AME 52

Chapter 52

Nils looked at the young master of Ferdinand with a perplexed expression. No matter how skilled a trainee knight might be, they were still just that — a trainee. A fledgling, in other words.

In contrast, their young master had been knighted at least five years earlier than his peers and rose to become an elite knight the following year — a rare genius.

Though he had disappointed the commander with his idleness in recent years, that didn’t mean his skills had disappeared.

‘Why is he acting like this all of a sudden?’

Nils glanced around nervously. Since the death of the previous Duke and Duchess, Kaon hadn’t participated in any duels. It seemed like he was avoiding attention altogether.

But today’s welcoming ceremony was a public event, with not only the knights but also the household staff gathered outdoors at the training ground to watch. With the exception of Leonidas, who showed his face briefly before withdrawing, nearly everyone was watching the sparring match.

For Kaon to suddenly step forward in such a setting was highly uncharacteristic.

“The others are just waiting for a chance to put the newcomers in their place. Wouldn’t it be better to let someone else take the opportunity?”

After a brief hesitation, Nils tried to dissuade him. Encouraging the trainees’ motivation was good, but Kaon was in a league of his own and could easily crush their fighting spirit. He was too harsh an opponent for someone who had just joined the knights.

“I-I’m fine with it.”

“Huh…”

But the trainee knight whom Kaon had called out rejected Nils’s concern and stepped forward with a trembling but determined grip on his wooden sword. Contrary to his appearance, he seemed to have guts.

“He says he’s fine.”

Kaon shrugged and took the wooden sword handed to him. Just before he put on his helmet, he caught sight of Georgie’s gaze shifting to the left — toward Alessia. Kaon’s eyes turned even colder as he confirmed her presence there.

“I didn’t expect the second son of the Flemang family to apply here. I’d heard he was skilled for his age, but with his mother’s reputation for being overbearing, most assumed he’d join the Flemang Knights directly.”

Maurice, who was always full of gossip, had once said that about Georgie Flemang. Despite his family having its own knight order, he had chosen to come to Ferdinand — surely for a reason. Perhaps to escape his mother’s meddling.

Kaon didn’t care about personal circumstances, but what did bother him was Georgie showing interest in Alessia. Kaon was engaged to her. Even if the engagement wasn’t by choice, it was still official.

Whether Georgie admired Alessia from afar or not didn’t matter. No — that annoyed him too, but what he really couldn’t tolerate was him making it obvious. No matter how much Alessia and Kaon bickered or fought, she was still his fiancée.

“You can go first.”

“…I won’t hold back, then.”

After a short standoff, Georgie charged. Contrary to his previously timid demeanor, his attack showed no hesitation. The rumors about his skills weren’t wrong — his downward strike was sharp.

The wooden sword flew straight toward Kaon’s head, quick enough to knock off his helmet. But Kaon easily sidestepped and deflected the blow. When his attack was parried so effortlessly, Georgie looked a little flustered.

Still, he wasn’t foolish enough to stand there dumbfounded. He quickly regained his posture, dashed forward again, and swung his sword. The two wooden swords clashed several times at blinding speed.

“Ooh…”

Spectators murmured in awe. As Georgie surprisingly held his ground, people’s opinion of him rose. Some of the household staff, unfamiliar with Kaon’s skill, whispered, “Could the young master lose?”

But the senior knights and elites didn’t react. To them, the outcome was already clear.

Kaon deflected every strike with ease. As Georgie gave it his all only to be pushed back again and again, a hint of desperation crept across his face beneath the helmet.

Despite attacking aggressively, he was being driven back. Just as he started to lose composure, he felt a cold sensation at his neck — Kaon’s wooden sword was already resting against it.

“Urgh…”

Realizing the overwhelming gap between them, Georgie finally understood that Kaon had been drawing out his full strength on purpose. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have lasted even a minute.

“…I concede.”

As Georgie admitted defeat, the spectators erupted into cheers. The elite knights looked excited at seeing Kaon duel for the first time in a long while, and the servants gazed at him with admiration.

“Well fought.”

But Kaon turned his back on the praise and applause, leaving the training ground without hesitation. His eyes immediately began searching for a particular figure.

Throughout the duel, Kaon couldn’t stop thinking about Alessia. No matter how hard he tried, his eyes kept drifting toward her.

‘Why is she making that face?’

More than Georgie’s relentless attacks, what unsettled him was Alessia’s face growing paler and darker as the match went on. She didn’t seem frightened by the duel itself — she had enjoyed watching Yvonne’s match, after all.

Kaon, who had wanted to observe the trainee’s skills a bit longer, hurried to finish the match. Alessia had suddenly stood up and left before it ended. That was why Kaon didn’t stay to watch the remaining bouts.

Heading back toward the main estate, he spotted a flash of silver hair at the top of the stairs. Without hesitation, he sprinted up, taking two steps at a time. As expected, Alessia was just reaching the next floor.

“Alessia!”

At the sound of her name, she froze in place. Kaon quickly closed the distance between them, standing in front of her. Alessia looked at him with a face frozen in fury.

At that moment, Kaon felt something twist painfully inside him. He had fought and defeated Georgie Flemang — yet that was enough to make Alessia this angry?

“Do you like Georgie Flemang that much?”

Enough to look at me like that?

Kaon clenched his teeth, suppressing the urge to add that question aloud. Alessia, her crimson eyes icy and unwavering, scoffed in disbelief.

“Kaon Ferdinand, must be nice to be someone who only ever thinks like that.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

If not that, then what?

Georgie clearly had feelings for her, and Alessia, as usual, treated him kindly. That was annoying enough, but Kaon had never said anything — Alessia treated everyone kindly, except him.

But this was different. Alessia was visibly angry. You didn’t have to yell or throw a tantrum to show anger — there was such a thing as cold fury. And that was exactly what she was showing now.

“You once asked me why I only act this way toward you.”

Alessia looked straight up at Kaon blocking her path.

“It’s because I hate you.”

“…What?”

Kaon froze as the slowly spoken words hit him. He could feel his whole body stiffen from the shock.

Alessia clenched her jaw tightly, as if holding something back, then repeated:

“I hated you from the very beginning.”

A dull ache spread in his chest. Maybe he had already suspected it. He’d sensed that faint hostility in her eyes once before.

But he had thought it faded over time. He thought that was a relief — that at least she no longer hated him. He believed it. Yet Alessia still hated him.

“…Why do you hate me?”

“Why do I hate you…?”

Her eyes briefly wavered. For a moment, she looked more pained than the one being rejected. After what felt like an eternity, she whispered bitterly:

“…Because it feels like you’ll never understand why.”

After the welcome ceremony, the knights gathered in the dining hall for a celebratory banquet. Even the tense trainee knights relaxed and joined in the food and chatter. Amid the noise, Kaon silently stood from his seat.

“Already leaving? Come on, the party’s just started!”

Maurice tried to stop him, but Kaon coldly shook him off and left. He had no appetite, and the chaos only made his thoughts more tangled. He needed to swing his sword to clear his head.

Just as he stepped into the stairwell, heading toward the training ground, Kaon paused. A faint voice from upstairs caught his keen ears.

“I’d appreciate it if you refrained from mingling with the knights in private.”