That day, in a panic, I hurriedly retreated to the Delphinium Room and racked my brain, wondering how on earth I was going to clear up this misunderstanding.
‘How can I make the Duke think of my brother decently and reasonably…?’
There was no trick. The only thing that came to mind was breaking the stealth spell and revealing that Cassian Gray was, in fact, my brother.
‘In short, I must kill the Dark Villain quickly to clear up the misunderstanding.’
That day, I fell asleep with a heavy heart.
And so the next day came. My life hasn’t changed much since then.
No, I thought it hadn’t changed.
But from that moment on, the Duke began to show his possessive nature toward me as an imprint, openly and brazenly.
I had always been vaguely aware that becoming an ‘imprint companion’ increased one’s obsession, possessiveness, and affection for the imprinted person…
‘No, I think this is a bit too much…?’
Although the Duke’s demeanor had been affectionate enough up until now!
‘…Yes, it’s definitely gone too far.’
Not only did he prepare a beautiful dress and jewelry for the after-party of the swordsmanship tournament, but when I told him that I loved to play in the snow and build snowmen. He called a wizard to bring artificial snow to the castle.
So now, I was sitting at the garden table watching Rune and the Duke building snowmen.
Rune laughed happily as he placed the three snowmen on the table outside.
“Heehee, snowman!”
“…Yes.”
Rune pouted as he pointed to the three snowmen with his little fingers.
“Daddy Snowman, Mommy Snowman, and Baby Snowman!”
Rune patted the one she pointed to, Daddy Snowman, and looked at the Duke. His eyes seemed to have hearts in them.
‘I really don’t know why, but Rune is completely smitten with the Duke!’
He seemed to have forgotten about my brother by now, as he was repeating Daddy, Daddy. I felt sorry for him, but also a little happy for him.
There was the Rune jester, soaring high in the sky, holding the Duke’s scepter like a true knight in shining armor.
It was nice to see the baby playing so energetically after being confined to the orphanage, and I was also a bit pleased that the Duke was tenderly attending to him.
I was both tormented and ecstatic by the Duke and Rune’s affectionate displays, and before I knew it, it was the day of La Bohème, the after-party for the swordsmanship tournament.
Tonight’s celebration was supposed to award a laurel wreath of honor to the final victorious Knight of the Sword tournament.
The winner of the tournament was, of course, Lord Mayer.
As everyone expected, he won, so there would be no pledge of loyalty to the Lady of the Sword, the crowning glory of the tournament.
Everyone said it was a bit of a letdown, but I was excited about the party, with so much more to see.
‘Let’s enjoy this day!’
I grinned from ear to ear as I scanned my surroundings. Unlike the usual banquets of the aristocrats in the capital, the balls in the north were a bit more free-spirited.
My eyes first went in the direction of the music. Beautiful melodies filled the hall, played by an orchestra of raccoon and owl men.
Next to the stage, the seat reserved for the Duke was painted with the symbols of the four vassal families.
Below them, the duke’s vassals were seated nearby at a round table, each tipping and sipping wine.
Of course, people were passing around me, including a bear and a gorilla, who stared at me and smiled.
They didn’t come up to approach and talk to me, but I could tell that… the atmosphere had changed from when I first entered the castle.
Soon, the Duke entered the hall and took his seat at the head podium.
“I will crown the winner of the swordsmanship tournament with a laurel wreath.”
The Duke of Anais said nonchalantly as he raised his wine glass. I raised my wine glass and looked in his direction. He quickly spotted me in the crowd and smiled, his eyes twinkling.
“The Duke’s demeanor seems to have warmed up a bit.”
The others, however, seemed to think differently.
“Why… is he frowning at us?”
“Are we… turning into like that Bazel…”
After a brief uproar, the winner of the swordsmanship tournament, Lord Mayer, appeared. He approached the Duke, his expression as stoic as it had been during the tournament. The Duke, in a ceremonial gesture, crowned Sir Mayer with a laurel wreath.
