“Then, at base camp, the Duke took your side, and you’ve changed your mind since then, haven’t you?”
That’s right. He’s gone from just suspicious to downright shady since then.
‘Now that I think about it, it’s clear that he has feelings for Astel, though I don’t know how long they’ll last…’
Astel seemed to have a thing for the Duke, too. Cassian’s brow creased.
“I think we should split them up.”
“Split what?”
“Oh, nothing. Anyway… When the Duke comes to the capital, I’m sure he’ll visit the Knights, and we’ll continue our strategy meetings.”
“That’s right, only we Rose Knights are collaborating with the Northern Duchy, hahaha! How envious the Winged Knights are!”
Ropa chuckled and glanced at the Winged Knights’ leader.
The Winged Knights were pushed aside because they had fewer people than our squad, but we are still the best, and the best knight among them must be Cassian Gray himself…
A series of words rushed past him.
Cassian’s face twisted into a grimace as soon as he finished.
“I see. Then I suppose our Knights will also be sending one of the men in charge of His Excellency’s protocol, right?”
It was customary for the Imperial Knights to provide a knight on the noble’s side whenever the capital’s nobility was working together with the Imperial Palace on something.
Both as a form of surveillance and as a means of strengthening the imperial power.
“Yes. Well, that’s a tradition that’s long since gone, to be honest.”
The chief shrugged, “Traditions are meant to be kept.”
“Huh? Is that so?”
Cassian nodded, trying to force himself to appear unaffected by the situation.
He vowed to himself, ‘I must get chosen as a knight of honor.’
The knight of honor was not something a Duke could tamper with.
The knight in charge of protocol for nobles from the outer estates was decided entirely by the imperial court.
The nobility had no hand in this. They could not challenge the Emperor’s authority, for that would be perceived as a challenge to his power.
Of course, that crazy Duke of Anais might try to get his hands on it somehow, but…
‘He’ll never guess that I’d come out as a knight of honor.’
With that thought, Cassian cut to the chase.
“Then I’ll take charge of the protocol myself.”
“…You’re doing the protocol?”
Ropa shook his head in disbelief, “As you know, I have the best protocol skills of any knight here, and besides, it’s symbolic, right?”
Of course, that was true. It was obvious that Cassian Gray, the commoner knight, had the best standing.
Cassian may be a lousy knight on the inside, but he’s not exactly stupid on the outside.
We all know he’s got great decorum, but…
“You look like you’d kill a man right now…”
‘Looks like Astel got a little caught up in his whims, but there’s no way I’m going to let a cruel bastard like him get away with it while I’m watching.’
…Cassian thought, then hastily cleared his throat and smiled broadly.
“Alas, I cannot wait to meet him, my dear and honorable Duke.”
Ropa examined Cassian’s expression, impressed, and clasped both hands together prayerfully in front of him.
“Well, I suppose it’s not your turn to say something disagreeable?”
Yes, it was his turn. But Cassian nodded grimly, forging a saintly smile like a holy man in prayer.
“Of course, you know how it is, me.”
“Oh, my… look at this beautiful loyalty.”
“Ah, yes. Please pray to God.”
“If you do, I will recommend you for my courtier, Lord Cassian!”
The plan was in place.
“I will ask his majesty to grant you the house next to the Duke’s estate. We’ll do the ceremonies there ourselves.”
A house next door with direct surveillance.
This was working out better than planned.
Cassian smirked and silently fiddled with his greatsword. Despite his serious expression, his eyes sparkled.
One day, he might have to face the Duke of Anais first.
There was no telling what shenanigans the mad duke would dare to pull on Astel.
‘First investigate Cornwall, then Anais.’
Not long ago, I heard a story about a divine beast that was investigating sorcery.
After watching the Duke of Anais in action, I’m going to try to snatch him by the neck.
Cassian’s bright eyes sparkled.
The morning I finally made my way to the capital. I had received quite a few visits since the early hours.
My head was spinning from all the visitors, and my cheeks were tingling from laughing.
— ‘It’s too bad you’re leaving!’
— ‘Will you be returning to the duchy next time?’
