"Ah... well. I happened to be free when Cassie informed me that something was afoot. So... here I am."
She studied his face to make sure that everything was indeed alright, then looked at the pack in his hands in confusion.
"That said, what exactly happened? She only told me that you were taken to the main keep."
Her expression hardened.
"Did someone harass you? Was it my sister? What did she say?"
Sunny remained silent for a few moments, not knowing how to answer.
Eventually, he gave her a reassuring smile.
"Oh, no, nothing like that. Nobody harassed me. 1 was indeed summoned by Princess Morgan, but for a different reason. It's... well, I'm not sure how to say it..."
Neph's frown only deepened.
"A... different reason, you say? What reason might that be?"
Sunny coughed.
"Well, it's like this. She made me a Knight of Valor."
He did not know what Nephis had expected to hear, but it definitely wasn't this. For a moment, she seemed startled.
"What?"
He smiled helplessly.
"It's how I said. I was given the title of a Knight and the post of the Knight Commander of the Ardent Wardens. Oh... the Ardent Wardens are a group of volunteers who do community service, mainly taking care of the elderly. Yeah... I was told that my only responsibility is to maintain the prestige of the royal family... whatever that means..."
Nephis stared at him for a while, then sighed and covered her face with a hand. After a few moments of silence, she said in a flat tone:
"I am sorry. It's my fault... they were probably unhappy with me dating a man of no background. I expected opposition... but who would have thought that Morgan would be so accommodating?"
Sunny blinked a couple of times.
"Oh. So it's because of my lowly background. I see."
She lowered her hand and looked at him with a startled expression.
"No! I didn't mean it like that."
Sunny smiled.
"I know. You're not a conceited person. If anything... to be honest, between the two of us, I am probably more of a bigot. I actually have quite a prejudice against the Legacy clans. Although... it might be a bit bold of me, to admit something like that while attempting to court a princess of a Great Clan. Oh well, what can I do? That just goes to show how the lack of pedigree results in a lack of common sense and decorum..."
Hearing his lighthearted tone, Nephis relaxed a little. She lingered a little, then met his smile with a tentative one of her own.
"Then... I am grateful that you are willing to put your prejudice aside and give this princess a chance, You are an admirably broad-minded person, Master Sunless."
He laughed.
"No one has ever accused me of being broad-minded before. It's just that I would have to be mad to let my pettiness stand in the way of seeing you, Lady Nephis."
Then, he suddenly froze.
'Right'
Weren't they supposed to go on a date in a few days?
Meeting her today, therefore, was a bit awkward. What was he supposed to do? Pretend that they had not made plans? Or try to woo her right now?
Noticing his puzzlement, Nephis asked:
"What's wrong?"
Sunny hesitated for a few moments.
"No, it's nothing. It's just that... to be honest, I've been thinking about our date a lot. Constantly, even. I've been looking forward to it so much that meeting you all of a sudden is a bit of a shock. Well... I know that you are terribly busy, Lady Nephis. So, I'll see you in a few days?"
She looked at him silently for a while.
Then, she smiled subtly.
"Actually, I'm not that busy, How about we just make it today?”