Ch.7A Woman with No Eye for Men (2)

Generally, the firstborn son or daughter remains with the family to inherit the title. Second sons or daughters are typically assigned to advisory positions, sent to monasteries or convents, become scholars, or join knightly orders. This prevents unnecessary succession disputes that might arise if they remained on the estate.

However, if the head of the family determines that the firstborn doesn’t meet succession criteria, they can designate a different heir. The Duke of Hohenburg sent his eldest son to become a civil servant. And no one interpreted this as “Go become the head of the Security Bureau and bring honor to our family.”

It was closer to “I don’t want to waste even a crumb of Hohenburg bread on someone like you”—essentially disowning him. The fact that Godfrey’s younger sister was named as the next duchess confirms this interpretation isn’t far off.

And Kain was planning to resign soon, so he decided not to show respect to a department head of equal rank. Though truthfully, he hadn’t shown Godfrey respect before either.

“Department Head Godfrey. Seems you’re quite idle?”

“We’ve finished all our work. Already met our performance targets too. Unlike some who struggle until the end of the month and barely manage to catch one guy.”

The Second Department men snickered.

Capturing rogue knights was the Security Bureau’s top priority. Director Verneith didn’t assign quotas to each department, but they still competed over arrest numbers. It was a matter of pride.

The Security Bureau was essentially a gathering of prominent nobles. And nobles love to show off. A noble who can’t promote themselves is unable to explain their importance, which means they’re on the path to obsolescence.

Though Security Bureau members couldn’t reveal their noble status, that characteristic remained unchanged. They had been raised and educated as noble heirs, after all. But given the diverse work of the Bureau, competition was practically impossible.

However, rogue knight arrests were an objective metric they could compete on.

“We’ve caught six this month alone. The Fourth Department caught just one, right?”

Lily’s expression hardened. Kain snorted.

“Are you so proud of catching six starving rogue knights who eat one loaf of bread every two days?”

“We’re smart. We don’t stupidly waste a month trying to catch one guy like Goetz. You have to consider efficiency relative to resources invested.”

“That argument only works when the efficiency is equal.” Kain replied calmly. “The harm caused by Goetz alone exceeds that of all six knights you caught. And the reason you didn’t go after Goetz wasn’t about performance metrics, was it?”

“What?”

“Weren’t you scared? If you’re so proud of your resource efficiency, why didn’t you catch Goetz when Director Verneith even put a bounty on him?”

“How much was that bounty anyway?” Godfrey remained smug, his thick chin gleaming. “We don’t waste Bureau resources like crazy to make arrests. Nor do we beat knights like dogs with a cane. Oh, I forgot—being a commoner, you wouldn’t understand such dignity.”

Kain stopped walking. He couldn’t let that comment slide.

“You call someone like that a knight?”

“Goetz von Bärringen is indeed a knight. He’s earned military honors. His knighthood hasn’t been revoked. He was born noble and acted like a proper knight. And the Security Bureau isn’t some livestock-catching organization—beating someone with a cane instead of a sword?”

“Is that a problem?”

“It is.” Godfrey smirked. “I don’t believe the rumor that the great Department Head Kain of the Fourth Department doesn’t use a sword. The truth is, you lack the confidence to use one, don’t you?”

Kain knew he shouldn’t get excited, but he made a mistake by letting his lips twitch. Seeing Kain’s reaction, Godfrey pressed on with satisfaction.

“Or perhaps you’re still afraid to draw a sword because of that incident in the East long ago?”

The Second Department men doubled over with laughter. Kain smiled faintly, but the veins on his hand gripping the cane bulged.

“The knife used to kill a dog differs from the one used to slaughter cattle. In that sense, Duke Wilhelm Hohenburg is truly wise. Parents often struggle to be objective about their children. He accurately assessed his eldest son’s talents—most wise indeed.”

When Kain implied that street brawling suited Godfrey better than being a regional ruler, Godfrey predictably tried to lunge at him. His Second Department colleagues held him back, whispering something in his ear.

“You’re resigning?”

Godfrey stared at Kain with blank eyes.

“Yes. I’m leaving.”

“I thought you’d cling to that position until senility. It’s an honor a commoner like you couldn’t even dream of. Let me give you some advice—don’t act like this outside. You’ll lose your head immediately. Especially if you can’t even use a sword.”

