“Damn Leonidas, damn Leonidas! Let’s see if I ever listen to him again, damn it!”
Returning to his room, Kaon was still struggling with the stubbornly locked door, cursing internally. Of course, cursing didn’t magically open a locked door.
“……”
“……”
The hallway, which had been filled with the sound of rattling, fell into silence. Kaon shut his eyes tightly, trying to calm his anger. Then he bit his lip and turned around.
“…There seems to have been some mistake.”
He spoke before Alessia could say anything, already feeling embarrassed at how ridiculous the situation must look.
“Come in for now, Kaon. It’s late.”
Fortunately, Alessia didn’t seem inclined to mock him at all. She simply pointed to the now-open door with a gentle smile. Kaon had no choice but to follow her inside.
Alessia’s room had the exact same layout as Kaon’s. Her personal belongings weren’t visible, perhaps because she hadn’t unpacked yet.
Kaon, who had entered nervously, only relaxed after noticing this. If he had simply entered through the connecting door to his own room earlier, this would have all been avoided—but, as usual, realization came after action.
“This actually worked out better. I didn’t feel great about rejecting the arrangement you went out of your way to set up.”
“……”
Kaon couldn’t say anything in return. He knew Alessia was trying to be considerate of his feelings.
“Unless… are you uncomfortable sharing a room with me…?”
“That’s not it.”
He quickly denied the cautious question Alessia had posed. Uncomfortable? The thought had never even crossed his mind.
To be honest, it was uncomfortable—but only because he had always had a room to himself. That was natural. Still, any discomfort he felt was nothing compared to what Alessia must be experiencing.
This was her first time visiting a strange domain—her enemy’s domain, no less—and now she had to share a room with a much bigger boy she barely knew. His discomfort was trivial. She might even be scared.
“If that’s not the reason, I’m fine with it. We’ll be getting married after the engagement period anyway…”
Alessia spoke again as they reached the corridor on the far side of the spacious room.
Standing in front of fluttering lace curtains, she looked a little shy.
Engagement. Marriage.
To a sixteen-year-old boy, those words had always felt distant. But the girl standing before him seemed to have already accepted them as her reality.
Seeing her like that made Kaon feel shy as well. Only now did the nature of their relationship really hit him—something he’d been ignoring, consciously or not.
“Ah, maybe that was too much to say?”
“No, well… it’s true, so… maybe it’s not too much…”
Flustered, Kaon rubbed the back of his neck and trailed off. Alessia laughed softly. Her gentle laughter made his ears feel warm.
Kaon hurriedly brushed aside the curtains and walked quickly toward his own room like he was fleeing.
“Good night, Kaon.”
“…You too, Alessia.”
Of course, he didn’t forget to reply.
Though he responded well, he didn’t sleep well. When he finally fell asleep, dawn was already breaking. Even then, it was a light sleep, and he woke easily to the sound of movement.
‘Damn. Today’s outdoor training.’
Grabbing his aching head, Kaon groaned. The thought of going through endurance training under the blazing sun in this state was already exhausting.
Normally, he would’ve tried to go back to sleep, but that wasn’t likely to work today—not with the faint silhouette visible beyond the lace curtain.
Alessia, the reason he couldn’t fall asleep—and the reason he’d woken early—seemed to be up as well.
There was some rustling, likely her making the bed, which soon stopped. Then came the faint sound of running water.
That subtle sound had played a big part in keeping Kaon up all night. It was hardly noticeable, but for some reason, he couldn’t stop paying attention to it.
‘She’s really diligent, huh.’
Trying to redirect his thoughts, Kaon realized something new about Alessia—she seemed to be a very diligent person.
Maybe she hadn’t slept well since it was her first night in a new place. Still, a lazy person wouldn’t get up this early. It was a trait well-suited to life in Ferdinand.
Ferdinand was known for being early-rising—not because the sun rose early, but because the people were hardworking. As the territory that produced the kingdom’s greatest knights, it treated laziness as a sin.
Kaon had never met a wizard from Ingelos before, but judging by those who had visited Ferdinand in the past, Alessia’s nature was a welcome surprise.
