Ch.7Wrong Encounters (2)

Kirsy had been in a good mood since morning. She couldn’t express how relieved she felt after hearing that her older sister Asena had reconciled with their brother the night before.

It was the first time she had seen her brother Caden so angry.

Though he hadn’t directed his anger at her, she had been anxious that she might get caught in the crossfire.

A life where he hated her was unimaginable.

Kirsy thought herself weak for needing to rely on her brother to survive. But leaning on him made her so happy that she never considered stopping.

However, just a few days ago, she had started imagining what life would be like without him.

Asena had said she wasn’t going to expel Caden from the family, but Kirsy had imagined growing distant from him.

…In truth, even if Caden were expelled from the family, she could simply follow him.

So she only feared earning his hatred.

She had begged and pleaded that his anger wouldn’t spill over to her.

As if heaven had heard her plea, Asena had proudly returned after reconciling with him.

Through Asena’s bloodshot eyes, which Kirsy hadn’t seen in a long time, she could feel how worried her sister had been too.

But everything was fine now.

Kirsy thought they could all be together again for the entrance ceremony.

And then morning came.

Though she couldn’t sleep much, her heart felt incredibly light.

The unpleasant pressure that had been weighing on her chest for days was gone.

She could approach Caden with affection again. She could receive his doting attention again.

Sure enough, when she visited Caden early, he welcomed her, and she could share all the stories that had piled up during their day apart.

She couldn’t hear anyone whispering around them.

She was happy.

While they were having a pleasant time together, his gaze suddenly fixed on something and wouldn’t move.

“….?”

Kirsy, who had been giggling, tilted her head in confusion.

His gaze didn’t return to her.

Even when she waved her hand in front of his face or pinched and shook his cheek, he didn’t respond.

…..It was strange. This had never happened since he became part of the family.

Kirsy pressed close to him and looked in the direction he was staring.

“………….Huh..?”

A woman was standing there.

Unable to believe he was looking at a woman, Kirsy struggled to look up at Caden again.

“…..Wow…”

And Caden, like someone entranced, continued to stare blankly in that direction, even letting out a sound of admiration.

A feeling like her heart was being torn apart rose within her.

Kirsy immediately shook him.

She felt she needed to recapture his attention.

Looking toward her sister, she saw Asena also staring at Caden’s face in bewilderment before shifting a cold glare toward the woman.

Clutching her strangely beating heart, she tried to get his attention.

His following words:

“That person is pretty.”

“…Ah..”

A compliment about someone’s beauty.

Why did those words, which always made her happy when they came from his mouth, make her feel the complete opposite when they weren’t directed at her?

No matter how much she thought about it, Kirsy couldn’t figure out the reason.

Caden suddenly patted both her and Asena’s shoulders.

“Ah, look at me. Kids, I think it’s starting. We should go find our places by department.”

“…Okay.”

But Kirsy’s feet wouldn’t move.

For some reason, she felt she needed to stay by Caden’s side right now.

It was an impossible wish.

Caden pushed her and Asena’s backs, waved goodbye, and then went to find his own position.

Kirsy kept looking back.

It felt like something that shouldn’t have begun had started.

****

The entrance ceremony seemed boring no matter where it was held.

Yawning several times.

As if it were contagious, yawns could be heard from all around.

Everyone seemed to feel the same as me.

But when I thought of Daisy Hexter whom I’d seen earlier, my fatigue vanished as if I’d taken a stimulant.

It felt like seeing my favorite celebrity in person.

I was moved that such a pure, gentle, and hardworking soul was sharing the same space with me.

Wondering if I could spot other characters, my gaze traveled here and there.

I could see some backs of heads that seemed familiar, but there was no one I could identify with the same certainty as Daisy Hexter.

Then my eyes fixed again.

There she is, Daisy.

Even in this boring situation, she was looking at the stage with passionate or determined eyes. I couldn’t help but admire her.

