Niels looked at Ferdinand’s young master with a puzzled expression. No matter how skilled a squire was, they were still just a squire—a greenhorn, so to speak.
In contrast, their young master was a prodigy who had been knighted five years earlier than his peers and had become an elite knight the following year.
Though he had disappointed the commander with his laziness in recent years, his skills had not diminished.
‘Why is he acting like this all of a sudden?’
Niels glanced around cautiously. Since the passing of the previous duke and duchess, Kaon had avoided duels, seemingly trying to avoid any attention.
But today, at the welcome ceremony, not only the knights but also the servants had gathered at the outdoor training ground to watch. Except for Leonidas, who had briefly shown his face before leaving, everyone else was watching the duel.
For Kaon to step forward in such a setting was out of character for him.
“Other guys are also looking for a chance to discipline the newcomer. Why don’t you let them?”
After a moment of hesitation, Niels decided to try to dissuade him. While it was good to inspire the squires, Kaon was an extraordinary figure who could crush their spirits instead. He was a harsh opponent for someone who had just joined the order today.
“I, I’m fine.”
“Huh…”
However, the squire chosen by Kaon rejected Niels’ concern. Despite his trembling, he accepted the wooden sword and stepped forward. Contrary to his appearance, he seemed quite brave.
“Well, he says he’s fine.”
Kaon shrugged and gripped the wooden sword he had been handed. Just before he put on his helmet, he noticed Georgie’s gaze shift to the left, where Alessia was standing. Seeing his eyes linger on her, Kaon’s expression grew colder.
“I didn’t expect the second son of the Flemming family to apply. I heard he’s quite skilled for his age, but given his mother’s overprotectiveness, everyone thought he’d join the Flemming knights.”
Maurice, who always had an ear for gossip, had said that about Georgie Flemming. Despite having a knight order in his own family, there was a reason he had come to Ferdinand. Perhaps he wanted to escape his mother’s interference.
Kaon didn’t care much about personal matters, but it bothered him that Georgie kept showing interest in Alessia. Kaon was engaged to Alessia, even if it wasn’t by their choice, it was official.
He didn’t mind if Georgie admired Alessia from afar, but it was annoying when he made it obvious. No matter how much they bickered and fought, Alessia was still his fiancée.
“Go ahead and attack first.”
“…I won’t hold back.”
After a brief standoff, Georgie charged. Contrary to his previously timid demeanor, his attack was swift and decisive. His skill was evident as his wooden sword came crashing down.
The wooden sword flew toward Kaon’s head in the blink of an eye, but Kaon easily deflected Georgie’s attack to the side. Georgie seemed momentarily taken aback when his strike was effortlessly blocked.
However, he quickly regained his composure and lunged forward again, swinging his sword. The two wooden swords clashed multiple times at an invisible speed.
“Oh…”
The onlookers murmured in admiration. As the duel appeared more evenly matched than expected, Georgie’s reputation quickly rose. The servants, who had never seen Kaon wield a sword, whispered, “Could the young master actually lose?”
But the seasoned knights and elite members watched the duel without much reaction. To their trained eyes, the outcome was already clear.
Kaon was effortlessly parrying Georgie’s continuous attacks. As Georgie’s full-force strikes kept getting deflected, a look of desperation appeared on his face, hidden beneath his helmet.
Despite his aggressive attacks, Georgie was being pushed back, losing his composure. Suddenly, he felt a cold sensation on his neck. Kaon’s sword was already there.
“Ugh…”
Realizing the overwhelming difference in their abilities, Georgie finally understood that Kaon had deliberately drawn out the duel to bring out his skills. Had it not been for this, he wouldn’t have lasted even a minute.
“I lost.”
As Georgie admitted defeat, the spectators erupted in enthusiastic cheers. The elite knights wore slightly flushed expressions, having not seen Kaon duel in a long time, while the servants, seeing his swordsmanship for the first time, looked at him with eyes full of admiration.
