Chapter 32
I abruptly sprang up and dove straight into the gap in Sion’s collar.
At my sudden change in behavior—from groaning weakly to moving just fine—Sion and Genebia both froze in confusion for a moment.
Shortly after—
“Young master, so this is where you were.”
The Grand Duchess and her clingy attendants stepped up and stood before Sion.
Throughout the coming-of-age ceremony, she had worn a beautiful and elegant smile.
But no one present was unaware that beneath that smiling face, her mood was thoroughly twisted.
“My respects to Your Grace, the Grand Duchess.”
Sion greeted her with flawless etiquette.
It was a stark contrast to just a few days ago, when they had openly been at odds.
From today onward, following the coming-of-age ceremony, the two were now officially bound in a relationship no different from parent and child.
Neither Sion nor the Grand Duchess was foolish enough to ignore the laws and etiquette of the North at such an important formal occasion.
“So, the day has finally come.”
“The atmosphere in the castle will only grow more tense from here on.”
“Goodness, it’s enough to make one afraid to even breathe.”
The retainers and nobles watching the situation exchanged subtle glances and whispers.
“Once again, congratulations on safely reaching adulthood, young master.”
Hiding her twisted intentions, the Grand Duchess spoke with an even brighter smile.
“I must admit, I have been somewhat inattentive toward you until now. From this point forward, as your elder, I will take greater care of you.”
It was a threat disguised as a blessing.
In essence: You survived everything I put you through—so from now on, I’ll deal with you properly.
“That is far too generous of you to say. It is thanks to your unseen consideration that I stand here today. As your child, I too will serve Your Grace more devotedly from now on.”
At Sion’s response—perfectly deflecting her words without taking any damage—the Grand Duchess’s smile stiffened slightly.
The onlookers’ expressions shifted subtly as they watched the exchange.
“Oh?”
“He’s more capable than expected…”
“I heard he was frail…”
“But he’s actually quite…”
At that moment, Assistant Luman—who had been shrinking behind the Grand Duchess—stepped forward.
Dressed in flashy clothes and with his hair slicked back with excessive oil, he looked between her and Sion as he spoke.
“Ahem, ahem! My, my—what a heartwarming and delightful sight, seeing Your Grace and the young master together like this!”
Completely misreading the atmosphere, Luman spoke with a face full of emotion.
As always, he was utterly clueless.
“Well, Assistant Luman, since we have this opportunity, I must speak honestly. Until now, the relationship between the two of you has not been very good, which has made things quite difficult for me. Being stuck in the middle, I couldn’t take sides and had to constantly watch my step.”
“……”
“……”
“But now that the young master of the annex—no, Young Master Sion—has safely come of age, and Your Grace is embracing him, I, as your humble servant, am truly delighted!”
Everyone stared at Luman in shock.
Somewhere, someone muttered, “Has he completely lost his mind…?”
From another side came a sigh, “That fool is Her Grace’s cousin…?”
At last, it became clear how Luman had managed to stay alive this long.
“Now then! At this point, we shall reveal the special gift that Her Grace has prepared to celebrate the young master’s coming-of-age!”
Swelling with pride at the attention focused on him, Luman snapped his thick fingers.
From the distance, servants appeared as if on cue.
They led forward a magnificent ash-gray horse that radiated an imposing presence at first glance.
The sudden appearance of a horse in the middle of the banquet hall caused a stir.
Luman proclaimed proudly,
“This is Enoch, a descendant of Elanak—the finest bloodline of horses in the North, owned only by members of the Luxior Grand Ducal House!”
Gasps and exclamations erupted.
“Elanak bloodline?!”
“To give such a precious horse to the young master of the annex…?”
“Has Her Grace truly changed her mind?”
The gray horse standing before Sion was undeniably beautiful and majestic, as if proving its lineage.
“…What is she scheming?”
I narrowed my eyes at the Grand Duchess, but she suddenly smiled unpleasantly and said,
“Young Master Sion. This is bestowed upon you. As you know, even the former Grand Duke remained mounted upon a horse of the Elanak bloodline until his final breath on the battlefield. Is it not a great honor?”
