For Kamil, a knight guard, the day had been a real mess.

He committed a huge mistake during the day and got punished by his lord, Arnold.

He was depressed and dejected, and his childhood friend, Elise, found him in a pathetic state. He lied that it was nothing and was about to help her with her work when he dropped her laundry.

To top it all off, when he went into town to buy an apology for Elise, he inadvertently stumbled upon a most embarrassing picture.

How did I get into such a ridiculous situation?

A man and a woman were kissing each other in an alley he took a shortcut through.

Just when he thought he had stumbled upon the wrong place, a silver-haired man looked at him and called out matter-of-factly.

Hey, Kamil.

Oliver-san?!

As it turned out, he was acquainted with one of them.

What made things worse was that the blonde woman he was kissing was a complete stranger to Kamil.

The woman gave Kamil a lusty look and asked Oliver, Oliver. Do you know this boy?

Yeah. From work.

Hmm.

The woman moved away from Oliver and smiled at Kamil.

The woman giggled when she saw Kamil flinch. The woman then waved her hand to Oliver.

Well, Id better get going. See you later, Oliver.

The streets are dangerous at night. Ill walk you home.

No, thank you. You never know who might stab me if they see me walking with you.

Hahaha, thats harsh.

Oliver cowered, but he didnt seem to take the womans words to heart.

The moment the woman passed, Kamil sniffed her faint perfume. He instinctively straightened his spine and bowed to the woman who waved bye-bye to him as well.

After that, he asked Oliver, flustered.

Oh my, oh, Oliver-san!! Isnt she a different woman from the one I met in town recently?

Recently

Oliver tilted his head with a look of deep wonder.

Who was she again?

A beautiful woman with long chestnut hair and a red dress!

Ahh! You mean her?

He finally seemed to have recalled her, but did it normally take that long for him to do so?

Oliver, as Arnolds squire, always performed his job flawlessly and was always friendly to them, the knight guards.

Kamil naturally assumed that the woman Oliver had brought with him recently was his girlfriend. But if that was the case, what was with the blonde woman who was just here?

C-Come to think of it, my seniors told me that Oliver-san is a female enemy despite his appearanceThat doesnt mean hes too popular, but is that what its supposed to mean?! maybe thats what it means!

Excuse my dumb answer. Ive been out with so many different friends lately that I cant remember which woman youre referring to right away.

It seems I got it right

This was inconceivable for Kamil, who had never been out with a woman more than a handful of times. If by any chance he were to go out with Elise, he would never forget it.

When that thought popped in his mind, his face clouded as he remembered todays blunder.

You dont look happy. Oh, and by the way

Oliver looked as if he had just thought of something, and then smiled freshly.

Kamil, do you have a few minutes to spare?

Me? Yes, Ive already submitted a leave notice.

Wonderful. Now, if you dont mind, would you like to join me for a drink?

Uh

His invitation surprised him, but he had no reason to refuse.

In the midst of his confusion, he was led to a bar at the end of an alley, where they ended up drinking one-on-one.

It was a popular tavern where the common people crammed together, shouting and making merry.

Kamil, sitting at a table in the corner, sipped from a cup of beer and glanced at Oliver, who had an air of familiarity with the place.

You surprise me. I never thought Oliver-san would drink in a tavern like this.

Is that so? I used to be a knight cadet myself. After training, my seniors used to drag me out here.

Youre referring to yourself as I

Yeah, except when Im working.

He replied with an uplifting smile, and Kamil got dazzled by how beautiful he was.

From the perspective of a man like Kamil, his face was incredibly well-shaped. Nonetheless, he was convinced of this as well.

In any case, Oliver was not inferior to Arnold, standing next to him.

He always wore a smile on his face and performed his job with aplomb, which made him extremely popular among women.

If a woman got to know that he was part of Arnolds knight guards, she would likely ask him to give her information about His Highness Arnold about ten times and also ask about his squire, Oliver, around three times.

While he was contemplating, a woman from the tavern approached him and smiled at Oliver.

Oliver also returned a gentle smile, and something was established in the air. However, Oliver immediately looked at Kamil.

Thats not the point. Kamil, please dont let what happened today bother you.

You mean, the beauty I saw earlier today

Thats not what I meant. Youre depressed over His Highness Arnolds reprimand, werent you?

