CH:17
“I once told the chef that the roast turkey was incredibly delicious. He said he’d make it again sometime, but I figured it was just a polite response…”
In other words, she had thought it would just be brushed off casually, but the chef hadn’t taken her words lightly.
‘…Is that really something to be so happy about?’
Even after hearing the explanation, Kaon didn’t quite get it. Alessia was a noble lady of the Duke’s house and his fiancée. Given her status, it was only natural that the chef would remember her words and act on them.
It didn’t make much sense to him, but if she could find joy in such little things, that wasn’t a bad thing. After all, a positive person was better than a negative one.
“Then this turkey dish was made for Alessia.”
“Not exactly… But Kaon, you should sit and eat too.”
Alessia smiled softly at his teasing remark. Compared to the usual polite expression she wore like a habit, this was closer to a genuine smile—and somehow, it looked even more pleasant than a wide grin.
‘So she can smile like that too.’
It was a small difference, but Kaon quietly etched the image into his heart. Catching such moments always made him feel oddly content and fulfilled.
When he was with Alessia, even the smallest things drew his attention. Maybe it was because the prejudice he’d held before meeting her had been so immense—so when that bias cracked, the impression left behind was strong.
“Yan, would you call the chef for me?”
“Yes, my lady.”
After finishing her meal and dessert, Alessia naturally addressed one of the waiting servants. Her tone was familiar, and the servant’s deference seemed equally natural, which surprised Kaon a little.
“Lady Alessia, I heard you called for me.”
“Albert! I just wanted to tell you that today’s meal was absolutely wonderful.”
A short while later, the chef appeared in the dining room, gave a brief nod to Kaon, and approached Alessia’s side directly.
“You said you enjoyed the last turkey dish, so I tried my hand at it again today.”
“It was truly delicious. How do you manage to make everything taste so good? Albert, you must be the best chef in the world.”
“Oh my, you flatter me, my lady. I’m just grateful that you always enjoy the food. Next time, I’m thinking of serving salmon—do you like salmon, my lady?”
“Hmm… of course! I do. I’ll look forward to it.”
“You won’t be disappointed.”
Kaon watched the two with a sense of bewilderment.
The chef of Ferdinand and the noble daughter from Ingelos were chatting amiably, yet Kaon, the young master of Ferdinand himself, felt oddly out of place in the scene.
‘Was Albert always this talkative?’
Though he had lived in this castle his whole life, Kaon could count on one hand the number of personal conversations he’d had with Albert. And that was to be expected. The chef stayed in the kitchen, and Kaon enjoyed the results of his cooking from the dining room.
Yet here was Alessia, from another noble family and not long arrived from Ingelos, chatting happily with him.
Seeing how well she got along with people, despite his initial expectation that she’d be quickly ostracized, was surprising—and it made sense, given how warm her personality was.
If you didn’t know her, you might hate her—but once you got to know Alessia, it was hard to hold on to that hatred. She was just too bright and seemed born to be loved.
Maybe… maybe Alessia would stay in Ferdinand for a long time. Kaon truly hoped so—and silently wished that her time here would be as close to forever as possible.
After leaving the dining room, the two walked side by side toward the training hall. Kaon didn’t particularly need to go, but since Alessia said she had business there, he tagged along under the excuse of doing personal training.
“I heard you’ll be joining the inspection patrols starting this fall.”
Kaon subtly brought up the topic of the monster forest. He wanted to let her know that he, too, would be joining.
She’d find out eventually, but she might be startled to suddenly see him there, so he figured it was best to tell her ahead of time.
“Yes, that’s right. I was told it wouldn’t be possible to go right away.”
“Is the training difficult?”
“Honestly, it feels more like education than training. Since I still don’t know much about monsters, I’m learning a lot in different areas.”
As if she had been waiting for the chance, Alessia began sharing what she’d been up to.
“It’s not just studying—I’ve also been meeting regularly with the knights to get in sync with them. I asked for help because I didn’t want to be a burden, especially since I have no real combat experience.”
She chattered cheerfully, even revealing details he hadn’t asked for. She seemed genuinely excited.
There was nothing pleasant about monster training, or about working with knights who weren’t particularly welcoming toward her—yet somehow, she looked happy.
