“I’m here to escort you to dinner.”
Claire’s face remained as stern and unsmiling as ever as she extended an invitation.
“Please come with me, Your Highness. Miss Hill has already gone ahead.”
I looked at the palm offered to me, hesitated for a second, then placed my tiny hand in hers.
Her hand was cool—probably because she had only just removed her armor—and the skin felt slightly rough. Thin calluses covered her knuckles and joints.
That was only natural for a female knight who trained every day, but it didn’t solve my other question.
“Why did Big Sis Claire come personally?”
There was no reason for someone of her rank to bother with this. The previous times, only Kai and the others had come to fetch me.
Come to think of it… weren’t they all acting a little strange today?
I glanced behind me. Kai and the rest were silently keeping their heads lowered.
Sure, Claire was their direct superior, but the atmosphere felt far too eerie.
Before I could observe more, Claire answered my earlier doubt.
“I finished some official duties and thought of Your Highness on the way back. It happened to be the right time, so I came myself.”
That “on the way” felt suspiciously convenient. The main courtyard was quite a distance from here.
I pouted, then remembered she also secretly led a certain underground organization within the monastery and let it drop.
“I see. Thank you for the trouble, Big Sis Claire.”
“Mm.”
Claire wasn’t good with words. She gave a short reply and fell silent again.
I didn’t know what to say either. Sensing something slightly off, I abandoned any attempt at small talk.
The silence stretched on… but not for long.
“Your Highness Sophirina.”
It was Claire who spoke first. Her gaze drifted far away, as if talking to herself, yet the intended listener was obvious.
“May I ask you a question?”
Her sudden words caught me off guard, and the nature of the request made it even harder to respond.
The leader of Radiant Monastery asking a junior for advice? That felt… a little backwards.
“Eh… what kind of question?”
I put on my best curious-loli face.
At the same time, I desperately prayed it wasn’t about how many censors the Church of Light employed, the average “milk volume” of the clergy, whether zealous priests maxed out their stats, or any other bizarre Church-related topic.
If she asked how many cute little lolis like me were hiding in the Church, I could confidently say “none” and end this nerve-wracking conversation that felt like a surprise pop quiz.
“I recently read a book—The Adventures of Dragon Knight Alman.”
Claire reads adventure novels? And is the heroine a loli?!
I secretly breathed a sigh of relief… only to tense up again at the words “dragon knight.”
That immediately reminded me of a certain bestselling imperial author who was secretly the source of all the empire’s smut.
If you’re about to ask whether one can class-change into a dragon knight using an underage dragon, I recommend you first fill out an application at the imperial prison.
Thankfully, I seemed to have overthought it. As the monastery’s leader, Claire’s mind hadn’t fallen that far. She calmly continued summarizing the story.
“During his journey to become a knight, Alman met a girl named Nina. They adventured and traveled together, gradually falling in love.”
“But later, Nina was revealed to be the descendant of a demonic dragon—a creature that had destroyed entire nations and was wanted by every empire. Though the girl herself had never done anything wrong, her lineage made Alman hesitate. Both the knightly code he followed and the Holy Light he believed in forbade him from loving her.”
I know this plot. Just stock up on stomach medicine and endure. The dosage depends on the author’s update speed.
But Claire clearly wasn’t looking for advice from a veteran sufferer. Though her expression remained unreadable, the seriousness in her voice was unmistakable.
“What do you think Alman should do, Your Highness Sophirina?”
So that’s what she wanted to ask.
A female knight raised as a family heir and hardened by harsh training would naturally struggle with matters of the heart.
But asking an elementary-school-looking loli for romance advice? That’s just cruel.
Good thing I’ve watched enough anime and read enough novels to know exactly how to handle this.
“If they truly love each other, then they should be brave and stay together.”
Exactly. Even if these single-heroine adventure novels cause stomach aches, when it’s time to go for it, you go for it. As long as the family business isn’t a blacksmith shop, there’s usually a happy ending.
My blunt answer clearly stunned Claire. She didn’t speak. Instead, a voice came from behind.
“But Your Highness, their identities are in complete opposition. It’s not that simple. Moreover, the Holy Light forbids it.”
Kai shook his head and looked at me. The rest of the squad turned as well, something strange glimmering in their eyes—as if they were awaiting my verdict.
These stubborn traditionalists. If this were a stock-market romance novel, hesitating at the critical moment would let another heroine swoop in and crash the share price.
Explaining classics like “can’t clear the party,” “bad faith,” or “all pear’d” would probably take half the night.
“What truly matters can only be blocked by something you consider even more important. Are status and race really that big a deal? And why would the Holy Light forbid it?”
“The Holy Light is different for everyone, isn’t it? For Brother Alman, love can be the Holy Light. Sister Nina can be the Holy Light. No one else can define what Holy Light you follow.”
“The Holy Light is simply your true heart. Following your heart can never go against the Holy Light.”
Too lazy to think of something original, I directly recycled the Church’s old idealist doctrine from my previous life. Hearing such a systematic and rigorous theory from a child’s mouth sounded a little odd, but it was perfect for these Holy Light believers.
After my long speech, Kai, Bemira, the rest of the squad, and even Claire fell silent, faces filled with contemplation and conflict. They clearly needed time to digest it.
“Just… follow my own heart…”
Claire quietly repeated the words, closing her eyes as if savoring their meaning. A moment later she opened them again, her voice calm yet unusually resolute.
“We will seriously consider Your Highness Sophirina’s words.”
I nodded in satisfaction. Looks like they gained some enlightenment.
But what was so captivating about The Adventures of Dragon Knight Alman that even Claire and Kai cared this much? Was the heroine actually a loli?
Wait… something doesn’t add up.
Before meeting the heroine, the male lead was still just a regular knight!?
Whatever the truth behind Dragon Knight Alman’s adventures, we had unknowingly reached the side hall where dinner was served. Claire led the way.
As she said, Hill was already seated. When she saw Claire and me enter together, a flash of wariness crossed her eyes. She lowered her voice.
“My apologies, Your Highness. I had some matters to attend to.”
I nodded to show I understood and signaled with my eyes that we’d talk later.
Dinner was as lively and delicious as ever—mountains of exquisite dishes and desserts that made one’s fingers itch to dig in, even for someone who had already eaten offline.
Game food didn’t add real calories or fullness, after all. No wonder so many girls in my previous life willingly contributed to Epoch’s culinary industry.
Halfway through the meal, I remembered something I’d forgotten to mention and informed Claire beside me that I would be leaving tomorrow.
The once-cheerful banquet instantly fell silent. Everyone stopped moving and turned to look at me.
Claire seemed to have expected this. She showed no surprise—only a brief pause in her movements—then spoke after a long silence.
“For Your Highness Sophirina to have stayed with us this long is already the greatest honor. Tomorrow, we will see you off properly.”
I smiled.
“Thank you, Big Sis Claire, and all the big brothers and sisters of the monastery. Sophirina has been very happy here.”
Claire tried to remain composed, but the others couldn’t hide it as well. They smiled kindly whenever our eyes met, yet faint traces of sadness were visible.
The entire atmosphere of the banquet dimmed.
…Hey, what’s with those aggrieved puppy eyes? Why are you making me feel like the heartless scumbag who’s abandoning everyone?!
Every now and then someone would glance over, then quickly lower their head as if silently sighing. Their resentful-wife-in-the-boudoir act nearly made me burst out laughing.
Fortunately, Claire’s voice soon broke the strange mood.
“Your Highness Sophirina.”
Though her expression hadn’t changed, I could hear the faint hesitation in her tone—and the firm resolve at the end.
“May I invite you to join tonight’s impromptu gathering?”