episode_0061

Having grasped the situation, I quickly lifted my head from Johanna’s lap.

I had never left a normal first impression on others before, but I had never left this kind of first impression either.

My first impression being lying on Johanna’s lap.

No matter how confident I was in being brazen, this was a bit much.

As I lifted my head, I checked what Johanna was doing. Her face was flushed with embarrassment, and she had her head bowed deeply.

‘That’s understandable.’

From Johanna’s perspective, she had shown her family a man lying on her lap.

Such a reaction was, in a way, natural.

Even the other servants were looking in our direction.

They must have seen me lying on Johanna’s lap as well.

Johanna must have felt mortified.

Goosebumps erupted all over my body.

Johanna was clumsy at expressing emotions, so people seeing her for the first time might misunderstand her.

But it was different for the people of Duke Freya’s family who had known her for a long time.

Not only Johanna’s family but all the servants loved Johanna’s clumsy but kind demeanor.

How much they loved Johanna could be seen from their actions after Johanna died in Croaca.

[All the people of Duke Freya’s family were enraged.]

[They learned that Johanna Freya, who died to save people, had died because of Ropri Alpseo’s lies.]

[Everyone from Duke Freya’s family invaded the Arschen Kingdom. Their only goal was Ropri’s death.]

[While killing Ropri, they cut down anyone who tried to stop them, no matter who it was.]

[The gardener cut down knights with the knife he used for gardening, and the cook sliced knights with the knife he used for cooking.]

[Those who were currently knights. Those who once dreamed of being knights. Those who had stepped down from knighthood to do other work. All of them took up swords for Johanna Freya’s revenge.]

[Their opponent was a kingdom, but that didn’t matter to them.]

[And at the very front of them was the one who killed the most people.]

[The pinnacle of knights. The Empire’s Foremost Sword. The Duke of Freya. And the father of the deceased Johanna Freya. His blade of revenge was aimed at the Arschen Kingdom.]

The name of that chapter was .

“Hmm?”

Perhaps because I was too lost in thought, I didn’t notice someone approaching me.

Ascal Freya, the young master of Duke Freya’s family and the youngest person to join the Imperial Knights, scanned me with eyes full of curiosity.

“As I heard, you really have a peculiar appearance?”

Ascal had the same platinum blonde hair and blue eyes as Johanna.

But unlike Johanna’s hair, which reached her waist, Ascal’s hair reached his shoulders.

“By the way, what’s your relationship with our Johanna? Huh? Just tell this noona.”

But what was most different was this personality.

Ascal naturally put his arm around my shoulder and spoke.

Anyone seeing it would think we had met several times before.

“Hm?”

Ascal, who had been smiling with his arm on my shoulder, showed a surprised reaction.

Because Johanna had removed Ascal’s arm from my shoulder.

“Johanna, what is this behavior?”

“….Loki is uncomfortable.”

I am? When?

Ascal raised the corner of his mouth, seeing Johanna’s reaction.

“It hurts my feelings when you react like that. Are you seriously keeping even this unnie in check because he’s your boyfriend?”

Johanna exclaimed, startled, when Ascal spoke.

“Ugh! …….. Boyfriend…… no.”

The more Johanna reacted, the more Ascal’s lips curled upwards.

“Hmm. So he’s not your boyfriend, but you allowed him on your lap?”

“That’s……”

Johanna’s face flushed again, seemingly recalling the recent situation.

Ascal looked amused, as if it was the first time he had seen such a reaction from Johanna.

Ascal was genuinely teasing Johanna right now.

Normally, I would have joined in, but now I couldn’t say a word.

Because of Duke Freya, who was standing there, sword drawn, staring at me.

“They have a very good sisterly relationship, don’t they?”

Duke Freya’s wife approached me, who was standing still, unable to do anything, and spoke.

Hearing the Duchess’s words, I looked at Johanna and Ascal.

“If not a boyfriend? Then what’s your relationship?”

“……Ugh.”

“Huh? Just tell this unnie. I’ll keep it a secret.”

Although Ascal was one-sidedly teasing Johanna, their relationship seemed good.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Loki. Thank you for inviting me.”

The Duchess said I could make myself comfortable while in the mansion.

