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Including a fork in the box with the cake might seem like a small effort from the seller’s perspective, but it was a thoughtful gesture for the buyer. We handed out forks, knives, and napkins at the club fair back then, and the response was overwhelming.

Sarah said with a smile as she carefully cut small pieces of the cake with her fork.

There was really nothing special about it. The cake was just something the pastry club made regularly. If Sarah liked it, then I could make it for her as many times as she wanted.

“I’ll keep making it for you while you’re here.”

“Hehe, really? But what if I gain weight?”

Still smiling, Sarah pushed the cake aside.

I couldn’t help but smile bitterly at the sight. Sarah had a small appetite. Sadly, she couldn’t eat much because of her illness.

Even now, she put down the fork after only a few bites and dodged my offer to make more.

She’s still feeling the effects.

I bit my lip slightly. I thought she was doing much better than before, but traces of the illness still lingered.

Well, it was too much to expect no traces from something that had plagued her for so long. The fact that she could get out of bed and have a conversation was already something to be grateful for.

“I’m fine, really. You’re not trying to fatten me up, are you?”

Sarah teased and took my hand as if she had read my thoughts.

For some reason, I had never been able to hide anything from her. It was like she could read my mind.

And yet, I felt ashamed. I was the one who should be offering comfort and not the one receiving it from a sick friend. This felt like a disgrace to the Krasius name.

“You need to gain some weight.”

I said with a forced smile, and Sarah’s eyes widened in shock.

“Is that your taste, Erich? Are you fattening me up to eat me later?”

She exaggeratedly clutched her chest and hunched over, making me laugh. She had a knack for turning someone into a cannibal in an instant.

“You got me. I was planning to triple your weight.”

“You’re not a knight, you’re a wicked demon!”

With that, we both burst into laughter.

The bitterness I’d been feeling since earlier eased a little.

***Sarah had always carried a heavy burden.

She’d spent her entire life confined to the family mansion. Her only connection to the outside world was through others, but she couldn’t really open up to the staff because of her noble status. Sarah had lived under conditions that would make anyone feel isolated from the world since her childhood.

Maybe that was why she clung to me whenever I visited. After all, I was the only one she could really talk to aside from her family.

“I heard the academy is bigger than most cities. Is that true?”

“The Academy itself isn’t bigger than a city, but a whole town has developed around it.”

“Oh, I see.”

Of course, I didn’t mind. I wasn’t the kind of person who could ignore a friend’s loneliness. Besides, talking with Sarah made me feel at ease, too.

I always planned accordingly whenever I went to visit Sarah because I knew that I’d be staying for quite some time.

“Of course, the Academy itself is pretty large. It’s the Empire’s top educational institution, after all.”

Sarah nodded eagerly at my words.

It wasn’t surprising that she’d be interested. She had been fascinated by the Academy since she was a child. The Academy must seem like a utopia for someone like Sarah, who loved learning new things. Ṝ

It was just unfortunate that something as accessible to most nobles as the Academy felt like an unattainable dream for her. Hyung also seemed to see it as a utopia, but his reasons were a bit different.

“Oh, by the way, I heard the incoming class this year is quite unique.”

She suddenly brought it up as if the thought had just popped into her head.

I paused, trying to figure out what she meant by ‘unique students.’ It was obvious that she was talking about those guys, but I was so used to being around them that I sometimes forgot that they were of such high status.

“Yeah, they’re definitely unique. There are foreign princes and even a Saint candidate among them. It’s rare to see those types of students.”

“Wow. I heard there were international students, but royalty too?”

“They’re all a bit crazy, to be honest.”

I replied instinctively without filtering my thoughts, causing Sarah to blink in surprise.

Oops. I should’ve sugar-coated that a bit. I hope I didn’t startle her.

“We’re close, you see. We’re in the same club.”

I added, trying to justify it even though it was true. Spending so much time with them in the same club had made them seem less like high-ranking figures and more like eccentric oddballs.

“So, Erich, does that mean you’ve made friends with a prince?”

“If you can call it that, then yes.”

“You’re amazing, Sir Knight. How impressive.”

Her teasing was enough to make my head spin. That playful smile and the little clap she gave made it clear that she was poking fun at me.

I couldn’t help but feel a bit frustrated with my younger self from eight years ago. Why did I have to say something so embarrassing that it had now become a lifelong memory? But then again, could I really expect my nine-year-old self to know better?

“But I’d like to meet them too if they’re your friends.”

I pictured the faces of those three who were likely back in their home countries by now as Sarah twirled her hair around her finger.

They weren’t the type to be overbearing, so I doubt there’d be any issue with them meeting Sarah. Unfortunately, there was no way to arrange that right now.

