CH 7

Within the walls of the castle, the busy servants’ gazes turned to a young maid named Elta.

“Elta, have you seen Lady Lariana? She went to the stables early in the morning, didn’t she?”

“What? They’ll be here soon, His Highness the Crown Prince and the knights! We should have stopped her!”

“But she went to see the knight who will marry her! How could we have stopped her?”

Upon hearing the news, Elta couldn’t help but burst into laughter at the thought of the naive and mischievous young lady.

At that moment, Lariana was on her way to see her future husband, Iveth Kessas, riding her long-time friend, the white horse named Einzel.

In order to suppress the ongoing uprisings in the troubled kingdom of Rindell, the Imperial Knights and expeditionary forces were scheduled to pass through her territory under the Emperor’s orders. Among the Imperial Knights was Iveth Kessas.

Lariana’s late mother used to always talk to her about him. About Iveth Kessas, the eldest son of Baron Kessas, a friend of her father.

Her mother described Iveth Kessas as a tall, handsome young man with uncommon black hair and deep blue eyes.

Furthermore, he was a highly regarded knight in the Imperial Knights, future Baron Kessas and a well-known groom in the empire’s capital city, Petika…

Lariana couldn’t fully believe her mother’s exaggerated words without seeing him with her own eyes.

Besides, true nature was not always revealed at first sight. Lariana was determined to find out what kind of man Iveth Kessas truly was today.

As the sound of horns and the clattering of knights’ armor came from a distance, Einzel reacted sensitively.

Lariana tied Einzel to a nearby tree and headed to the lakeside alone. The expeditionary force was supposed to rest at the lake near her territory, providing her with the perfect opportunity to secretly observe them.

However, to her surprise, the troops did not stop at the lake but continued to advance. As she reached the lakeside, with no sign of the castle in sight, Lariana pursed her lips in frustration.

Just as she was about to turn back, he appeared.

“Wow…”

Startled by her involuntary exclamation, Lariana hid behind a rock. Her mother’s words were not empty praises. In Martessen, where people with black hair were scarce, it was clear that the man before her was Iveth Kessas.

He was as tall as Leffe, the tallest knight in the territory’s order of knights. And his face… his face… it was difficult to put into words. Indescribable was the most fitting description.

He was not just handsome; he was beautifully attractive, as if he had stepped out of a magnificent and stunning painting. The focal point of this splendid and exquisite face was his bright, vivid blue eyes. Ah, just looking at them was enchanting.

Certainly, his personality must be as wonderful as his face. There was no way it could be otherwise…

“Don’t just sneakily watch, come out already.”

Huh? Sneakily watch? He called his future wife sneakily watching him? Of course, it was natural for him to not know that she was his future bride, but how dare he speak so casually to a lady? Lariana became furious and stood up abruptly.

The spring breeze, carrying the scent of the forest, brushed past the two. Lariana’s sky-blue dress fluttered in the wind.

The man, who had not expected her appearance at all, slightly parted his lips.

“Sneakily watch? I came here only to drink water from the lake. As a proper lady, I couldn’t possibly be alone with a knight without any decorum, so I waited.”

“You’re quite eloquent with your words.”

Lariana lifted the hem of her billowing skirt, revealing her ankles, and confidently walked toward the lakeside. The man’s gaze briefly shifted to the exposed area of her pristine white ankles.

“What did you say?”

Lariana glanced at the man, who was filling his waterskin, but he seemed uninterested in her. Frustrated, Lariana took the initiative.

“You look at my ankle. Do you know what this means?”

“What are you talking about?”

“We will be getting married.”

“You and me?”

Though she had caught his attention, as he looked at her with a furrowed brow, Lariana’s self-esteem took a hit.

But it was definitely… His face was so stunning that it was breathtaking.

From up close, the handsome knight possessed a masculine charm. Ah, it seemed as if God had put all his effort into creating this person.

“My mother often said that. She frequently told me stories about you.”

“Stories about me?”

“She talked about your impressive height that made others look up to you and your attractive black hair… Oh, she also mentioned your eyes. She said your blue eyes were like jewels.”

…What on earth was she saying? Lariana felt the urge to bite her tongue.

Whether he was used to hearing such praise or not, the man showed no reaction. With one corner of his mouth tilted slightly, he looked at Lariana in askance.

“She also mentioned that you were a very courteous and kind knight, but it seems like my mother was mistaken.”

The description of him being courteous and kind intrigued the man, as it contradicted his actual reputation.