What followed was another formality. The Duke asked in a casual tone.
“Will the oath of allegiance be omitted this time?”
At that, everyone tipped the wine glasses in their hands, expecting that there would be no lady from Lord Mayer this time. But Lord Mayer looked serious and shook his head.
‘Oh?’
I looked at him curiously.
‘Wasn’t there ever a lady?’
All eyes turned to Lord Mayer at this unexpected development. Or, more precisely, in the direction of the ‘lady’ his gaze was pointing.
Somehow, I think he’s looking in my direction.
But there was nothing between us. It has nothing to do with me, so I hold my wine glass still and sip, and he begins to stride boldly toward me.
‘Is anyone on my side?’
I glanced around nervously.
And then.
“Lady Astel, I wish to take you as my lady.”
Lord Mayer halted in his tracks and knelt in front of me.
…Out of the blue?
In my panic, I nearly dropped the glass I was holding. Quickly placing the glass back on the table, I rubbed absently at my ears. But before I could think of anything else to do, the answer came quickly and cleanly from the Duke, who was seated at the head of the podium.
“I won’t allow it.”
“…”
But even the Duke of Anais could not arbitrarily dictate the traditions of a sword tournament, and as if he knew this, Lord Mayer looked at me steadfastly.
“I only follow my Lady’s word.”
The Duke then turned to stare at me, frozen with coldness. It was a vicious stare that said, ‘Of course, you’ll refuse,’ but I met the earnest gaze of the man before me.
“Lady.”
I turned to him, stammering in embarrassment.
“Why me, I wonder if there is some mistake…”
But he confessed his sincerity in an appealing voice.
“There is no mistake as to my sincerity, for the events at the sword tournament were witnessed by all the knights present.”
“Uh…”
“Many were suspicious of you at first, Lady Astel, but in the end, you protected the child, and you defended him, and not a single one of them noticed the deception, even though there were many knights there.”
“That’s true!”
Sally, standing beside me, chimed in. Sir Mayer nodded his head in agreement. The embarrassing and awkward praise did not end there.
“You were the true knight that day, Astel.”
“Yes…?”
Me? What, where do you mean…?
“I am impressed by the fortitude of your resolve in the face of all the slander and distrust.”
“No…”
I started to raise my hand, but Sir Mayer beat me to it.
“That day,” he says, “I saw true chivalry.”
My cheeks turned bright red. I wondered if I was being overly flattered to the point of agony, but his words were a cleansing balm.
“Not only me, but every knight in that room probably thought the same thing: that if they won, the lady to whom they would offer flowers would be Astel.”
That was too much!
Flushed to the nape of my neck, I waved my hand in the air, feeling the urge to slap his mouth shut.
“I don’t think it’s…that bad…”
“No, it’s about that extent. Fortunately, the winner of this swordsmanship tournament was me, Lady Astel.”
The muscular, copper-tinged man looked up at me. I thought I was about to be overwhelmed by his cautious gaze, but instead, it softened, reminding me of a small dog with moist eyes. I’d gone too far, hadn’t I?
“So, I vowed that I would give Astel the victor’s honor that day.”
“Well, I don’t think… I don’t think I can do it.”
I blurted out, feeling overwhelmed, “No.”
The Duke’s grumpy words were on top of that rejection. But he wasn’t about to back down, and he passionately began to make his appeal.
“I am the wielder of the Ego Sword, but it has also been specialized for combat and is capable of adequate stealth. I even won the last tournament using both sword and combat at the same time.”
“…I mean.”
It was almost touching to hear that, but I couldn’t figure out why he was doing this to me, and suspicion rose in my heart.
‘The truth is, Lord Mayer… would be able to keep Rune safe better than anyone else.’
As much as I regretted that point, I was ready to decline, but then he threw me a very tempting offer.
“I know you’re suspicious of me.”
Did I look like that…?
What he said surprised me even more.
