Chapter 2 ā āNice to Meet You, True Saint!ā
After Prince Marx, my former fiancƩ, told me to go to the frontier land of Tori, I did my best to stay calm while my heart raced with excitement.
Even so, I think my voice still sounded a little too cheerful.
āWhatāwhat do you mean thank you!?ā the prince shouted.
āDo you even understand where youāre going!? Tori is a dangerous area full of monsters!ā
āYes, thatās where the First Knight Order has been dispatched, isnāt it?ā
āThatās right!ā my stepsister Annika jumped in, clinging to the princeās arm, her soft pink-blonde curls bouncing as she spoke.
āMy dear sister will have to work at the knightsā dormitory! Surrounded by rough, uncivilized men!ā
āGladly!!ā
āā¦Huh?ā
Annikaās big pink eyes blinked in confusion as she stared at me, but I couldnāt help feeling thrilled.
People donāt realize it, but for all her delicate looks, Annika actually has a strong and stubborn personality.
Ever since Father passed away five years ago, things have been hard. All the old servants loyal to my real mother were dismissed, and the new ones my stepmother hired stopped taking care of me completely.
My stepmother didnāt want me to inherit the Vias family title, so she quickly adopted a relativeās sonāAnthony, a year older than meāto take over as heir.
It seems she also couldnāt stand that I, not her own daughter, was chosen as a saint and became engaged to the prince.
So, she made me do all the houseworkācooking, laundry, cleaningāeverything.
Well, once I got used to it, it actually wasnāt that bad.
***
So yes, Tori might be dangerousā¦ but more importantly, I get to work in the dormitory of the First Knight Order, the knights who fight to protect the frontier from monsters!
ā¦Ah, so God really does exist!
Iāve never told anyone this before, butāI love muscles.
No, more precisely, I love knights!
I know itās improper for a high-ranking noble lady like me. People would say itās unrefined or even strange, so Iāve kept it secret all my life.
But nowā¦ Iāll be working alongside real knights!?
This must be why Iāve been forced to do housework all these years!
Itās almost like destiny preparing me for this moment.
At least now I wonāt embarrass myself in front of them by being terrible at cooking or cleaning!
Ah, Prince Marxā¦ and even my stepmother and Annikaāthank you!
I never really disliked the prince, but I also wasnāt interested.
Heās justā¦ too thin.
Some noble ladies find his slender build charming, but thatās not my type.
Annika, on the other hand, once said she thought he was wonderful.
As for me, I prefer strong, well-trained men with broad shoulders and powerful muscles like a real knight.
The Royal Knight Orders, especially the First Knight Order, are made up of the kingdomās finest warriors.
When I was nine, I went with Father to watch one of their training sessionsāand ever since then, Iāve been captivated.
The way they risk their lives to protect the kingdom, their shining sweat, the way their swords flash through the air, the solid muscles you can see even through their uniformsā¦
Everything about them is perfect!
Theyāre like living works of artānational treasures!
Just looking at them fills my heart with joy.
Iāve never told anyone that before, of course.
So when I was later engaged to the thin, fragile prince, I was terribly disappointedā¦
But now? Iām being sent to work in the dormitory where the First Knight Order lives!?
āThank you so much, Your Highness! Annika, good luck with your princess training! And as the true saint, Iām counting on you! Well thenāgoodbye!ā
Having said that, I quickly decided to return home and prepare for my departure.
No need to waste another minute at this boring, stiff noble party!
And so, the very next day, I boarded a carriage bound for the distant frontier land of Tori.
With my heart fluttering in excitement, I spent several weeks on the road untilāfinallyāI arrived.
