Chapter 23
She was pulled out of her memories by Yellow’s pompous voice.
[You may not be able to capture all of this body’s magnificence, but give it a try. Purr. Such dedication is admirable.]
Sitting elegantly on a luxurious leather sofa with his chin proudly raised, Yellow posed as Ard tried his best to draw him. Arin stood behind Ard, watching the drawing come to life.
A round black face, pointy triangular ears, a tiny tongue sticking out, and yellow pea-like eyes. No matter how she looked at it, what was drawn on the paper was a cat. Arin bit her tongue to keep from laughing at the ridiculously cute depiction of Yellow.
Scritch, scritch.
The sound of the crayon smudging the paper was interrupted by a knock on the door. It was a maid hired by Arin.
“Lady Arin, you have visitors.”
Sally, with warm brown eyes and a kind face, was in her mid-thirties and managed the entirety of the antique brown mansion. At the word “visitors,” Arin’s brows furrowed deeply, her expression clearly showing her displeasure.
“Again?”
“Yes, two guests this time.”
These people, seriously…
With Sally in tow, Arin marched downstairs.
As soon as the door opened and the scent of animal blood wafted in, Yellow’s nose twitched. He wanted to dash out immediately, but Ard, sensing this, gave a stern little cough.
“Ahem. Ahem.”
[Ah, right… this youngest was in the middle of drawing my portrait.]
Yellow quickly composed himself and returned to his dignified pose.
Downstairs, Arin found the Altair father and son duo, each holding a rabbit. How long has it been since they left? And now they’re back at her house? Again? She was tired of being around them all the time.
“You’re here again.”
At least Altair had enough shame to offer a sheepish excuse.
“Ahem, I happened to spot some rabbits…”
“The day before it was pheasants, yesterday ducks, and today rabbits… quite the streak of coincidences.”
Deneb shamelessly brushed off Arin’s sarcasm.
“Are you going to leave your guests standing here?”
“Are you even guests at this point…”
They were practically housemates now.
“So you don’t consider me a guest anymore?”
“…”
You’re not a guest, you’re a freeloader. If you had any shame, you’d go to your own house and stay in your own room.
As she shot him that thought-filled glare, Deneb smirked.
“Right… I guess we’re more than just guests now.”
He slipped through the half-open door, and Altair followed behind with the agility befitting a swordmaster, essentially committing home invasion.
While Arin was still a Sword Expert, Deneb had already become a Sword Master. No matter how skilled she was, Deneb operated on a whole different level.
And Altair, who passed down those genius genes, was no slouch either. Though not quite at Deneb’s level, he was clearly above Arin’s.
“Sally, prepare two more meals.”
“I figured they’d come today too, so I’ve already made extra.”
Sally was now used to the ducal duo’s daily invasions. While the two men shared a comradely chuckle, a bright laugh echoed from upstairs—it was Ard.
“Grandpa!”
“Yes, come here.”
“Aha-ha!”
Returning upstairs, Arin saw Altair lifting Ard up by the armpits. The rabbit he had brought was now rolling on the floor.
Like Simba in The Lion King, Ard was lifted high, laughing and kicking his legs in the air.
Seeing Ard neglect his drawing, Yellow cautiously rose to his feet, but Ard noticed instantly and warned him again.
“Ahem.”
Yellow grumbled and resumed his pose. Ard asked Altair to put him down and picked up his crayon again. Altair couldn’t help but smile faintly at the sight of the little artist and his dignified model.
[Your dedication to finishing my portrait is truly admirable. But I want meat. Chomp chomp.]
Yellow’s eyes were fixed on the rabbits that the Altair duo had brought. Even Sally and Altair, who couldn’t understand him, could easily guess what he was thinking from the intensity of his gaze. Only the clueless Ard failed to notice Yellow’s desperation.
[Slurp.]
“Yellow, no drooling.”
Ard gently wiped Yellow’s drool with his tiny hands and returned to his drawing.
[Slurp.]
Yellow’s twitching backside betrayed his longing to jump up.
“All done!”
The moment Ard put down his crayon, Yellow bolted toward Deneb.
