“Miss Diana, please halt your steps!” The voice of the Head Butler was firm, but I could tell that he was starting to lose his patience.

“Please stop this at once! You are going to trouble the Marquis by interrupting his work at this time!”

I ignored the voice that was getting louder and continued down the corridor at a brisk walk. The servants who heard the commotion turned their heads around and hastily stepped back to make way for the both of us.

My goal was the room at the end of the corridor, the Marquis’ office, and I was not going to let anyone stop me. Lady Liliana was placed in danger during my absence. Although she was safe now, she was injured and an intruder almost got away with kidnapping her. It was impossible to imagine what would have happened if Mr Holdsfield had not stopped him in time.

“Miss Diana!” Mr Chistian, seemingly having enough with me, tried to stand in my way. “Please think about your actions.”

I deftly side-stepped and did a half-turn before facing him with the door to the room behind me. The older man seemed surprised at my actions, but he recovered quickly and gritted his teeth.

“Diana, is this what your choice is going to be?”

Mr Christian was my senior in this mansion. There would normally be no reason for me to go against his orders, but this time, I was unable to relent. I gave a deep bow as I said, “There is something that I have to ask the Marquis no matter what. I will take all responsibility for my actions.”

If I was to be punished, then so be it.

The guards seemed to have been informed about the commotion, as I watched from the side of my eye a pair of guards rush up the nearby stairs and freeze when they spotted the both of us. The older man must have noticed them as well as he raised a hand up to signal to them not to approach.

There was silence as Mr Christian stared at the back of my head. Finally, he placed a hand on the ridge of his brow as if to stave off a headache before uttering, “Very well, if that is your resolve.”

“Thank you.”

I straightened my back and knocked on the door.

“Who is that?”

“This is Diana, the personal maid serving Lady Liliana. There is something I wish to talk to you about. May I request for an audience with you, My Lord?”

There was silence for a moment before the man replied. “Of course. You may enter, Diana.”

“Thank you, My Lord.”

I opened the doors and saw an average-looking young man with short ash-brown hair about my age standing in front of the Marquis’ desk. He was wearing the standard knight uniform with a long sword by his hips. From the midnight-blue badge embossed with the scaly head of a serpent on his coat, I could tell that he was from the Blue Serpent platoon. Although I was training with the Royal Knight Order for a while before I left the capital, he was a new face to me. What was he doing here in the Marquis’ office?

The young man gave a friendly smile and nodded in my direction when our eyes met. Likewise, I gave a courtesy bow in return.

The young man turned back to address the Marquis, “Well then, I will be making a move first. Thank you for sparing your time, Lord Remington. I will return once I have more information.”

“You are the one who should have my thanks, Harold. It is unfortunate that we are unable to track down who is behind that puppet…” The knight glanced at me, but the Marquis paid no heed and continued, “Nevertheless, we will find out who is behind this. We will need to continue troubling you, I’m afraid.”

I lowered my eyes. He was most probably talking about the intruder who aimed for Lady Liliana at the mansion. If the intruder has yet to be caught, it was possible that he was still lurking around and planning another attack.

“I am honoured to receive such praise. It is only my duty to work for you, Lord Remington. Until next time then.” The man bowed respectfully before leaving the room.

With only the two of us left in the room, the Marquis placed his hands under his chin as he addressed me, “Diana, you have returned much faster than I thought. Did you get the chance to have a proper talk with the Baron?”

“Yes, My Lord. I have spoken with my parents,” I quickly replied. “But more than that, about Lady Liliana-”

However, the Marquis heaved a sigh and cut between my words. “Let’s leave that aside first.”

While I was still struggling to understand what he meant, he continued, “I received word from the King that he looks forward to you returning to the capital. It has been a long time since we have welcomed a female knight into the ranks after all. The Knight Commander is quite excited about it as well.”

“Lord Remington, what do you mean by that?” The chilliness that came out in my voice surprised even myself. I was aware my attitude was unbecoming of a servant to her master, but I was unable to contain the anger rising inside me.

“The King views you favourably, Diana. You can look forward to a long and fruitful career once you are back at the capital.”

The King again? He was the one who sent her to the Marquis’ mansion, and now he looks forward to her going back? How laughable.

“You look displeased. Why?” the Marquis asked when he noticed the change in my expression.

I let out a burst of sarcastic laughter. “Lord Remington, you should know the reason behind that very well. Isn’t that why have you been avoiding my question?”

The Marquis narrowed his eyes. Despite it being the same colour as Lady Liliana’s eyes, I had to steel myself from looking away from his intense scrutiny. What was the Marquis thinking about right now? What could be going through his mind when he heard his daughter was in danger because of a plan he decided to go ahead with?