I wondered if the word had gotten out about the Silver Fox Family’s support for me.
Inside the Duke’s castle, I was suddenly confronted by a group of beasts.
Fortunately, I was able to survive thanks to Lord Mayer’s glare. His usefulness was extraordinary: a single glance from him could part the Red Sea, that’s all I need to say!
‘…But more importantly, this.’
Through the partially open window, I also received a new letter. It was from my brother. As I read his letter, which Cello had brought with him, I realized that, to use a slight exaggeration, he seemed to be burdened with all sorts of worries right now.
Cassian was speaking to me in seriousness.
[Astel, I heard you were coming to the capital.
I have something I must tell you. We should meet sometime.
I’m sure we will.
And beware of the Duke of Anais.]
After the last words, ‘Beware of the Duke of Anais,’ her brother sent her a scrapbook of the Duke’s misdeeds.
The purge of his closest associates, the black magic that made Winter Castle more frozen, the ripping of demons to pieces….
Of course, I had a fairly accurate idea of what Duke Anais had done, so I hung the scrapbook back on the cello’s leg.
But more importantly…
‘How the heck did he know I was going to the capital already?’
If word got out that the Duke of Anais was staying in the capital, it would surely cause a stir.
But thinking about it, would it be necessary to announce that I was going with the Duke?
‘I’m not that famous, so few people will know…? Perhaps through Rachel, my brother’s informant?’
My brother was quite a resourceful guy.
[Yeah, I’m headed to the capital, we should meet up soon.
There’s no guarantee we’ll meet, is there?
I have to stay out of the public eye.
I have something to tell you, too, so I hope we can meet.
See you soon!]
I wrote the letter and tied it to Cello’s leg. The bird opened the window and flew away. Being able to see a bird in flight meant that Rune was also enchanted, and the child chirped softly beside me.
“Capital. Daddy. Mommy.”
The words came out of nowhere. I stroked Rune’s hair and sat him on my lap.
“…You’ve been singing capital, capital since last time?”
I had a good idea where he’d gotten the word ‘capital’ from.
Probably one of the maids told her, right?
I asked, playfully stretching Rune’s fluffy, puffy cheeks.
“Little one. Do you even know what capital is?”
Rune nodded cheerfully, even with his mouth puffed out.
“Mmm!”
So confident, I was kind of frozen. This three-year-old, he knows about the capital, he’s a genius…?
“Capital, Daddy, Mommy let go!” (Together with Mommy and Daddy to the Capital!)
Rune, who wore a hanky on his chin, smiled with lips as small as a fingernail.
“With Daddy. To marry!” (Marriage with Daddy)
I’m sure he’s not a genius… I’m just excited that he’s going with the Duke…
“The Duke is not your father, Rune. There is no marrying him.”
Now that we’re in the capital, I need to correct Rune’s behavior.
If you keep calling the Duke ‘Dad’ and me ‘Mom,’ people might get the wrong idea!
No matter what I think, it’s a serious matter…
I grabbed his arm firmly.
“Right Daddy! Duke said he my Daddy too!.” (He’s my Daddy, the Duke said he will be my father!)
“Did you ever talk to the Duke alone? You’re always talking about him.”
…Why does he look like that?
He looks like he’s been bribed. Rune looked at me with a grimace.
“Li- like him.” (I like him)
“You like him that much?”
“Mmm!”
Rune said, placing his fist, like a tiny bird’s egg, on my lap.
“You two, happy, I like…” (I like it when you two are happy)
Rune snuggled into my arms and laughed, ‘Heehee’.
I felt a stabbing pain in my heart, but we were about to leave, and there was no time to waste.
“Hurry up and wash your face and get ready to leave.”
“Hmm!”
Rune jumped to the floor with a thud. His green eyes glowed as he stared at me.
“Duke here!” (Rune)
He rushed forward and wrapped his shawl around my neck, whispering low.
“I’ve come to fetch you, Astel.”
“Hug, plis!” (Hug please!)
The Duke, who had carefully draped the surrounding shawl, looked down at once.
“Rune says hug.”
Of course, we should be holding hands every day, but…
I felt nervous for some reason, and my hands were sweaty.
