“Duke.”
Seeing the two in their formal uniforms, they looked quite impressive. Since Carol always treated her brother like a child, and the Duke had secretly thought the same, it felt refreshingly different.
“Why aren’t you inside already?”
The Duke greeted them, patting Kevin and Dylan’s shoulders.
He could feel glances from others around them.
“We wanted to greet you, Duke.”
Greeting the Duke here was essentially announcing to other nobles that they had the Duke’s backing.
“I see.”
They might not have thought that far, but their attitude showed they understood well what today’s inauguration ceremony meant.
“Thank you for coming. We won’t forget your kindness.”
Kevin expressed his gratitude to the Duke maturely. Dylan also bowed his head behind him.
The Duke looked at the two with his hands behind his back. Carol was supposed to come with Lord Elais and his son, so the Duke came alone.
“You won’t be able to return to the North with the teacher, but I’ll try to arrange for you to come back as early as possible.”
“Thank you.”
“Thank you.”
Dylan parroted Kevin’s words like a parrot. As the Duke was about to pass by, Dylan stopped him.
“Um, Duke.”
“Ah, the sword.”
“Pardon?”
When the Duke brought up the sword first, Dylan was startled. His face, looking up at the Duke with excitement, was like a child before receiving a gift.
“I was going to return it originally.”
The Duke paused for a moment.
“And then…?”
During that brief pause, Dylan’s face looked anxious, as if wondering if something had happened to his sword.
In fact, the sword was in the carriage, but the Duke said with a natural, regretful expression,
“I forgot to bring it.”
The Duke smiled brightly.
He thought this level of mischief would be fine.
The Duke passed by the two and went inside.
At the Duke’s words, Dylan’s face fell as he had wanted to participate in the inauguration ceremony with his sword.
“…Kevin.”
Dylan called Kevin in a low voice.
“No.”
“I haven’t said anything yet.”
“You want me to pass the sword to you when I receive the knighthood, right?”
“…Yeah.”
“Does it make sense to share one sword in front of everyone?”
At Kevin’s sharp words, Dylan pouted.
Anyone seeing the royal palace for the first time would be awestruck.
Jack was. He gazed out the carriage window at the palace scenery, mesmerized.
The white marble palace seemed to emit a soft light when the sun shone on it, giving a sense of vibrant vitality. Up close, the intricate patterns carved into the building itself looked glamorous and sensual.
While Lord Elais and his son were momentarily lost in admiration, the carriage passed through the front garden and reached its destination.
Most of the attendees were from powerful noble families, so Carol’s modestly dressed group stood out.
“If it’s difficult for you, I can reschedule.”
Carol apologized. Due to adjusting to the Duke’s schedule, they ended up unable to meet before the inauguration ceremony.
“That’s not necessary. Today will be a rewarding day.”
Only after Lord Elais reassured her again did Carol nod in understanding.
“Thank you for understanding.”
Jack, seemingly displeased that this schedule might be too strenuous for Lord Elais whose strength had rapidly declined, said in a confrontational tone.
“This is too much, considering Father’s poor health.”
“…I’m sorry.”
“What did you say your business was?”
“Well, yes.”
Carol responded coolly to what seemed like a provocation.
Her expression darkened at the direct questioning, as she was already annoyed by the continuous confrontational remarks.
Jack flinched momentarily at Carol’s face but soon frowned and grumbled.
“How busy must you be that people who’ve come from far away have to adjust to your schedule?”
“He really was very busy. I tried my best, but he simply couldn’t find the time.”
Carol explained the reason and apologized once again. From behind, Lord Elais tried to restrain Jack, saying it was fine, but Jack didn’t stop his sarcastic remarks.
“It’s not like you’re discussing crucial state affairs. One would think all the world’s business is done by one person.”
Jack, who had unintentionally hit the nail on the head, quickly went inside and sat in his designated seat under Carol’s gaze.
She could see the back of the Duke who had arrived earlier.
It had been a few days since she’d seen him. When she received a letter asking for understanding due to busyness, the Duke’s assistant who brought the letter had lamented that they were at the point of having to skimp on sleep, so she knew how busy they had been.
‘He looks a bit sleepy.’
The Duke sat elegantly in perfect attire without a single flaw. While those around were whispering about how perfect he was, Carol could clearly see that he was fatigued.
