“I must report to Lady Leo, but would you like to see her first?”
It was the end of a long and arduous journey of more than twenty days. Joseph, who had lost his enthusiasm, asked out of politeness.
There was no answer. Joseph stared at his young master, his shoulders hunched with exhaustion. Kaon’s gaze, fixed on the floor as if he had buried a honey pot*1[T/N: a metaphor used to describe Kaon’s inattentiveness to Joseph.] there, showed no sign of rising.
“Young Master Kaon?”
“Huh? No. I’ll find her later, you go first.” Kaon, coming to his senses after all this time, raised his head. He tried to sound nonchalant as if his thoughts were empty, but it was awkward, like someone who just woke up and pretended he hadn’t been asleep.
“Is there something wrong?”
“No, I’m fine.”
“I thought you might have hurt yourself because you kept looking down at your hand. Anyway, I’m glad to hear you’re all right.”
It was obvious that something was wrong, but Joseph decided to let it go. It was not proper behavior for an aide to take a deep interest in his master’s personal affairs. Kaon might feel irritated too, given that they were both already worn out from the travel.
He didn’t feel obligated to show enthusiasm for endeavors that didn’t involve money. While the latter reason carried more significance, the outcome remained unchanged. As soon as the carriage came to a halt, Joseph promptly excused himself and departed.
Left alone, Kaon looked down at his hands again before getting off the carriage and walking back to the manor.
“Whoa!”
A surprised shout escaped Kaon’s lips as a blur of fur tore towards him. It was only until the bounding form resolved into a dog that he realized it wasn’t a figment of his imagination.
“Koda!” he called out, recognition dawning.
The dog responded with exuberant barks, its tail wagging in a giddy manner. Kaon dropped to his knees, offering his open palms in welcome. The dog, Koda, wiggled furiously and with a playful whine, flopped onto its back, presenting its fluffy belly. Kaon chuckled as he gently scratched the exposed fur.
Beside the back door, nestled against the forest’s edge, stood a sturdy kennel. It was a gift Kaon had bestowed upon Koda, a former stray who had wandered into his life one day.
“Paw,” Kaon commanded, extending his hand.
Koda, despite his coat of dark gray fur, was an intelligent canine who readily understood his owner’s wishes. He obliged, placing his paw on Kaon’s open hand.
Seeing Kaon’s empty palm, Koda’s tail drooped slightly. He nudged Kaon’s hand with his wet nose, a silent yet forgiving gesture.
Despite the clear signs of Koda being a fully grown adult dog, having spent years by Kaon’s side, he would always remain a cherished pup in his owner’s eyes. Kaon’s fondness for small, cute things stemmed from his childhood, a time when everything around him seemed gigantic. In fact, it was this very affection for the small and adorable that had led him to take Koda in the first place.
A thought flickered across his mind, ‘The princess was small too.’
A delicate girl, her head barely reaching his chin during their dance. He kept replaying the memory, the way her small hands, perfectly proportioned to her petite frame, felt in his grasp. He flexed his own fingers with thought, concerned about breaking the lady’s hand had he gripped them with too much force.
The Ferdinands were a family renowned for generations of knights, each known for their imposing size and stature. Leonidas herself stood at a respectable five feet nine inches, while he towered over her by a mere two inches. Yet, the princess of Ingelos felt impossibly small in comparison. Perhaps five feet three inches? He wouldn’t be surprised if she were even shorter.
***
Kaon fidgeted, his ears feeling strangely exposed. Used to the booming voices that filled his days, the princess’s gentle tone was an unfamiliar yet intriguing counterpoint.
“I deeply apologize for the delay, Prince Ferdinand. A minor mishap on the journey resulted in this… untimely arrival,” she managed, offering a formal bow. “I pray Prince Ferdinand will extend his gracious forgiveness.”
Her smile, though laced with a tinge of amusement, held genuine warmth.
“There’s no need to be so formal,” Kaon responded. “I understand these things happen. More importantly, were you hurt in the incident?”
He met her gaze, surprised by the absence of any apprehension despite the oddly colored eyes. “No, thankfully,” she replied, her voice softer than usual. “No one was injured.”
Something unexpected stirred within him, a sentiment he couldn’t quite place…
***
A soft crunch snapped Kaon out of his trance. He looked down to find the source of the sound – Koda, munching contentedly on a patch of grass.
“Hey there, munchkin! Why the sudden interest in the lawn?” Kaon chuckled, playfully scolding his furry companion.
Koda, perhaps sensing his owner’s shift in attention, finished his impromptu snack with a final chomp and rolled onto his back, tail wagging expectantly.
Kaon, his previous contemplation momentarily forgotten, reached down to scratch Koda behind the ears. He should stop thinking too hard.
***
Kaon returned from his walk with Koda to find the manor buzzing with an unusual energy. Baroness Robert, the family’s longtime nanny and housekeeper, stood amidst the commotion, her normally composed face twisted in worry. Her husband, Bronson the butler—and Joseph’s father—stood beside her, looking equally troubled.