“Then, at base camp, the Duke took your side, and you’ve changed your mind since then, haven’t you?”
That’s right. He’s gone from just suspicious to downright shady since then.
‘Now that I think about it, it’s clear that he has feelings for Astel, though I don’t know how long they’ll last…’
Astel seemed to have a thing for the Duke, too. Cassian’s brow creased.
“I think we should split them up.”
“Split what?”
“Oh, nothing. Anyway… When the Duke comes to the capital, I’m sure he’ll visit the Knights, and we’ll continue our strategy meetings.”
“That’s right, only we Rose Knights are collaborating with the Northern Duchy, hahaha! How envious the Winged Knights are!”
Ropa chuckled and glanced at the Winged Knights’ leader.
The Winged Knights were pushed aside because they had fewer people than our squad, but we are still the best, and the best knight among them must be Cassian Gray himself…
A series of words rushed past him.
Cassian’s face twisted into a grimace as soon as he finished.
“I see. Then I suppose our Knights will also be sending one of the men in charge of His Excellency’s protocol, right?”
It was customary for the Imperial Knights to provide a knight on the noble’s side whenever the capital’s nobility was working together with the Imperial Palace on something.
Both as a form of surveillance and as a means of strengthening the imperial power.
“Yes. Well, that’s a tradition that’s long since gone, to be honest.”
The chief shrugged, “Traditions are meant to be kept.”
“Huh? Is that so?”
Cassian nodded, trying to force himself to appear unaffected by the situation.
He vowed to himself, ‘I must get chosen as a knight of honor.’
The knight of honor was not something a Duke could tamper with.
The knight in charge of protocol for nobles from the outer estates was decided entirely by the imperial court.
The nobility had no hand in this. They could not challenge the Emperor’s authority, for that would be perceived as a challenge to his power.
Of course, that crazy Duke of Anais might try to get his hands on it somehow, but…
‘He’ll never guess that I’d come out as a knight of honor.’
With that thought, Cassian cut to the chase.
“Then I’ll take charge of the protocol myself.”
“…You’re doing the protocol?”
Ropa shook his head in disbelief, “As you know, I have the best protocol skills of any knight here, and besides, it’s symbolic, right?”
Of course, that was true. It was obvious that Cassian Gray, the commoner knight, had the best standing.
Cassian may be a lousy knight on the inside, but he’s not exactly stupid on the outside.
We all know he’s got great decorum, but…
“You look like you’d kill a man right now…”
‘Looks like Astel got a little caught up in his whims, but there’s no way I’m going to let a cruel bastard like him get away with it while I’m watching.’
…Cassian thought, then hastily cleared his throat and smiled broadly.
“Alas, I cannot wait to meet him, my dear and honorable Duke.”
Ropa examined Cassian’s expression, impressed, and clasped both hands together prayerfully in front of him.
“Well, I suppose it’s not your turn to say something disagreeable?”
Yes, it was his turn. But Cassian nodded grimly, forging a saintly smile like a holy man in prayer.
“Of course, you know how it is, me.”
“Oh, my… look at this beautiful loyalty.”
“Ah, yes. Please pray to God.”
“If you do, I will recommend you for my courtier, Lord Cassian!”
The plan was in place.
“I will ask his majesty to grant you the house next to the Duke’s estate. We’ll do the ceremonies there ourselves.”
A house next door with direct surveillance.
This was working out better than planned.
Cassian smirked and silently fiddled with his greatsword. Despite his serious expression, his eyes sparkled.
One day, he might have to face the Duke of Anais first.
There was no telling what shenanigans the mad duke would dare to pull on Astel.
‘First investigate Cornwall, then Anais.’
Not long ago, I heard a story about a divine beast that was investigating sorcery.
After watching the Duke of Anais in action, I’m going to try to snatch him by the neck.
Cassian’s bright eyes sparkled.
The morning I finally made my way to the capital. I had received quite a few visits since the early hours.
My head was spinning from all the visitors, and my cheeks were tingling from laughing.
— ‘It’s too bad you’re leaving!’
— ‘Will you be returning to the duchy next time?’