That day, in a panic, I hurriedly retreated to the Delphinium Room and racked my brain, wondering how on earth I was going to clear up this misunderstanding.
‘How can I make the Duke think of my brother decently and reasonably…?’
There was no trick. The only thing that came to mind was breaking the stealth spell and revealing that Cassian Gray was, in fact, my brother.
‘In short, I must kill the Dark Villain quickly to clear up the misunderstanding.’
That day, I fell asleep with a heavy heart.
And so the next day came. My life hasn’t changed much since then.
No, I thought it hadn’t changed.
But from that moment on, the Duke began to show his possessive nature toward me as an imprint, openly and brazenly.
I had always been vaguely aware that becoming an ‘imprint companion’ increased one’s obsession, possessiveness, and affection for the imprinted person…
‘No, I think this is a bit too much…?’
Although the Duke’s demeanor had been affectionate enough up until now!
‘…Yes, it’s definitely gone too far.’
Not only did he prepare a beautiful dress and jewelry for the after-party of the swordsmanship tournament, but when I told him that I loved to play in the snow and build snowmen. He called a wizard to bring artificial snow to the castle.
So now, I was sitting at the garden table watching Rune and the Duke building snowmen.
Rune laughed happily as he placed the three snowmen on the table outside.
“Heehee, snowman!”
“…Yes.”
Rune pouted as he pointed to the three snowmen with his little fingers.
“Daddy Snowman, Mommy Snowman, and Baby Snowman!”
Rune patted the one she pointed to, Daddy Snowman, and looked at the Duke. His eyes seemed to have hearts in them.
‘I really don’t know why, but Rune is completely smitten with the Duke!’
He seemed to have forgotten about my brother by now, as he was repeating Daddy, Daddy. I felt sorry for him, but also a little happy for him.
There was the Rune jester, soaring high in the sky, holding the Duke’s scepter like a true knight in shining armor.
It was nice to see the baby playing so energetically after being confined to the orphanage, and I was also a bit pleased that the Duke was tenderly attending to him.
I was both tormented and ecstatic by the Duke and Rune’s affectionate displays, and before I knew it, it was the day of La Bohème, the after-party for the swordsmanship tournament.
Tonight’s celebration was supposed to award a laurel wreath of honor to the final victorious Knight of the Sword tournament.
The winner of the tournament was, of course, Lord Mayer.
As everyone expected, he won, so there would be no pledge of loyalty to the Lady of the Sword, the crowning glory of the tournament.
Everyone said it was a bit of a letdown, but I was excited about the party, with so much more to see.
‘Let’s enjoy this day!’
I grinned from ear to ear as I scanned my surroundings. Unlike the usual banquets of the aristocrats in the capital, the balls in the north were a bit more free-spirited.
My eyes first went in the direction of the music. Beautiful melodies filled the hall, played by an orchestra of raccoon and owl men.
Next to the stage, the seat reserved for the Duke was painted with the symbols of the four vassal families.
Below them, the duke’s vassals were seated nearby at a round table, each tipping and sipping wine.
Of course, people were passing around me, including a bear and a gorilla, who stared at me and smiled.
They didn’t come up to approach and talk to me, but I could tell that… the atmosphere had changed from when I first entered the castle.
Soon, the Duke entered the hall and took his seat at the head podium.
“I will crown the winner of the swordsmanship tournament with a laurel wreath.”
The Duke of Anais said nonchalantly as he raised his wine glass. I raised my wine glass and looked in his direction. He quickly spotted me in the crowd and smiled, his eyes twinkling.
“The Duke’s demeanor seems to have warmed up a bit.”
The others, however, seemed to think differently.
“Why… is he frowning at us?”
“Are we… turning into like that Bazel…”
After a brief uproar, the winner of the swordsmanship tournament, Lord Mayer, appeared. He approached the Duke, his expression as stoic as it had been during the tournament. The Duke, in a ceremonial gesture, crowned Sir Mayer with a laurel wreath.
