Let’s see who wins this.
Two months passed since Kaon had that thought, and about three months since they returned to Ferdinand. One day, Kaon decided to confront Alessia.
“Hey!”
Alessia was sitting at her desk, studying a map. It seemed Joseph was right about her fascination with the continent.
“What?”
“What do you mean, ‘what?’”
Without even glancing up from the map, she replied absentmindedly. She didn’t even bother to look at Kaon.
“Isn’t it inhumane to keep me from sleeping properly?”
Kaon shouted, feeling utterly exasperated. While he had initially tried to provoke Alessia, he found himself on the receiving end more and more as time went on.
In fact, Kaon had only disturbed Alessia’s sleep once, on the first night. But for almost two months now, Alessia had been waking him up every morning on his days off.
It happened so often that even on days without morning training, Kaon was afraid she would wake him and got up early on his own. It was forced waking, plain and simple.
“And why do you keep using my name?”
And that wasn’t all. She had skillfully forged his handwriting and signed him up for all sorts of training sessions. As a result, Kaon found himself stretched thin.
When he tried to skip some group training sessions that weren’t critical, she made sure to report his absence. She even told Leonidas she was worried about Kaon’s health.
“I just left the curtains open a bit because the weather was nice.”
“Then open the ones in your room!”
“I guess I pulled a bit too far, and it reached your side.”
“…There’s a wall between us. How could you touch my curtains? Make sense for once.”
Alessia ignored him and continued studying her map. She was unbelievably annoying, and no one but Kaon saw this side of her.
To the people of Ferdinand Castle, Alessia was a kind and mature noblewoman, a diligent mage, and Kaon’s gentle fiancée. She was flawless in every way, leaving Kaon to suffer alone.
With the way things were going, Kaon’s initial goal of testing Alessia’s patience had long vanished, and his own patience was wearing thin.
He found himself thinking it was better when she only used words to lash out. Who knew someone could torment another person so creatively? Even a devil would be impressed.
‘Maybe it would have been better to be ignored.’
Of course, being completely ignored was unbearable too, but this situation had its own set of problems. He wondered why she couldn’t find a middle ground.
“Are you really going to keep this up?”
“Well, who started it?”
Finally, Alessia closed her map and looked at Kaon. Her red eyes, shimmering in the light, met his directly.
“You started it, Kaon Ferdinand.”
“…So you want to see it through to the end?”
“If that’s what you want, I have no problem with it.”
“You…”
Kaon hesitated, then closed his mouth. He realized how ridiculous he was, searching for the Alessia he used to know in the eyes of the indifferent woman before him.
It had been a year since the princess of Ingelos first set foot in Ferdinand. No one knew better than Kaon that the Alessia of then and now were not the same.
The Alessia Ingelos he once liked was just a façade, a character she had crafted. The real Alessia Ingelos, the one only he knew, was the person standing before him now.
After her secret was discovered, Alessia acted like a completely different person, which surprised and confused Kaon. Even after struggling to adapt, he couldn’t let go of the thought that they were ultimately the same person. He knew it was foolish, but he couldn’t shake it.
He couldn’t forget the Alessia who smiled at him kindly or looked at him with those indescribable eyes.
But now Kaon understood. No matter what he did, Alessia would never return to the person he had once liked. That was just a façade.
So he had to be ready to face the real Alessia.
“Fine. Let’s see this through to the end.”
Kaon, finally ready to confront the real Alessia, declared this and turned away. Her gaze lingered on his back for a while.
***
The summer sky was clear, and flocks of migratory birds flew by. The green world was now transforming into a tapestry of autumn colors.
Kaon listened to Joseph’s report on the changes in the knights’ roster and nodded. Fortunately, the number of squires was similar to previous years, and there were plenty of new recruits.
Kaon looked away from the documents and gazed out the window. As he admired the autumn landscape, he spotted someone running and frowned.
“What’s the matter now?”
“What?”
“You’re looking at Lady Alessia, aren’t you?”
Alessia’s silver hair, tied back and swaying, was easily noticeable even from a distance. Joseph, too, had quickly realized who Kaon was watching.
“You used to be so obvious about your feelings. Even as a fellow man, I can’t figure you out, Kaon.”
“Who said I was obvious?”
Kaon immediately retorted. Joseph flinched at his intensity but continued speaking.
“At first, you couldn’t even look her in the eye.”
“How long ago are you talking about?”
“So, you admit you were like that before?”
Kaon clamped his mouth shut. He almost fell for Joseph’s words, like he was debating someone who made a living from talking.
Lately, Kaon had been trying to see Alessia as she really was. It wasn’t as hard as he thought. After all, he had seen the kind Alessia for a much shorter time.
Now that he had come to terms with things, he found himself bickering with her more than ever. Sometimes, their exchanges were quite sharp, though it was usually just calling each other idiots or fools.
Alessia was no longer in sight, having disappeared behind a building. Kaon turned away from the window.
“I heard you plan to revert the inspection schedule to its original next year.”
“Our knights are excellent even without me.”
“Lady Alessia might be disappointed.”
“Yeah, right…”
Kaon scoffed. Alessia Ingelos wouldn’t be upset over something like that. She had no expectations or feelings for him to begin with. Admitting this hurt his pride, but it was the truth.
“Everyone likes her. Why are you like this? Did you have a big fight?”
“No.”
“Or did you confess and get rejected?”
“No, I didn’t.”
Kaon denied it more strongly this time. That couldn’t be. He hadn’t confessed, so he couldn’t have been rejected. Though, thinking about it made him feel somewhat dejected. His pride took another hit.
“You must not have much work if you keep talking nonsense.”
“Oh, I still have work. I’ll get back to it now.”
Joseph quickly retreated, and silence finally settled over the surroundings. Kaon headed alone toward the knights’ building. Tomorrow was the day they would welcome new recruits.
The induction of squires and the entrance exams typically took place at the beginning of the year. Those joining tomorrow were entering Ferdinand through connections, but they still had to pass basic tests, so they weren’t entirely without merit. Kaon decided it was best to brief the other knights today.
“On the night of the banquet, you were going to tell me about today.”
“My goodness… I didn’t expect you to remember that. It truly makes me happy.”
As Kaon approached the training grounds, he paused at the sound of a conversation. Alessia was chatting pleasantly with someone. Kaon couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at their friendly tone.
“Oh, so you saw her in a dress?”
Soon, Maurice joined the conversation, likely with an eager sparkle in his eyes. Kaon didn’t need to see it to know.
“Yes, well… yes, I did. She was truly, truly beautiful. She shone the brightest among everyone there.”
The timid-sounding man hesitated and stammered before praising Alessia effusively.
Kaon folded his arms with a sour expression. They seemed to be having a great time. That banquet had nearly a hundred attendees, possibly more. How could anyone definitively claim Alessia was the most dazzling of them all? There might have been someone else more remarkable, though nothing came to his mind. Regardless, it was an exaggeration.
“Of course! I never doubted it. My only regret is not seeing it with my own eyes.”
“Anyone who hears you would think it’s true. You’re too flattering.”
“No, not at all. I truly…”
Unable to listen any longer, Kaon stepped inside. And soon, he found himself facing someone he had hoped never to see again.
🍉🍉🍉
