“Can you stop following me?” Eunbi swivels around to find Yerin currently seated on one of the chairs, reading a book.

 

It was evening and the both of them were currently inside the viscount’s library.

 

Yerin then looks up, looks around the room before pointing to herself in a questioning way. The glare that Eunbi responds instead was more than enough indication that she was the one being addressed.

 

“I just happened to be here, milady.” Yerin innocently replies.

 

“Then does that mean that you’ve also been reading that book upside down since you got here?”

 

The knight pauses, looks at the book and sees that she was actually holding it the wrong way the whole time.

 

Yerin quickly tries to defend herself, “I—well I have a unique way in reading…”

 

Eunbi scoffs and walks away, heading out the room with Yerin quick to follow.

 

“I don’t need your protection.” the noble tells her.

 

“You’ve told me that, yes.”

 

“Then why,” she swivels around once more and faces Yerin properly, “Are you still here?”

 

“I believe I’ve also mentioned my reason. I’m a member of the King’s Guard and my liege’s orders are absolute.” Yerin tells her with a small smile, “Therefore, your protection is my priority.”

 

“Are you sure there’s no other reason?” Eunbi asks, eyeing her suspiciously.

 

“I don’t see any other reason.” Yerin responds coolly, meeting her gaze without a hint of being bothered by how intimidating the woman sounded. In a way, she’s already found herself immune to the cold treatment she would receive from the older sister.

 

Eunbi just sighs, already understanding that there was no way she would be able to shake off the knight no matter what she does, “Just don’t bother me.”

 

Yerin places a hand on her chest and bows lowly, “As you wish.”

 

She remains unfazed at the glare the noble gives her and just watches with a smile as Eunbi heads to her room and practically slams the door behind her. Yerin takes this as her cue to head over to the courtyard where she could keep an eye on the gate which was the only way out of the estate.

 

It’s been a week since she first arrived in the Kim’s home and after her duel with the heir, she’s given Eunbi her complete attention as she tries to keep a close eye on her every movement and because she was not being completely subtle about it, this wasn’t her first time to be lashed out by the said person. However, Yerin was not one to be deterred. She’s experienced many rejections in the past and the way Eunbi behaved towards her was no different. After all, not every maiden can be pleased by sweet words and actions and so Yerin would just normally get out of their way so as not to offend them further, but this was not the case for Eunbi.

 

Yerin absolutely has to stick with her, no matter what, and if she has to endure the harsh treatment from the younger noble, then so be it.

 

She just needed to know if her suspicions were correct.

 

The past week of monitoring the noble had failed to yield any results that she wanted, to her disappointment. Eunbi has done nothing but stay at home, indulged in studies and would sometimes head out to the nearby village just to get some fresh air. Most of her time was spent with Yewon and helping her out with various things that weren’t of interest.

 

Not once has Eunbi held a sword in that one week.

 

Nor has she even gotten near one.

 

But Yerin holds firm to her beliefs. There has also been no news with regards to the Black Rose and it just coincides with the fact that Eunbi was within her sight. That mere fact just convinces her further that Eunbi might be the person she is looking for.

 

“Chevalière,” a voice suddenly speaks up from behind her and sees the youngest daughter making her way towards her with her usual night attire. Yerin bows a little in greeting and asks her what she was doing out so late, “Ah, I usually take nightly strolls like this before heading to bed.” she responds, “And you?”

 

“First of all, you’re free to call me Yerin, milady.” Yerin shows her a pleasant smile as she says this, “And to answer your question, I’m on night watch tonight.”

 

“I see. You certainly work hard, but hopefully you also get enough rest.” she answers, concern showing on her features, “I know that you have your orders to fulfill, but I would be more at ease if you looked properly after yourselves as well.”

 

“I’m touched by your concern, miss.” she replies, “But there’s no need to worry. I do catch up on some sleep when I can.”

 

After all there was her and there was also Yuna sharing the same responsibility.

 

It was only common sense for Yerin to share her suspicions with her fellow knight after the fight with the viscount’s son, and the two of them had made sure to not let Eunbi out of their sight both at night and during the day. While Yerin would regain her energy by resting, Yuna has been doing the watching for her, and she couldn’t be more thankful for her colleague’s help. She would have collapsed from overworking herself otherwise.

 

Nevertheless, the two of them had agreed to keep the matter from their captain. At least until they secured enough evidence to support their claims.

 

“That’s great to know then.” Yewon says with a relieved sigh, the knight finding it adorable how concerned she is of their well-being.