Wizards were typically irregular, unpredictable—traits that clashed with knights. Why was it so hard for them to follow a schedule? They’d lock themselves up at the drop of a hat.
‘…Wait. Will Alessia be going out on inspection?’
Kaon suddenly stiffened at the thought. Alessia was a wizard, and Ferdinand only needed wizards for one reason—to inspect the monster forest and eliminate threats.
‘She’s going into the monster forest with that fragile body?’
So even though it was natural for her to go out there—since she was brought here specifically for that—Kaon couldn’t help but worry now that the idea was real.
‘Wouldn’t she have to be carried? She’s probably never even seen a monster… What if she faints?’
His expression darkened. The thought of Alessia going into the forest filled him with unease—not only because of the danger, but because of how harshly people would judge her if she failed to meet their expectations.
Then he heard the door open.
He hadn’t done anything wrong, but Kaon flinched and quickly shut his eyes, pretending to be asleep.
It seemed Alessia was getting ready to go out. Getting up this early to head out—she really was diligent.
‘…Wait a second. Where is she going?’
Kaon suddenly remembered—Alessia didn’t know her way around the Ferdinand estate at all.
He was supposed to give her a tour that evening. So where could she possibly be going right now?
Curious about the castle? Still, most people wouldn’t wander around a strange castle this early in the morning, alone.
‘Then again, she is a wizard.’
Maybe that explained it. Their curiosity was unmatched.
Soon, the room fell silent again. Kaon decided to stop worrying and let it go.
But that was easier said than done. Kaon had always been a deep thinker. Even as a child, he struggled to let things go.
What others could brush off, he dwelled on. One thought led to another, endlessly.
‘What if she gets lost? If she runs into someone in the house right now, they won’t be nice.’
Outdoor training was only a few hours away, and he should’ve been sleeping. But he kicked off the covers and got up—worried Alessia might run into trouble.
Kaon knew he was probably overthinking it. But still, there was no one else in Ferdinand who could be on her side right now. So what else could he do?
‘Where would she go? Probably outside?’
He headed toward the stairs. Alessia didn’t seem like the type to recklessly enter a room she didn’t recognize, so he figured she had likely gone outside.
But contrary to his guess, she was still inside the castle.
“…That’s not how I see it, Madam Lano!”
Her voice echoed from the entrance hall below the central staircase.
Startled by the uncharacteristic sharpness in her tone, Kaon began to move. It was the time of day when the servants were bustling about, starting their chores.
Had something happened with one of them?
Of course, given their positions, a real argument was unlikely. Alessia might be from an enemy family, but she was still a duke’s daughter. The servants worked for the house.
Still, any conflict would only hurt Alessia. It would give her enemies a reason to unite more strongly against her.
Kaon hurried to the railing. Alessia’s voice rang clearly now, like a nightingale’s call.
“It’s not a big deal. Really, it’s nothing.”
Now that he was closer, he could also hear the other person. It was Madeleine, the head maid. Her tone was unusually curt—perhaps revealing her displeasure.
“But you’ve looked after Ferdinand for over forty years. How is that not a big deal?”
“You flatter me. People like me just do what we’ve always done. There’s nothing special about it.”
Their conversation puzzled Kaon. He had been about to intervene but now paused to listen more closely.
“I was surprised the moment I arrived at this castle. I heard it was old, but it didn’t look old at all. That must be thanks to your hard work, Head Maid.”
If Kaon’s hearing wasn’t failing him, Alessia was praising Madeleine—and persistently so, even as Madeleine dismissed the compliments.
“You give me too much credit. I’m just doing my job. Of course, I’m in charge of maintaining the castle, but if you say that, others might get jealous… Oh, I don’t know.”
“But I do.”
When Alessia whispered, “Ingelos castles aren’t this clean, you know,” the conversation was effectively over.
“Oh dear, now I’m too flattered to refuse! You’re going to make this old lady blush!”
Madeleine laughed heartily, as if the ice had melted with spring. She even asked Alessia what kind of food she liked.
‘…I guess I don’t need to go down?’
Kaon, who had been clutching the railing ready to descend, quietly stepped back.
Suddenly, he thought—Alessia’s time in Ferdinand might not go the way he had expected.
