Mark, the knight, called out to me in a loud, flustered voice.
When he received no response, he turned to Eclis and started yelling.
"Wh, why are you doing this, Eclis!"
Sensing something was wrong as he approached me, the knight kept looking around for help.
Unable to bear it any longer, a superior stepped in, and this time other knights joined in.
"Eclis, stop it! That's an order!"
"Yeah! I, I was a bit too harsh just now. I'll apologize, so..."
Thud. But Mark couldn't finish his sentence.
Eclis had grabbed the back of the knight's head and pulled him towards me in an instant.
"Gah, gah, gah!"
In the blink of an eye, Eclis had wrapped his arm around Mark and began to choke him with a terrifying grip.
Mark's eyes bulged as his airway was cut off.
"Eclis! What are you doing! Stop it!"
The knights, filled with shock, called out to him, but Eclis remained unmoved.
No one dared to intervene, even as they watched their comrade being strangled by a slave.
Not only because of my command, but also because an overwhelming aura of killing intent was emanating from the slave they had previously ignored.
"Gah, gah... gah..."
During this time, Mark's tongue began to protrude from his mouth. Saliva dripped down his chin.
The dirty fluid stained the arm that was choking him, but Eclis didn't budge.
"Miss! This, this mustn't be done!"
The knights, watching their colleague struggle for breath, finally knelt before me.
"We were wrong. We will report this to the captain without fail and accept appropriate punishment voluntarily."
"..."
"Miss, murder is strictly forbidden within the Ecart Knight Order!"
I rubbed my ears, recalling what I had learned from Leonard yesterday.
"Miss!"
Just as Mark's eyes were about to roll back.
"Stop."
I raised my hand to revoke the order.
Eclis, who seemed focused on choking the knight, immediately released his grip at my gesture.
Thud.
"Cough, cough! Cough, cough, cough..."
The knight, who had fallen to the ground, clutched his throat and coughed violently.
I looked down at him with a blank expression, inwardly surprised.
I hadn't expected Eclis to follow my command so promptly.
'I thought he would strangle him to death.'
Of course, I hadn't intended to kill Mark.
I had been prepared to use the ruby ring on my left hand to control him after letting him choke the knight to his heart's content, to avoid any ill feelings.
But Eclis unexpectedly let go of Mark right away.
He prioritized my command over personal feelings.
I found this most satisfying.
"Did you say that if the real lady returns, you'll be kicked out and won't even be able to take care of yourself?"
I glanced around the frozen surroundings.
The knights' already stiff expressions became even more rigid at my words.
"But will I be kicked out first, or will you be dismissed first?"
I extended the end of my sentence playfully and smiled. At that moment,
〈SYSTEM〉 Your reputation has decreased by -5 due to deteriorating relations with the noble family's associates. (Total: 10)
A system window appeared before my eyes. Unfortunately, my reputation had dropped.
But the knights weren't the main character, so it didn't matter to me.
I turned to the real main character.
"Eclis, come here."
He immediately approached me.
"Let's go."
I lightly grabbed Eclis's wrist with the hand not holding the fan and led him out of the training ground.
[Goodwill 32%]
His expression was still mechanical, but the rising goodwill felt like a wagging dog's tail.
"Miss."
As I walked towards the mansion's main gate with Eclis following behind, the butler, who was waiting with a carriage, greeted me.
"You look very beautiful today."
"Is everything ready for the outing?"
"Yes. I've prepared a carriage with defensive and tracking spells. Since you already have an escort... "
The butler glanced at Eclis behind me and continued.
"I've assigned a family mage as the driver. In case of an emergency, he will teleport you back to the mansion."
Mages, like butlers, don't usually reveal their identities, making them very expensive to hire.
Having a mage as a driver for an outing is something only royalty would do.
'So this is what it means to be a noble family.'
I was pleased with the improved treatment but pretended to be nonchalant.
"Thank you for your hard work, butler."
"And this..."
The butler seemed to have something else and pulled out something from his pocket.
"The Duke said to enjoy your rare outing."
It was a blank check.
I hadn't expected the Duke to be so considerate after yesterday's incident, so I looked at it with surprise.
'If he knew I was just coming back from throwing a bomb in the training ground, he wouldn't give me this...'
I hesitated to accept it.
The butler encouraged me.
"Please take it, Miss. You haven't even invited merchants recently."
"Alright, then."
Since he was offering it, I decided to accept it without further hesitation.
"Please tell my father how much I appreciate it."
"Of course."
I turned and walked towards the waiting carriage. Eclis, who had been standing silently, followed me.
Standing at the open carriage door, I silently extended my hand to him.
He just stared at my hand blankly.
Perhaps because I had neglected him for too long after bringing him here.
Eclis didn't seem to think he should escort me like a real guard.
"Idiot. You're supposed to escort a lady in situations like this."
I scolded him with a sniff. His gray eyes flickered slightly.
"But I'm a slave, aren't I?"
"No."
I immediately corrected him.
"You're my guard knight now."
"..."
"Then, what should you do now?"
I waved my hand in front of him. It was the left hand with the ruby ring.
Eclis suddenly smiled faintly. He grabbed my hand and slowly bowed.
Kneeling on one knee, he performed a perfect etiquette that even the butler was surprised by.
He looked directly into my eyes and said,
"Step on my leg and get into the carriage, Master."
"Miss, shall we go to the dress shop first?"
When Eclis also got into the carriage, the driver asked.
"No. Let's go to the weapon shop."
I leaned my chin on the window frame and replied indifferently.
The carriage soon started moving. As promised, the ride was as smooth as a car.
I was enjoying the view outside the window as it quickly passed by.
"Why..."
Suddenly, a small murmur came from the opposite side.
Turning my head, I met Eclis's gaze, which was fixed on me.
He looked at me with an unreadable expression and spoke again.
"...Why didn't you come to see me all this time?"
It was an unexpected question.
I scrutinized his face, wondering if he was blaming me for today's incident, but I couldn't figure out what he was thinking.
"Did you miss me?"
I asked bluntly. If he said yes, I was prepared to apologize.
However,
"You promised."
"...What?"
"To come see me often as a reward for my hard training."
Ah.
I barely suppressed a gasp.
I had forgotten why I hadn't come to see him, the memory of that rainy day and its chilling effect.
"...I waited for you every day."
Unaware of what I was thinking, Eclis whispered.
His previously expressionless face seemed slightly dejected, but perhaps it was just my imagination.
I tapped the window frame, choosing an excuse for not visiting him.
"Because I was angry."
"...?"
"You lied to me, Eclis."
"What...?"
"You said no one was tormenting you, but look what they did to your pretty face."
I reached out and gently stroked his cheek.
He flinched noticeably and pulled his upper body back.
Seeing his agitated gray eyes, which were different from his usual calm demeanor, I laughed briefly.
"At that time..."
"..."
"At that time, there really wasn't anyone."
Eclis defended himself somewhat hastily.
'Of course not.'
I silently disagreed with him.
How could he claim nothing happened after swinging his sword like he was trying to kill someone?
The more I looked at him, the more he seemed like a very mischievous person.
"Anyway. Since you didn't tell me about today's incident first, the reward is invalid."
"But..."
"Shh. I came out to give you a different reward, so stop whining and wait a bit."
I placated him roughly, blocking his attempt to respond.
Eclis's cheeks turned slightly red, perhaps embarrassed by my command to stop whining. And.