Please Bully Me, Miss Villainess!

Chapter 254 : Little Knight 1

"Mama... goodnight kiss..."

Curled up drowsily in her arms, the little one said coyly.

"Hmm?"

Elsa initially thought Bebe wanted her to give a kiss before sleeping obediently, but instead, she leaned in and softly planted a kiss on Elsa's cheek.

Then she flopped down on Elsa's arm and fell asleep.

"Hah..."

How wonderful it is to be a child...

Looking at her daughter's relaxed sleeping face, Elsa's expression involuntarily softened.

So energetic when awake, but able to fall asleep instantly when lying down, not fussy about beds or pillows—this aspect was quite reassuring.

The child's little hand still grasped Elsa's clothes while sleeping, her fluffy tail also curled around her, as if this made her feel more secure.

In this world, her counterpart seemed always busy, rarely having time to accompany the child. Perhaps this was why she was so happy to bring her along on this journey.

This warm little life sleeping in her arms had entrusted all her trust and dependence to her.

Of course, shouldering the responsibility of raising a life was no easy task.

But the joy and emotion of witnessing one's child grow were always unforgettable.

It was fortunate to have this child; otherwise, she might not have been able to carry on alone.

Elsa wanted to record all her current thoughts and feelings.

So that when she reunited with Yvonne someday, she could tell her everything.

Yvonne... did you also have such thoughts... which is why you kept a diary?

I miss you so much...

Her hand resting on the diary beside her, Elsa's eyelids grew heavy, gradually losing consciousness.

·

·

...

"Hah—!"

Under the scorching sun, a blonde girl wearing a helmet was swinging a wooden training sword, making chopping motions at a boy of similar age holding a wooden shield.

"Ah... it's Yvonne!! No, Evie!! What's going on... am I dreaming??"

Elsa quickly realized something was amiss.

She felt she had entered a brief state of mental detachment. This sensation was somewhat similar to when she and Yvonne had entered the magic book together before, yet slightly different.

Come to think of it, does this diary have a similar function?

What she was seeing now... were these Yvonne's memories?

Clack, thwack—thud!!

Although the force and speed of the sword swings were still somewhat lacking, the grip on the sword and overall demeanor were already quite impressive.

This was probably a competition? Elsa guessed, floating in midair.

It seemed Yvonne's side was on the offensive, needing to break through the defender's defense to claim victory.

Just watching from the sidelines made her unconsciously clench her fists in tension, hoping Evie would win.

The consecutive chops left the opponent struggling to respond. However, the defender was a boy after all, a full head taller than the still-developing young girl.

No matter how she slashed and thrust with her sword, she still couldn't break through his defense line.

The knight acting as referee blew his whistle; it seemed the outcome had been decided.

"Still not good enough..."

Evie pouted, wiping the sweat from her brow.

The seemingly cumbersome helmet covered most of her golden hair, but a few mischievous curls still poked out from the gaps, looking quite adorable.

Her face, still bearing traces of childishness, looked frustrated. Although she had lost the match, her eyes still shone brightly.

Aww~~~

Evie was just too cute—

Damn it~! Why couldn't the viewpoint get any closer?!

Elsa very much wanted to adjust the viewing angle, preferably to stick right up to the target's face.

She wished she could teleport over and snatch Evie away.

But unfortunately, it seemed she couldn't manipulate objects in the memory, much less interact with the people in it.

She could only float in midair like a ghost, watching the images of the memory.

"Alright, today's sword competition ends here—Everyone gather round."

A tall, thin knight in leather armor stepped forward, clapping his hands.

Once all the children had put down their weapons and assembled in formation, this instructing knight surveyed the group, cleared his throat, and announced:

"Today, I—Beleck DeWitt, Knight Captain of the Third Knight Squadron, will be instructing you in horsemanship!"

"Yay!"

Hearing this exciting news, everyone immediately erupted in excitement, Evie being no exception.

"Can we finally ride dragons?"

"I've been waiting so long for this day!"

"I must boast to Father when I get home—"

Children's bodies are more flexible, making it easier for them to master balance than adults. So starting to learn horsemanship from a young age was a good choice. Many nobles would arrange such courses for their sons.

"Alright—please quiet down! The swift wind dragons will be brought over soon. This batch are all swift wind dragons that have just turned three years old. Their size is very suitable for you to ride, but please follow proper procedures and pay attention to safety—"

The little knights chattered excitedly, and Beleck, as the instructing knight, didn't seem to dare be too strict.