How ironic—they stuck around when they didn’t need to be here, but they had all bolted across the border now that Sarah wanted to see them. Those useless jerks.

“I’ll see if I can bring them over during next year’s summer vacation. They’re interesting people, so it’ll be fun.”

I quickly came up with a reasonable answer. Since I couldn’t bring them back from their home countries, I should just aim for next year.

“That’s okay. The servants would be shocked if they suddenly showed up as guests.”

Her perfectly sensible refusal made me reflect on my own words.

I must have been out of my mind. Spending so much time with those guys had skewed my thinking. I almost subjected Sarah, who still needed to rest, to unnecessary stress.

“I’ll get to meet them in person anyway.”

Huh?

My mind momentarily froze. Meet them in person? What did she mean by that?

“I’m going to enroll at the Academy.”

???

“…The Academy?”

“Yes.”

Her cheerful reply left me speechless. Suddenly enrolling at the Academy? That wasn’t just a casual outing. Did that mean that her condition had improved that much?

Nanny wouldn’t send her off so lightly.

I initially wondered if I should try to stop her, but then I remembered how much Nanny adored her. There was no way she hadn’t thought of all the concerns I had. If it were dangerous, Nanny would have stopped Sarah long ago.

But was it really okay? What if living in a strange place caused her condition to worsen?

“I’m starting as a second-year student. It’s a shame I missed out on the first year, but—“

Sarah gently took my hand as if to calm my confusion and smiled reassuringly.

“If I were a year behind you, we wouldn’t get to spend as much time together. I don’t want that.”

“…If that’s the case, then I could visit you every day during the vacations…”

“No. I want to make memories together with you, Erich.”

I couldn’t help but feel a bit frustrated with Sarah. Why was she so determined at times like these?

“Don’t worry. Both the mage and the priest said it’s fine. I’m not fully recovered yet… but they said I can handle the same activities as everyone else.”

And she even cleverly brought up the opinions of experts. How was I supposed to argue with that?

“And besides, with you as my knight, what could go wrong?”

“I’m probably the last person you should rely on.”

That made her giggle. She’d already blocked any objections with perfect logic, but her final remark was a bit sloppy.

I wasn’t as strong or steadfast as Sarah imagined, so her trust in me felt almost too overwhelming.

“Why? Are you serving another lady these days?”

She sounded a little disappointed, and I quickly shook my head. There was a time when that could have been true, but not now. Embarrassingly, I was just a knight with no one to serve.

…Honestly, it would be silly for me to oppose this when everyone else said it was okay. Plus, Sarah finally had a chance to see the world after all those lonely years, and as her friend, the least I could do was to support her.

So, I extended my hand slightly. If Sarah wanted me as her knight, then I could at least fulfill that role for her.

“You might regret choosing the wrong knight for the rest of your life, my lady.”

“Hehe, that’s something that won’t happen to me.”

Sometimes, it felt like she trusted me more than I trusted myself.

***I stared at my right hand for a long time after Erich left.

“Then I will protect you with everything I have for the next two years, my lady.”

Erich had kissed the back of my hand, just like a knight from a fairy tale. If I had let my guard down even a little, I might have squealed with happiness.

And then, I recalled the words Erich said to me eight years ago when I was at my worst, and he was only nine years old. The way he kissed my hand now brought back that memory.

“Then I’ll be Sarah’s knight! If an angel comes to take you away, I’ll chase them off!”

Those were just the innocent words of a child, but those words were what gave me the strength to keep going. Even now, Erich didn’t regret those words—he was just embarrassed by how childish they were.

“I wouldn’t mind if he protected me for a lifetime.”

I absentmindedly stroked my right hand and muttered to myself.

Two years? That’d be nothing. Why not protect me for life? Carl oppa would inherit the Krasius family anyway, so Erich only needed to focus on me.

“Idiot.”

Still, it was fine. That silly side of him was just part of who Erich was.

…Thank goodness.

Relief washed over me. If… if Erich had fallen for someone else, I might have collapsed again.

My own knight and the one I wanted by my side for life. I had clung to that hope all these years. It would have been unbearable if another lady had stolen him away during the time I was bedridden.

Thank you, for watching over him, Enen.

No one else claimed Erich’s heart during that year he spent at the Academy. That truly was a blessing. Even though Enen gave me this illness, he also gave me someone irreplaceable in return.

It’s not much longer now.

I tried to calm my racing heart as I counted the days. Just two more months, and I’d be living at the Academy, too.

Since he mentioned the pastry club, I’d join that as well. That way, we’d still see each other often as we’d be in the same club even if we were in different classes.

We’d spend our school days together, see each other more than ever, and grow even closer…

Hehe…

Just the thought of it made me so happy. These next two years might just be the best of my life.