But there was still someone staring at me with his sword drawn, making it hard to relax.

So, please stop him.

“Dear, please put your sword away.”

As if she had heard my silent plea, the Duchess called out to Duke Freya.

“Wife, anyone hearing that would misunderstand. I merely took out my sword for maintenance. I didn’t particularly intend to cut that child down.”

“Then,” Duke Freya said.

“First, let’s go to the training grounds to see your skill.”

No matter how I looked at it, it didn’t seem like a misunderstanding.

Unfortunately for the Duke.

Fortunately for me.

“Hoho, shall we eat first?”

Thanks to Duke Freya’s wife, I was able to avoid a physically heart-stopping, deadly date at the training grounds with the Duke.

***

“Hoho, it seems Derek put a lot of effort into this, knowing Johanna was coming.”

The Duchess opened her mouth, looking at the food laid out on the table.

Derek seemed to be the Duke’s family cook.

As the Duchess said, there was an uncountable amount of delicious-looking food on the table.

It certainly wasn’t an amount for five people.

“But is it really okay for you to be here right now?”

The Duchess spoke to Ascal, who was teasing Johanna.

As the Duchess implied, it made no sense for Ascal, a member of the Imperial Knights, to be here at this hour.

“My sibling is bringing a man over, so how could I just stand by? It’s a good thing I came, after all. I never expected to see such a sight as soon as I arrived.”

Crack.

A sound like something breaking was heard from somewhere.

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound.

There stood Duke Freya, holding a broken knife in his hand.

Just how much force had he used?

“It seems to be a defective product.”

The knife in the Duke’s hand looked luxurious, even at a glance.

It made no sense for there to be a defective product in the Duke’s family in the first place.

“I heard from His Majesty and that fellow.”

Duke Freya, who had received a new knife, spoke to me.

Who is that fellow?

“May I ask who you are referring to?”

“Duke Adelien. Your story came up when I was exchanging messages with him the other day. His Majesty said he’s been teaching you lately, and that fellow got enraged when he heard it. He claimed he had taken you as his disciple and was teaching you first.”

“That child is being taught by His Majesty and Duke Adelien?”

“……………..”

“Ohh.”

Upon hearing that, Duke Freya’s wife, Johanna, and Ascal all wore surprised expressions.

Indeed, who else would be receiving instruction from both the Emperor and Duke Adelien?

Ascal looked at me with more interested eyes than before, and Johanna glared at Ascal.

“A student coveted by both that fellow and His Majesty, so I became very interested as well. That’s why I invited you.”

Duke Freya said so and looked at me.

No matter how I looked at it, he called me because of Johanna, not for that reason.

A sharp jolt.

It felt as if I had been stabbed by a knife.

Duke Freya’s aura enveloped me.

It was certainly a sharp aura, but.

I had endured the Emperor’s dominance. No matter how powerful Duke Freya was, there was no reason I couldn’t endure the aura he unleashed without mana.

“How do you find me, now that you’ve seen me directly?”

Having endured the aura, I spoke leisurely to Duke Freya.

“Ohh. I can somewhat understand why His Majesty and that fellow coveted you.”

“Dear, the food will all get cold like this. Let’s talk about the rest after we eat.”

As the Duchess spoke, the aura that had been pressing down on me disappeared.

“But how will you eat?”

The Duchess said, looking at my mask.

“I heard you eat with your mask on?”

Ascal said from beside me. Where on earth did they hear that?

“Then it doesn’t matter if you eat with it on.”

Duke Freya spoke as if he didn’t care much about that part, but.

“No. I will take off my mask and eat.”

I said I would take off my mask and eat.

Honestly, eating with a mask on during a meal is not polite.

At the Academy, it might not matter if I ate brazenly, but doing so here, as an invited guest, would be a bit, no, very rude.

In the first place, there was no need to wear the mask while not training.

“Your face hidden behind the mask makes me very curious. Are you handsome, by any chance? If so, my heart might flutter a little?”

Ascal said playfully, looking at me.

“You shouldn’t fall for me, then?”

I also said playfully.

Just as I reached for my mask to take it off.

“No!”

Johanna said in a rare loud voice.