Arcadia's Ignoble Knight: The Sorceress of Ashtown

Knight of Irritation

"Lady Erica! Oh, my Lady Erica!"

Caspian felt a small droplet of sweat trail down his face as Derek, restrained by several maids and butlers, struggled to make his way over to him and Erica as they exited the MAFT. It was definitely an odd sigh; one man struggling against half a dozen people in his quest to reach someone. Wasn't he supposed to be sick? How come those people were struggling with someone whose strength should have been practically nonexistent?

"Let me go! Lady Erica! I need to be by my Lady's side!"

A Glance at Erica showed that the fatalistically gorgeous femme was not pleased. There was a small twitch in her right eye, and Caspian could see a vein pulsing on her forehead, throbbing in time to the beat of her heart. Her teeth were also grit, which was never a good sign on a woman.

"Why are you all holding me back?! Let me go to my Erica!"

Impossible though it seemed, Derek seemed to struggle even more. His armor clinked together, metal against metal, and his frail-looking body strained against the people holding him back. There were six of them, two maids and four butlers. One maid had her arm around his middle, while the other had latched onto his legs and was being dragged across the ground. The four butlers were restraining the man's arms with little success.

"Are you going to do something about him?" Erica stopped glaring long enough to look at Caspian. When he saw that he had her attention, he hitched a thumb over at Derek. "I mean, this is kind of amusing to watch, but it's also just plain pathetic. You really should do something about him."

Erica held his gaze a moment longer, and then her shoulders slumped. "Yes, I suppose a should, shouldn't I?"

The sigh that escaped Erica's lips was one of both annoyance and exhaustion. Caspian wondered if it was because she'd been dealing with Derek for so long? Speaking of Derek, had he always been like that? If so, Caspian almost felt sympathetic towards the woman. She might be a selfish, narcissistic witch, but no one deserved having to deal with someone like that on a daily basis.

And he also felt a slight kinship with her as well. After all, didn't he have someone like that back at the academy? This Derek fellow might be even more annoying than Christo.

Great. Now he was sighing.

"Derek!" Erica snapped. Her voice caused the man in question to straighten, his spine actually cracking as it became ramrod straight. Caspian barely withheld a wince. "I thought I told you to remain in bed?"

"Ah, w-well, yes, you did. B-but! When I heard that you'd left Dorehan Tower, I became worried."

Erica raised a finely manicured eyebrow. "Worried?"

"Yes! Very worried!" Derek nodded his head emphatically. He reminded Caspian of a faithful puppy, the kind that returned to their owner even after being beaten. "After all, it was not so long ago that you had been attacked by an elven assassin. What if they came back and attacked you again? You would be in danger!"

"I see, I see." Erica nodded her head. She cocked her hip to the side, arms crossing under her bust as she adopted a thoughtful mien. "So, in other words, what you're telling me is that you do not have faith in my ability to take care of myself? Is that it?"

"Yes, that's―no! No, that's not it!" Derek began to sweat as Erica held his gaze, her face deadpanned. "I know better than anyone how capable you are. That being said, I am your Knight, and it is my duty as your Knight to protect you from all dangers, no matter how small."

"That is true," Erica allowed, causing Derek to smile. "However, you are currently weak from being... ill, and are therefore incapable of protecting me. Consequently, that is why I have Caspie with me―"