“Young Master Kaon!” Baroness Robert cried out, rushing towards him. “Oh, the things you miss while you’re out! Have you heard the news?”
“Calm down, madam,” Madeleine, another long-serving member of the household, interjected gently. “You’ll faint at this rate.”
“How can I be calm, Madeleine?!” Baroness Robert exclaimed, her voice trembling. “Our Young Master is engaged to that… that… Ingelos woman!”
“Indeed, it’s quite a surprise,” Madeleine conceded, her voice laced with concern. “One that has surely taken everyone aback.”
Kaon, initially hesitant to interrupt, finally grasped the situation. Whether Joseph had spilled the beans to his mother, Leo had made the announcement herself, or something else entirely, news of his engagement to the princess must have spread like wildfire.
This revelation hung heavy in the air, a stark reminder of the generations-old animosity between the Ferdinand and Ingelos families. Once united heroes who helped restore peace to the land, the founders of these families, a legendary swordmaster and a powerful archmage, had fallen out over time, their differences escalating into a bitter feud. The swordmaster lost both his arms in the conflict, while the mage, stripped of his powers, vanished into obscurity. Their legacy, however, remained a constant shadow cast upon any potential reconciliation between the two families.
Subsequently, their remaining descendants kept the animosity alive. For generations, disagreements turned into heated arguments, with each side eager to strike back at the other. It was a bitter legacy, and the tension was palpable even today.
Kaon, sensing a conversation brewing, slowly took a step back. But Baroness Robert was quick to approach him.
“Young Master Kaon!” she exclaimed. “I heard those Ingelos scoundrels broke their word! Is it true?”
Kaon hesitated. Technically, it was true. Breaking agreements was considered incredibly disrespectful, and he had felt the sting of their actions himself during the ball.
“So it’s true!” Baroness Robert continued, her voice rising. “Those insolent fools! Do they think they can disrespect the Ferdinands like this?”
Madeleine, equally perturbed, chimed in, “What in the world were they thinking?”
The problem, however, was that silence was often interpreted as agreement. Kaon’s inability to deny their accusations fueled the women’s fury.
“Did they at least apologize? I doubt those ill-mannered pigs could even fathom such a thing!” Baroness Robert spat.
“No, the princess…” Kaon attempted to interject.
“Oh, dear,” Madeleine interrupted, shaking her head. “Those mages have always been like that, so full of themselves! Everyone else is beneath them!”
“She sincerely apologized,” Kaon insisted.
“Leo should understand very well how much the duchess disliked mages in her time!” Baroness Robert countered, her voice laced with bitterness.
Kaon felt like a forgotten voice in a storm of outrage. No matter how hard he tried to speak, the two women, their eyes flashing with anger, seemed oblivious to his words.
“What has happened to our young master?” Madeleine cried out again. “Why must he be forced to marry a stranger?”
“Oh, Madeleine,” Baroness Robert lamented, wiping away tears. “I can’t believe he has to accept a witch as his wife! What can we do?”
As Kaon glanced around, he saw the other servants share his family’s deep-seated distrust of mages. Many had suffered under the Ingelos family’s rule and held strong prejudices. Until recently, Kaon himself had believed all mages to be arrogant and self-serving, indistinguishable from the tyrannical leaders of Ingelos.
But the princess he’d met was different. Polite, kind, and apologetic, she defied his every expectation.
“She must be an evil person, hiding beneath an ugly face,” Madeleine whispered. “What if she tries to control our young master with dark magic?”
“No, it’s not like that at all…” Kaon began, feeling compelled to defend her.
She wasn’t ugly or cruel. Even in her simple black robe, she radiated a quiet grace. Nor did “vicious” seem appropriate. In truth, their encounter at the ball had left him with a positive impression, but solely because she appeared so kind.
Yet, wouldn’t it be strange to say that out loud? After all, it was an arranged engagement, and his opinion wouldn’t change anything.
“I can’t sit idly by!” declared Baroness Robert, her voice firm. “I, Beverly Robert, swear in my name to speak with Leonidas about this!”
“Despite my limitations, I stand ready to help, Madam,” Madeleine added solemnly.
“Please, no!” Kaon interjected, realizing he couldn’t allow them to confront Leonidas. “My sister considered all options before making this decision. Ultimately, it’s for the good of Ferdinand.”
He wasn’t lying, but his voice carried a tinge of doubt, a knot forming in his stomach.
“I can’t be sheltered forever. Our parents are gone, and I must support Leo. Please, trust my sister’s judgment. In the end, it will benefit our family.”
“Young Master, you’ve become so mature!”
“Indeed, Young Master…”
Baroness Robert, touched by his words, dissolved into fresh tears. Madeleine and the others followed suit, wiping away their own.
Kaon turned away from the praise, a sense of unease gnawing at his conscience. Leaving the room, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was amiss.
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next chapter will be posted tomorrow. the servants are so cute and wholesome 😀
