To a swordsman of noble rank, a knight’s offer wasn’t an insult. Proposing to a knight from another family wasn’t a breach of etiquette, but rather a chance to advance one’s position. After all, being invited to join a prestigious family like the Duke of Leon was an opportunity that couldn’t be ignored.
Despite the great opportunity presented to him, Aegis remained silent. “It’s not a bad suggestion,” Amid said, attempting to persuade him. Aegis, however, remained unresponsive, briefly disregarding his master. To decline the offer, Aegis would have to reveal his own knightly family, and therefore his master’s identity. Aegis preferred that his master’s identity be revealed only at his discretion, since it was a matter of trust and loyalty.
“Stop it,” Ilyin interjected. She believed that nothing was more important than protecting a life, and that only when one had a life to protect could a name hold any significance. “I hope you don’t tarnish his honor and loyalty with light words,” she continued, shocking Amid with his words that were not characteristic of a noble lady who had never witnessed the brutality of sword fighting.
However, Amid attempted to salvage the conversation by softly saying, “…But isn’t it the duty of a master to look after the future of those under his care?” It was only a momentary pause before he continued. If Aegis was truly a swordsman of high rank, Amid understood that his words held some truth, and Ilyin knew he wouldn’t back down easily.
Illyn’s gaze lingered on the inscription of Biflten engraved on Aegis’s pauldron, a symbol already familiar to her. But for the young nobles who had only just entered society, where the Biflten people had no presence, it remained an enigmatic phrase. Illyn shifted her attention to Aden, wondering if she should reveal the name of Biflten in this company, even though she never needed permission from him.
“I will do as you wish,” Aden mouthed, and Ilyin understood it perfectly well. She had heard those words many times before.
“His sword has already found its owner. Do not trample on his loyalty anymore,” Illyn spoke up, her words bold and unyielding.
If she had been a noble of equal rank, her audacity might have been tolerated, but as a mere upper-level person, she had overstepped her bounds, speaking with such defiance to a direct descendant of one of the two ducal families of the empire.
“The sword has found its owner…,” Amid repeated, using the same expression a knight would use when pledging allegiance to his lord.
The realization made Amid even more uncomfortable. It meant that the master was a noble, a fact that seemed incongruous with Aegis’s unemotional demeanor. But who could that noble be? Amid couldn’t recall the name Milo, but he remembered a story about an upper-class noble in Acid of unclear origins. He had definitely heard it before.
His father, Duke Leon, had already provided enough information before he started his work. He just didn’t listen properly.
“From which noble family does the knight hail?” Amid’s question was laced with unfiltered disapproval, his gaze fixed on the man in question. It was a debutante ball, a gathering of high society, where it was imperative not to draw too much attention or, worse, make enemies. But Ilyin knew that Biflten far outweighed the frivolous concerns of high society. She squeezed Aden’s hand tightly as she prepared herself for the reveal.
“He is a knight of Winter,” she announced with a steady voice. The name of the land of barren monsters and extreme cold drew murmurs and gasps from the crowd.
In the heat of the moment, the Duke of Leon observed the unfolding chaos with calculated scrutiny. His hawkish gaze zeroed in on the man guarding the woman who stood behind the knight. It was a look that spoke of an astute strategist assessing his foe.
Whispers of the Duke of Biflten’s change had reached him, but he never anticipated that the young man standing before him could be the infamous duke. As Amid fumbled over his words, the Duke of Leon’s mind whirred with possibilities. If the knight shielding the duo was indeed a knight of Winter, then the man next to the woman had to be the Duke of Biflten himself, and the woman, Ilyin, his wife.
“I am Ilyin de Biflten,” Ilyin announced, and Amid’s eyes bulged in disbelief as his thoughts swirled. Wasn’t the man standing next to her a prominent figure in Acid? If she were married to the man escorting her, it would be difficult to wrest away the power of foresight from their grasp.
The Duke of Leon had a singular goal – to gain the gift of foresight, vanquish the Duke of Biflten, and establish his dynasty as the preeminent family in the empire, second only to the imperial family. To this end, he coveted the power of foresight, but he kept his ambitions a secret to avoid arousing suspicion. However, his plan was already foiled as his enemy already possessed the coveted ability.