 

“You should head inside, milady. The night is getting cold and it would I wouldn’t want you to get sick because of me.” Yerin tells her.

 

“I’ll be fine. The cold doesn’t bother me much, but I will have to take my leave since it’s getting late.” she answers, looking up at the star studded night sky, “Oh, and please take this.”

 

The younger woman unwraps the thick cloak around her shoulders and hands it to her.

 

Yerin begins to refuse the offer, “Milady, I can’t possibly—“

 

“I will be warm inside my room, but you’re out here in the cold with nothing but your nightwear. Please take it and keep warm.” she insists, and the knight could clearly see that Yewon was going nowhere without her accepting it and so she did the only thing she can in that situation and receives the item gratefully.

 

Satisfied, Yewon then bids her a good night and heads in for a well needed rest. Meanwhile the knight watches fondly as the younger woman walks away and drapes the cloak around herself, immediately enjoying the warmth that it provides her. She slumps down on the grass, wrapped snugly and looks out the distance with a small smile on her face.

 

There was no doubt that between Yewon and Eunbi, the younger was definitely the more kindhearted. If anything, they were polar opposites in terms of personality, but perhaps Eunbi’s rather brash personality stemmed from her desire to protect her little sister at all costs.

 

Yerin remembers the times that she and Eunbi would exchange words, most of them unpleasant conversations, with the latter always warning her to keep away from Yewon. Her protective tendencies towards the younger was admirable in the very least and so it was why she doesn’t mind Eunbi’s actions towards her, after all, it was only to protect family and with how their older brother treats them, she’s not surprised in the slightest.

 

Their brother is undoubtedly the possessor of the worst personality she has ever seen in a noble.

 

Alfred is, for the lack of a better term, the most incorrigible person Yerin’s ever met. Ever since his defeat at her hands, the heir has been treating her and Yuna a whole lot worse than before. At first, she thought that it was merely because his pride has been damaged, but it shouldn’t be much given that she is a knight and he isn’t. Knights train night and day to hone their skills to perfection. Nobles don’t, so his defeat was imminent. However, she soon understood the root of the problem when Yuna showed better horse riding skills one day when she and Yuna decided to take their mares out for a run.

 

Yuna was, by default, an expert in everything and so Yerin wasn’t affected when she lost the race they had playfully set up, but Alfred had witnessed the entire thing and challenged Yuna to a race.

 

Which of course, he lost.

 

It was then that Alfred began complaining of how a woman could best him in an activity that boys were superior in.

 

Yerin then understood. Alfred didn’t mind losing. He just didn’t want to be bested by women in general. He thinks of them as inferior to himself and that was visible with the way he treated his sisters whenever he got the chance. Yewon, in particular.

 

And so she understands why Eunbi would always come to her defense, because he was the sole heir of their name which was why he always gets the favor of their parents and because he was the child of both the viscount and his wife. Lord and Lady Kim weren’t bad people per se, however they obviously showed preferential treatment when it comes to their children and so she sees that Eunbi has taken it upon herself to be the one to defend themselves from the treatment they receive.

 

Yerin couldn’t help but show her admiration for the older sister. She can’t even imagine how long she’s endured it. She is, intriguing, to say the least. Admittedly, she would not have shown her that much interest if not for the fact that she suspects Eunbi to be the Black Rose. However, observing her for merely a week has already changed her point of view towards her.

 

Yerin was definitely interested. Black Rose or not, she loves a woman who stands up for herself and those close to her. For Yerin, there couldn’t be a more admirable person and she can’t help but think how attractive it is.

 

Nevertheless, she is definitely looking forward to the following days if it is to see more of her.

 

---

 

“What are you doing?” Yerin looks over Eunbi’s shoulder as she tries to take a peek at what the younger woman was doing. It was just another one of those lazy days where they’ve decided to stay at the estate and Eunbi had gone to the back garden and was currently resting under a tree shade. Yerin had gotten accustomed to just watching her from afar, but she grew curious when she noticed that the younger’s hands were completely restless.

 

Upon closer look, she could see that she was doing something but still unclear as to what it was.

 

Eunbi turned her back to her once she got too close, “That’s none of your concern.”

 

“You’re knitting?” Yerin ignores her words upon seeing the familiar sight of a ball of yarn, some needles and a… well it looks to her that Eunbi hasn’t even gotten the hang of the craft at the moment and has yet to produce a single knot.

 

“W-What about it?”