Kain pointedly ignored him. He gently pulled Lily’s arm when she didn’t follow. Her face was extremely rigid.

“The Fourth Department might finally become decent now. A commoner bastard occupying the department head position. I wonder if you’re beating some noblewoman to get her patronage?”

Lily took a deep breath. “Hey. What are you doing?” Kain spoke, pretending not to hear as he turned and walked away. The Second Department men were still snickering.

“Department Head Godfrey of the Second Department.”

“Yes. Agent Lily.”

Lily politely took something from her pocket. It was a white handkerchief. Before the Second Department agents’ faces could even stiffen, she threw it at Godfrey’s feet.

“I challenge you to a duel according to the Imperial Dueling Decree.”

The Second Department agents froze with their mouths open. Lily calmly explained the procedure.

“According to Imperial Decree No. 33, you may hire someone to fight in your place, and by mutual agreement, we can separately determine the timing, method, procedure, and rules of the duel. Also…”

“Hey. Hey. HEY! Wait. Just a moment.” Godfrey waved his hands. “A duel challenge? You? To me?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because you insulted our department and the Security Bureau. Your statement about a commoner ‘bastard’ occupying the department head position and ‘beating a noblewoman to get the position’ is an insult to the superiors who appointed Department Head Kain, and a defamation of the Fourth Department’s entire reputation. As a member, I cannot silently overlook this.”

Godfrey’s face contorted. Lily was about to continue calmly when Kain whispered to her.

“Miss… Lily. No.”

“No, sir.” Lily’s expression was resolute. “You’re still my department head. I can’t just let this…”

“No, it doesn’t meet the requirements for a duel under Imperial Decree No. 33.”

“…What?”

Lily was genuinely confused. Kain wanted to scratch the back of his head.

“Defamation of the imperial family, one’s family, or personal honor qualifies as grounds, but defamation of a public institution or someone who isn’t a direct party doesn’t qualify for a duel. So his barking about the Fourth Department’s honor or our superiors, while deserving of a beating, doesn’t meet the requirements for a duel.”

Lily looked lost, not knowing where to look. Fortunately, Godfrey and his Second Department colleagues were focused on Kain’s words, suggesting they were equally ignorant.

“Understandable.” Kain sighed. “Nobody challenges duels for reasons like this.”

“No. Fuck.” Godfrey, having finally grasped the situation, spat. Kain grinned.

“You should be grateful, Godfrey. A duel with a lady of the White Blood Knightly State? That’s too great an honor for you.”

A duel with the proud second daughter from a family that lives by the sword. Not only would it be difficult to win, but if Godfrey harmed even a strand of Lily’s hair, he would be the one in trouble.

Of course, duels are about the parties’ interests, and respecting the outcome is the principle. But that’s just principle and legal logic—the scales of the heart work differently.

This means masked White Blood Knights might decide to “adjust” the Hohenburg duchy appropriately. If the disowned son happened to pick a fight with a knightly order from a founding family, Duke Hohenburg would be grabbing the back of his neck in frustration.

That was Kain’s implication. Taking advantage of the Second Department’s confusion, Kain gently pulled Lily away. Godfrey’s humiliation was his own problem, and Kain could shield Lily from embarrassment. He picked up Lily’s handkerchief for her.

“Let’s go. We’re late.”

“…Yes.”

But Duke Hohenburg’s judgment had been accurate. Godfrey couldn’t control his temper.

“If the department head is a blockhead, his subordinates are blockheads too. Didn’t I say? Subordinates’ intelligence can’t exceed their department head’s.”

The comment was deliberately loud enough to hear, impossible to ignore. Both Kain and Lily stopped walking.

“Yes. That’s a personal insult to you, sufficient grounds for a duel.”

Lily snatched the handkerchief from Kain’s grasp. Godfrey’s face turned deathly pale as he realized his mistake.

“Department Head Godfrey of the Second Department, I challenge you to a duel…!”

Bababam-bababababam!

The ear-splitting trumpet sound spread throughout the park.

Lily pulled back her hand. Women hurriedly gathered their children. People enjoying picnics rose from their seats. Coachmen hastily parked their carriages by the roadside, and knights dismounted.

Bababam-bababababam! With the sound of hoofbeats, a knight in golden armor appeared on the other side of the park. An Imperial Royal Guard.

