The Demon King's Paladin

Chapter 27. A Maid's Fall and An Aliance

After finishing his swordsmanship training with General Crest, Master and I were walking to his lunch date with Princess Sarah. However, feeling his mana strain from the walking and remembering the difficulty he had with his mana blade, Master's back seemed smaller to me. Like someone who was carrying a heavy load and unnecessarily burdening himself. Master spoke to me, he started the conversation after noticing my worry. He then proceeded to ask me too always be honest with him. A serious blow was made when he said. " I value your opinion" to me. Something my family never for a second considered, before sending me off to be a terrible maid.

But the finishing touch was when he mentioned how he wanted to protect me and how he viewed this barely competent maid as worthy of protection. I felt it and I knew at that moment that I fell in love with Master. Once the realization struck me. All I could do was weakly call out to him. My Master, showing his kindness to me, waited patiently for me to calm down before heading to Princess Sarah. As we walked, I couldn't help but stare at Master as we walked. Even the eyes on my limbs were following his movement... It's so embarrassing! But I don't want to stop. When Princess Sarah saw my face, she must have sensed it. mumbling to herself like Aqua, she asked Master to sit. While Master proceeded to sit down, Princess Sarah whispered to me.

" We shall talk about this later Anna. Don't be afraid, I'm not angry."

Her eyes told a different story though. Lunch went on without much of an issue. I then followed Master and Princess Sarah to a calm section of the inner castle field. Master began to meditate, once he had entered a trance Princess Sarah turned to me and spoke.

" You love John, don't you?"

" No, your highness I would never steal him from you!"

Not being able to tell what emotions she was feeling I told her the truth.. I mean why would I try to steal Master from her? I just want to be by his side, so I can help him as his exclusive maid. Perhaps sensing the panic in my mind Princess Sarah spoke.

" Relax Anna. As I said before I am not angry with you. How could I be? the only thing you are guilty of is being a victim of John's personality, just as I am."

Princess Sarah began to try to calm me. After calming down I began to speak.

" Princess Sarah, I have fallen for John as well. I'm sorry."

" Don't be Anna, also call me Sarah!"

" As you command, Sarah."

Responding to her request, Sarah looked at John and then back at me.

" Anna, allow me to speak frankly with you. You see I've no doubt you may think my actions of immediately engaging myself to John as strange but allow me to share what I know with you."

Sarah began to recount her time in John's memories. From his time with his birth parents to that terrible accident. Life with a childhood friend to being humiliated in public by the one he trusted most. An argument in a cabin. So much to process, by the end I was in tears for Master.

" Good. You pass Anna!"

" Why is this good? Master he... How can he be so kind still?"

" I believe it to be part of his nature and the other part being a habit since his parent's death. As I told you when I arrived in his memories, I was able to interact with him and he remembered me in subsequent memories. But he did not remember any of it when I awoke. So, the words I said to him after pulling him from the wreck did not reach him."

I nodded along, understanding what was being told to me.

" I believe that night, made my Love a victim of " Survivors Guilt" I spoke to my parents about it, and they already planned to slowly remove those kinds of habits of his one by one during these 3 months."