After leaving the scene, Griffiths returned to Larmore House. According to the schedule, he will accompany Sonia to Bremi Town to prepare for the winter Senate meeting, and then wait for an opportunity to take action.
In last night's battle, Griffith had already obtained two emblems. Counting the one held by Galadia, he was probably at the forefront among the chosen ones. After gaining the first-mover advantage, they have the initiative to choose their own position to meet challenges, or to form alliances with others, and are not in a hurry to take risky actions.
Griffith returned to the Earl's Mansion and walked straight to his attic, preparing to take a nap before setting off.
Mr. Ashford, the butler of the Earl's Mansion, was waiting for him in the entrance hall wearing his crisp black tuxedo and a gentle smile. Sonia's personal maid Anna was also nearby, standing at a different position from the housekeeper.
"Good morning, Mr. Knight," Ashford bowed slightly to him, "Has the on-site investigation work been completed?"
Anna also lifted the hem of her skirt and curtsied.
"Yes, Mr. Ashford, good morning, Miss Anna."
Griffith responded briefly. He fought, moved and searched for most of the night. He was wounded, with coagulated blood still sticking to his body. He was cold and uncomfortable, and he was hungry and sleepy.
"Very good," the butler turned his head and said to Anna, "I'll leave it to you next. Sorry, Mr. Knight, I wish you a good mood today."
Anna asked, as she did in her daily work, with a reserved and good-looking poker face that a personal maid should have: "So, Mr. Knight, do you want to eat first? Take a shower first? Or..."
Hey, Anna, are you playing this with me too? Griffith, who looked tired and dull, could not help but curl his lips.
Anna paused deliberately and waited for the knight's silly smile to stop on her face before she finished: "Or do you want me to take you to your new room?"
Are you kidding me, girl... Griffith swallowed his smile immediately: "Room? What room?"
"Please come with me." Anna turned around and led the knight into the room.
"A new room has been arranged for me?" Griffiths, whose brain was slowing down, finally came to his senses.
"Yes, a suite with a separate bathroom, double bed, bookshelf, wardrobe, desk and sofa," Anna walked in front, back straight, and said without looking back, "A room with the same standard as the Knight of the Woods, you can Free access to the South Garden and training room. If you have family members who need accommodation and other needs, please let me know."
Lord Knight Woods is the earl's captain of the bodyguard and the commander of the troops directly under the Larmore family. Griffith rarely encounters him, but he is quite clear about his status.
He walked slowly, unconsciously looking at Anna's back from behind. The chic black maid skirt only just reached the knee. The white cotton socks and small leather shoes were refreshing and simple. A white apron was tied around the slender waist, and the golden Her shoulder-length hair is tied into a small braid on the left end that looks good and doesn't hinder her work. It would be better if the owner of this figure and clothes didn't usually look at people with cold and critical blue eyes.
"Please come in," Anna took Griffith to an annex in the Earl's Mansion and opened the door for him. "Please clean up and change your clothes. Breakfast will be at half past seven with Miss Sonia."
"Oh, no need to bother~" Griffith subconsciously thought that he could go to the kitchen on the basement floor to eat. The fried eggs and honey there are quite delicious.
At this moment, he seemed to see Anna glare at him. Before the knight could react, Anna pushed him from behind and pushed him into the bathroom of the room.
"Please hurry up, I haven't had breakfast yet~" Anna said as she began to take off Griffith's breastplate and clothes. "The bath water is almost cold."
"It won't bother you, I can do it, ouch!"
The maid pulled the shoulder strap of the breastplate and strangled Griffith on the wound where the prince had just cut him, causing him to cry out in pain.
"I'm sorry," Anna apologized in a low voice, and was much gentler, "Why do you have so many scars? Did you go to assassinate the orc warchief last night, and then shouted, 'The clan alliance is a waste?' That's why you were beaten like this." ?”
"Please don't comment on men's scars like this." Griffith looked at himself, as if there were still many wounds that had not healed. "I can't take a bath like this, so I'll wash it outside."
"Then you sit on this chair and I'll help you." Anna moved a chair and forced the knight to sit down with his back to her.
Griffith only left a towel on his waist, and he felt uncomfortable letting the maid clean the blood on him. The thought of Anna being Sonia's personal maid made him feel even more inappropriate.
Before he could seriously express his refusal, Anna whispered in his ear: "You should adapt."
"Um?"
"You are no longer the little sergeant who came back from the front line." Anna put down the blood-stained towel, took out some ointment and applied it to the wound. "Extraordinary knight, heir to the ancient de Ravenel family, officer of the Praetorian Guards. You are not allowed to enter or leave the servants’ dining room and bathroom, and you are not allowed to deal with groceries by yourself. You should have asked the count to change your room earlier."
"Ugh."
Griffith grunted and listened to Anna's lesson.
