[the reason given was that he was the most likely to blend in and that he was more competent than he looked. the latter is true in that "sort of okay at combat" is better than how he appears, which is "probably about as effective as she looks". that isn't totally fair considering she is probably reasonable in a fight, but... combat, despite his practice, is definitely not his forte.
the former is presumably true in that, being a relatively new knight from a relatively minor household, nobody is going to recognize him. it probably doesn't help that the height difference between him and the princess is ... not vast, though. honestly, they look more like a romeo and juliet pairing running away from home than a knight and princess; and from a distance it's possible to get them mixed up depending on who is wearing what.
all of her ideas about how stressed out and how focused he was weren't entirely wrong, but any concept, any inkling of the idea that he was some sort of cool serious mysterious figure beneath his (cute?) appearance were about to be shattered. when she asks him if she can call him by his first name, he appears startled for a moment, looking at her.
rion is not good at hiding his emotions; it comes with the inability to talk. there's no faking that blush that is creeping up his cheeks as he nods enthusiastically, realizes he probably looks like a dork (it is because he is), and immediately breaks eye contact, looking away because here he is blushing like an idiot in front of the goddamn crown princess.
notably, he still has not responded with words yet. it is very likely that nobody told her that he can't talk, because that sounds like a good way to make things even more confusing - which is what they want.]
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the former is presumably true in that, being a relatively new knight from a relatively minor household, nobody is going to recognize him. it probably doesn't help that the height difference between him and the princess is ... not vast, though. honestly, they look more like a romeo and juliet pairing running away from home than a knight and princess; and from a distance it's possible to get them mixed up depending on who is wearing what.
all of her ideas about how stressed out and how focused he was weren't entirely wrong, but any concept, any inkling of the idea that he was some sort of cool serious mysterious figure beneath his (cute?) appearance were about to be shattered. when she asks him if she can call him by his first name, he appears startled for a moment, looking at her.
rion is not good at hiding his emotions; it comes with the inability to talk. there's no faking that blush that is creeping up his cheeks as he nods enthusiastically, realizes he probably looks like a dork (it is because he is), and immediately breaks eye contact, looking away because here he is blushing like an idiot in front of the goddamn crown princess.
notably, he still has not responded with words yet. it is very likely that nobody told her that he can't talk, because that sounds like a good way to make things even more confusing - which is what they want.]