“Good job.”
But Kaon, ignoring the pouring praise and cheers, immediately left the training ground. Eyes searched busily for any trace of him as he disappeared.
***
Throughout the duel, Kaon couldn’t stop thinking about Alessia. No matter how much he tried not to, his eyes kept drifting towards her.
‘Why is she making that face?’
More than Georgie, who was charging at him, Alessia’s increasingly darkening expression bothered him. She had turned pale as she watched the duel. It wasn’t that she was scared of the duel itself; she had watched Yvonne’s matches with great interest.
Kaon, who had intended to observe the squire’s skills a bit more, hurriedly ended the duel. Alessia had abruptly stood up and left the training ground near the end of the duel. That was why Kaon had not stayed to watch the remaining matches.
As he quickly entered the main building, Kaon caught a glimpse of silver hair passing by at the end of the stairs. Without hesitation, he ran up the stairs two at a time. As he expected, Alessia was just climbing to the next floor.
“Alessia!”
At the sound of her name, Alessia stopped in her tracks. Kaon didn’t miss the chance and quickly closed the distance, standing in front of her. Alessia looked at him with an expression as hard as stone.
Seeing her expression, Kaon felt something twist inside him. He had dueled and defeated Georgie Flemming. He couldn’t believe that this fact had made Alessia so angry.
“Do you like Georgie Flemming that much?”
Enough to look at him like that?
Kaon bit back the urge to add that, clenching his teeth. Alessia, with her cold, shining red eyes, pulled the corners of her mouth in a clear sneer.
“Kaon Ferdinand, it’s nice that you can only think in that way.”
“What do you mean by ‘that way’?”
If not that way, then what way?
Georgie Flemming had shown visible affection towards her, and Alessia had kindly accepted it as she did with everyone else. That alone was irritating, but he couldn’t say anything about it. Alessia was always kind to everyone except him.
But this time was different. Alessia was expressing her anger with visible emotion. One didn’t have to scream and make a scene to show anger. There was such a thing as cold fury, as Alessia was demonstrating now.
“You once asked me why I treated you differently.”
Alessia, looking straight up at Kaon who was blocking her path, began to speak. Kaon met her gaze without flinching.
“It’s because I don’t like you.”
“…What?”
Kaon froze at the words that slowly fell from her lips. He felt his whole body stiffen with shock.
Alessia, as if holding back something, spoke again with a clenched jaw.
“I’ve disliked you from the beginning.”
A sharp pain throbbed near his heart. Perhaps he had already suspected it. He had noticed the faint hatred in Alessia’s eyes when she looked at him at some point.
But it was fleeting and understandable. He was a Ferdinand and she was an Ingelos. They had grown up hearing bad things about each other, so it was natural to feel that way. Even Kaon had ingrained hatred for Ingelos in his mind, so it wasn’t surprising that Alessia felt the same.
Fortunately, that hatred had faded over time, becoming hard to find now. Kaon thought that was a relief. At least he believed so. Even though Alessia still hated him.
“…Why do you hate me?”
“Why I hate you…”
For a moment, her eyes wavered. The one speaking seemed more tormented. After what felt like an eternity, Alessia muttered in a pained tone.
“…I hate that you’ll never understand why.”
***
After the welcome ceremony, a dinner banquet was held in the dining hall. The squires, who had spent the day in tension, joined in the eating and drinking. Among the rowdy knights, Kaon, who had remained silent, stood up from his seat.
“Leaving already? Oh, come on, the night is just beginning!”
Maurice, who was leading the atmosphere, tried to stop him, but Kaon coldly brushed him off and left. He had no appetite, and his mind was too cluttered to stay in such a noisy place any longer. He felt that swinging his sword might clear his head.
As Kaon left the dining hall and headed towards the training ground, he paused. A faint voice from upstairs caught his keen hearing.
“I would appreciate it if you refrained from mingling with the knights in private.”
🍉🍉🍉
