Chapter: 9
“What?”
Claude’s red eyes widened.
They were close, and it was quiet around them, so he definitely heard it. Jeanne repeated, enunciating each word clearly into his ear.
“I’m not accepting it. The knighthood.”
Claude froze, not moving an inch. If it weren’t for the faint tremor in his eyes, one could think time itself had stopped for him.
What’s wrong with him?
Jeanne quickly waved her open hand in front of him.
“Hey.”
“…….”
“Claude?”
“……Huh?”
For once, Claude’s voice sounded dumbstruck. He covered his mouth with one hand and lowered his gaze.
His eyes, which previously required careful observation to detect movement, now trembled violently like a raging wave.
“Is this really that surprising?”
Jeanne hadn’t expected Claude to be this thrown off. When she asked, flustered, a nervous laugh escaped from the hand blocking his mouth.
“From the first day of enrollment, you started with ‘I will devote my life to His Highness Alexis,’ and even at graduation, you were bouncing around saying, ‘Now I can go to His Highness Alexis.’ Who was that again?”
“…….”
No words of protest came. Everything she said was true.
“Why did your mind change?”
“That’s…”
She couldn’t bring herself to say, “To change the future.” Instead, she lowered her gaze for a moment to think of a way to phrase it, then quietly looked back at Claude.
His deeply red eyes, like arrows lodged in her, didn’t waver. His serious gaze made it unclear whether he was waiting for an answer or probing her thoughts.
One thing was certain: Claude was perceptive and quick-witted.
A peer who had claimed until a few days ago that life for Alexis was worth sacrificing everything suddenly refused the knighthood. A flimsy lie wouldn’t work.
He would likely see through it immediately, think she mocked him with a ridiculous lie, and even retract his proposal to bring her to Loren.
Before being a peer, he was the ruler of Loren.
After organizing her thoughts, Jeanne straightened her back and faced him.
“I want to live differently.”
She chose to hide the truth but reveal her sincere feelings.
“Looking back, devoting myself entirely to His Highness Alexis wasn’t truly my heart’s desire.”
“So?”
“Perhaps it was the result of my father’s teachings brainwashing me.”
Her first life had ended, and she had lived a completely different second life. Maybe that’s why she could finally see how foolish her devotion had been, the root of her blind feelings.
“Since I was young, I was taught that once loyalty is given, it must be eternal. I believed living that way was right. But after hearing your suggestion, I started to question it. Was the path I chose really the correct one?”
“…….”
“I admit that thanks to His Highness Alexis, I got into the officer academy and gained opportunities. But feelings can change, right? I never swore that after graduation I must join the Royal Knights. And the favor I received can be repaid in other ways. As long as I don’t harm the royal family, isn’t that enough?”
As she revealed her heart, Jeanne studied his reaction. Whether he believed her or not, he listened with a serious face, showing no hint of playfulness.
Feeling awkward because he was listening so seriously, she cleared her throat.
“Anyway, that’s why I left without being knighted.”
After she finished, Claude slowly lowered his gaze. Lost in thought, he gave no immediate answer. Impatient, she subconsciously shook one leg, waiting.
Finally, Claude straightened his slightly tilted posture.
“I’m a little surprised, but as the lord of Loren, I have no reason to refuse talented individuals.”
Compared to the silent pause, it was a light reply. Though slightly anticlimactic, Jeanne felt relief wash over her.
“The induction exam is in ten days, so apply as soon as you arrive in Loren.”
Huh?
“Wait. Exam?”
An unexpected obstacle appeared.
“The proposal you made back then, wasn’t it assuming I was already accepted?”
“Accepted? Where is that written? Of course, you have to take the exam properly.”
It felt like thunder had just struck. Outside, the sky was clear, so it hadn’t actually hit.
“Hey! You should’ve said that clearly!”
“I never said it unclearly.”
“……Are you joking?”
“Yes.”
Claude crossed his arms and nodded heavily, his expression and stance dripping with smugness.
“What’s the exam?”
“One-on-one matches between candidates.”
“Ugh.”
Jeanne muttered irritably.
The Loren Knights had a longer history and higher status than the Royal Knights. It was thoroughly meritocratic. Even wandering mercenaries were welcomed if skilled, while the children of noble knight families could be eliminated if weak.
Because of this, Loren was called the land of opportunity.
