke narrowed his eyes, as if wondering what on earth I was reading.

“I was just going to read it in my room, but since you’re here….”

“….”

“You did say yesterday that I could stay in your office if I needed to. You’re not going back on your word, are you?”

“…Do as you please. I’ll have tea prepared.”

Yes!

It seemed my little bribe had worked.

The Grand Duke, who had been staring at me with a conflicted expression, finally gave up and turned away.

“Oh?”

As I was about to sit down on the couch, I noticed a small table I hadn’t seen before.

“When did this get here?”

“You mean the guéridon?”

Apparently, a guéridon was a type of small, movable table.

I had always found the couch uncomfortable because its armrests were too thin.

But this little table was the perfect height for reading.

“I… don’t know. Whitley must have brought it.”

“I see.”

That butler really is thoughtful.

Impressed by Whitley’s attention to detail, I sat down and got comfortable.

But in less than ten minutes, I started nodding off.

The fireplace was filled with fresh logs, keeping the room pleasantly warm.

With the cozy heat making me drowsy, the words on the pages started to blur.

It’s still early evening…

I guess Annette’s body isn’t built for all-nighters.

I had stayed up nearly the entire night preparing the gifts.

At first, it had just been a simple plan to win over the knights.

If I wanted to soften the hearts of those who disliked me, a small bribe seemed like the best strategy.

I had prepared countless VIP customer appreciation events in my past life.

Compared to those, this was nothing.

A typical VIP event included personalized gifts, pastries from a famous bakery, or a bottle of fine wine.

So I thought a custom-embroidered handkerchief with the Blenheim Knights’ insignia, paired with a snack pouch, would be a good equivalent.

I’ll just order the handkerchiefs from a tailor and the cookies from a bakery. That should be enough.

At least, that’s what I thought at first.

But as I went through the process, my mindset changed.

When Madame sincerely offered her help, I suddenly felt that I couldn’t do this half-heartedly.

Not to mention, Norton and Leon worked so hard to help me.

Even if I gave it my all, there was no guarantee that my sincerity would reach them.

But if I didn’t put in any effort at all, then my actions would never feel genuine.