To a swordsman of noble rank, a knight’s offer wasn’t an insult. Proposing to a knight from another family wasn’t a breach of etiquette, but rather a chance to advance one’s position. After all, being invited to join a prestigious family like the Duke of Leon was an opportunity that couldn’t be ignored.
Despite the great opportunity presented to him, Aegis remained silent. “It’s not a bad suggestion,” Amid said, attempting to persuade him. Aegis, however, remained unresponsive, briefly disregarding his master. To decline the offer, Aegis would have to reveal his own knightly family, and therefore his master’s identity. Aegis preferred that his master’s identity be revealed only at his discretion, since it was a matter of trust and loyalty.
“Stop it,” Ilyin interjected. She believed that nothing was more important than protecting a life, and that only when one had a life to protect could a name hold any significance. “I hope you don’t tarnish his honor and loyalty with light words,” she continued, shocking Amid with his words that were not characteristic of a noble lady who had never witnessed the brutality of sword fighting.
However, Amid attempted to salvage the conversation by softly saying, “…But isn’t it the duty of a master to look after the future of those under his care?” It was only a momentary pause before he continued. If Aegis was truly a swordsman of high rank, Amid understood that his words held some truth, and Ilyin knew he wouldn’t back down easily.
Illyn’s gaze lingered on the inscription of Biflten engraved on Aegis’s pauldron, a symbol already familiar to her. But for the young nobles who had only just entered society, where the Biflten people had no presence, it remained an enigmatic phrase. Illyn shifted her attention to Aden, wondering if she should reveal the name of Biflten in this company, even though she never needed permission from him.
“I will do as you wish,” Aden mouthed, and Ilyin understood it perfectly well. She had heard those words many times before.
“His sword has already found its owner. Do not trample on his loyalty anymore,” Illyn spoke up, her words bold and unyielding.
If she had been a noble of equal rank, her audacity might have been tolerated, but as a mere upper-level person, she had overstepped her bounds, speaking with such defiance to a direct descendant of one of the two ducal families of the empire.
“The sword has found its owner…,” Amid repeated, using the same expression a knight would use when pledging allegiance to his lord.
The realization made Amid even more uncomfortable. It meant that the master was a noble, a fact that seemed incongruous with Aegis’s unemotional demeanor. But who could that noble be? Amid couldn’t recall the name Milo, but he remembered a story about an upper-class noble in Acid of unclear origins. He had definitely heard it before.
His father, Duke Leon, had already provided enough information before he started his work. He just didn’t listen properly.
“From which noble family does the knight hail?” Amid’s question was laced with unfiltered disapproval, his gaze fixed on the man in question. It was a debutante ball, a gathering of high society, where it was imperative not to draw too much attention or, worse, make enemies. But Ilyin knew that Biflten far outweighed the frivolous concerns of high society. She squeezed Aden’s hand tightly as she prepared herself for the reveal.
“He is a knight of Winter,” she announced with a steady voice. The name of the land of barren monsters and extreme cold drew murmurs and gasps from the crowd.
In the heat of the moment, the Duke of Leon observed the unfolding chaos with calculated scrutiny. His hawkish gaze zeroed in on the man guarding the woman who stood behind the knight. It was a look that spoke of an astute strategist assessing his foe.
Whispers of the Duke of Biflten’s change had reached him, but he never anticipated that the young man standing before him could be the infamous duke. As Amid fumbled over his words, the Duke of Leon’s mind whirred with possibilities. If the knight shielding the duo was indeed a knight of Winter, then the man next to the woman had to be the Duke of Biflten himself, and the woman, Ilyin, his wife.
“I am Ilyin de Biflten,” Ilyin announced, and Amid’s eyes bulged in disbelief as his thoughts swirled. Wasn’t the man standing next to her a prominent figure in Acid? If she were married to the man escorting her, it would be difficult to wrest away the power of foresight from their grasp.
The Duke of Leon had a singular goal – to gain the gift of foresight, vanquish the Duke of Biflten, and establish his dynasty as the preeminent family in the empire, second only to the imperial family. To this end, he coveted the power of foresight, but he kept his ambitions a secret to avoid arousing suspicion. However, his plan was already foiled as his enemy already possessed the coveted ability.
