Blanket Kick
"Oh, how was the tour?"
Dad greeted us with a beaming smile.
"It was great! Young Master Kalian was so kind and showed us everything! The shampoo factory was amazing, and the smelt fritters were delicious!"
Lady Chloe chirped happily as she plopped down next to Dad.
Earl Roan watched his daughter with a pleased smile and turned to me. "My girl can be quite energetic. I hope she didn't wear you out."
"Not at all, Earl. Lady Chloe has such a wonderful personality—I had a great time."
I replied politely and took a seat on the empty sofa. As always, Seria stood rigidly behind me in her escort knight position.
"That said, Baron," Earl Roan set down his teacup and casually broached the main topic. "Meeting young Kalian in person, he's far more impressive than the rumors suggest. He seems to get along well with our Chloe too... What do you think about our families forging a deeper bond for the children's future?"
It was a blatant marriage alliance proposal.
I felt Seria flinch behind me. Dad cleared his throat awkwardly. "Ahem! Your proposal is truly an honor, but our children are still so young. We can discuss marriage alliances later, once they're adults..."
"Haha, in noble society, fourteen is plenty old enough to start engagements. And look at that sturdy escort knight behind young Kalian."
The arrow suddenly turned toward Seria.
"I've heard rumors she wields aura at such a young age, but seeing her in person, her presence is remarkable. With a knight like that by his side, young Kalian's future is set. It'd be wonderful if our Chloe had such a reliable protector too."
It was pure praise from Earl Roan. Lady Chloe nodded enthusiastically. "Right! Even at the market earlier, she took such good care of me. Knight Seria is so cool!"
But then.
Praising Seria...?
Dad seemed to think the same, slamming his teacup down and his eyes lighting up. "Exactly! You have a good eye, Earl! Our Seria is something special! She's been called a sword genius since childhood, and at fourteen, she manifests aura! And her diligence—up at dawn sweeping the training grounds...!"
"Dad, that's not all," I leaned forward from the sofa, chiming in. "It's not just her swordsmanship! Her athleticism is off the charts! Remember her skating on the ice earlier? Pure artistry! And that hair when she modeled the shampoo? Even imperial noblewomen would weep with envy!"
"Right, right! And her heart of gold—spotting an abandoned puppy on the roadside brings tears to her eyes...!"
"Dad, that's a bit exaggerated. But it's true she's tough enough to smash a wild boar pot barehanded! Last time, she took down a whole pack of magical beasts single-handedly!"
"......"
"......"
Earl Roan and Lady Chloe's expressions slowly stiffened.
One compliment, and suddenly the Martel father-son duo went full fanatic, spewing mad praise with fire in our eyes.
"Um... Baron? Young Kalian?"
"Oh, Earl! We're not done yet! Our Seria, back when she was little, used to be scared of ghosts and cute as could be, hiding under a pot lid shaking... but now she's a proper lady...!"
"Dad, the pot lid story was supposed to stay secret! Anyway, Earl, our Seria is the empire's greatest knight! When I become lord someday, she'll be knight commander for sure!"
Dad and I spat enthusiasm in a relay of Seria worship.
Seria, standing behind us, had turned beet red, covering her face and searching for a hole to crawl into.
"Y-Young Master... Lord... please stop..."
She begged in a tiny voice, but our excited father-son ears were deaf to it.
"Ha, haha... I see. Truly an outstanding knight..."
Earl Roan wiped cold sweat, forcing an awkward laugh. He glanced between Dad and me, then shook his head in defeat.
"Ahem! Baron, it was a pleasure today. But urgent territory matters have come up—I must take my leave."
Earl Roan shot up from his seat. Any longer, and he'd hear about Seria's infancy potty training.
"Eh? Leaving already? Stay for dinner! Seria's meat carving is top-notch!"
"No, really, it's urgent! Chloe, let's go!"
Earl Roan bolted from the drawing room like he was fleeing.
But Lady Chloe, without a hint of panic, giggled with delight and waved at me. "Young Master Kalian! Thanks so much for the tour today! See you at the Imperial Academy later!"
"Ah, yeah! Safe travels, Lady Chloe!"
"Bye, Knight Seria! Let's meet again soon!"