I wondered if the word had gotten out about the Silver Fox Family’s support for me.
Inside the Duke’s castle, I was suddenly confronted by a group of beasts.
Fortunately, I was able to survive thanks to Lord Mayer’s glare. His usefulness was extraordinary: a single glance from him could part the Red Sea, that’s all I need to say!
‘…But more importantly, this.’
Through the partially open window, I also received a new letter. It was from my brother. As I read his letter, which Cello had brought with him, I realized that, to use a slight exaggeration, he seemed to be burdened with all sorts of worries right now.
Cassian was speaking to me in seriousness.
[Astel, I heard you were coming to the capital.
I have something I must tell you. We should meet sometime.
I’m sure we will.
And beware of the Duke of Anais.]
After the last words, ‘Beware of the Duke of Anais,’ her brother sent her a scrapbook of the Duke’s misdeeds.
The purge of his closest associates, the black magic that made Winter Castle more frozen, the ripping of demons to pieces….
Of course, I had a fairly accurate idea of what Duke Anais had done, so I hung the scrapbook back on the cello’s leg.
But more importantly…
‘How the heck did he know I was going to the capital already?’
If word got out that the Duke of Anais was staying in the capital, it would surely cause a stir.
But thinking about it, would it be necessary to announce that I was going with the Duke?
‘I’m not that famous, so few people will know…? Perhaps through Rachel, my brother’s informant?’
My brother was quite a resourceful guy.
[Yeah, I’m headed to the capital, we should meet up soon.
There’s no guarantee we’ll meet, is there?
I have to stay out of the public eye.
I have something to tell you, too, so I hope we can meet.
See you soon!]
I wrote the letter and tied it to Cello’s leg. The bird opened the window and flew away. Being able to see a bird in flight meant that Rune was also enchanted, and the child chirped softly beside me.
“Capital. Daddy. Mommy.”
The words came out of nowhere. I stroked Rune’s hair and sat him on my lap.
“…You’ve been singing capital, capital since last time?”
I had a good idea where he’d gotten the word ‘capital’ from.
Probably one of the maids told her, right?
I asked, playfully stretching Rune’s fluffy, puffy cheeks.
“Little one. Do you even know what capital is?”
Rune nodded cheerfully, even with his mouth puffed out.
“Mmm!”
So confident, I was kind of frozen. This three-year-old, he knows about the capital, he’s a genius…?
“Capital, Daddy, Mommy let go!” (Together with Mommy and Daddy to the Capital!)
Rune, who wore a hanky on his chin, smiled with lips as small as a fingernail.
“With Daddy. To marry!” (Marriage with Daddy)
I’m sure he’s not a genius… I’m just excited that he’s going with the Duke…
“The Duke is not your father, Rune. There is no marrying him.”
Now that we’re in the capital, I need to correct Rune’s behavior.
If you keep calling the Duke ‘Dad’ and me ‘Mom,’ people might get the wrong idea!
No matter what I think, it’s a serious matter…
I grabbed his arm firmly.
“Right Daddy! Duke said he my Daddy too!.” (He’s my Daddy, the Duke said he will be my father!)
“Did you ever talk to the Duke alone? You’re always talking about him.”
…Why does he look like that?
He looks like he’s been bribed. Rune looked at me with a grimace.
“Li- like him.” (I like him)
“You like him that much?”
“Mmm!”
Rune said, placing his fist, like a tiny bird’s egg, on my lap.
“You two, happy, I like…” (I like it when you two are happy)
Rune snuggled into my arms and laughed, ‘Heehee’.
I felt a stabbing pain in my heart, but we were about to leave, and there was no time to waste.
“Hurry up and wash your face and get ready to leave.”
“Hmm!”
Rune jumped to the floor with a thud. His green eyes glowed as he stared at me.
“Duke here!” (Rune)
He rushed forward and wrapped his shawl around my neck, whispering low.
“I’ve come to fetch you, Astel.”
“Hug, plis!” (Hug please!)
The Duke, who had carefully draped the surrounding shawl, looked down at once.
“Rune says hug.”
Of course, we should be holding hands every day, but…
I felt nervous for some reason, and my hands were sweaty.