 

“Nothing.” Yerin shakes her head, “But it looks like you’re having a hard time with it. Do you need any help?”

 

For the first time in a while, Eunbi turns to face her with a look of surprise. Unlike their previous engagements, the younger woman would usually just glare at her, stare at her angrily or just ignore her entirely. Yerin has to admit that gaining the woman’s attention for the first time felt like an accomplishment she unknowingly achieved.

 

“You know how to?”

 

“Of course I do.” Yerin chuckles, “Despite my appearance, I’m also a noble’s daughter and knitting was pretty much a requirement for me to learn. I can help you out if you want.”

 

Eunbi’s contemplative look amuses Yerin a little as she looks from her hands to the small knot that she’s done and then to the empty space before her as she bites her bottom lip in deep thought. At that point, Yerin was definitely convinced that she wouldn’t accept her help if she had a choice, but it seems that the item that she was making was actually of huge importance if she’s thinking about it that deeply.

 

After all, it’s visible that the noble doesn’t like Yerin.

 

A while later, she finally comes to a decision and practically shoves the needles and yarn in Yerin’s hands, “D-Don’t mess it up.”

 

“You have so little faith in me, milady.” Yerin mumbles in mock disappointment before taking that as her permission to be able to finally sit beside her without the threat of being sliced in half.

 

Still, to see Eunbi looking shy and slightly embarrassed while keeping up the cold appearance was adorable. It certainly was worth risking her life for.

 

“What are you planning to make?”

 

“A blanket.”

 

Yerin blinks, staring back at her to see if she was joking, but the serious look that encompasses her face proves that she wasn’t.

 

“And when do you plan to finish this?”

 

“Well… a month from now. I don’t know what to do so I thought I should start early.”

 

The knight sighs in relief upon knowing they had enough time to finish it by then.

 

“I wasn’t planning on it to be a big blanket anyway.” Eunbi quickly defends herself, “At least just enough to wrap around me in the cold.”

 

“I see… I think we have enough time for that.” Yerin nods in approval as she begins to pull out a length of yarn from the ball, “Still, wouldn’t it be better if you just bought one instead of going through this painstaking process?”

 

Eunbi falls silent at that and when she looks over to see what the matter was, the younger woman was just blankly staring at the space before her before finally saying in a small voice, “It’s not for me.”

 

Yerin smiles in understanding, finally knowing why she would go through all the effort, “You’re a kind person aren’t you, milady?”

 

“I-I don’t want to hear that from you.”

 

“Now now,” Yerin waves a hand, “If this is your gift for someone special, then it should be you who does it. I’ll be guiding you through the process so that you can get the hang of it soon.”

 

Eunbi nods her head attentively which brings a fond smile on Yerin’s face.

 

“Then… first you have to make a knot around the needle…” Yerin says, showing how it’s done as slowly as possible, “And then after, you grab the strand and wrap it around your fingers like this. Once you do that, you slip the needle through here and here, down here, then pull on it gently to make a knot. Then, you do it one more time to make another.”

 

Eunbi just nods her head as she focuses, silently paying close attention to Yerin’s movements. After a few more demonstrations, Yerin then hands the needles to her and instructs her gently as she tries to keep up the pace that the knight has established.

 

“No, no, wrong way milady. You pull it through the left side first.” Yerin tells her, not taking her eyes away from her fingers, “And then the right and pull it down.”

 

“Pull it down how?” Eunbi questions, brows furrowed in slight confusion.

 

Not knowing how to explain it in a way that the younger would understand, she gently takes the woman’s hands in hers, taking Eunbi by surprise but doesn’t pull away as she watches Yerin guide her hands gently through the movement.

 

“Like so.” Yerin grins as she pulls away, “Did you get that?”

 

“Y-yeah, I did.” Eunbi mumbles in a voice Yerin almost failed to hear, not to mention her hair was suddenly covering majority of her face as she bows her head closely to the needles. It almost looked like she had bad eyesight with what she was doing.

 

“Then, after you’ve made a long enough row, I’ll start teaching you how to do the next.” she tells her to which she just responds with a nod and resumed her work silently.

 

Yerin continues to watch her for a while and when she sees that she was finally working more swiftly than before, she decides there was no longer any need to guide her through at least until she progresses to the next step.

 

Still, seeing her look so serious and focused was definitely something she can consider as a charm.

 

“Who is it for?” Yerin questions with Eunbi momentarily looking up before refocusing on her task.

 

“Why do you want to know?”

