“I suppose I should visit Zyro at least once. I need to get a feel for the social circles there, and also properly check out that Gabriel guy’s face…….”
Carlyle decided that he needed to get a better understanding of Gabriel, who seemed to be behind the Empress.
“In any case, today we are once again indebted to the Dupret family’s messenger.”
“It is my family’s honor to serve Your Highness, and it is also my pleasure.”
Cecilia modestly bowed her knees in response to Carlyle’s praise.
Although she had not said anything, Cecilia actually thought that the method Giles had just proposed and been stopped from suggesting was quite good.
‘His Highness Carlyle is unexpectedly showing his weak side. It doesn’t seem like he should be so relaxed right now…’
It was a little strange.
The Carlyle Evaristo she knew was not someone who cared about the lives of commoners.
No, it was even questionable whether he, who had been the Crown Prince, had ever had the opportunity to closely examine the lives of the people in the war zone.
Soon, she felt a gaze on her and turned her head to meet Giles’ eyes. He reluctantly nodded his head in greeting when their eyes met, but to Cecilia, it seemed nothing more than a warning to her.
‘That man should just focus on his role as a bookkeeper, why is he trying to take over Carlyle’s position as well?’
Cecilia snorted as she thought of the meek and gentle Dorothea. She had no intention of losing to such a woman.
She straightened her back and smiled, confident and beautiful.
“Then I will take my leave now. If there are any parts of the letter that need to be interpreted or if there is any news to be sent to the capital, please call for me.”
Cecilia hoped that Carlyle would notice the hidden meaning in her words and ask her to stay ‘personally’.
However, Carlyle saw her off with an indifferent attitude that could be interpreted as either oblivious or intentional.
It was still unclear who would take the place next to Carlyle.
***
Hey! Come here and clean this up too!”
“What are you saying? That’s your training ground, you should take care of it yourselves.”
One morning that seemed peaceful, a commotion occurred near the training ground used by the Haven Knights.
After the Pervaz warriors were clearing snow, some of the knights saw this and demanded that they clear the snow of their training ground as well.
“If we weren’t here, you would have been absent-minded and been taken from behind by the barbarians…! If you know shame, you should at least pretend to repay the favor!”
At those words, the Pervaz warriors’ foreheads creased sharply.
“In any case, would you have been safe even if we all had fallen?”
“That’s right. You’re making a fuss while acting superior, when you would have come out anyway.”
At their retort, this time the knights grinded their teeth.
“Those beggar-like things dare…!”
In that manner, the two sides who lived while ‘pretending not to see even if they saw’ exploded the resentment they had only stored within until then.
The fight of a few people that started near the border of the Knights’ training ground grew progressively larger as time passed, and around noon a vicious atmosphere arose with more than half of the warriors from each side flocking over.
Eventually, Decker and the Knight Commander Isaac came forward and restrained their respective subordinates, making them retreat, but that was merely a stopgap measure.
“How long has it been since the servants were disciplined, that they fight again? It’s a headache.”
“The servants and the knights are different.”
Carlyle, who had received the report, shook his head as if disgusted, but Lionel only increased his nagging further.
“How many times have I told you that the most dangerous ones are the knights? The only people they likely obey besides Your Highness are me or Sir Solon.”
“Are you saying this situation was created because I treated the knights, who shared hardships with me, well?”
“Something has become corrupt. Don’t they think it’s fine to look down on everyone below them like Your Highness Carlyle?”
Lionel had the talent to pick out things that the listener doesn’t want to hear, but the more annoying thing was that every word of it was true.
Leaning against the backrest of the chair, Carlyle muttered as he puffed out cigar smoke.
“Countess Pervaz must have heard about it too, right?”
“Obviously.”
“Tsk.”
Even knowing that, it was only asked once.
“She’ll probably come visit later?”
“If you are truly afraid, please request a visit first. There seems to have been a conflict between the two knight orders, let’s discuss a solution together.”
“‘Truly afraid’? Are you saying I’m a scaredy-cat?”