“Show your respect! Show your respect!”

Kain and everyone else lined up along the road. Even the rude Second Department men were no exception. One cannot dare to look directly at the sun.

Bababam-bababababam!

Everyone knelt. Those who couldn’t kneel sat on the ground. Even noisy children fell silent in surprise.

But curiosity is always powerful. People slightly raised their heads and looked up. They could see large, fierce-looking war horses. The decorations on the saddles depicted a plain-looking cup, with liquid so full it was overflowing.

The Holy Grail Knights. The emblem of the church’s holy knights. And this was strange. Why would Holy Grail Knights follow Imperial Royal Guards? Church knights belonged to the church and the Pope, not the Emperor.

Considering that the Pope and Emperor had a relationship of smiling at each other’s faces while slaughtering each other, this was extremely unusual. But imagination stopped there.

After the plain, almost bland knightly order passed, an incredibly splendid procession of knights followed. But the base color was purple.

A color permitted only to the Emperor and the imperial family. No matter how curious, no one dared raise their head at this. While curiosity is important, life is more important than curiosity.

When the procession suddenly stopped, everyone was perplexed and embarrassed. “My knees are killing me.” “How long do we have to keep our heads bowed? Why aren’t they moving?”

Kain was also grumbling inwardly. Until someone tapped his shoulder. It was an Imperial Royal Guard with a magnificent mustache.

The guard signaled Kain to stand. Another guard helped Lily to her feet. The guard pointed to Kain and Lily, then to himself. It was a signal to follow him in silence.

It was a massive carriage pulled by six specially selected horses. Gold was the baseline, covered with brilliant jewels. The emblem engraved on the carriage door was a two-headed eagle—the left head was dead, while the right head was held stiffly upright. The eagle wore a crown, clutching a royal scepter in one foot and a sword in the other.

The window was open but the curtain was down. A woman’s silhouette was visible behind the curtain.

“Guard Captain.”

Along with a displeased voice.

“I clearly stated that excessive ceremony makes me uncomfortable.”

“It was His Majesty’s order.”

“My brother’s words are frightening, but mine are amusing?”

“…Not at all.”

A clear laugh. The carriage door opened. The noble lady had graciously opened the door herself. A small woman in her mid-forties. But she had the beauty of a twenty-year-old, the composure of a forty-year-old, and the eyes of a sixty-year-old.

“No, enough with formalities now. Both of you, get in. Right now.”

There was a brief dispute. The Guard Captain pointed to Kain’s document bag and cane. Kain politely tried to present them, but the noble lady pressed her fingers between her eyebrows.

“Didn’t I clearly say ‘right now’? Just bring them and get in.”

The Guard Captain forcibly pushed the two into the carriage.

When Kain’s document bag slipped from his side, Lily quickly grabbed it. She clutched it to her body like a hen brooding over eggs. And she avoided Kain’s bewildered gaze. The woman closed the door with irritation, shaking her head.

Only then did she seem relieved.

“In my father’s time, people weren’t like this. Has the world slowed down, or has my temperament become more impatient?”

Neither Kain nor Lily could easily answer. The woman asked mischievously.

“Or do even my disciples now find the imperial family amusing? Kain. That’s what you’re called now? What do you think?”

“I am honored beyond words.”

“Your intuition has dulled. You’ve aged too.” The woman laughed again, finding it amusing. “I called you my disciple. So I’d like you to address me by my title now.”

“Understood… Professor.”

“Now we can have a more comfortable conversation.” The woman shook her head. “And, um. You’re called Lily, right?”

“Yes, ma’am!”

“That manner of speaking hasn’t changed even after graduation. Is it because Kain is giving you a hard time?”

“Not at all!”

The delicate noblewoman across from them adjusted her navy blue dress. She picked up a fan and lightly poked Kain’s knee.

“Aren’t you being too harsh on such a cute and lovely child, Kain?”

Kain laughed quietly.

Imperial Capital Academy History Professor. Wife of the Chancellor and sister of the Emperor. And the traitor, Anna Kommodus.

* * * * *

The procession passed. People dispersed. One of the Second Department subordinates asked his department head.

“That noblewoman the Fourth Department Head supposedly beat…”

Godfrey glared at his subordinate with murderous eyes. The subordinate closed his mouth. Fortunately, Godfrey directed his hatred toward the departing procession.