Words of Love

Words of Love

 

“AND THEN Captain Callum gathered all the victims in one place and ordered his troops to protect them. That’s how no one got hurt in the explosion. We got Sefekh and the others over to the carriages too…”

My eyes lit up as I recounted the tale. The princesses smirked as they watched me.

After my usual practice with Stale, we took a break in the training room, though I wasn’t quite tired yet. Stale was somewhat out of breath, but I was bubbling with energy, eager to chat with the princesses instead of resting.

Currently, I was recounting the story of wiping out a human trafficking organization. The longer I talked, the more I couldn’t help bringing up the accomplishments of my order brethren.

“That guy Eric, the knight who Captain Alan put in charge of guarding the captives in the mid-grade cage, he worked as the rear guard and didn’t let a single enemy esc—”

“Arthur,” Stale cut in. “Save your lovey-dovey stories and your boasting for later. Just tell us what happened in the battle.”

I clamped my mouth shut. I hadn’t even realized how animated I was getting over this. I never talked about myself for very long, but when it came to the other knights, I got so excited that I could hardly stop myself.

“Sorry,” I said, bowing my head toward Princess Pride.

“It’s all right. Gushing about the other knights shows how much you love the order. I’d like to hear more stories from you, Arthur.”

She chuckled, and my whole face flushed red at the sight of her smile. The heat crawled down my neck and into my belly.

“Th-thank you,” I replied awkwardly. But I couldn’t stop thinking about her words. She actually wanted to hear my stories. Gushing about the other knights shows how much you love the order.

I clung to that. Ever since the other knights learned that “Jeanne” was actually Princess Pride, they never stopped talking about her and the amazing things she’d accomplished in that cave. I suddenly understood how she would interpret such praise as love. It was the same way the knights sounded when they talked about her.

It’s been four years now, and her popularity still shows no signs of waning.