"I see, you two are having fun, aren''t you? Laughing at me again?" Myne lifted Aisha, cradling her in his arms like a princess. He settled her on a chair and made her sit on his lap, feigning a pout.

    "Can''t help it. Waffle learned to fly within a few minutes, but you—it''s been two whole days, and you''re still nowhere near as good as a beginner. It''s really hard not to make fun of you," Aisha said matter-of-factly while adjusting her sitting position.

    "Especially when you have such a great teacher to guide you, right, Ocea?" June added, turning to Ocea, floating beside her, and hugging her cheerfully.

    "Well, I''m not that great," Ocea embarrassed by the praise, mumbled something shyly. However, since both girls couldn''t understand her words, they only heard her low murmurs and looked to Myne for translation.

    "She''s thanking you for the compliment," Myne said with a smile. "By the way, what''s for lunch? I''m starving after all that hard work."

    "But didn''t you eat just two hours ago—"

    "Myne! Myne! Where are you?"

    Just as Aisha was complaining, Waffle, rushed towards them in a hurry.

    "What''s the matter?" Myne asked, confused about Waffle''s sudden appearance. Waffle had been busy with Ted, searching for another secret spot to hide their snacks.

    "There''s an uncle at the door who wants to see you."

    "An uncle? We have a guest?" Myne looked at Aisha in disbelief. This reaction was natural, as he barely knew anyone who would visit him. In the past six months, he hadn''t seen a single stranger at his doorstep.

    "Why are you looking at me? Since he wants to see you, go deal with him." Aisha knocked on his forehead, hopped off his lap and reminded him. Only then did Myne snap out of his thoughts and quickly walk toward the main entrance.

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    ...

    "Sylphy, at least offer our guest some water! On one hand, you''re telling him you''re no longer a princess, but on the other hand, you''re treating him like your subordinate!" Aisha stopped Gale, who was about to speak, handed him a glass of water, and complained while placing a tray of snacks on the table.

    "Please forgive their rudeness," Aisha apologized with a smile. "We don''t usually have guests, so they don''t know how to properly receive them. Please, have a seat" She gestured with a smile. Only then did Sylphid and Myne realize their oversight, and under their joint effort, Gale, who felt like overstepping his status, reluctantly sat down.

    "Now, Gale, tell me, what can we do for you?" Myne, sitting between Aisha and Sylphy, asked calmly.

    Hearing Myne''s question, Gale looked nervous. He glanced at Myne, then suddenly stood up again. Taking an upright posture, he spoke loudly, as if reciting a knight''s oath.

    "From today, I, Gale Works, by Your Highness Aniue, appointed ruler of the Augusta Kingdom''s order, will be assigned as a knight for the Fortuna Family..."

    "Umm... That''s all. Please take care of me."

    While the start of his declaration was commanding, Gale seemed to run out of words at the end, fumbling awkwardly. Even so, his statement left everyone around him dumbfounded.

    "Eh? × 8"

    Everyone was stunned by his declaration.

    "Ahh, I understand. He is talking about the matter regarding Amy''s escort guard. He told me about this before getting injured. But then, things got complicated, and Father had no time to think about it, putting it on hold," Sylphy explained, quickly grasping the situation.

    "Now that you mention it, Father-in-law did seem to say something like that," Myne continued thoughtfully, recalling Faren''s words. Who was still on bed rest, thanks to Garnet being too heavy-handed while teaching him a lesson of playing with her heart, and young maids in the palace.

    "That''s right," Gale chimed in. "Actually, I was asked to get ready to come here and serve you all a long time ago, but then Lord Myne suddenly disappeared, which delayed the matter. Then, Your Highness was injured, and with all the troubles happening in the kingdom, there was no time for anyone to think about this task. It wasn''t until yesterday, when Your Highness Aniue was reviewing old records, that he remembered me and asked me to carry out this mission immediately.

    "To tell you the truth, I''ve been on unofficial leave for the past six months. I was supposed to receive a transfer letter from Your Highness very early and move here with my family. Who would''ve thought it would take so long for that letter to reach me? You might not believe this, but since I couldn''t talk about my mission of protecting the Elf Princess to anyone, not even my wife, everyone thought I was fired from my job."

    "They started spreading nonsense rumours, which made my wife worry for no reason. If not for the fact that I was still getting paid every month and rarely left the house, spending my time training alone in the backyard, and checking on her all the time, my wife would''ve surely believed those rumours gave those dark-hearted big-mouthed neighbour ladies skilled method of ruining other people lives."

    The more Gale spoke, the more pitiful he seemed. Although most people would consider an extended leave a blessing, he looked far more relieved to return to work than to stay at home with his wife and child.