MFTR 102

Chapter 102 

Teaching Us

As Anette and Larisa entered the training hall, she couldn’t help but chuckle when she saw Luke dashing toward them, his gray hair flying.

For some reason, the sight reminded her of a large dog wagging its tail and running happily.

“Luke.”

“Yes, my lady! You’re here?”

When Luke spoke, Larisa, who was beside Anette, snorted in amusement, though she didn’t scold him like yesterday. The Duke had officially approved Luke’s admission into the ducal household.

Of course, that didn’t mean he would be immediately employed as a knight of the ducal guard.

“I heard you’re taking the knight entrance exam today. Aren’t you nervous?”

“I’m incredibly nervous! But I feel encouraged because the commander—or rather, my lady—is here.”

Luke struck his own head lightly and laughed, calling himself a fool.

It was astonishing to hear a phrase like “commander” come out of the mouth of Luke, who had been a rookie in the royal guard for less than a year.

Anette couldn’t help but laugh, recalling how Larisa had stumbled over words during their first meeting, saying, “My lady, no, Princess…”

Perhaps it was because they were close in age, but their purity and honesty seemed very similar.

Luke glanced at Larisa, who was sulking and making noises of displeasure, and seemed a little concerned. Larisa, sensing his gaze, snorted again and turned her head.

Watching their interaction with a curious look, Anette finally spoke:

“Luke, don’t rush too much and be careful not to get hurt.”

“Thank you for worrying about me!”

Anette’s expression turned apologetic as she watched Luke respond so brightly.

She had chosen Luke for the royal guard, so she knew his abilities better than anyone. Though still inexperienced, he had talent and didn’t neglect his training, showing potential to become a skilled swordsman.

‘So I want to tell him, “Just perform as you normally do,” but…’

She couldn’t bring herself to say it.

She had no idea what the standards were for the prestigious Herzente Duke’s knights. She worried that her lack of insight might have made her unable to properly train her subordinates, and that Luke might be disappointed if he failed the entrance exam.

“It’s okay. Even if I fail, the Duke said he’d take me in as a servant anyway!”

Luke spoke cheerfully, as if sensing her worries.

Anette awkwardly smiled and nodded.

In any case, being able to take the exam at all was thanks to Kardin’s consideration. She had heard that the ducal guard rarely accepted new recruits, and that exams were seldom held.

She remembered a conversation from yesterday:

〈Princess, it’s fortunate, really.〉
〈What is?〉
〈That it wasn’t because you cared for Luke or something that you got hurt instead.〉

While heading to the lavish dinner prepared by the chef, the topic of Luke’s quarters came up. Hubert, the head steward, awkwardly asked whether Luke should continue staying in the annex or be moved to the servant quarters, as he requested.

Anette said it was fortunate, but when she noticed Kardin subtly watching her expression, she was speechless.

Surely, not even Zeon was enough—now Luke was also causing jealousy?

Moreover, Luke was only seventeen, seven years younger than Larisa!

Anette was convinced that Kardin was jealous of all the men around her.

With a short sigh, she asked directly:

〈So, what will you do about Luke?〉

〈Originally, I was going to turn him away… but what do you think, Princess?〉

〈Honestly, I think Luke has a lot of potential. I was disappointed to hear he left the royal guard. Of course, if he’s from another country and the Duke is hesitant to accept him, that’s understandable.〉

〈Hmm.〉

Kardin narrowed his eyes, recalling that Anette herself was from Hayworth, like Luke.

She didn’t seem to think of herself as a foreigner at all, which immediately lifted his mood. He covered his lips with one hand, suppressing a small laugh.

Anette, confused, blinked and then said:

〈Are you worried that Luke might be a spy from the Bayendor Empire? You don’t need to worry about that.〉

Luke was from a village near the monster swamps, and she had known him since before she joined the royal guard. A few years later, he had lost his entire family to a monster attack, and the former commander, Gramis, personally took him to the capital orphanage.

Now he had grown up and wanted to serve her as a royal guard, so everyone in the guard was delighted to see him. Anette shared this with Kardin.

After hearing her explanation, Kardin felt slightly irritated. Rationally, it made sense for her to defend her subordinate, but he couldn’t help feeling that she was taking Luke’s side.

〈I never suspected him. We already have an idea of the spies the Bayendor Empire planted in Hayworth…〉

Kardin spoke in a sulky voice but hesitated. He hadn’t meant to reveal this.

He peeked at Anette’s expression cautiously.

She looked surprised at first but nodded in understanding shortly after.

Since Alkan and Hayworth had allied to prepare for war with Bayendor, identifying spies was crucial. Not knowing their identities until now would also have been a problem.

Anette asked Kardin if he could reveal who the suspected spy was, but he apologetically said it was difficult to be sure. She accepted this calmly. She seemed more concerned with uncovering spies than knowing their identities and didn’t suspect it would be someone she knew.

Kardin stiffened briefly, then forced a wide smile.

〈Anyway, since you said that, Princess, I should check Luke’s abilities. He’ll take the entrance exam for the guard tomorrow.〉

Anette’s face lit up.

Luke had given up the royal guard to follow her, and she could rest easy if the ducal household accepted him.

And Kardin had intentionally decided to take him in, knowing exactly how she would feel.

In truth, he still felt annoyed by Luke, even knowing Anette hadn’t been injured on his behalf. He wasn’t impressed that Luke came this far on his own.

However, if he turned Luke away, Anette would feel responsible and worry about him repeatedly.

Kardin could not allow any other man to occupy even a fraction of her heart.

If Luke became an official member of the ducal household, Kardin planned to place him where Anette wouldn’t notice.

Unaware of Kardin’s intentions, Anette watched Luke pledge loyalty to the Duke alongside her and hoped he would pass the exam and officially become a ducal knight.

‘Then he can uphold his pride as a former Hayworth royal guard…’

“Excuse me, my lady.”

At that moment, Morton, the vice-commander who had been unable to approach Luke since they entered the training hall, came forward.

He bowed slightly, and the other knights greeted Anette with respect. Their eyes shone with delight and surprise.

‘It’s true! The lady has returned to her original form!’
‘It feels like only yesterday we gave her children’s shoes…!’

Seeing her as a formidable knight, once famed as the finest swordsman on the continent, was an emotional moment for them.

Of course, they were a bit envious of Luke for his familiarity with her, since he had never seen her as a child.

‘Indeed, our lady is now the mistress of the Herzente ducal household.’

The knights felt victorious in a silent, playful competition that Luke didn’t know about.

Trying to restrain their excitement, they looked at Anette with sparkling eyes.

Anette, now accustomed to such looks, nodded gracefully.

“Long time no see, Sir Phaeron.”

“Yes, my lady. Thank you for visiting us.”

“Oh, I hope I’m not disturbing your training.”

She had just come to stretch, yet she felt embarrassed by the attention.

Morton quickly shook his head and said politely:

“Everyone is eager to learn from you today, my lady. How could it be a disturbance?”

“…Excuse me?”

Teaching?

Anette almost stumbled, still smiling. She wanted to believe it wasn’t true, but the knights of the ducal household were clearly thrilled, despite their stoic faces.

Only then did she realize—worrying about Luke wasn’t the priority right now.