Elsa could tell that these children's identities were far from ordinary.

That annoying arrogant aura unique to nobles could be felt even without being physically present.

"The swift wind dragons here have all been raised by professional dragon tamers. They are all very docile. Today is the first trial ride; you can choose the one you like for practice."

Soon, several young swift wind dragons were led up by the dragon tamers.

Compared to adult swift wind dragons, these were smaller in stature, but had already begun to shed their juvenile appearance, starting to transition towards adulthood.

"I'll take this one! It's the strongest!"

A smug-looking chubby boy strode forward. He had taken a liking to the largest of the five swift wind dragons, one with gray scales.

However, because the dragon's back was too high, it took several dragon trainers great effort to hoist the little chubby boy onto its back.

The order for choosing dragons was based on the results of the previous training match. The others also quickly chose their mounts.

However, when it came to Yvonne's turn, Beleck's words left her dumbfounded.

"...What do you mean? Why am I the only one who can't practice riding??"

She looked truly angry, her voice rising several octaves.

"Miss Smollett, I'm very sorry, but please wait until next time... These are Duke Campbell's instructions! Please don't put me in a difficult position..."

Father is truly overprotective... but it's understandable.

Seeing this scene, Elsa, floating in midair, smiled wryly.

She had witnessed firsthand Duke Campbell's doting on Yvonne.

Elsa could imagine that Duke Campbell was probably worried his precious daughter might get hurt in such a dangerous activity, so he had given orders to the Knight Squadron to prevent her from practicing horsemanship.

"Future princess, wouldn't it be better to go home and learn some piano or flower arranging?"

The son of the squadron commander, fat Baron, who was already seated on a dragon's back, called out loudly.

"Horsemanship is exclusively for men, a girl like you shouldn't try to join in!"

"Miss Smollett, observing from the side is also a good way to learn."

Seated on dragonback, the boys laughed as they raised their reins, soon galloping far away on the training field, leaving Evie alone, stomping her foot in anger.

"Damn it... every one of them looks down on me."

Her long boots clacking loudly, Evie strode quickly towards the nearby dragon stables.

"If they won't let me ride... I'll just find one myself! There are so many here anyway—"

In the Knight Squadron's dragon stables, they raised swift wind dragons specifically for the army's cavalry.

"So many... there are actually this many dragons?"

Each adult swift wind dragon was as tall as two strong young men, some with scales still bearing scars from battle. Seeing Yvonne enter, they all raised their heads, curiously watching this human girl who had wandered into their resting place.

"I probably can't ride these..."

Swift wind dragons of this size were not something a 10-year-old child could easily control, and Yvonne understood this.

She was just unwilling to accept it, wanting to be able to do what other children her age could do.

"Oh..."

Evie discovered an unusual presence in the depths of the dragon stables.

A small silver-white swift wind dragon was chained securely in a corner of the stables.

She ran over excitedly, wanting to get closer, but was stopped by the riding instructor who had followed her.

"No—not that one!"

Beleck, as the riding instructor, hurriedly stopped her when he saw Evie's interest in that dragon deep in the stables.

"Mr. Beleck! Although you said there were only those few swift wind dragons in their growth period... there's clearly one more here?"

"Young Lady... please spare me! If anything were to happen to you, it wouldn't end well for us either! Can't you understand your father's good intentions?"

After all, the girl before him was the daughter of Duke Smollett—and also the future princess betrothed to the prince. If anything were to go wrong, he would likely forfeit his life.

This was why Beleck was so anxious about Yvonne's every move.

"I just want to learn horsemanship... Is that really so outrageous?"

Ignoring the riding instructor's attempts to stop her, Evie continued forward, wanting to get a clear look at this dragon.

"Hwoah-sss!!!"

However, upon seeing Yvonne, this silver-white swift wind dragon let out a sharp screech. It lunged forward, straining against its chains, nearly snapping at Yvonne's neck.

"Miss Smollett... as you can see, this one has serious temperament issues."

Beleck hurriedly summoned several dragon tamers. It took several large men pulling on the chains simultaneously to restrain the silver-white swift wind dragon back to the hitching post. Beleck ordered the chain length shortened to prevent it from going berserk again and injuring the Young Lady before them.

"............"

Its golden pupils, bloodshot and contracted, fixed intently on Yvonne.