The Squire on the White Horse - Side Story 1.2

When he came to a corner, he approached the corner with some caution and gasped when he didn’t see me. I jumped on his back.

“Sorry, over here!”

“Oh, My Lady!”

Stanley struggled to break free from his restraints. But perhaps because he was so careful not to let me fall. He couldn’t even untie his arm, which had nothing to do with her arm strength.

“Really, you are a…!”

“I called out to you because I had something to do today.”

I let his accusations slide and grabbed him by the waist, pushing his body against the corridor wall. I put my hands on the wall to prevent him from escaping.

Stanley, on the other hand, had his hands up and his back against the wall, as if he was being held at knifepoint.

I smiled at him in my usual way.

“Whenever you have time, I’d like to talk to you. After the ceremony there will be a meeting of your relatives, right? I’d like to get some names and relatives before that.”

“…Thank you very much. We’re going to take a break and go to the common room now.”

“Yes, that would be great. Thank you.”

I thanked him. His eyes swimming left and right never looked at me.

“You’ll need to move away… so I can move.”

“Why don’t you just pull away and touch my body?”

The edge of his mouth lifted in a grin, “If I can touch you.”

I was going to tease him a little and then leave immediately, but his eyebrows lifted. He took a few deep breaths, but couldn’t seem to get the feeling under control.

“My Lady.”

He pulled his hands away from the wall, knowing that the voice would make him really angry, but I was grabbed by both wrists. Before I could be surprised, I was pulled back and the two of us swapped positions. I was the one pressed against the wall, and Stanley was the one who grabbed both my wrists and pressed them against the wall.

“Would you like to be punished once?”

He said in a low voice, his face getting closer.

“You should be aware of how dangerous it is to provoke a man like that.”

My wrists clenched tightly together, making me jump in pain.

The force was so strong that no matter how hard I tried, I could not break it. This was the strength of a man’s arm.

His eyes that finally met mine looked straight at me, and me alone. It made my whole body rejoice.

“What are you going to do to me?”

I didn’t know anything. I didn’t understand anything. Even though Aishe and the others taught me, it’s as if it’s not about me.

I wanted him to tell me what he was going to do and how dangerous it was.

I wanted to know what this would do to Stanley and how it would change him.

“I don’t care what you have to go through. Only you…”

He whispered, his eyes narrowing into a smile.

It was a face I’d seen before. The heat in his pale eyes turned them slightly vermillion. It was the face I wanted to see. I wanted to see that face.

Stanley’s bangs touch my forehead. That’s how close he is to me.

I wondered if he would kiss me if I closed my eyes.

I slowly lowered my eyelids, and that’s when it happened.

“What are you two… doing…?”

The first to move at the sound of the voice was Stanley. He let go of my hand and backed away, but no matter how quick he was, it was of course too late.

I finally moved and looked back at the owner of the voice fearfully.

Standing there in the middle of the hallway was…

“Dana…”

I’d been seen by the next worst person after my father. She seemed to have come home earlier than usual, even though I made sure she was out of the house.

Dana, her face red with anger, ran toward us, her long skirt billowing up and her footsteps loud and strong enough to crack the hallway.

“Mr.  Arliss, what the hell are you doing…!”

Dana’s anger was directed at Stanley, who hurriedly jumped in front of me and faced Dana protectively.

“Dana, no, I was teasing Stanley…”

My voice was frightened and weak, but Dana’s angry gaze switched to me with perfect clarity. She grabbed me by the shoulders and pushed me against the wall to pull me away from Stanley.

“’Lady Florence! Your behavior lately has been unseemly!”

“Yes, I’m sorry.”

“‘I’m sorry’ – You heard what the Master said! Keep a clean distance until the wedding!”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“You will soon be called ‘Mrs Arliss’! I won’t even be able to be around you anymore!”

I roll my eyes. That should have been well known.

“What will happen to you when I’m gone…!”

“I wish you’d come with me.”

Even though she was in the middle of being angry, I couldn’t help but speak my mind.

A few days after Stanley left, Dana also quit her longtime job as a governess for the Chamberlain family and moved out of here.

I looked up at Dana with lowered eyebrows as she frequently went out and went back to her parents’ house to discuss her marriage.

“I wish you could be there for me when I get married and you do….”

At these words, Dana’s face turned red and her mouth moved in a puckering motion.

Of course, I meant it, but she seemed to have successfully escaped her anger. It only took a moment for her to realize that. Her anger had just shifted to Stanley.

“Oh, Mr. Arliss, you too! You are being a bit frivolous, taking advantage of My Lady’s provocation!

“…I have no words to say back.”

“The Master and Mistress trust you, and that is why they have agreed to have the two of you under the same roof now that you are engaged!”

“I’m well aware of that.”

“You can put that trust in…!”

“Well, Dana, I’ll take the blame, so…”

As I gently approached Stanley to protect him, his body was forcibly pulled away again.

“No, I will not! Mr. Arliss, I have no intention of reporting this matter to the Master. But! I want to teach you a lesson now so that this will never happen again! Both of you, come to my room from now on!”

There was no way I could tell Dana, who had just walked out, that I was planning to have a discussion in the common room. I looked at Stanley, then gave up and walked after Dana, who had already started lecturing me.

“I’m sorry…”

Stanley was completely blindsided. When I looked up at him and apologized, he made a little angry face and then laughed as if he couldn’t stand it.

“See, you got punished, didn’t I?”

“I want to be punished by you.”

“…You never learn, do you?”

“Lady Florence! Mr. Arliss! Are you listening to me?”

I jumped up and shouted at the angry voice that was suddenly thrown at me.

“Yes, I’m sorry! I’ve learned my lesson!”