"This is not a trivial matter that can be excused without forgetting your original intention. You did inappropriate things in this capacity. You got along with the servants of the Earl's Mansion without any obstacles. You did not assert your own treatment to the Earl and guests in the living room and dinner. , which puts you in the same position as us. So, what is the relationship between the Assault Team Captain Gil de Ace who comes as your subordinate and the servants here? Miss Sonia’s guests and friends saw her knight What’s the deal with eating honey in a basement kitchen?”
These words left Griffith speechless.
Anna continued:
"Noble, you must have the dignity of a noble. This is not your business alone. Those who depend on you and need your protection and support are looking at you and hope that you will bring more benefits to them; if you are weak, let If their faces are disgraced or their interests are harmed, why should these people support you?"
"Thank you, Anna, I will pay attention to it." Griffith responded, seriously reviewing some of his behavior in his mind.
"Well, it's good if you can listen. It's natural to claim many rights that belong to you. You're welcome at all." Anna wiped off the water stains on his body and slowly slid her fingers over the scars left on her chin. He leaned gently on Griffith's shoulder and blew a warm and moist wind onto his earlobes, "Including me~"
…
Sonia felt her heart beating like a war drum.
Her knight sat opposite her, looking out the window nervously and warily.
Perhaps sitting in the carriage made him uncomfortable, but Griffith always accompanied me on horseback. It’s so cute, it’s like hugging a big dog and it’s trying to escape...
Sonia couldn't help but laugh in her heart for a while. It was too challenging to get up on a winter morning. She got up in a daze, dressed up, had breakfast, boarded the carriage, and started her day's schedule. Griffith rarely sat in the carriage with her, and Fiona and Lana were not there either. The small enclosed space made the countess feel happy and nervous.
This situation seems to be quite rare. After leaving the Earl's Mansion, the carriage passed through several streets. Two thoughts kept fighting in Sonia's head. She was looking forward to it at one moment, and feeling scared at the other.
"My hands are a bit cold!" Sonia waved her hand towards her knight.
"I'll adjust the heater." Griffith immediately leaned over, adjusted the heater under the seat, and then sat back down. "It'll be fine soon."
"..."
Sonia widened her big blue eyes and looked at him with her hands raised, wishing she could travel through time and throw the guy who invented the heater into the sea.
"My hands are so cold!" Seeing the knight's confused look, the Countess protested loudly, "Not only are my hands cold, but my body is cold too!"
The tip of his small nose also twitched slightly at the same time, as if the air was really cold.
Griffith hurried over and sat down next to Sonia. The tall and straight body, broad shoulders, and thick woolen cloak squeezed the countess into a corner.
"Isn't this better?"
"Yes," the countess responded softly, staring at the big hands on her knees beside her, as if observing an enemy who was about to fight to the death.
The knight was not wearing gloves. According to his own statement, it was not cold. A person with a strength of 28 is already more monster than a monster. He can break open iron pincers and knock over a brown bear with his bare hands. According to Anna, his hands alone are so hot that he can fry an egg!
Sonia's heart beat faster and faster, and her mind even went blank from time to time. Griffith was talking about today's visit to the Arcane Council, and Sonia was almost tortured to the point of being speechless.
Actually, if you think about it, it’s nothing. I’ve done it a few times during dances and while exploring ruins~
No, no, if you do this now, the meaning behind it is completely different!
Sonia wanted to try the action she had discussed with Anna several times, but backed down at the last second.
In her extreme confusion, anything else seemed preferable to the Countess. More than once, she even hoped that the carriage would overturn and throw out the most annoying Griffith in the world!
This repeated tossing exhausted Sonia's strength, and even her voice changed.
The carriage approached the city wall and would arrive outside the city in a while. Sonia still didn't dare to do anything. Finally, she got angry and said to herself: "When I pass through the city gate, I will do what I have promised myself to do these past few days, or I will find a cliff and jump off!"
As soon as this thought came to my mind, there was darkness above my head. The carriage was passing through the dark corridor under the city gate, and every bump of the wheels made the Countess tremble.
Seeing that the exit of the city gate is approaching. Sonia closed her eyes and grabbed Griffith's left hand.
The knight was startled. He immediately thought that he had been attacked without realizing it. After all, he had just attacked a senior sister last night and witnessed a big battle. He felt so guilty that he subconsciously grabbed Hanguang and Juinsui around his waist.
Sonia found that the grasping hand retracted. She no longer quite understood what she was doing, and once again grabbed Griffith's left hand.
Her mind went blank, she couldn't think about anything, she couldn't care about anything, her only thought was -
"Anna is right, these hands are really warm!"
The knight's hand was strong and hot. Sonia held it tightly with all her strength. The hand made one last effort to pull away, but in the end it held Sonia's hand.
