Lani and I arrived at the guild and sat down to wait a few minutes since Lina hadn't gotten off work yet. When we saw her walking toward us, we both called out to her.
"Lina."
"Big sis."
The moment Lina reached us, Lani twisted around and stretched her arms out, wanting Lina to hold her. I'd already been hurt by this behavior enough times that by now, I was simply used to it.
"Karen, Lani, did you two have something to do today? Why come at the end of my shift?"
Lina took Lani into her arms and asked curiously. Normally, I would always tell her my plans for the day so she could work without worrying. But today had been entirely unexpected.
"Lina, we'll talk on the way home."
On the walk back, I told Lina everything—about the king's family visiting our home, and even about how I lectured the Sword Saint. Lina frowned, her expression caught between anger and confusion.
"...What were they even doing? Having a family picnic at our house?"
"Hahaha, that was my first thought too. If they wanted to see me, they could've just summoned me to the castle."
"And you even fed them so much… You even let them eat my cake."
Lina was mad. Understandably so—sharing her favorite cake was a serious crime. I quickly forced a laugh, searching for any excuse to defuse the situation.
"Having one more friend is always better than having one more enemy. Besides, we didn't have much to talk about, so I figured stuffing their mouths with food would help. To kill even more time, I pulled out the chess set. Thankfully, the king likes to play."
"..."
She stared silently into my eyes, cheeks puffed out in silent protest. It was adorable—but her eyes clearly said, I'm not letting you off. You're getting punished later.
Since I had a pretty good idea of what kind of punishment awaited me, I immediately bowed my head in apology and promised to make it up to her with interest.
"I'm sorry. I'll make you a cake even better one next time."
Hearing that, Lina exhaled her frustration and huffed as she turned away.
"Fine, you're forgiven. But Karen, you fought the Sword Saint barehanded. Did you get hit? Does anything hurt?"
"Nowhere. He's the one who couldn't stand up afterward."
I didn't tell Lina the part about him actually using a real sword. I would definitely get scolded.
"Big sis, big bro was amazing! He wasn't scared of the real sword at all!"
"Lani!?"
I stared at Lani in shock for selling me out. Then, heart pounding, I slowly turned toward Lina. I didn't even finish turning before her extremely, extremely, extremely furious expression filled my entire vision.
"A real sword!? Karen, what were you thinking!? What if it grazed you!? If you didn't get treated immediately, it could leave a scar!"
She wasn't scolding me—she was terrified for me. Lina circled around me, checking every inch of my body, and I let her move me however she wanted.
I had already told her I wasn't hurt, so why was she still so worried? Her concern must've drowned out her reason entirely. It proved just how deeply she cared.
To reassure her, I held her shoulders and said,
"Lina, you don't need to worry. I only let him draw his sword because I was confident."
I saw tears form at the corner of her eyes. This was why I didn't tell her earlier. Lina grabbed my clothes, her voice trembling.
"Of course I know that. But I can't help worrying… Don't ever do that again."
In the end, she punched me lightly in the stomach—not enough to hurt. I gently stroked the back of her head and made another promise.
"Okay. From now on, if the sword saint wants a spar, I'll refuse."
"You better keep your word."
"I will. Absolutely."
Once Lina had calmed down, we continued our walk home. Lani returned to my arms, and along the way we talked about the sword saint, chatting until we were nearly back.
"But the sword saint only has eyes for the sword. Without it, wouldn't he be just like any normal person?"
"That's exactly why I wanted to fight him with only my fists—to show him the sword isn't everything. It's good to focus on one thing, but not so much that you lose sight of everything else. Fortunately, he listened…"
"Mr. Karen!"
I was mid-sentence when someone called out from ahead. I looked forward and saw the Sword Saint waving at me. Speak of the devil, and he shall appear. The same carriage we saw this morning was also parked at the gate.
"Duke Somart, did you just arrive?"
I waved back and walked toward him.
"Yes. Ms. Lina, did you just get off work?"
It was the first time I'd ever seen the Sword Saint speak to Lina. Was it because I said Lina could beat him? Lina flinched a little at being addressed so suddenly.
"Y-Yes."
Then, a well-dressed man stepped down from the carriage—older than us, with hair the same color as the king's.
He walked straight toward us and suddenly grabbed Lina's hand. Lina jumped in fright and quickly pulled back, while the man looked confused.
"Forgive me, miss. Did I do something to offend you?"
I handed Lani over to Lina and stepped in front of them, facing the man head-on.
"You are His Highness, Crown Prince Steve Aimebisalon, correct?"
The only person who would step out of that extravagant carriage was the crown prince who stayed behind in the royal castle. The man admitted it without hesitation.
"Yes, that's me."
Even though he was the crown prince, he had no manners whatsoever. His entrance alone maxed out my irritation gauge. I crossed my arms.
"Your Highness, who taught you to grab a lady's hand without permission? Have you ever considered how she might feel?"
"I was merely greeting her. It is gentlemanly etiquette."
Gentlemanly etiquette? Does he think I'm some ignorant commoner he can fool? Even aside from etiquette—any normal person knows you don't grab someone's hand without consent.
"As far as I know, a woman must offer her hand first. But you took the initiative. How do you explain that?"
"My apologies. I was captivated by this beautiful lady and acted rudely. I will offer a proper apology later."
He placed a hand on his chest and bowed slightly. But instead of sincerity, every word felt slimy—just like some guy trying to flirt on the street.
If we accepted his so-called apology, he'd definitely take advantage of it and use it as an excuse to approach Lina again. No matter what, I had to shut him down.
I raised my hand and refuse him.
"No. We don't need it."
This time, the crown prince's expression soured.
"Who are you? I was apologizing to this lady. What is she to you?"
I was speechless. Does he not have eyes? No—rather, his eyes were only capable of seeing Lina. Judging from the lustful glint in them, it was obvious enough.
"Come inside. I'll let you understand."
Explaining to him would be a waste of time. Better to complain directly to the king. I turned to head toward the door—but the crown prince blocked me, shouting angrily.
"How dare you try to enter this house without permission?! This is the home of the Hero who hunted down Samidoride!"
He's telling me I need permission to enter my own house?
Is this world still governed by anything resembling common sense?