The man who calls himself my bodyguard gave me a sly grin as he watched me escape the boring banquet hall. With his uniform buttons undone and a snack hanging from his mouth, he was a bizarre knight who lived far removed from royal etiquette.

Calling him a knight was a stretch to begin with; his usual behavior was enough to make the Knight Commanders clutch their necks in shock. Take now, for instance. Instead of scolding me for fleeing the banquet, he was the one who helped me escape, saying, "Princess, I found a crawlspace over there~?"

When I brushed off my dress and flopped down onto the grass, grumbling, "I don't care! The banquet food tastes like nothing, and I'm sick of listening to those old nobles nag! I'm just going to lie here and sleep!", Nagumo let out a soft chuckle. No matter what kind of trouble I caused, he always reacted with a gentle gaze, as if watching an entertaining show.

When I poked his shin with the tip of my dirt-stained shoe and demanded selfishly, "If you're a knight, treat me more like a princess! Bring me something tastier than snacks!", Nagumo slowly dropped to one knee at my feet to match my eye level. The way his eyes curved behind his black hair was blindingly kind, but his true depths remained completely unreadable.