After what seemed like an eternity, the Marquis raised his hand to massage his temples. “What happened to Liliana this time was an unfortunate accident. We were caught unaware of the existence of a third party. It was a mistake on my part.”

I shook my head. What I wanted to hear from the Marquis was not an apology.

“My Lord, since you knew about the attack, why did you still let me leave the mansion? Am I not Lady Liliana’s bodyguard? For what reason was I hired as her bodyguard if I was just going to be sent away during a time of crisis?”

I knew that the Marquis was not a cruel person and that the whole family loved Lady Liliana dearly. No matter how risky this plan was, it must be because it was necessary. While I was still upset at how Lady Liliana was placed in danger, the real reason why I was angry, was that I was left in the dark.

The Marquis breathed out noisily. “It is precisely because you are her bodyguard.”

What he was saying was hypocritical.

“If my role is to protect her, then why was I not allowed to do so?” I squeezed out in a tight voice.

“We deliberately allowed you to leave the mansion because we did not want you to feel responsible for whatever might happen to Liliana, especially since your role is to protect her.”

I scoffed. “I don’t need that kind of consideration.”

The Marquis went silent. Pushing the chair back, he stood up and walked over to the window. Just as I was wondering what he was planning to do, he said, “When I first made the request to the Royal Knight Order for a bodyguard for my daughter, I would never have imagined that a person like you would turn up. Not only did you accompany my daughter through her antics, but you also served your role as her protector perfectly-”

“You have done well, Diana.”

‘You have done well’ - that wasn’t what I wanted to hear. That was the last thing I wanted to hear. How could I possibly receive praise when the mistress I was supposed to serve was now lying listlessly on her bed and suffering? Her pale face, her cold sweat, the incoherent mutterings in her sleep, just how many times was she going to have to go through this?

But as cold as my heart was, I understood what the Marquis meant.

I was a squire, soon to complete my training and officially join the knighthood. I was to become the first female knight in a long time; someone whose potential is acknowledged even by the King. I should be honoured by the recognition I was receiving. My parents would unequivocally be delighted too. At the same time, it would mean that I was a person who should not be too involved with the Remington family because my ultimate loyalty should lie with the Royal Knight Order.

In other words, I was not part of them.

“So what are you doing here? Your mission is not yet complete, Diana. Until your contract is over next year, you are still the bodyguard for my daughter. Instead of wasting your time here, isn’t there somewhere else you should be?” The Marquis’ words were sharp and piercing.

“I understand. I am sorry for taking up your time,” I replied while doing my best to steady my voice.

After excusing myself, I turned on my heels and opened the door.

“Diana.”

I raised my head in surprise.

The person who had called my name was Lady Rosaline, who was standing outside with a concerned expression as her hands clasped in front of her chest. Perhaps she had overheard everything that happened in the room.

Our eyes met for a moment before I lowered my head. “My Lady.”

Lady Rosaline nodded in acknowledgement but remained silent. As seconds passed, seeing that she was not saying anything, I decided that it was appropriate for me to take my leave.

Just as I tried to move around her, she opened her mouth.

“You’ll have to choose, Diana.”

I stood in my tracks. “Pardon?”

Lady Rosaline slowly shook her head. “It is nothing.”

“It is good to see you back, Diana,” she said with a weary smile.

Now that I could observe her up close, even though she tried to conceal with makeup, I could see that she was haggard with her eyes puffy and red. Without a doubt, she must have fretted and agonised over everything that had happened.

“Now, don’t let me hold you back,” she said in a brighter tone. “There is something I need to discuss with the Lord. You can go back to your own duties first.”

“Yes, My Lady.”

As I walked with my back towards the Marquis’ office, the doors swung with a slight creak. And ultimately, as such things are meant to be, it closed resolutely with a ‘thud’.

*****

Lady Liliana was surprised when she woke up and first saw me, but after explaining that I returned early because I heard that she got injured, she only made a sheepish expression and apologised for cutting my vacation short. She didn’t ask anything more after that, and I too, did not question her about what happened. Days passed by as she eased back into her usual routine once her ankle had recovered, while I performed my duties as normal.

Just like the other servants, I start my day early. At the break of dawn, I wake up and head to the training grounds for my morning training. As Liliana’s bodyguard, it was important to exercise my body and ensure that my sword skills were in tip-top shape. I’ll occasionally accept challenges from the guards and have a friendly spar with them. After that, I’ll head back to my room to wipe myself down with a wet towel and change into clean clothes. Next, I will wake Lady Liliana up, and help her to get dressed as the other maids tidy the room and prepare breakfast. After that, I will accompany Lady Liliana as she decides what to do with the rest of the day. I’ll usually stay by her side unless I was having my own meals, running an errand for her, or if she was having lessons. It was a tranquil, unexciting daily life.