 

“I’m curious.”

 

“Aren’t you a little too curious about everything?”

 

“I’m not sure, but I do know that I’m curious about you.” Yerin grins cheekily despite the tired glare Eunbi sends her but perhaps the anonymity between the two has somehow lessened slightly as she still replies to her earlier question.

 

“It’s Yewon’s birthday next month.” she says, “So I thought of making her a gift.”

 

“I see.” Yerin nods in agreement. It looks like she and the youngest daughter share the same birth month, “I wonder if I should get her something too.”

 

“Are you still even here by that time?” Eunbi scoffs.

 

“I’m not sure, but me and Yewon have somehow established quite the relationship.”

 

Eunbi looks at her sharply, “What relationship.” It wasn’t a question.

 

“It’s called friendship, Eunbi.”

 

The woman visibly relaxes and resumes her work.

 

“As long as you’re not preying on her, then that’s fine.”

 

“I’m hurt. Do I look that untrustworthy to you?”

 

“You have a reputation in the city.” Eunbi replies, “That’s all I need to know.”

 

“Oh! You’ve heard of me?”

 

“It’s not a good reputation, chevalière.” she points out, raising a brow at her excitement.

 

“What?” Yerin was stupefied, “But the women always say good things about me.”

 

“Apparently, you can’t please everyone. You’re a noble, you should act properly like one.”

 

“You sound like my parents.” Yerin grumbles with a small pout, “Who cares what people think anyway? Do they have control on my life? Did they help me gain my knighthood? If they have done nothing for me, then why do their opinions matter? They just give me all the more reason to prove them wrong.”

 

“Is that the reason why you became a knight?”

 

Yerin looks over at Eunbi who has paused in her work and was staring at her curiously, “What do you mean?”

 

“You are also a noble’s daughter right? So why did you choose to become a knight?”

 

The knight tilts her head slightly, “You mean you’re already satisfied with how things are in your life? Being a mere noble is boring. So I told my parents I didn’t want to be just someone they can marry off to just so they could gain more prestige to their name. I can do a lot of other things, and they were all going to waste, so why would I sit around twiddling my thumbs and accept the future they have for me?”

 

“And they just went along with it?”

 

“Of course not. They objected quite severely to it.” Yerin laughs, “And so I decided to just go off on my own and went off to try my luck in knighthood. It was only when I became part of the King’s Guard and held a title of higher rank than my father that they finally accepted me back.”

 

“Accepted you back? You mean they kicked you out of their home?” Eunbi looked surprised that someone could do such a thing to their own kin.

 

“They threw out my things too. It’s only because of my little sister that I managed to survive.”

 

“You have a little sister?”

 

“Oh.” Yerin placed a hand on her lips, “I believe we’ll stop there. Nevertheless, yes, I did experience being a commoner for a few years.”

 

“How was it?” the younger woman asks interestedly,

 

Yerin hums in thought before noticing something coming in from a distance, “I believe that’s a story for another time. We best head inside milady.”

 

The knight had noticed the dark clouds that were beginning to hover from a distance and the wind slightly picking up speed which were the telltale signs of a storm approaching. It was a shame that their conversation had to be cut short because of the weather, but for Yerin it was quite a memorable moment. She couldn’t even remember one time she’s exchanged more than just a few sentences with the younger woman and she has to say that she is a pleasant companion when she didn’t look like she would bite off her head in any second.

 

The two then head towards the mansion together just in time to see the younger sibling heading towards her with Yuna by her side.

 

“Oh, Eunbi!” Yewon greets.

 

It looks like Yewon had just returned from her trip to the city on an errand for the viscount. Yerin then turns to Eunbi and tells her to hand over the needles and the yarn.

 

Thankfully, the noble seemed to understand what she was trying to do and hands them to her without a second thought before turning to face her sister and ask how her trip went.

 

“Did you go with her?” Yerin asks her fellow knight who shook her head.

 

“I was in the nearby village and met their carriage on the way.”

 

Yerin just nods in understanding.

 

It was then that a servant called for their attention and told them that there was a messenger from the city who wanted to relay something to the two knights. Alarmed and curious, the two head off towards the gates where the messenger was waiting atop his horse.

 

Upon seeing the knights, the messenger got down and offered them a salute, immediately signifying that he was a member of the Kings’ Guard just like them.

 

“The captain wanted to send you a message.” he tells them, not wasting time in stating his business, “The Black Rose has struck again.”

 

---

 

A/N

just fulfilling a promise