Although the Hexter Family eventually fell to the Praester Family, the overwhelming steadfastness Daisy showed until then was why I liked her.

I also knew she had overcome numerous trials to get here. She was a character I found charming even when reading the novel, but seeing her exist before my eyes made me admire and respect her.

She would have done well even if she had joined the Knight Department.

As I continued looking at her, I felt someone’s gaze and turned my head.

Asena was staring intently at me.

I smiled at her, but she didn’t return the smile.

She turned her head back to face forward.

…Why is she acting like that?

Well, maybe she doesn’t want to show a frivolous side of herself in a crowded place.

I yawned once more and waited for the entrance ceremony to end.

****

After the entrance ceremony ended, classes began immediately.

Those of us in the Knight Department were whisked away without even having time to greet each other.

After passing through several doors, we arrived at a spacious training ground.

The professor who had silently led us until now shouted loudly.

“Knight Department! Welcome! I am Hoslow, who will be in charge of you for the next two years. Call me Sir Hoslow.”

People around me started murmuring.

It was a name I’d never heard before, but he seemed quite famous.

And he did look like he would be famous.

His very appearance screamed “knight.”

His cheeks were covered with various scars, and his white hair resembled a lion’s mane.

Despite his age, his arm muscles hadn’t diminished and proudly displayed their size.

“None of you have had a chance to get acquainted yet. But knights don’t communicate with words. They communicate with sweat and blood. As you pour your efforts here, you’ll naturally become close with your peers without even trying.”

His passion was palpable. I was starting to realize that this was where I would build my skills.

All the students awkwardly looked around. I took them in as well. True to the Knight Department, everyone had good physiques. They all seemed to have come prepared to some extent. There were also a few women.

Sir Hoslow clapped his hands loudly to settle the increasingly restless atmosphere.

At the same time, as if on cue, several workers appeared leading horses.

“We’re going straight to practical training. Today’s lesson is horseback riding! A knight must know how to ride a horse first. Sword skills don’t matter. A swordsman who can’t ride a horse can’t become a knight. This is the most basic of basics.”

I examined the horses that were brought in.

I had already learned how to assess horses from Lawrence, the training captain of the Praester Family.

Just by looking at those horses, I could roughly gauge their temperaments. I was mentally filtering out the horses to avoid.

“Raise your hand if you don’t know how to ride a horse yet,” Sir Hoslow said.

At his question, several students raised their hands shyly.

“Don’t be embarrassed. Some of you might have had difficulty finding horses. This is a place to learn. If you can’t do something, say it proudly.”

Those who had raised their hands lifted them more stiffly.

At Sir Hoslow’s gesture, other knights who looked like his assistants appeared and led them away somewhere.

“Can the rest of you ride horses?” Sir Hoslow asked the remaining students.

We nodded.

“Then choose a horse each.”

As soon as he gave the signal, everyone approached the awkwardly positioned horses and grabbed their reins.

Some peers struggled with the rough horses’ reins, and others were startled by horses that playfully tried to bite their hands.

I approached the horse I had been eyeing from the start.

And just as I was about to grab the reins, a small hand shot out and grasped the reins of the same horse.

“….?”

I turned to see a woman standing beside me.

Blue-tinged gray hair.

Moderately sized chest.

Tall with balanced muscles befitting a knight.

A beauty comparable to Asena and Kirsy.

A bear paw emblem on her shoulder.

But she checked my emblem first.

“….Praester.”

She spoke as if spitting out a dirty word.

She was from the Ice Ducal Family.

….Our rival family.

I was taken aback but let go of the reins and offered my hand first.

“….I’m Caden Praester.”

But the woman from the Ice Family didn’t respond. Instead, she pulled the reins and led the horse away.

“…Hmm..”

I was left standing there alone.

And having apparently observed this, Sir Hoslow approached, chuckling heartily, and said to me:

“…I said knights don’t communicate with words, didn’t I? Hurry up and mount another horse.”