Kamils eyes widened at his comment.

Um

You dont have to hide it. Because during the training, you obviously seemed to have lost your energy from that moment on.

Kamil felt embarrassed from being seen through thoroughly.

The other day, the Second Prince, Theodore, told him, Kamil, your face betrays you easily. Everyone knows that you like Elise, except maybe you and my sister-in-law.

But dont be so dejected. His Highness Arnold only points out people who have room to grow.

Is that so?

Yeah. Besides, if he didnt approve of you in the first place, you wouldnt have been chosen as a Knight Guard.

It was a question whether Oliver invited Kamil to cheer him up.

Im still inexperienced, and Im not able to be of any use to His Highness Arnold.

I beg to disagree. Even Rishe-samas guards are assigned only with the people he trusts. Im certain that you and the others are able to protect his precious fiance, and thats why he gave you the task.

!!

If someone else told him that now, he would have burst into tears.

Oliver chuckled as he shook his glass of wine.

Nevertheless, it must have hurt when he rebuked you harshly. Ill advise His Highness Arnold

No!!!

Realizing that he had been misunderstood, Kamil hurriedly shook his head.

Thats not it! The reason Im depressed is not because His Highness scolded me.

Oh, really?

Yes. This is all my problem

He wrapped the cup of beer between his hands and squeezed it tightly as he replied.

Todays training required a high level of concentration. However, just before the training was about to end, I let my guard down a little too early.

Arnold did not miss that moment.

He reprimanded me, saying that I will get hurt with that attitude, even if it is training. I keenly realized how naive I was when he said that I would have died if we were at the battlefield. In the end, I guess I was just too proud of my training somewhere in there.

Training injuries, huh?

Although His Highness is very strict in his training, he always gives special consideration to injuries sustained during training.

Oliver chuckled for some reason. Kamil didnt know why, but he dropped his gaze.

The reason Im depressed is because of my own inadequacy and I let that depression drag me down. Im ashamed of causing trouble for my childhood friend.

Well, I guess thats not a problem.

What do you mean?

Oliver said while sipping his wine.

The person who can mull over why he has been scolded, instead of being depressed by it, will grow.His Highness will definitely be pleased when he sees that change.

Oliver-san

Kamil felt warm deep inside.

As if to pursue the matter with Kamil, Oliver smiled at him.

And by childhood friend, you mean Elise, right? Im sure shell forgive you for the trouble you caused her.

That said, he again remembered what Elise said earlier.

When Kamil dropped the sheets on the ground, Elise said worriedly, Let me carry the laundry.

Kamil, are you okay? If youre not feeling well, you should eat a lot and restMeat, fish, and beans.

Elise

He plopped down on the table and talked like a drunk, even though he wasnt drunk.

Elise is an angel

Hahaha. I envy you greatly.

For the next hour or so, Kamil drank three cups of beer while chatting with Oliver.

When it was time to pay the bill, Oliver said, Ill pay for this.

Kamil declined at all costs and rather would have treated Oliver for his advice, but he said, You dont have to treat me. Rather, if any other Knight Guard is troubled, please buy him a drink and lend an ear to his woes. All he could do was express his gratitude.

But still, Oliver-san is amazing.

Yeah? What?

Youre proficient at your job, and you even take care of a lowly knight guard like me.

Hahaha. Thank you.

How kind he was! He might be a little frivolous to women, but otherwise he was like a saint.

Kamil sincerely believed this. As they were leaving the tavern, he asked.

Besides, you are not afraid to advise His Highness.

Oh

Oliver, who was a little flushed from the alcohol, said as he tucked his wallet into his coat.

Thats because its not that difficult to talk to him.

Eh? Really? But you know, thats His Highness Arnold?

Yeah. Really, its no big deal.

And Oliver, with his usual pristine smile, clearly stated.

Im only willing to be killed if its by His Highness.

Well.

Even though it wasnt winter, Kamil felt a chill in the air.

But Oliver was completely oblivious to it.

Then you should go straight back to the barracks. I have an appointment later, so Ill part with you here.

O-Okay

Kamil waved his hands and saw him off.

When all is said and done, the person chosen to be His Highness Arnolds confidant is no ordinary person

He chewed on that fact and vowed to to be more diligent.

A few days later, when Arnold praised his sword-handling, Oliver gave him a small clap behind his back.