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Ryu's POV
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It had been a while since I've had a sleep as comfortable and as deep as that one.

It honestly made me feel like all of my worries were washed away, with the exhaustion of the past week or two completely evaporating.

Of course, I'm still tired.

I only managed to get maybe 6 hours of sleep, since the Laplace Knights are apparently the 'Guests of Honour'.

This meant that several maids barged into the room I was given, forced me out of the bed, and completely accessorised me.

I had only been awake for 10 minutes before they thrust me into a bath and told me to freshen up.

After that, they played with my hair, combing it, straightening it, while also choosing a set of clothes for me.

I had tried to object, but I was met with a stern gaze, and an unmovable "No".

It was like the gaze of a mother's discipline.

Maybe that was why it was so hard for me to retort to.

But the maids had tested several types of clothes on me for an hour or two, as if I was a doll, before deciding on an awkwardly flashy... Outfit?

It was mainly black: a black vest, a black jacket, black trousers; but they were all lined with different valuables that made it seem like I was less expensive than the clothes I wore.

The jacket had several buttons on it, each holding a gem of sorts, while the lapel was embroidered with an aqua tint, much like the room I was staying in.

It was stifling, to say the least.

When they had finished, I was several times more tired than I was when I first woke up.

They seemed to look at me as if I was modelling in front of a mirror. Their eyes gleamed with stars as they looked at their handy work.

"You look amazing, Sir Knight!" (Maid 1)

"N-No, I'm not a kni--" (Ryu)

"Ahh, our work paid off! To think we were in charge of him!" (Maid 2)

"Right? He so cute!" (Maid 3)

"Eh? Cute?" (Ryu)

"Yes! Cute! We did our best, so don't ruin it!" (Maid 2)

"...Ehh?" (Ryu)

"Then, we're off! Good luck!" (Maid 1)

Like a storm, they entered the room, caused havoc and left. The only form of aftermath was the several clothes that were hung on the arm of a chair, the several gems scattered around on a desk, and me.

It took me a few minutes to regain my composure after the maids had done their job.

Once I had, I left the room and wandered over to the Captain's, since it seemed appropriate.

"Ah, there he is." (Captain)

As I opened the door, several eyes turned to look at me.

At first I didn't even recognise them, but on a closer look, it seemed to be all the members of the squad.

Knight wore a flashy blue dress, with frills at the base, and a translucent veil over her hair. It contrasted greatly with the black hair that ran down her back.

Healer wore a simple yet attractive dress, with yellow plastered over it. It didn't seem like much, but the yellow had hints of gold across it, making it shine slightly.

Archer wore clothes that seemed to suit men more, with black trousers and a navy jacket, each with a symbol I don't recognise on it.

Captain and Vice-Captain wore similar clothes to mine, the only thing differing would be the gems and the badge they each wore.

They both reminded me of the Kingdom's flag, but Captain's seemed more intricate, probably to show his standing in the squad.

"Hmmm. It's ok." (Astrid)

Healer seemed to look at me with a gaze that seemed to be examining me, yet her words only seemed directed towards the clothing.

"Well, you can't expect it to look the same as Captain or Etsu's, can you? After all, they've had experience with it." (Airi)

"That's true... Hmmm... " (Astrid)

The gaze made me surprisingly uncomfortable, which Captain seemed to notice.

"Now, the banquet starts in about... Half an hour. Since it's not a normal banquet, you won't be sitting down, and it'll be more like a party.  You will have nobles coming up to you, you will have them insulting you, just don't lose your composure." (Captain)

As he speaks, his eyes seem to gravitate over to me.

"All the attention will be on us since we are the guests of honour. We are also going to be entering late, as per the King's request. Don't do anything stupid. Don't say anything about what the military is doing. That's all, just prepare yourself." (Captain)

With that, he left the room. He had probably gone to speak with the guards or the King, for reasons I probably will never know.

I had planned to sleep a little before the banquet, since I hadn't gotten much last night, but considering we only had at least 30 minutes, there wasn't enough time to.

For the time being, I sit down on the sofa in Captain's room.

It wasn't that much different from mine, aside from the colour being a deep red, rather than aqua.

Archer, Healer and Knight were talking to each other on one side of the room while Vice-Captain was just leaning against a wall near the door.

He must've noticed my gaze as he began walking over to me.

"You're tired, aren't you?" (Etsu)

"... And?" (Ryu)

"Nothing, just remember what the Captain said, don't do anything stupid." (Etsu)

It seemed like he had come over to talk to me only to make sure I was listening, which seemed to infuriate me slightly.

He didn't do anything more, though, and time passed quickly.

After maybe 40 minutes, Captain came back to the room.

"Come on. It's time for our entrance." (Captain)

We followed behind him quickly, not wanting to embarrass ourselves by entering late.

The atmosphere around the Palace seemed to be tense, with the maids and servants looking slightly on edge, some of them even looked sullen.

It left an uncomfortable taste in my mouth, but I ignored it and focused on where we were going.

Soon, we stopped before a large, looming door.

It reminded me of the door to the throne room, only more inviting with its decorations, having shiny metals engraved in it.

We stood before the door for a few moments before Captain put his hands on it and pushed.

"Everyone, please clap for the entrance of the Laplace Knights!" (King)

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Author Notes
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This chapter seemed very different from others.

I don't know why, but it seemed like it had a different feel to it, slightly nostalgic, maybe. That maybe because I had the same feelings in mind as I do when I read fantasy novels or manga about a nobilic character, but I don't know.

But anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please, keep commenting and giving me your support!