“…I express my gratitude for Your Grace’s generosity.”
Sion responded with proper courtesy.
Then, the Grand Duchess’s purple eyes gleamed sharply as she added,
“However, there is one thing. I heard from the stable hands that while this horse indeed carries Elanak blood, the mare that bore it was of unknown, mixed origin.”
The murmuring crowd fell silent instantly, as if doused with cold water.
“It is said that only foals born from mares of verified noble blood can grow into true warhorses, is it not? This time, due to the timing of your ceremony, I had no choice but to bring such a half-blood. Of course, something of that sort would hardly befit the dignity of the Luxior Grand Ducal House.”
“……”
“When the time comes, I shall provide you with one of proper lineage. Until then, even if it doesn’t satisfy you, do your best to train it.”
“……”
The Grand Duchess finished with a radiant smile, clearly enjoying herself.
In the frozen atmosphere, no one dared to speak.
Because what she had just said was an unmistakable and blatant insult—aimed directly at Sion’s birth, as the son of a commoner mother.
Even Assistant Luman finally realized the situation and quietly shrank back, his face pale.
Meanwhile, hidden inside Sion’s collar, I trembled in rage as I watched everything.
What did she just say…? Half-blood…??
How dare she say something like that about my Sion!
Should I jump out right now and rip that red mouth of hers apart?!
Consumed by that urge, I glanced up at Sion.
His face was cold and completely unreadable.
“……”
But I could tell.
He was trying very hard to suppress his anger.
He might ignore insults directed at himself—but he may not tolerate someone insulting his mother.
Which meant—
He might fall for the Grand Duchess’s deliberate provocation.
“Sion.”
I called him carefully.
If he were to act out of line here, it would only give her exactly the justification she wanted.
At that moment—
“If you don’t need that horse, how about giving it to me?”
A rough yet relaxed voice rang out from the crowd.
Everyone—including Sion and the Grand Duchess—turned toward the speaker.
Pushing through the crowd stepped forward a tall, well-built man with red hair.
It was Ulric Surman, vice-captain of the Northern Knights.
“It’s definitely of Elanak blood, right?”
Ulric examined the horse casually.
“Then it’ll do its job just fine. One under our captain has a similar half-blood, and that one ran for three days straight even after taking a blind arrow to the rear.”
He spoke as if completely unconcerned with the tense atmosphere.
“That horse was also a gift from the former Grand Duke to my captain, who was his close friend. I’ve always had my eye on it. So what do you say, young master? May I take this one?”
“……”
For a brief moment, Sion’s anger-cooled gaze quickly steadied.
He slowly closed and reopened his eyes before speaking.
“…I refuse. We are not on familiar terms enough to be speaking so casually, Vice-Captain Surman.”
“Hm, what a shame.”
Ulric smacked his lips.
Then, belatedly, he addressed the Grand Duchess.
“Forgive my rudeness for intruding, Your Grace.”
At that, the Grand Duchess replied coldly, unable to hide her displeasure,
“Vice-Captain Surman. I’m surprised to see you still here. You usually leave these banquets as soon as you’re invited.”
“Yes, I had some business to attend to.”
“Business?”
Ulric glanced around, then spotted someone and tilted his head.
“Diene, make up for your failed romance later and bring that over here.”
From a corner, Diene—who had been practically holding Garen captive—approached, pulling a letter from her arms.
After receiving it, Ulric walked up to Sion and held it out.
“…What is this?”
“It’s the letter we sent you, young master. We tried delivering it through one of our men earlier, but it was returned unopened.”
It seemed to be the same letter Diene had tried to deliver before at the annex.
Curious, I tugged on Sion’s collar and signaled him.
Take it.
“……”
Sion accepted the letter and unfolded it.
[First Knight Order Recruitment Proposal]
“…!”
Ulric spoke firmly,
“It’s an invitation to join. Come to the First Knight Order, young master.”
