Both the sparkly-eyed princess and the person in question, Asha Trail, froze. Seon-Hyeok tilted his head in confusion, seeing this unexpected response. Belatedly, he realized that his words could have been misconstrued, and he quickly added.

“Sir Trail is the most skillful knight I know, and she truly acts like one. I’m certain other knights are capable as well, but I can’t be sure if we’ll be compatible.”

“So, you’re saying you’re compatible with Sir Trail.”

The princess’ voice wasn’t much different from usual. However, until just a moment ago, she had been unusually excited, and as a result, the change felt palpable.

Silence fell upon the area, and the friendly atmosphere grew strangely heavy. Seon-Hyeok gulped as he looked at the princess’ face.

Was she upset because I asked for a knight she cherished? Or maybe she thinks I crossed a line by asking for a senior knight when I only just became an earl?

There was no way to know. The only thing that was certain was that the princess did not seem happy.

“First, I want to hear Sir Trail’s thoughts.”

The princess passed the baton to Asha Trail. Seon-Hyeok carefully watched the princess before turning his attention to the knight.

As she was a Royal Knight and thus valued the lives of the royal...