Return of the Female Knight

Mirabelle started to stir. How long had it been? Her eyes were still closed and her vision was dark, but she could vaguely make out a voice talking.

“She’s alive now because of the quick medical treatment. A little later and it would have been disastrous.”

Who was speaking? A doctor?

Another, more familiar, voice replied. It was the stern tone of her father, Alphord.

“How the hell did you watch over Mirabelle while I was away? I can’t believe you allowed a mere servant to accompany her outside the mansion!”

Even without seeing his face, Mirabelle knew that her father was terribly angry. Michael’s voice answered from somewhere nearby.

“I’m sorry, My Lord. It’s all my fault.”

Mirabelle wanted to get out of bed and explain that it was not the butler’s fault. She had begged Michael to go on a picnic alone with Kuhn.

The atmosphere in the room continued to crackle, but fortunately, it was Derek that now spoke to reassure his father.

“Stop it, Father. It’s not the butler’s fault. How could he change Mirabelle’s decision? I’ll look after her more carefully.”

“How long has Elena been married?”

“…Not long.”

“Very well, keep it a secret from her for now. If she hears that Mirabelle is sick, she’ll come running back. Now that she’s the Crown Princess, it’s not good for her to be involved in every detail of our family.”

Alphord’s words about drawing a line with Elena struck a blow to Mirabelle’s heart. Even if Elena was married and changed her last name, she was still the eldest daughter of the Blaise family. Apart from the fact that Mirabelle was sickly, Mirabelle didn’t like the way she was treated differently than everyone else. In her eyes, Alphord always acted more cold-heartedly towards Elena.

With that thought in her mind, Mirabelle fell into slumber once again. Sounds drifted in and out of her consciousness, from the friendly voices of the maids wandering around, to the conversation of the servants outside the door, and the now familiar voice of the doctor whose face she hadn’t seen yet. But none of them had the voice that Mirabelle wanted to hear.

‘Where are you?’

Perhaps he had gone to the palace when she was unconscious? Did her other family members punish him because they went on a picnic alone? Numerous questions and worries twisted in her head, but lifting her heavy eyelids wasn’t easy.

‘…I miss you.’

She missed Kuhn’s cool gray eyes. She wanted to hear the blunt monotone of his voice.

‘Kuhn…Kuhn…’

A day after Mirabelle fainted, she finally managed to open her eyes properly. It was dark now, and only a dim candle lit the view. Even in the shallow light, Mirabelle was dazzled and she had to blink her eyes several times to focus her vision. She turned her head to look around. The first thing that caught her eyes was—

Her teddy bear sitting by her bedside. The velvety, dark-blue bear was the same color as Kuhn’s hair. It was still clothed in the jacket from when she first met Kuhn. However, it wasn’t her bear that Mirabelle wanted to see right now…it was the man that the bear reminded her of.

Mirabelle turned her head to take in more of the room, when a man suddenly and silently appeared. The same one she had searched many times in her dreams. She stared at him with wide eyes.

“Do you feel better?”

Mirabelle’s throat felt too sore to answer him, and she simply nodded. Relief washed over Kuhn’s gray eyes.

At their first meeting, Mirabelle had begged him to stay, but when she opened her eyes again he had already disappeared. She didn’t know what she would do if was gone again. At the moment, however, she was relieved to see him at her side.

“…Kuhn.”

“Yes, Young Lady.”

It was difficult for Mirabelle to form words with her dry throat, but she felt she had to say this now. There was no other way to properly express her feelings except to tell him.

“Kuhn…”

“Yes, Young Lady.”

When she called him again, Kuhn replied casually as always.

“…I love you.”

“What?”

Kuhn was thrown into sudden confusion. Mirabelle felt pleased that she was able to cause a reaction on his usually expressionless face.

“What did you say just now?”

Mirabelle answered with confidence once again.

“I said I love you.”

Perhaps she had been harboring these feelings for a long time, but she only realized it now.

“I don’t know when it started, but I’ve come to love you.”