Lady Chloe gave a cheerful farewell and chased after her father into the carriage.
Only after the rattling carriage faded did peace return to the drawing room.
"Huh? Why'd the Earl leave in such a hurry?" Dad tilted his head at me.
"Dunno. Must've had something urgent."
I shrugged too. We stared at each other, genuinely baffled.
"......You two."
Then Seria's voice came from behind. She stood with her face buried in her hands, trembling.
"What's wrong, Seria? You okay?"
"You two... I hate you both!!"
"But we were just praising you honestly..."
"Praise?! That was public execution!! Aaaah! I'm so embarrassed I wanna bite my tongue off!"
Seria stomped her feet, face aflame, then bolted from the drawing room unable to bear it.
"Whoa, Seria! Where're you going!"
"Don't follow me!!"
BAM! The door slammed shut.
"Heh heh, our Seria sure gets embarrassed easily."
Dad chuckled warmly, sipping his tea. I smirked and sank deeper into the sofa.
Well, in the end, the annoying marriage talk vanished, and Lady Chloe and I stayed on good friendly terms. Not a bad outcome.
—That night.
...Should I go check on her?
Thud! Bang! Boom!! Thwack!!
The blanket-kicking sounds from the next room were crystal clear.
...Nah, better not.
Going now would just get me kicked too. I lay in bed, letting the noises lull me like a lullaby, and closed my eyes.
Still, our territory can't function without Seria.
Tomorrow, I'd wake early and make her some sweet chocolate milk as an offering.
—Meanwhile, Seria was.
"Aaaah!!"
Thud! Wham! Pow!
Blanket-kicking on her bed. Good thing she wasn't channeling aura, or the blanket would've been shredded and the bed frame smashed.
"They're crazy! Totally insane!"
I buried my face in the pillow and groaned.
'Our Seria used to be scared of ghosts as a kid, cute as can be hiding under a pot lid shaking!'
'But she's tough enough to smash a wild boar pot barehanded!'
"Uwaaaah!!"
I kicked the air again. Shame burned through me like my blood was boiling upside down.
Lady Chloe. She was the picture-perfect noble lady. Sun-bright blonde hair, gentle speech, flawless smile. Even I thought she matched Young Master perfectly.
And in front of her, I'd been reduced to the "savage escort knight who wears pot lids and smashes boar pots."
"Haa..."
I pulled the blanket over my head and sighed deeply.
Truth be told, the embarrassment was secondary... It just hurt so much.
That feeling I'd had all day during the territory tour. Watching Young Master and Lady Chloe walk side by side, I painfully realized I'd never take that spot beside him.
I'm a commoner, an orphan, just a sword existing to protect Young Master.
But why did Lord and Young Master...?
Why had they been so desperate to hype me up? The moment Lady Chloe praised me, they unleashed a torrent like they'd been waiting.
As if saying, 'We already have this amazing girl at home—no need for anyone else.'
"Don't delude yourself, Seria."
I slapped my flushed cheeks.
"Lord and Young Master just cherish me like family. They don't want to lose such a capable knight. That's all—nothing more, nothing less."
I tried to steel myself, but my mind kept replaying the morning.
Writhing on the bed, when Young Master's big hand gripped my breast tight.
"...!!"
Whoosh—my face ignited again. I curled into a ball under the blanket, shivering.
Young Master's hand... so big and warm.
I'm crazy. Totally crazy. A guard knight blushing over her lord's touch? I'd deserve expulsion for lese-majeste.
"Forget it. Forget everything."
I shook my head furiously. But my eyes drifted to the old chair in the corner.
On it sat a small vase with a blue rose—the same as the one Young Master had picked for Lady Chloe that day. I'd treasured the first one he ever gave me, even coating it for preservation.
'This means you're family now too.'
His kind words echoed in my ears.
"Family..."
I reached out toward the vase, fingers grasping air.
Being under the family umbrella should be enough to be grateful for. So why this greedy desire for more?
For that one special spot right beside Young Master.
"Young Master's an idiot..."
I hugged the pillow and muttered softly.
"Clueless about people's hearts, blabbing about pot lids..."
A tangled night of shame, hurt, and inexplicable heart flutters. I spent it tossing, blanket-kicking, sighing dozens of times till dawn, sleepless.