Sigrid - Chapter 1.6

Chapter 1.6: Sigrid Ankertna

“Sigrid? What’s wrong?

Alkerto’s eyes narrowed and he grabbed the hem of Sigrid’s sleeve like an innocent child.

“Alkerto.”

“Sig? What’s going on?”

He was alive.

Her heart throbbed. So that was the feeling of seeing the face of a deceased colleague again.

“No, nothing.” Sigrid retracted her sleeve and laughed. Their conversation invited some stares. Afterall, it wasn’t just Alkerto who was passing by.

“It’s nothing? What’s going on?”

“I took some days off.”

“WHAT?!?!” Alkerto was also appalled at Sigrid’s remark. Days off? Sigrid Ankertna was leaving?

“Are you sick? What’s going on? Hm?”

“No, I just need to organize my thoughts.”

“But—”

“Alkerto.”

“Yes.” Alkerto stared at Sigrid’s face like he was telling her ‘tell me anything. I’ll listen’.

When Sigrid saw Alkerto’s expression, Sigrid took a deep breath before continuing, “I’m proud of you.”

Alkerto had a completely absent-minded face. His mind was completely in shock. ‘Now? What? Wait? Sigrid?’

Seeing Alkerto’s facial expression, Sigrid burst into laughter.

As Sigrid laughed, Alkerto panicked again. His face was full of questions about the person in front of him. ‘Who is this? What is this?’

“We are both commoners, but you seem to be doing great. I was actually jealous because I don’t think I am. I think it looks obvious.” Revealing her honest thoughts like this made Sigrid blush.

The curly blond hair and turquoise eyes, they went well on Alkerto. He looked like a fine man who was easy to talk to, which was true to how he was. Alkerto was a man who could hang out with anyone without being out of place. He had the confidence to talk to someone without hesitation.

Yet, Sigrid hated it and was also envious of it.

It was not easy for Sigrid to show her inferiority and accept she was envious. She lived in a world where she constantly needed to prove her worth and held her chin up high. Disclosing her inferiority in front of someone she was envious of made her want to hide away from his sight right away.

However, she didn’t want to regret it. That was her second life and to end up having regrets in her second life too? She hated that even more.

“Though, it’s just because of my narrow mindedness.”

When Sigrid got back from Alkerto’s burial, it felt just a bit grim. However, one day, when Sigrid suddenly realized that there was no one talking to her in the Knight Order, only then it occurred to her that it was only him who always spoke to her first. It was the moment when she heard the story of aristocratic kids laughing at his death that she became engulfed in intense self-loathing. However, she couldn’t complain to them. Instead, she talked to them as if she was one of them, then cried when she came back.

“But.. how should I say this.. You are still not the same as me. It may sound ridiculous, I’m proud of you as a commoner. Although, I hate to be in that same category.” Sigrid grinned. “I’ll be going now, then. Thank you for always talking to me first.”

Sigrid gave a light tap with her fist on Alkerto’s chest. Then, as she walked past him, Alkerto grabbed her wrist.

“Wait!”

“Right, if there is anything you want to complain about, it’s fine to say it now.” Sigrid shrugged her shoulders.

Alkerto let go of Sigrid’s wrist and stumbled over his words, “Owhh.. shi.. It’s not like that.” He  violently ruffled his own hair, clearly flustered over the current situation.

“I’m a little jealous of you too.”

“What?” Sigrid opened her eyes wide in astonishment. Alkerto laughed seeing her reaction.

“I’m that somewhat frivolous kind of guy. I can’t be like you who has good self-control and be a good model knight, You’re a prime example of a good knight who’s good at self-control. It’s said that self-control has limits, yet you don’t have that. You are the embodiment of a real perfect knight. That’s why I’m jealous.”

At Alkerto eloquent speech, Sigrid stared blankly at him. Soon a red flush rose on her cheeks. She had been dying to hear those words all this time, but when she finally heard them, Sigrid couldn’t be more embarrassed. “No, well, I, that kind of— ….. tha..thank you.”

As she managed to reply to him and lift her head with trembling lips, she saw Alkerto’s round turquoise eyes reflected in her deep red face and expression.

“Then, I’ll get going.”

Sigrid turned around and walked fast out from drill hall like she was running away,

‘An embodiment of a perfect knight.’… – ‘I envied you’.

Sigrid’s heart thumped. To hear such a thing from someone she was jealous of was so different from hearing it from her boss or someone else.

‘Did I change? Would it have changed a little?’

Sigrid pressed both her cheeks. They were hot. Her heart was beating so fast. She was so happy. The compliment made her very happy. She felt good.