When Gwynnslun's family first moved to the small village, there was a middle-aged man who helped them, as they knew nothing about farming.
With his help, the family was able to settle down and survive. Gwynnslun, in turn, often helped the man as well, and a quiet bond naturally formed between them.
That man was Uncle Rankei, the one who had silently watched over Gwynnslun throughout his childhood.
After returning from the capital, Gwynnslun spent his days sighing endlessly.
Watching this, Rankei finally spoke up, his tone as blunt as ever.
"What's weighing on you so much that you're sighing like the ground's about to collapse?"
"…Uncle Rankei. Was I sighing that much?"
"You were. Enough to drain the strength right out of me. So what is it?"
Gwynnslun had been lost so deeply in his thoughts that he hadn't even realized it himself.
After a long hesitation, he finally spoke.
"There's someone I want to meet. But… as I am now, I can't meet them. I can't even stand near them. I keep thinking—what do I need to do, just to be able to look at them from afar?"
"A noble lady?"
"…No. Someone higher than that."
"…Royalty?"
"Yes."
For a moment, Rankei's expression darkened.
Once, he had been a knight of the royal guard, renowned for his skill.
But after losing an arm in battle, the royal family cast him aside without compensation, without treatment.
He had wandered for years before finally settling here.
From that day on, he had come to despise the royal family.
"They're all the same. Royals only care about filling their own bellies. Once you're no longer useful, they throw you away without hesitation."
His voice hardened.
"Never—never get yourself tangled up with royalty."
At those words, Gwynnslun let out an even heavier sigh.
"Haah—"
Rankei flinched.
"I—I'm saying this for your sake!"
"Haahhhhhhh—"
"…Tch."
Rough and prideful, Rankei simply didn't want Gwynnslun to suffer the same fate he had.
But as days passed, Gwynnslun's sighs only grew deeper.
Finally, unable to endure it any longer, Rankei snapped.
"Alright! Alright, I get it!"
After struggling with his thoughts, he continued.
"Rubere is always at war. They're constantly recruiting knights, big or small. You need real skill to serve as royal guard, but…"
He paused.
He knew that once these words were spoken, Gwynnslun's life would never be the same.
But when he saw the determination burning in the boy's eyes, Rankei finally spoke.
"…I'll train you."
"Really?! Thank you, Uncle Rankei!"
In that moment, Gwynnslun leapt up like a child, jumping with joy.
***
Rankei's training was merciless.
He was a terrifying instructor.
He never went easy on Gwynnslun, and Gwynnslun never asked him to.
Slowly, steadily, Gwynnslun grew stronger, remarkably so. There were countless days when his body screamed in exhaustion, yet he never once gave up.
Helping with farm work day after day, his body hardened. By the time several years had passed, there was no trace of boyhood left in him.
Time had flown by.
On the eve of his departure for the capital, now fully grown, Gwynnslun shared his final dinner with Rankei.
He had planned to apply to the knight order as soon as he came of age, but his father's death had delayed that path.
About a year before Gwynnslun reached adulthood, his father passed away after a long illness.
Having lost his mother as a child and then his father as well, Gwynnslun had fallen into despair.
It was Rankei who had pulled him back up.
The one who reminded him why he could keep moving forward.
"Thank you."
Gwynnslun said quietly.
"After my father passed… when I was alone and drowning in despair, you guided me. And you made me into a knight."
"Don't go letting people walk all over you."
Rankei muttered.
"I won't stand seeing my beloved student get pushed around."
The words were rough, but the concern beneath them was unmistakable.
"Don't worry. I'm your student, after all."
Rankei stared at him for a long moment.
"Well, with a body like that, getting pushed around would be a disgrace to knighthood."
He gestured toward Gwynnslun's solid, well-built frame.
They both laugh slightly.
"Just don't get hurt."
The low words from Rankei were heavy with worry.
"Yes."
Gwynnslun was grateful for that warmth.
That night, though he lay down after dinner, sleep refused to come.
'Will I be able to meet the Princess again? Would she… remember me?'
Thoughts crowded his mind as the night deepened, tension and anticipation keeping him awake.
***
As Rankei had said, the process of joining the knight order was surprisingly simple.
Anyone could apply, and once inside, rank was determined purely by skill.
Having trained relentlessly for years, Gwynnslun was immediately assigned a high rank.
But that wasn't what he wanted.
There was only one thing he hoped for. That he might see the Princess again.
Naturally, she never appeared where the knights stayed.
Weeks passed without even a glimpse of her shadow.
Unable to endure the growing longing, Gwynnslun applied for leave for the first time.
He decided to visit the fields near the capital, where he had first met her.
As he passed through the city gates, a carriage exiting the palace stopped beside him.
It was an unremarkable carriage, not particularly ornate, nothing that stood out.
Assuming it belonged to some noble, he was about to pass by.
When the carriage door opened.
And a woman leaned out.
The moment their eyes met, his breath caught.
"Y–Your Royal Highness!"
His words tangled, his body stiffened, but he placed a hand over his chest and bowed properly.
It was her.
The one he had longed to see again.
Before him, she was dazzling—far more radiant than his childhood memories had ever captured.
Her crimson hair flowed like silk, every strand smooth and elegant.
Her skin was pale and clear like freshly fallen snow.
A gentle flush colored her cheeks, and her eyes sparkled like molten gold.
Even her quiet smile seemed to brighten everything around her.
She was so dazzling, so impossibly radiant, that Gwynnslun couldn't bring himself to meet her gaze.
Silence fell.
Gwynnslun couldn't move, his gaze fixed on the ground.
Then she spoke first.
"Hello. You're a royal knight, aren't you? If you're headed into the city, would you like to ride with me?"
She didn't recognize him.
'Of course she wouldn't.'
The small boy from long ago no longer existed.
Still, his heart ached faintly.
"I wouldn't dare ride in the same carriage as Your Highness."
He said carefully.
"You know I'm a princess, and you're still refusing my request?"
"N–No! I would never dare refuse—!"
Flustered, Gwynnslun lifted his head.
She was smiling playfully.
"Then come with me."
Those words and smile shook his world.
She smiled and beckoned him into the carriage.
All those days spent only longing, and now this moment has arrived without warning.
Inside the narrow carriage, she looked calm, while Gwynnslun couldn't even lift his gaze.
His nerves were taut.
'Do I smell of sweat? Are my clothes too dirty? Can she hear how loudly my heart is pounding?'
Then the driver's voice broke the silence.
"We've arrived."
Startled, Gwynnslun jumped down first and hurried to open the door, offering her his hand.
She looked slightly surprised, but it was Gwynnslun who was far more flustered.
The moment her fingers brushed his, a jolt ran through his entire body.
His heart seemed to surge straight into his hand, burning hot.
"Thank you."
Her gentle words alone made his chest stir deeply.
After a brief pause, she asked softly,
"Do you have other business? Or… would you like to walk with me? It's a bit of a walk."
"Yes! I have no plans. I'll accompany you, Prin—"
"Shh."
She stopped him gently.
"Outside the castle, don't call me 'Your Highness.' Call me Dahlia."
Her voice was soft, almost a whisper.
"…Y–Yes. Lady D-Dahlia."
Gwynnslun spoke her name carefully.
At last, he knew her name.
Dahlia.
As beautiful as she was.
"And your name?"
She asked.
"I–I'm Gwynnslun. Please call me Lun."
She smiled and murmured very softly.
"Lun… so that's your name."