[As expected of the commander I acknowledge! How did you know I love rabbit? Unlike ‘someone,’ you’re actually competent.]
That “someone” was obviously Arin.
Unbothered, Ard pasted his second masterpiece of the day on the wall.
* * *
At the training grounds used by the 2nd Knight Order, Arin and Lemain were sparring, sweat dripping from their brows.
“Haap!”
Arin’s relentless attacks pushed Lemain back two steps. Regaining his breath, Lemain’s gaze sharpened like a hawk’s as he launched a rapid assault aimed at Arin’s weak points.
Clang. Clang. Clang.
Arin blocked every blow. Billy, a newly appointed knight, gaped in awe.
“She’s so small, yet…”
It amazed him how Arin could so easily fend off the large Lemain’s strikes.
Alpha, once a member of the Black Mercenaries and now a full-fledged knight, slung an arm over Billy’s shoulder.
“Our vice-captain’s incredible. Just accept it. She’s on a whole different level than us.”
Before they knew it, Arin’s sword was at Lemain’s neck.
“I concede.”
Arin grinned and sheathed her sword.
“Yes! That means Lemain’s buying snacks today. I want sweet potato croquettes!”
Lemain felt more pained about losing the snack bet than the duel itself. While he sulked, dreading his wallet’s fate, Alpha chimed in without a hint of tact.
“Captain, I want corn croquettes~”
Irritated, Lemain hurled his wallet at Alpha’s face like a shuriken. The black wallet smacked Alpha right in the nose.
“You brat, have some tact!”
Rubbing his injured nose, Alpha picked up the wallet from the ground.
“I’ll go run the errand, sir.”
Such cheeky behavior was only tolerated because the 2nd Knight Order had many ex-mercenaries and Lemain was its captain. Watching Alpha flee, Lemain trembled in frustration. His broad, muscular shoulders looked oddly delicate.
“Damn it… at least leave me a single coin…”
* * *
Alpha arrived at the croquette shop with Lemain’s wallet and began gleefully gathering items.
“Charles, no corn croquettes?”
The shop owner, Charles, busily packed the croquettes while answering.
“I ordered corn from Lisa’s farm near the edge of the territory, but can you believe it? In just one day, bugs ruined the entire crop. So I’m not selling corn croquettes for a while. Even the wheat’s looking bad. Prices might spike soon.”
“Bugs? Didn’t we hear we were heading for a good harvest this year?”
“I don’t know all the details, but they say that area’s in chaos.”
“If the whole region’s in chaos, isn’t that serious?”
As they talked, a carriage passed by, bearing the symbol of the Altair Ducal House—a majestic eagle.
Inside, sitting on a plush carriage sofa, Ashila smiled wickedly while holding an empty glass vial in her palm.
* * *
Having just arrived at the Altair estate, Ashila let out a twisted smile.
“Hah… I’m here and no one came to greet me?”
Her unnaturally sharp fingernails scraped the carriage wall. As they caught on the wood grain, they made a jarring, splintering noise. Her face contorted into a sinister expression.
“Let’s see how long you can keep your head held high.”
Her crimson lips curled into a sinister arc.
Even after entering the estate, her carriage continued for several more minutes before stopping. Mason Todd, the former captain of the 2nd Knight Order who had been away from Altair territory with her, escorted her.
She stepped down and looked upon a pristine white marble mansion. It was the second largest building after the main house—the “White Mansion” she had originally used.
“Welcome back, former Duchess.”
Her closest followers stood lined up in perfect formation. She spread her ornate lace fan and walked in with proud, regal steps.
Returning here brought a rush of emotion.
The blindingly white wallpaper, the luxurious crystal chandeliers—everything was as she remembered. Her high chin exuded a towering pride. But then a memory surfaced—how she had been forced to flee when her plans fell apart. Her teeth ground together.
She still couldn’t forget how people who once groveled at her feet turned on her when Deneb returned.
But things would be different now. She had a secret weapon, and at least the people here were her loyal dogs. Her pupils narrowed, glinting with malice.
“Let’s see how you respond.”