“But I can guarantee that if Countess Pervaz comes first, the atmosphere will be like when you gather the servants. I was honestly terrified, but if Your Highness is alright with it, then…”
Even though the atmosphere between Carlyle and Asha had been a little awkward lately, Lionel was confident that Asha still cared most about Pervaz.
For a moment, the only sound was the crackling of the fire in the fireplace.
“Without any misunderstanding, please ask for a visit politely.”
“Yes.”
Lionel answered immediately, as if he had expected Carlyle’s answer, and stood up. Carlyle was a little annoyed, but he couldn’t say anything more.
And Lionel’s prediction was correct.
Even though he had asked her to visit politely, in a way that would not cause any misunderstanding, Asha’s expression was cold when she came to see Carlyle.
“From the looks on your face, you seem to have heard the news already.”
Carlyle offered Asha a seat, curling his lips awkwardly.
“We admit that our knights were the first to start the trouble. Instead, we apologize.”
“…I will gratefully accept your apology.”
“We also apologize for the fact that our knights were the first to start the swearing.”
“Likewise, thank you.”
Asha sighed and swallowed her anger, unable to vent her anger because Carlyle had apologized first.
However, the matter was not resolved simply by accepting Carlyle’s apology.
“Even if we manage to get through today, there is no guarantee that this problem will not happen again.”
“Of course. Next time, it will be a much bigger problem.”
“It’s not a problem that can be solved just because the higher-ups are telling us to get along.”
“Unfortunately.”
Carlyle knew that the important thing now was not to apologize, but to prevent a recurrence. He just didn’t see how.
Even if Carlyle himself ordered them to respect each other and get along, nothing would change.
Then Lionel, who had been listening from the side, cautiously suggested.
“Why don’t we train together from now on?”
At those words, Carlyle and Asha’s gazes turned to Lionel at the same time.
“Wouldn’t that just increase the chances of us fighting?”
“That may be the case at first. However, we are all warriors, and the strength of both sides is evenly matched. So…”
“That’s a bit of a blow to my pride.”
As Carlyle cut off Lionel and retorted, Asha also spoke up without backing down.
“Me too.”
“Hoho, are you saying that the Pervaz army is stronger than my knights…?”
“If armies fought against each other, of course we’d lose. The quantity and quality of horses, weapons, and armor are different. But I believe if individuals were to face off under the same conditions, we wouldn’t lose.”
“Really?”
“Of course.”
Flames seemed to flicker in the gazes of the two facing each other.
In the midst of this, Lionel took a short breath then continued the conversation that was left unfinished earlier.
“…Through training, we’ll come to understand each other’s strengths and develop mutual respect. I suggested this method because I thought it might be more palatable to the infantry.”
Though Carlyle and Asha still eyed each other, they found merit in Lionel’s opinion.
“Alright, then let’s try that method. It’s better than sitting idle.”
Two days later, both armies gathered unknowingly in the knights’ training grounds.
“What’s this? Why are we gathering with them?”
“Goodness, are they even allowed to set foot in the training grounds of the esteemed knights?”
Everyone scanned each other with a mixture of apprehension.
But as Carlyle and Asha ascended the platform in the training grounds, the murmurs faded, and all eyes turned towards them.
“Attention! Salute!”
At the thunderous voice of Knight Commander Isaac Solon, everyone saluted towards Carlyle and Asha, but even the gesture differed between the two sides.
The Heaven’s Knights extended their right arms, clenched their fists against their chests, and bowed their heads, while Perbaz soldiers pounded their left chests near their hearts twice with their fists before collectively kneeling on one knee.
“Impressive, but isn’t it a bit much?”
“Well, we’re used to this…”
Carlyle whispered to Asha standing beside him, but she just shrugged.
Anyway, the matter of formalities could be discussed later. Now, they had more pressing matters to attend to.
“Alright, everyone, listen up.”
Carlyle, after lining up soldiers from both sides in formation, surveyed them all.
Thanks to heavy investment in Pervaz warriors, the stark differences between the two camps weren’t as apparent as before, but there still seemed to be an insurmountable barrier between them.
Starting from appearance and physique to the weapons they held, everything seemed too different from one another.