In other words, all the fighters gathered there.
Jeanne had just graduated from the officer academy—a rookie. Her body might not follow as well as her mind remembered. Catching a single cockatrice wasn’t enough to gauge her abilities.
Sighing deeply, Claude tilted his head curiously.
“What’s with the sigh?”
“Because I came thinking I’d be joining smoothly but got blindsided instead.”
“Why are you whining like this? You’ll join anyway.”
“……What do you mean?”
Expecting another tease, Jeanne remained on guard.
“You really think I offered you just because you’re my peer? I’m the second-ranking graduate of the Royal Officer Academy….”
Claude raised one eyebrow.
“And we’re both ‘children of the goddess.’”
“……”
“Isn’t that right, Jeanne Leclerc?”
His mischievous expression seemed to taunt her.
But this time, it didn’t bother her. Claude was her rival she could never surpass, and now he was trusting her abilities.
“I see. Thinking about it, I don’t like being a parachute pick either.”
“Para… what?”
“Something like that.”
Acknowledged by her rival, her confidence, which had waned briefly, surged again.
“Just watch. I’ll be first in the induction exam.”
“Hmm. Then, since the nickname ‘eternal second’ won’t fit, I’ll take the exam too.”
“……”
Jeanne narrowed her eyes, and Claude giggled, enjoying the teasing. She snorted inwardly, thinking she felt like she had returned to those days when she knew nothing with him.
The night deepened, but the sounds of those awake didn’t stop.
The owl’s cry, the crackling campfire, insects chirping in the grass, and…
“No monsters within a 2,000-foot radius.”
“Emergency care for the bandit is complete. No consciousness yet, though.”
Even the three men gathered in front of the cabin.
“Well done.”
“By the way, we’ll arrive in Brien tomorrow.”
Laurent spoke, seemingly looking forward to the end of the journey. Only then did Claude realize he hadn’t told the two men yet.
“No, I’ll return to Loren at daybreak.”
“Eh?”
Cedric and Laurent’s eyes widened simultaneously.
“Your Highness, didn’t you say we were heading to Brien?”
It was natural for Cedric to be surprised. Going to Brien meant informing the royal family, taking gifts, and traveling with escorts.
But this time was different. No one knew except the two of them, who had just followed along. They didn’t even know why.
Returning suddenly just before Brien would confuse them.
It didn’t matter. The goal was achieved.
“Understood!”
Unlike the confused Cedric, Laurent snapped his fingers excitedly.
“You were bringing that lady, right?”
The forest, silent, was punctuated by the crackling fire.
“Right? The necklace owner.”
Laurent urged Cedric for confirmation, who chuckled, objecting.
“Your Highness wouldn’t break protocol just for one woman…”
“Don’t you know the old tales of wars fought to reclaim a woman? Anyway, you’re so lacking in romance.”
“And what does romance have to do with anything?”
“Cedric, Laurent.”
Claude cut in as their voices rose.
“Even though it was a sudden expedition, thank you for following.”
The two men shut their mouths. A gentle smile from their lord was a silent signal not to ask further.
Claude smiled and entered the cabin. As he closed the door, he exhaled deeply.
“One’s too clueless, the other too perceptive.”
Shaking his head, resigned, he almost went inside—but stopped.
Jeanne, who had been sleeping with her back turned, had turned toward him.
Moonlight shone through the slanted window, silently draping over Jeanne like a blanket.
She looked so vivid—her hair flowing like a river, eyelashes curling beautifully, lips slightly parted, skin white as milk.
Claude felt like a mortal seeing the goddess of the moon from myths, a fluttering sensation in his chest like holding a rain-soaked bird.
“…Father.”
Her furrowed brow, like in a nightmare, and her restless hands, almost lonely, caught his attention.
Claude carefully sat beside her and held her wandering hand. Slowly, her deeply wrinkled brow relaxed.
“Rest peacefully, at least in your dreams.”
He couldn’t even sleep properly before, because just seeing her face tore at his heart. Holding her hand, she might finally have good dreams.
“…Sis.”
“…?”
“You bastard…”
Hearing the clear curse, Claude chuckled.
Is she cursing me?
“Well, I did tease her a lot today.”
She wouldn’t know.
That he had never once defeated her. That this precious time together was painful for him.
“Even if I’m annoying, forgive me a little, Jeanne.”
It won’t last long.
