9 Odd Couple (1/2)

”WOW,” Tilly said while admiring the big, black carriage with the crest of the Black Serpent Knights. The troop's symbol was a black serpent (duh) with yellow snake eyes coiled around a rapier sword. ”Your carriage is huge, Kiho.”

”Oh, is it?” Kiho asked with a curiosity in his voice. ”To be honest, I rarely use that carriage since I often ride on my horse.” He paused for a while before he turned to her. ”I even get lost in my own mansion. Not because it's huge but because I haven't stayed in it long enough to know my way around.”

She giggled at that.

Kiho's residence and servants were all chosen by Emperor Aku. But the captain was often away on long missions, missing the chance to explore his own home or bond with his servants. And even if he was in the Royal Capital, he still couldn't catch a break because the emperor would always summon him in the palace.

[Emperor Aku is very clingy.]

Not that he could blame the emperor. After all, His Majesty knew that the most loyal and the most dependable follower he had was Kiho.

”And here I am, hoping you'd give me a house tour once I moved in to your residence,” she teased him.

”Let's go together once I return from my mission,” he said. ”The head butler knows the mansion more than I do.”

She just smiled and nodded at him. Then, her gaze went past him to look at the young knight standing behind the captain.

”Ah, I almost forgot,” Kiho said, obviously a bit embarrassed that he forgot to introduce his companion to her. But as soon as he regained his composure, he motioned the young knight to come closer. ”Lady Prescott, I'd like to introduce you to Damian– the youngest yet one of the most talented in his batch. He's my aid.”

”G-Greetings, Lady Prescott,” Damian greeted her nervously. ”I'll do my best to serve you well!”

”Don't yell,” the captain scolded the young knight.

Damian immediately bowed to her. ”I-I a-apologize, my lady.”

She giggled at the adorable young dork. ”Rise, Sir Damian.”

Damian looked up at her with a surprised look on his face. Like he couldn't believe that she called him ”sir.” He looked touched. ”M-My lady…”

'Sir' was the appropriate title that every knight in the empire was bestowed upon.

But because of the discrimination against the Black Serpent Knights, most people didn't ”accept” them as knights. There were still a lot of citizens who looked down on the Black Serpents, especially the snotty nobles.

Kiho cleared his throat. When she turned to him, he offered her his hand. ”Shall we go, Tilly?”

Tilly smiled and gently grabbed his hand. ”Let's go.”

***

TILLY was now in the spacious carriage while sitting across her handsome date. Kiho looked uncomfortable, obviously not used to using a carriage. But she understood why he looked that way because he said a while ago that he was more comfortable in riding on a horse.

Right now, the carriage they were in was being escorted by Damian who was riding on a horse beside their coach.

”Kiho, do you want to sit beside me?” Tilly offered while gently patting the space beside her. ”Come here.”

Kiho nodded, then he stood up and quickly sat beside her. ”I didn't know that a carriage is a dangerous space. If we were attacked here, it would be hard to move.”

She raised an eyebrow at that. ”Is that what you're worried about the whole time?”

No wonder he fell silent as soon as the carriage started to move!

”I was thinking about different ways to protect you if we were suddenly ambushed,” he said while looking back and forth to the window on her right and the door on his left. ”It will be hard, but I'll do my best to pull you out unscathed.”

She couldn't help but laugh at how serious he was about that when they were supposed to go on a peaceful date. ”Kiho, I know that the Black Serpent Knights have a lot of enemies. But no one in their sane mind would attack us in broad daylight. Especially not when we're headed to the heart of the Royal Capital.”

”I can't help it though,” he said. ”It's impossible to not care about you.”

”Thank you for worrying about me,” she said with a smile. She was genuinely touched by his concern. But she had to remind him of one thing. ”Kiho, I'm not a frail, porcelain doll. Just like other nobles, I was born with Mana. That Mana makes us stronger than average humans. Well, my magical ability isn't really fit for combat but I can use it to protect myself.” She gently nudged his sides with her elbow. The action surprised him, but in a pleasant way. She clearly saw his face light up when they made physical contact. ”If you worry too much, we won't get to enjoy our first date.”

He took a deep breath before he nodded. That seemed to calm him down because a few moments later, he was back to his usual stoic face and monotonous voice. ”You're right, Tilly. I should focus on our date. Where do you want to go again?”

”I want to check out the newest attraction at the Moon River,” she said excitedly. In fact, she wore a hat and brought a parasol for that. ”There's a newly opened riverside café called Velvety. We can buy light fare for lunch at the café, then rent a boat to tour the riverbanks. The weather is good and it's not too hot so I'm sure we can enjoy the boat ride. Is that okay with you?”

”Will that make you happy?”

She nodded, a huge smile plastered on her face. ”Yes.”

He looked pleased while looking at her smile. ”Then, let's do that.”