Published: August 10, 2026
That day, I was visiting the fort of the Dilz Kingdom Knights Order.
I was there to deliver the order's new uniforms, which I had received last year, and to do the final size check.
"Yes, the length is perfect. Looks like it fits just right."
When I said that and gave him a light pat on the back, the knight let out a delighted, "Whoa," and spun around in front of the mirror. He flailed his arms and legs, cheering even louder.
"This is amazing! It looks insanely cool, but it's easy to move in too! This is the most comfortable uniform I've ever worn!"
"Seriously, seriously. If we wore clothes this cool, we'd never be able to walk through town again. We'd get surrounded by girls."
The two knights said that and burst into laughter.
Their names were Rockwell and Steiner. They looked so alike they could have been twins, but apparently they were uncle and nephew, two years apart. I'd heard that both of them had the first name Edgar, and that one had a mole on the right side and the other on the left, but I'd forgotten which was which. They were almost always together, so I just called them both Edgar.
"I'm glad you like them, Mister Edgar."
"No, really, we do. As expected of the knight commander's wife, you're something else."
"Who do you think you are? That's rude, saying something like that—'the knight commander's wife' and all."
"No, that's just a fact."
Ahaha. These two really were in perfect sync, like twins.
And even though they were teasing each other like that, it was obvious they respected both Ruifeng and me. Ruifeng had introduced them to me as reliable close aides.
And they weren't the only ones. The knights of the Dilz Kingdom were very gentlemanly. During the fitting, not a single knight made any rude remark to me.
All knights were nobles. Some of them were surely born into even higher status than me, the eldest daughter of a baronial family. And yet they welcomed me so warmly, not just because they were gentlemen, but because of Ruifeng's prestige... no, because he was well liked.
So Ruifeng really does work, huh...
While I was thinking that and getting ready to leave, one of the knights from earlier called out to me.
"You're heading home already? The commander will be back soon."
"Mm, no. There's nothing for me to do if I stay here. I can see Ruifeng anytime."
I said that, but the knights made another suggestion.
"Since you're here, why not stay and watch the knights' training?"
"If you're going to make more uniforms later, seeing their swordsmanship might be useful as reference. And as simple sightseeing, I think it'd be interesting too."
"Can I really watch? A civilian girl like me?"
"Of course. We always welcome civilian visitors."
"The former knight commander said we should carry ourselves with the dignity of a military force, though. But then civilians can't rely on knights, and the knights order needs to become more familiar to the people, Lord Ruifeng said."
"He's even out patrolling the city today. Though maybe that's just a hobby."
Patrolling the city as a hobby?
As I tilted my head, the two knights laughed even more.
"He's been sneaking out in disguise since way back, walking around pretending to be a commoner. He's not very good at it, though."
"Yeah. Even if he disguises himself with a wig and glasses or whatever, that face and those long legs are impossible to hide."
"He has no idea about that sort of thing. He thinks that as long as he doesn't have the title of prince, he won't stand out."
"Right? Girls chase him down and he's like, 'Why did they figure out I'm the prince?' It's hilarious."
"Ah, Anastasia-sama, don't tell the commander about this conversation, okay?"
The two of them winked at me in perfect symmetry.
So I took advantage of their kindness and toured the fort.
The knights' training grounds were more plain than I'd imagined... or rather, they had a serious, no-nonsense atmosphere.
Several humanoid targets stood outdoors, and the knights silently kept striking them with wooden swords.
Farther inside, there were knights doing nothing but strength training, or endlessly running laps. Some were lifting heavy-looking chunks of stone over and over again.