"The Albanian messenger is here, my liege. Shall I send him in?" The guard knelt before Count Herbert, his head bowed.
The count narrowed his eyes and consented while he grumbled under his breath. The Albanians were not known for their efficacy. It took them six months just to answer a simple yes or no proposition. Of course, given, it was not that simple, but surely it was not something one would discuss for that long, was it? Especially after the gifts bestowed upon them from the Germanian treasury itself! The count would not have consented to be the intermediary between the Germanian Empire and the Albanian Kingdom if not for treasures he had received by the king himself. He himself hated the Albanians.
The main doors, huge planes meticulously decorated with wood carvings, opened and the Albanian messenger marched in. He stopped in the centre of the hall, carrying an air of haughtiness that Albanians seem full of. He stretched out a parchment before him and began to report in a booming voice.
The count zoned out as the messenger continued to read diplomatic jargon. When he was finished, Count Herbert turned to his advisor and asked if they had an agreement.
"Yes sire." That was all he needed. Count Herbert was all smiles. He stood up, his arms open wide.
"What joyous news! Tell your leaders that the Germanian Empire would be more than happy to provide military assistance should the need arise."
The messenger bowed. "My liege would be happy to hear that, Count."
"Come, you must accompany me for dinner! Rest well tonight, and spread the good news through your country!"
Count Herbert felt like eating something delicious to complement his high spirits. Finally, an agreement has been made.
As he walked happily to the dining hall, he silently wondered how long it would take them to take over a country.
A few towns away from the Magic Academy, a magnificent castle stood against the backdrop of gorgeous mountains. Just beside the castle, there was a garden. And in the garden there was a maze, formed by well cropped shrubs. At the end of the maze lies a small abandoned lake, and in the middle of the lake there was a small boat. In the small boat, there lies a young girl, with pink hair tied into twin ponytails, sobbing as she hid her face in her knees.
"Louise! Louise! Where is that little girl? I'm not done with you Louise!" A harsh woman's voice echoed around the garden. Louise's tiny body shook with fear as she thought about how her mother punished her just now for not completing her homework. She was tired of all the magical training her mother gave her. Can't they just give up on her? It's not like she liked using magic anyway.
Her mother's voice continued to call out, but little Louise was safe in her own boat in the abandoned lake, far from the view of anybody in the castle. It was her very own secret place, where she would run off to whenever she was unhappy. She pulled the blanket that she had brought along tighter to her chest.
"Ah, Louise, where are you? Seriously, where did the little miss go?" This time, it was one of the maids from the castle.
"She's always like that after magic training. I wonder why she can't seem to use magic. Her sisters are perfectly powerful magicians." Another maid replied.
Louise thought about her sisters. Compared to them, she was useless. Her eldest sister was a researcher in the National Magic Institute while her second sister was adept in using Earth Magic. As for her, nothing. Except explosions, of course. Her mother was even thinking of sending her to a doctor to see what was wrong with her.
Louise's heart felt even heavier as she went down this train of thought. Tears flowed continuously down her pink cheeks.
"Louise, Louise, is that you in the boat?" Just then, a different voice entered her ears. A boy's voice, not as deep as her father's but was well on his way there. Louise wiped her face with her blanket and looked around for the source.
"Ah, Louise, it really is you." Louise noticed a boy on the bank of the lake and hurriedly pulled at the rope tying the boat to the bank. The boy laughed merrily and helped her with it.
When the boat had reached the bank, he walked into it and knelt beside her. He hugged her, caressing her face with his chest. Louise started to cry again, her shoulders heaving as she tried not to wet the boy's shirt.
Jason, her Jason had come to save her, Louise thought. She couldn't see his face but the familiar warmth and smell was enough for her to recognise who he was. Jason had been the only one she had ever told of the boat in the abandoned lake.
He rocked her gently as he spoke to her. "Has your mother been scolding you again?"
Louise nodded, her face still in his chest.
"I'll talk to her about it. There's no point in forcing you to do something you dislike anyway."
Louise showed a little smile, even if she knew it was pointless to argue with her mother.
Jason buried his face in her hair. It tickled her. Louise let out a little laugh.
"Louise, my dear Louise. Come, let us go back to the castle. I've been wanting to talk to your father about us too."
"Us?" Louise said timidly.
Jason laughed merrily. "Yes, us. Don't you know about it? Your father is going to let you be my fiancée."
Louise shook her head, even though she had heard of the conversation between Jason and her father last month, about how she was going to get engaged to Jason and would marry him when she completed her studies in the Magic Academy. Happiness and blissfulness took over her sad tears and she circles her hands around his waist, to hug him, though she only managed to reach halfway.
He caressed her hair with his hand. Louise cooed like a baby.
She looked up to meet the eyes of her knight in shining armour.
Louise frowned when she saw the black pupils. Didn't Jason had dark brown eyes before? She tore herself gingerly from his embrace and took a step back to look at him properly.
What the heck was Saito doing here?
Louise abruptly woke up and found herself lying on her bed, while Saito was crouching over her. It had all been a dream.
