Chapter 34

The snow that began to fall early in the morning covered Ferdinand in white by the time noon approached—with the exception of the mansion’s porches. Kaon, who had left the training grounds earlier than the rest of the knights, stepped leisurely on the snow. The soft sensation of the snowfield was worth enduring the cold for.

“Coda! Stop!” came a gasping voice from afar.

A blur rushed towards Kaon fiercely.

“Woof!”

Kaon laughed and went on his knees. The dog hopped onto his lap, instantly ruining his pants, but it was easy not to care.

“You don’t have to run like that just to give me a hug, you know.” He held him close, brushing off the large snowflakes caught in his ears.

Coda licked his cheeks in approval.

“Young master!”

“Were you looking for this guy?”

“Yes, yes. I was about to put his leash on when he shot past me. Ugh, how can this little fellow be so quick?” the huffing soldier explained.

Coda originally roamed the estate freely, but after learning that Alessia was afraid of dogs, Kaon had limited his playtime. Since she usually went out for lunchtime, he ordered for him to be leashed during that period.

“You must be having a hard time,” Kaon muttered, gently patting Coda’s chubby belly.

‘Because of that swindler.’

He’d been ignoring Alessia since their quarrel a few weeks ago. Well, they were both ignoring each other, but he firmly believed that his will was stronger, so long as Alessia wouldn’t apologize.

Honestly, this status quo seemed quite peaceful.

“You’re a year older too, Coda.”

“Woof!”

Kaon laughed at his dog’s “reply”. He wished he could keep him inside the mansion as a house pet, but Coda probably wouldn’t enjoy that as much, and Alessia was afraid of dogs.

“…That reaction wasn’t a lie, was it?”

His face darkened. Alessia hadn’t been able to breathe properly at the sight of Coda. If even that was a lie… He wouldn’t be able to trust people anymore.

“Woof!” The dog wiggled, and his tail began to wag violently.

“Coda, what is it?”

“Miss Alessia! Good morning!”

Kaon, who was soothing his pet, froze.

“Hello, Bill, it’s been snowing a lot. It must have been hard to keep clearing it out.

He’d hoped it wouldn’t happen, but a kind, bright voice came clearly from behind him. It seemed that Alessia had come down after finishing training.

“It’s our job, so we must do our best! Your concern is very encouraging, my lady.”

“I’m glad if that’s the case. Oh, and Kaon is here too.”

It would have been nice if they simply continued to ignore each other, but since there was a soldier in front of them, Alessia greeted him first.

“I suppose training’s over now.”

“Have you eaten? Shall we eat together?”

The presence of an audience led to all of this pretense.

Kaon’s thoughts were sarcastic, but he still turned his back to the side to keep Coda out of Alessia’s field of vision, just in case.

He never intended on trusting her again, but he didn’t want to see her look so terrified either.

“Sorry, but I have some work to do,” he deflected, hurrying away as his dog’s tail wagged busily.

***

“Maurice, can I really go? I’ll probably make everyone feel uncomfortable.”

“Don’t say that, my lady. I assure you, there will be no greater joy and honor to have you with us to welcome the new year.”

On the way back to the mansion, the knight’s mouth was working as busily as usual. Right now, he was inviting Alessia to their annual gathering.

Kaon, who was listening to the conversation from a little distance away, spoke up, “An honor?”

It annoyed him to see a mage—a fake mage—being invited to a place where the knights celebrated harmoniously.

Though, of course, Maurice knew none of that.

“It is! Please just stop by for a few moments. You might be surprised to learn that I’m very close with the chef and that he will be putting in much effort for our gathering.”

Such a grand dinner was possible because Ferdinand let supplies flow generously from their storehouses during the start of a new year. In this period, everyone, including the relatively poor, ate their fill and enjoyed a feast held in the city.

As a result, Maurice was pretty busy.

“I’ll look forward to it, then. You have a talent for enticing people, it seems.”

‘Oh, so you’ll say that my head is a decoration, but that other people speak enticingly?’

The more he thought about it, the more ridiculous it became. Why was she only harsh to him? He knew her weakness, as well as her family’s, but she didn’t treat him nicely at all.

Although, on the other hand, Alessia also knew his secret…

In any case, his stomach still twisted when he remembered how cold-hearted she was when it was just the two of them.

“Oh, Kaon will get jealous if you say that. It is said that handsome men have many sins, but please do not make me a sinner.”

“Ahahaha, Kaon, jealous? I doubt it.”

“I know the hearts of my fellow men well. Is our young master not staring at me right now? I feel an unusual aura surrounding me.”

‘Does he have eyes at the back of his head? Also, what nonsense is he saying now?’

Kaon frowned.

Alessia also seemed to agree that he was not jealous. Not of Maurice, and certainly not because of her.

That would be impossible.

Nevertheless, he was bothered that they were talking so casually about something strange, and that their voices were so fond when they mentioned him.

He swallowed his irritation once again and sighed.

‘How did we end up like this? It’s only been a year, but it feels like I have a decade’s worth of worries.’

It wasn’t a matter of whether or not he would reveal the truth about Alessia. He knew that exposing her would be more trouble than it was worth for both their families.

What troubled him was his relationship with her.

The two of them were destined to live together for the rest of their lives, or at least until they became adults. Kaon didn’t know if he could stand this status quo for that long.

He didn’t want to apologize as he’d done nothing wrong, but…

His head ached as he fell into the swamp of his worries.

“Cough.”

“Oh, my lady, are you feeling unwell?”

“No, Maurice,” Alessia shook her head and smiled as if nothing was wrong. “I’m just a little cold. I’ll be fine when I warm up inside.

Kaon glanced at her flushed face and pretended not to care.

‘Don’t mind it. Don’t worry.’