Her lips curved up involuntarily. Though she quickly composed herself, Lord Elais, sitting right next to her, seemed to have noticed and asked with a curious expression.
“Is the person you’re seeing also attending?”
“…Was it that obvious?”
Carol lowered her head deeply.
Jack, who had been eavesdropping, unnecessarily looked around.
Though he thought it might be a knight working in the palace, there was no way he could identify Carol’s lover just by looking around.
Soon, the huge doors closed.
The interior of the hall was even more delicate and splendid than the exterior. The walls and ceiling were adorned with purple, white, blue, and gold colors, and the decorations on the walls were carved even more intricately than those outside.
And at the very top, a massive chandelier was placed, highlighting the splendor and elegance of the palace.
‘They say even palace buildings follow trends. It really is magnificent.’
Carol examined it, recalling the old castle in the North. Though plainer in comparison, she much preferred the Duke’s Mansion with its dignified and elegant aspects.
“His Highness the Crown Prince enters.”
At the herald’s call, everyone rose from their seats.
The Crown Prince, his left chest full of medals, ascended the platform. The princes and princesses were already seated, with only the central seat remaining empty. The Crown Prince naturally took his seat in the ornate chair.
“I thank you all for gracing this old-fashioned occasion.”
Knights were lined up beside the Crown Prince, a long red carpet was laid out in front, and small cushions were placed at the bottom of the platform.
Everyone fell silent as if by agreement. At the Crown Prince’s gesture, all took their seats.
“I’ve hosted this inauguration ceremony because there are knights I particularly want to inaugurate.”
The Crown Prince, looking down, spoke in a light tone unbefitting an official occasion while smiling, but tension could be felt in the surroundings.
“This doesn’t mean I intend to treat them more specially. By sheer coincidence, my siblings also had many knights they wanted to inaugurate on the same day, so we merely changed the venue.”
He was indirectly stating that the knighthood inauguration was just that, not a political move. It was also a warning not to overstep boundaries.
“So I hope no unpleasant words reach my ears because of this.”
Most of the attending nobles were relatives of the knights being inaugurated today, so no one except Carol’s group misunderstood his warning.
The knighthood inauguration ceremony proceeded in a more solemn atmosphere than Carol had expected.
First, the Knight Commander came out and elaborated on the meaning of receiving knighthood and the definition of a knight.
“The title of ‘Sir’ is equivalent to receiving the rank of junior baron. Remember that not being granted a domain means that all territories of the empire are domains you must protect.”
After a long explanation, the nobles to be knighted by the royals were called forward first to receive their titles.
Kneeling on the cushion, the royal lightly tapped their head and both shoulders in order with a sword that was more ornamental than functional.
Then, the Knight Commander beside them handed the royal a medal certifying knighthood, which the royal then bestowed upon the knight.
After the same actions were repeated to the point of tedium, it was Kevin and Dylan’s turn.
The two were last in line.
Seeing the brothers she had always thought of as young, now in uniform, kneeling on the cushion before the Crown Prince to receive knighthood, felt surreal to Carol.
The Crown Prince, after formally placing the sword on their heads and shoulders in turn, said,
“I hope you become talents who will uphold the empire’s prestige, Sirs.”
At the Crown Prince’s words of blessing, the two placed their fists on their chests and bowed their heads.
“Yes. We will do our best.”
Lord Elais patted Carol’s shoulder.
As if the warmth from his wrinkled hand transferred to her, her eyes began to feel hot.
“Your parents would be proud.”
Lord Elais whispered just loud enough for Carol to hear. Her eyes unconsciously reddened.
“Thank you.”
She wiped her tears with the handkerchief Lord Elais took out and handed to her.
Despite the solemn scene, Dylan’s lips protruding slightly more than usual was noticeable, but nonetheless, the inauguration ceremony ended safely.
The wistful emotions were fleeting.
People stood up all at once. The Duke, who had been standing in the front row, did the same. When their eyes met, he smiled as if he had been waiting and mouthed:
‘Wait.’
Before Carol could respond, the Crown Prince called the Duke over.
“Haah…”
Carol, who had momentarily harbored disrespectful thoughts towards the Crown Prince of this empire, left the hall with slightly quicker steps than usual, fearing someone might detect her thoughts.