Saito's eyes was still closed, his lips pouted into a kiss, as he leaned blindly forward. "Louise, my dear Louise."
Louise's cheeks went from pink in infatuation to red in anger. Her whole body shook as she clenched her fists tight.
Just a second ago she was meeting Jason, her knight in shining armour and now she was facing Saito, her familiar instead. Did this mean that she thought of Saito as her own knight? No way! That would be insane! Saito was just a familiar.
Her familiar.
Louise's face boiled in embarrassment as she thought of how he saved her from the golem and how they danced together, hand in hand during the ball dance. She lashed out with her knee, effectively crippling Saito. She then shoved Saito off the bed and reached for her horse whip, while her jaw rattled as she tried to find something to say out of his atrocious behaviour.
Just a few minutes ago, Saito had woken up on his bed of straw, while Louise was having her dream. She cooed and sniffled cutely like a small animal on her bed, and Saito soon found himself mesmerised with her.
Just then, Saito felt a somewhat evil thought rise to his head. He needed some kind of manly advice, so he looked around and only managed to find Derflinger, his pair of tonfas. Got to work what I have, I guess, he thought.
"Hey Derf, if a girl invites me to a dance with a red face while stuttering, what was that supposed to mean?"
"Mmmhmm? It means that she likes you."
"Do you think a girl who likes me would mind me kissing her?"
"I rather think she would love it."
"I really want to kiss Louise."
"Go on then, partner."
With that settled, he stumbled onto Louise's bed, and propped himself on his palms as he looked at Louise under him.
Saito took a moment to savour Louise's beautiful face. She was really an angel when she was asleep. He wished that she could continue to be like that forever, instead of waking up and turning into the pink-haired devil with a tongue of pure poison.
Louise turned to face him, her eyes still closed. She mumbled something unintelligible in her sleep.
You sly girl, you're actually pretending to sleep, aren't you? Saito did not know how wrong this thought was. He closed his eyes and leaned forward to kiss her.
So now, in the end, Saito had fallen flat face on his face and was grabbing the area between his legs while moaning like a sick dog on the cold hard ground.
"Y-y-you stupid d-dog! I allow you to dance with me once and you think you can go o-overboard?" Louise lashed the whip mercilessly at Saito's body.
That morning, everybody in the tower was awakened by a poor familiar's screams of pain.
The dining hall was bustling with activity as servants hurried here and there to replenish the food for breakfast. Students were chatting happily amongst themselves as they greeted the fresh morning.
Siesta was putting down a fresh plate of buttered toast when she heard a weak bark around the dining hall. As far as she remembered, no dogs have been allowed into the dining hall before, even as a familiar. Curious, she walked around, looking for the dog.
She reached the table of second years when she saw a dog leash poking out under the table. She walked near only to find one of the students, a pink haired girl yank violently at the leash, prompting a whimper from the dog again. Siesta tilted her head in confusion and pretended to take empty plates as she continued her investigation.
Lo and behold, it was the young man she had brought to the kitchen before. Siesta jumped in fright when she found him sitting obediently on the floor beside his master, using his mouth to scrape his plate.
"Mr Saito! What has happened to you?" Siesta reached out to Saito.
"Siesta…" Saito's eyes started to water.
"Shut up, stupid dog, if you're not barking." Louise yanked at his leash again, silencing him. She glanced at Siesta, who was looking worried for Saito. "Don't worry about him. He's just reverting to his wild ways. Isn't that right, stupid dog?"
Saito barked once in affirmation. Siesta felt like hugging this new cute Saito, but she still wished that his master would treat him with better kindness. From the looks of it, he barely ate anything. Siesta excused herself and winked at Saito, in a come-to-the-kitchen-later way.
Louise did not miss that wink from the maid that had just walked away. She was about to warn Saito against going to the kitchen when the principal clapped his hands on stage and called for attention from the students.
"Students! I have urgent news for all of you. Our beloved princess Henrietta of Tristania has decided to take a detour to our Magic Academy in her journey to Germania and will grace us with her presence tomorrow morning. As such, classes after the afternoon today will be dismissed. I hope you will take this chance to provide our beloved princess with your best appearances tomorrow. Do not let her down."
After the announcement, Saito looked at Louise, who was sitting with her mouth agape. He waved a hand in front of her, but there was no response.
"Louise? Louise!" He tried shaking her. What was so important about that announcement? Was it the dismissal of afternoon classes?
Suddenly, Louise turned to look at Saito. He jumped and shrieked in fright. However, Louise's eyes were shining and she had a huge smile on her face.
"Did you hear that? The princess was coming! I wonder how she was lately. Had she been sleeping well? Oh my, I have to get ready."
Louise continued to drone on as she left her seat and rushed out of the dining hall, leaving Saito dazed and confused. Ah well, at least he could use this opportunity to escape to the kitchen where Siesta was waiting. Oh Siesta, kind Siesta, so unlike his cruel master, who would play mind games with him and torture him and call him a dog. If he had to choose one to protect with his life, he would probably want to choose Siesta.
Saito hummed a merry tune as he skipped to the kitchen.