Perhaps this was going to be the way it would be until the end of my contract. Such days would not be too bad either.

"Diana."

"Yes, Lady Liliana?" As I was in the middle of preparing tea, I paused and looked up.

The young girl avoided my gaze immediately and held up her book, covering her eyes.

Mmm? What was the matter this time round? I was used to Lady Liliana eccentricity so her actions didn’t bother me too much, but I could tell that she was hiding something.

Lady Liliana continued to struggle with her words until she seemed to finally gather enough courage and took a deep breath.

"Is it true that your contract with us is ending soon?"

Her light-green eyes that reflected my silhouette in her gaze seemed to look through me. How did she hear about this? Could the Marquis have spoken to her?

"That is true. My current contract will be ending in June next year," I replied honestly.

Then, with an expression that seemed close to despair, she uttered, "I see…"

Without stopping, she continued as her eyes started to redden, "I know that I have not been the best mistress, but I am really grateful to you for taking care of me for the past three years…"

"Lady Lili-" I tried to interrupt her words, but the girl seemed not to have heard me as she went on.

"So… so… Even if we are apart, please come and visit me regularly..."

"I am not-"

‘I am not going to leave’ - that was the reply I wanted to give instinctively. However, even that did not get through.

"O-of course you won't come…"

With a wavering voice, she looked down on the floor as with her fists balled up. Realising that the girl was no longer listening to me, I decided that I had to do something drastic to catch her attention again.

First, I had to get her to look at me.

Ignoring all forms of decorum, I gently lifted up her chin so that our eyes would meet.

“Lady Liliana.”

“Y-Yes?”

“Please listen to what I have to say.”

With a face tinged with red, the girl replied, “Aw-awright.”

"Lady Liliana, do you think I have done my job well?"

I held my breath as I waited for her reply. Lady Liliana was difficult to understand. She was child-like but at the same time behaved with an air far beyond her years. It was difficult to understand how much she truly knew. She never deeply questioned the strange situation surrounding her. Why does she need to stay in a separate building? Why is she never required to socialise with other young ladies? Why do the servants avoid her? Apart from a few innocent remarks, she tends to accept whatever was told to her and never made a fuss even when unusual conditions were presented to her.

"Job?" The girl seemed taken aback by my question.

My heart sank at her reaction. Could it be that she was disappointed at my disappearance during a time where she needed it the most? I would not hold that against her as it was easy to imagine just how frightened she must have been when men with bad intentions caught her.

"Ahem," she cleared her throat. "Diana, you have done well as my friend, my older sister and my most trusted confidante."

"You have done well accompanying me as I search for the best reading spots in the mansion, doing my hair every morning and preparing delicious tea."

She placed a hand to her chest as a beautiful smile blossomed on her face.

"To me, there is no one that can replace you, Diana."

Time seemed to stop as both of us faced each other.

What do I want? I had grappled with this question for so long. Do I want to return to my parents as a dutiful daughter? Do I want to take up the mantle of a Knight and serve the country?

Tea… Now that I recall, Sir Donovan praised me for my tea too.

"Haha! To hear about tea again of all things," I laughed. If it was me from three years ago, I would never have imagined that the day I get praised for my tea would come. I was a person who was a failure as a noble lady, and an outcast as a squire. There was no place where I could truly belong.

At my laughter, Lady Liliana widened her eyes in bewilderment, before the corners of her lips twisted downwards.

"W-well, if it's about money, I can ask Father to give you a raise. I just hope that you can stay with me a little longer..." she said while squirming her body from side to side. If you did not know her, you might have thought that it was a strange tribal dance from the far south.

Looking at her sulky expression, I realised that she must have misunderstood the meaning behind my laughter.

“My apologies for my rudeness, it is just that my lady said something unexpected,” I apologised as I lowered my head. "But thanks to that, I now understand how foolish I have been."

Both Sir Donovan and the Marquise had talked about me having to make my choice. I did not understand what they were talking about before that, but now I understood.

More than an illustrious career or honour for the family, I simply wish to accompany Lady Liliana as she goes about her day, do up her hair in her favourite style every morning and prepare tea so delicious that she would praise me for it.

Right now, all I really want is to stay by this girl's side and protect her in any way possible.

It didn’t mean that I was giving up everything else. It was merely a case of me finally realising what was truly important to me.

“As long as you'd allow me, I hope to accompany you as your maid, Lady Liliana.”

Yes, that was the choice I'll make.

I am Diana Cia Reagan, and I am Lady Liliana's first personal maid.