“It seems like your mother was definitely mistaken. Anyway, now that you’ve seen me in person, what do you think?”

Lariana hesitated as the man showed interest in what she heard about him.

“I thought my mother was trying to reassure me with those words. But seeing you in person, you exceed my expectations. Your personality may be eccentric, but your appearance are not. Did you also hear about me?”

Lariana’s blue eyes, reflecting the light from the lake, appeared even bluer.

“…I didn’t hear anything.”

“But well… if your mother said so, I’ll find out about you soon enough. Would you mind telling me your name?”

The man offered words of comfort to the disheartened Lariana.

“Sir Kessas, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Lariana Heliosen.”

Lariana greeted him with a slight curtsey, lifting her skirt and bending her knee. Unbeknownst to her, a faint crack appeared on his face while she greeted him.

“Lady Heliosen, pleased to meet you.”

Out of habit, the man was about to extend his hand for a handshake but stopped himself. Lariana was taken aback by his action.

“I made a mistake.”

“No, no! I’m fine with it.”

The man’s hands were as beautiful as his face. Despite the subtle scars, his hands were slender and the bones appeared strong, emanating a hint of wildness. Lariana shyly extended her hand.

Lariana’s hand, which looked delicate and pure white, was excessively small. The man hesitated, fearing it might break even with the slightest pressure.

“I’m sorry.”

As the time for extending his hand grew longer, Lariana awkwardly shook his hand in embarrassment.

She acted without any sense of dignity, but this man was too exquisite, and she couldn’t possibly uphold her own pride.

As their hands touched, the man’s body stiffened, and his ears gradually turned red.

“Sir Kessas, so, what do you think of me now that you’ve seen me for the first time?”

The man chuckled at Lariana, full of anticipation. Her expression turned puzzled by his mysterious laughter.

“Well, you are…”

A sound of heavy footsteps approaching from the lakeside could be heard. Cain gestured for Lariana to flee, and she swiftly darted into the forest.

Until the very end, she waved her hand at Cain while looking at him. For a brief moment, he almost waved back in response. He clenched his fist to regain control of his actions.

He stared at the spot where she disappeared for a long time, as if mesmerized by it.

“Commander, we need to depart.”

A knight clad in armor approached, cutting through the grass. As the approaching knight removed his helmet to reveal his dark hair, his black locks cascaded down. Both men had jet-black hair and piercing eyes.

“Iveth.”

“Yes? Commander?”

“Have you gotten engaged by any chance?”

Iveth Kessas was taken aback by the unexpected question from his usually reticent superior.

“No, I haven’t. Not at all.”

“There were rumors about your engagement with Lady Heliosen.”

Iveth had heard those rumors a few times before.

“What? Absolutely not. I have someone else I wanted to marry. It’s just a joke that the elders of our households sometimes make due to our families being close. But how did you know about it, Commander?”

“No, never mind. We must depart.”

Perplexed, Iveth Kessas put on his helmet. As he did so, the corner of the man’s mouth wearing the helmet twitched upward.

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

On the walls of Heliosen, the entire household gathered. In the distance, the sight of the Imperial Knights could be seen, and Lariana stood at the forefront, looking at the future husband who was approaching her.

As she looked around, she noticed that all the people of the territory were gazing at him in awe. Her heart swelled with pride.

In Lariana’s eyes, there was only one person. She didn’t even pay attention to the crown prince and the commander of the knights who were supposed to come with him.

“Nanny, isn’t Sir Kessas impressive?”

“Where is Kessas?”

“Don’t you see him over there? I told you. With jet-black hair like ebony and vivid blue eyes like jewels.”

How could she not recognize that splendid man? Lariana looked at his nanny, stunned. His nanny had a puzzled expression, gazing at the marching knights.

However, could an ordinary knight be at the forefront of the procession? She briefly felt a sense of discomfort at the thought but quickly brushed it aside. He was too impressive to forget.

“By the way, Duke Delacroix is just as amazing as they say. The prince couldn’t even be compared to him. How can he be so splendid?”

“Duke Delacroix is here too? Where?”

“As the commander of the Imperial Knights, of course he would be here. He is standing at the forefront over there. He looks almost identical to the portrait I saw in the newspaper.”

“What?”

Lariana’s breath caught as she slowly followed nanny’s fingertip with her gaze.

This couldn’t be. The man she had met by the lakeside was not the son of her father’s friend but the notorious and cruel Cain Delacroix, who had a fearsome reputation even in this remote region.