Civil Servant in Romance Fantasy - Chapter 260

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.

Of course, royalty could probably sell garbage and still cause a sensation.

“It’s delicious, but I can’t eat it all at once.”

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.

“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.