Enemies Meet in an Arranged Marriage

“Remember how I raved about the roast turkey last time? I figured the chef was just being polite when he said he’d make it again, but…” Alessia trailed off, a playful glint in her eyes. “here it is!”

A flicker of surprise crossed Kaon’s face. Alessia, after all, was the duke’s daughter and his fiancée. It was natural, he supposed, for the chef to remember her request. Still, there was something undeniably heartwarming about it. After all, a positive outlook was always better than a pessimistic one.

“Consider this a special order just for you, then,” Kaon said with a slight smile.

Alessia chuckled softly, a touch different from her usual light laugh. “Oh, Kaon, you shouldn’t have.” There was a genuine warmth in her smile, something that made Kaon’s heart skip a beat. Every time he saw these little glimpses of her personality, his preconceived notions chipped away a little more.

“Hana, would you mind calling the chef over?” Alessia requested.

“Of course, Miss Alessia,” Hana replied cheerfully. The friendliness of the staff here sometimes surprised Kaon.

A few moments later, the chef appeared, offering a quick nod to Kaon before turning his full attention to Alessia. “You requested my presence, Lady Alessia?”

“Albert,” she greeted him warmly, “I just had to say, everything is absolutely fantastic tonight.”

“You mentioned enjoying the turkey last time,” the chef, Albert, replied with a slight smile. “So I decided to put my skills to the test again.”

“It’s truly delicious! I don’t know how you do it,” Alessia exclaimed. “You must be the best chef in the entire world!”

“You flatter me, Lady Alessia,” Albert chuckled. “But I appreciate your kind words. It always brings me joy when you enjoy the food. Perhaps next time, we could try salmon? How do you feel about that?”

“Salmon?” Alessia’s eyes lit up. “Of course I’d love it! I can’t wait to see what you do with it.”

“I assure you, it won’t disappoint,” Albert promised.

Kaon watched their interaction, a growing sense of wonder settling over him. Here they were, a Ferdinand chef and an Ingelos princess, engaged in such friendly conversation. It was so unexpected, it threw him off balance for a moment.

‘Was Albert always this chatty?’ Kaon thought with a touch of amusement. Despite living in this very mansion his entire life, his interactions with the chef had mostly been brief exchanges. Seeing Alessia, someone he initially worried would be ostracized, fitting in so well with the staff warmed him from the inside out. Her genuine nature deserved all the love and acceptance she was receiving.

A new hope bloomed in Kaon’s chest. Maybe, just maybe, there was a chance she could stay in Ferdinand, and for a very long time.

***

They left the dining hall together, heading side-by-side towards the training annex. While Kaon didn’t technically need to go right away, Alessia had mentioned needing to take care of something. Taking advantage of the situation, he tagged along under the guise of personal training.

“I heard you’ll be starting monster inspections this fall,” he began, hoping to casually drop the bomb that he’d be joining too.

She’d find out eventually, but he figured it best to give her a heads-up to avoid any surprised reactions.

“That’s right,” Alessia confirmed. “Apparently travel’s a bit tricky right now.”

“Tricky? Isn’t training itself a challenge?”

“It’s actually more like… an education, really. I don’t know much about monsters yet, so I’m learning everything I can,” she explained excitedly. While monster slaying and standoffish knights weren’t exactly thrilling prospects, her enthusiasm was undeniable. “It’s not just studying textbooks, though. I get to meet and work with the knights – I have a lot of questions, what with no actual experience under my belt.”

“Well, everyone seems impressed by your hard work,” Kaon noted.

Alessia’s head snapped up at that, her eyes filled with a sudden intensity that caught Kaon off guard. “Really? Who said that?”

“Maurice and Niels mentioned it.”

“Oh, I see! I can’t thank them enough for being so helpful. Sir Bonello might be a bit blunt, but he’s a great listener. And Miss Leroy…” she trailed off, leaving the unspoken tension hanging in the air.

Kaon instantly understood the unspoken issue. To change the subject, he blurted out, “Actually, I… I decided to join the inspections too.”

Alessia blinked, surprise widening her eyes. “But I remember you telling me that knights are only allowed to join once they turn seventeen.”

“Well,” Kaon stammered, not expecting her to remember that detail. “There are… exceptions for elite knight units.”

In Ferdinand, elite knights held the highest rank, forming the top tier of the knightly hierarchy. Below them were senior knights, ordinary knights, apprentice knights, and finally pages, who weren’t officially considered knights yet.

Kaon himself had become an elite knight at the young age of twelve, purely based on his skills. While monster patrols weren’t a regular occurrence for him, the title held weight. Technically, he wasn’t completely lying – he had joined an inspection with his father once before, giving him some experience with monsters.

“Ah, right! I did hear you’re the youngest among the elite knights. And there are less than ten of you, which basically makes you a prodigy, wouldn’t you say?”

Kaon winced under the weight of her praise, especially since he’d just used his position as a flimsy excuse. ‘Prodigy’? That was a word he heard plenty as a child, but it no longer felt true.

“I wouldn’t call myself a prodigy,” he mumbled. “Swordsmanship is just… something I enjoy more than most.”

“Enjoy?” Alessia’s expression darkened for a fleeting moment before softening back into a smile. “Just because you like something doesn’t mean you automatically excel at it, right? I think you just have a natural talent for it.”

The air crackled with a tension that was too subtle to pinpoint precisely.

“Regardless,” Alessia continued, a smile gracing her lips, “this is great news! Knowing you’ll be there puts me at ease.”

Still grappling with the unexpected turn in their conversation, Kaon completely forgot his earlier train of thought.

‘A relief, indeed.’

It seemed his decision to approach Leonidas had been the right call.

***

Kaon was making his way back from the training annex when he heard Madeleine’s voice. “Young Master, just in time! Have some of this.”

He received the glass she handed, the dark liquid inside sloshing dangerously. “Whoa, this smells awful! What in the world is it?” he sniffled cautiously, and recoiled with a grimace, eyeing the concoction with suspicion.

Madeleine beamed proudly. “My special health tonic! A masterpiece combining manua root, jacinthe fruit, and a secret blend of other body-boosting herbs.”

Kaon wasn’t sure if “body-boosting” was the most accurate description. His stomach churned in protest. He’d rather face a horde of monsters than willingly down that concoction. A short but healthy life seemed a cruel joke.

Trying to stall, he asked, “Why the sudden concoction, Madeleine?”

“Lady Leo’s been working herself to the bone lately,” Madeleine explained. “She looks exhausted, so I whipped this up to revitalize her.”

Kaon winced. Leonidas’ stomach wouldn’t stand a chance against that concoction. He still felt a sting of betrayal from recent events, but she was still his sister. He couldn’t let her drink that. Just as he was about to formulate a plan to intercept the deadly drink, Madeleine dropped a bombshell.

“Just gave some to Lady Leo, so it’s perfect timing, Young Master!”

 

 

🍉🍉🍉