What followed was another formality. The Duke asked in a casual tone.
“Will the oath of allegiance be omitted this time?”
At that, everyone tipped the wine glasses in their hands, expecting that there would be no lady from Lord Mayer this time. But Lord Mayer looked serious and shook his head.
‘Oh?’
I looked at him curiously.
‘Wasn’t there ever a lady?’
All eyes turned to Lord Mayer at this unexpected development. Or, more precisely, in the direction of the ‘lady’ his gaze was pointing.
Somehow, I think he’s looking in my direction.
But there was nothing between us. It has nothing to do with me, so I hold my wine glass still and sip, and he begins to stride boldly toward me.
‘Is anyone on my side?’
I glanced around nervously.
And then.
“Lady Astel, I wish to take you as my lady.”
Lord Mayer halted in his tracks and knelt in front of me.
…Out of the blue?
In my panic, I nearly dropped the glass I was holding. Quickly placing the glass back on the table, I rubbed absently at my ears. But before I could think of anything else to do, the answer came quickly and cleanly from the Duke, who was seated at the head of the podium.
“I won’t allow it.”
“…”
But even the Duke of Anais could not arbitrarily dictate the traditions of a sword tournament, and as if he knew this, Lord Mayer looked at me steadfastly.
“I only follow my Lady’s word.”
The Duke then turned to stare at me, frozen with coldness. It was a vicious stare that said, ‘Of course, you’ll refuse,’ but I met the earnest gaze of the man before me.
“Lady.”
I turned to him, stammering in embarrassment.
“Why me, I wonder if there is some mistake…”
But he confessed his sincerity in an appealing voice.
“There is no mistake as to my sincerity, for the events at the sword tournament were witnessed by all the knights present.”
“Uh…”
“Many were suspicious of you at first, Lady Astel, but in the end, you protected the child, and you defended him, and not a single one of them noticed the deception, even though there were many knights there.”
“That’s true!”
Sally, standing beside me, chimed in. Sir Mayer nodded his head in agreement. The embarrassing and awkward praise did not end there.
“You were the true knight that day, Astel.”
“Yes…?”
Me? What, where do you mean…?
“I am impressed by the fortitude of your resolve in the face of all the slander and distrust.”
“No…”
I started to raise my hand, but Sir Mayer beat me to it.
“That day,” he says, “I saw true chivalry.”
My cheeks turned bright red. I wondered if I was being overly flattered to the point of agony, but his words were a cleansing balm.
“Not only me, but every knight in that room probably thought the same thing: that if they won, the lady to whom they would offer flowers would be Astel.”
That was too much!
Flushed to the nape of my neck, I waved my hand in the air, feeling the urge to slap his mouth shut.
“I don’t think it’s…that bad…”
“No, it’s about that extent. Fortunately, the winner of this swordsmanship tournament was me, Lady Astel.”
The muscular, copper-tinged man looked up at me. I thought I was about to be overwhelmed by his cautious gaze, but instead, it softened, reminding me of a small dog with moist eyes. I’d gone too far, hadn’t I?
“So, I vowed that I would give Astel the victor’s honor that day.”
“Well, I don’t think… I don’t think I can do it.”
I blurted out, feeling overwhelmed, “No.”
The Duke’s grumpy words were on top of that rejection. But he wasn’t about to back down, and he passionately began to make his appeal.
“I am the wielder of the Ego Sword, but it has also been specialized for combat and is capable of adequate stealth. I even won the last tournament using both sword and combat at the same time.”
“…I mean.”
It was almost touching to hear that, but I couldn’t figure out why he was doing this to me, and suspicion rose in my heart.
‘The truth is, Lord Mayer… would be able to keep Rune safe better than anyone else.’
As much as I regretted that point, I was ready to decline, but then he threw me a very tempting offer.
“I know you’re suspicious of me.”
Did I look like that…?
What he said surprised me even more.