“Everyone says you’ve been working really hard.”
“…! Really? Who said that?”
Alessia stopped walking and looked up at him with wide eyes. Her gaze was so intense it made Kaon flinch slightly.
“Maurice, and Nils mentioned it the other day as well.”
“I see! I’m really grateful to both of them for helping me. Sir Pierre Bonello is a bit blunt, but he listens well too. Sir Leroy is…”
At the mention of Yvon, Alessia hesitated slightly. Kaon could guess even without her saying anything. If Yvon was cold to her even in Kaon’s presence, he was surely worse when Kaon wasn’t around.
“Actually, I’ll be going on inspection this fall too.”
Kaon changed the subject to ease her discomfort. Alessia’s eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected news.
“You too, Kaon? But didn’t they say in Ferdinand that knights must be seventeen to enter the forest?”
“Well…”
Caught off guard that she remembered that, Kaon quickly composed himself and continued.
“…I’m in the elite guard, so I’m an exception.”
In Ferdinand, the elite knights were the highest-ranking class. They served as commanders of the units, followed in rank by senior knights, regular knights, and apprentice knights. Those still in training weren’t considered knights at all.
Kaon had become an elite knight in the winter of his twelfth year. Not because he was the young master of the ducal house—but because he had the skill to deserve it.
Of course, being an elite knight didn’t automatically grant permission to enter the monster forest, but it made for a convenient excuse. In truth, he had already accompanied his father on inspections and faced monsters before, so it wasn’t entirely a lie.
“Ah! That’s right. I heard that you’re the youngest among the elite knights. And there aren’t even ten of them total, right? Kaon, you must be a genius.”
Even so, being praised like that made him a little embarrassed. He had merely used an honorable title as an excuse—yet here she was, admiring him for it.
And being called a genius was just awkward. He’d heard it often as a child, but now it felt like too grand a compliment.
“I’m no genius. I just liked swordsmanship more than others at the time.”
“You liked it…”
He tried to gloss over it, but Alessia’s reaction was a little strange. Her face tensed as if she wanted to say something, then relaxed into a bright smile as she praised him again.
“Not everyone can be good at what they love, right? I just think you’re amazing, Kaon.”
There had been a faint sense of disconnect, but it passed too quickly to dwell on.
“In any case, I’m really glad. Knowing you’ll be there makes me feel much more at ease.”
Kaon had been wondering whether he’d said something wrong, but her next words completely pushed that thought out of his mind.
‘I was just hoping she wouldn’t find it strange.’
He’d worried she might misunderstand—but seeing her pure happiness was reassuring.
Visiting Leonidas had definitely been the right decision. Kaon decided to give himself a little credit.
“Young master!”
Kaon was on his way back after escorting Alessia to the training hall when he heard Madeleine call out to him in her usual booming voice.
“Perfect timing! Try this!”
“What is it…?”
She handed him a glass. The long, thin glass was filled with a dark, murky liquid that gave off a terrible stench.
“Ugh!”
Kaon brought the glass close to his nose out of curiosity, then immediately recoiled as a wave of nausea hit him.
“What on earth is this?”
Moments ago, he had wondered what kind of ingredients could create such an awful color and smell—but now, he no longer wanted to know. He just wanted to throw it far, far away.
“I’ve concocted a special health juice! Made with manua root, zayzent berries, and every other herb said to be good for the body!”
Whether it was good for the body was debatable, but it was definitely bad for the stomach. Drinking that might make one healthy—or it might just shorten their life and spare them the suffering.
Trying to lower the glass discreetly, Kaon asked to distract her.
“What made you suddenly make something like this?”
“Lord Leo has been so busy lately. I was worried seeing how worn out she looked, so I made it for her.”
“Ah… I see…”
He was certain that if Leonidas actually drank that, it would wreck her stomach. If she didn’t drink it, maybe only her face would look tired—but if she did, she’d be suffering inside and out.
Despite her recent betrayals, Leonidas was still Kaon’s one and only sister. He couldn’t let her drink something like that, especially while she was already going through a hard time.
Kaon resolved to stop Madeleine before she got a chance to force that on Leonidas.
Unfortunately, his resolve was a little too late.
“I just gave it to her a moment ago! And lucky me, I ran into you next!”
