Chapter 57


    It was the evening of the day after the memorial service.


    Laritte was resting in front of the firece drinking warm milk, while the maids around her continued to


    comfort her about the rain during the memorial service.


    “Seeing the dark clouds disappear so quickly, it was just a shower. The Iassa Empire has always been


    wed because of so much misreading, hasn’t it?”


    “That’s right, that’s right. That’s why you get theundry wet all the time.”


    Laritte was silent.


    “Yes.”


    “It’s not my fault! It’s because of the weather.”


    “Yes, yes.”


    After a while, themander of the Order entered the room.


    Masonughed, stroking his white beard when the maids gave him a fierce look.


    “Oh, my.”


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    He had nothing else to say because of what he nned with his knights.


    “There’s something I wish to show the Madam. May I have your moment?”


    The maids immediately whisper-shouted to Laritte.


    “No, Madam! You can’t trust the knights these days!”


    “She’s right. Holding his coat over you was all a trick!”


    Despite all that warnings, she removed the nket from herp and stood up from the chair.


    “Take the lead, Sir Mason.”


    The maids were shocked.


    “It’s okay. I will be back.”


    Mason and Laritte walked down the hallway, passing under the four major portraits.


    Mason broke the silence.


    “Did you know Lady Selena?”


    “She was Ian’s mother.”


    He nodded in response.


    The middle-aged Mason was in charge of training the Knights, even before Selena became the Lady of


    this house. He was also one of the known vigorous knights in the Order.


    Mason had conducted intensive training, in the hopes of making the Order of Reinhardt the strongest.


    Even when the knights were injured. However, it didn’t do any good.


    Until the former Duke married Lady Selena and brought her to the mansion.


    Mason still remembered her smile to this day.


    “Are you all tired? Thanks to you, I can always be reassured.”


    Though Selena was a noble, she had a gentle personality. Her kindness made the knights believe and


    be stronger. It made Mason realize that his method was wrong.


    ‘I should’ve kept the enlightenment forever.’


    But as time flew after her death, he slowly forgot about that.


    He returned to his old ways of flourishing the knights.


    “Lady Selena was a kind person. Just like the Duchess is today.” “You’re making me embarrassed.”


    Laritte replied with a straight look, to which he chuckled.


    “Here. Here’s what this old man wanted to show you.”


    The ce he guided Laritte was familiar. It was the tform from where she could see the field.


    The field under the stars was quite different from the day. The scarecrow’s button eyes gave off a


    mysterious aura, mixing with the darkness beyond.


    “…..What does Madam think there is?”


    There was nothing special about the empty field.


    Mason shed a gentle smile, unique to his grandfather.


    At that moment, the knights marched to fill in their positions on the field.


    “It’ste, but the Madam shall have a proper greeting.”


    The knights were no longer under the misunderstanding. It was true that she was rejected by the house


    of a noble family.


    The knights stood in a row alongside long torches, looking up at Laritte. When viewed from her ce, it


    looked spectacr.


    Mason drew out his sword against the knights and bellowed in a voice not so suitable to this age.


    “Men, raise your sword!”


    The knights followed.


    “Raise your sword!”


    Everyone moved ordingly. They drew out their weapon and pointed it to the night sky.


    Laritte eximed as her oceanic eyes watched everything in amazement.


    “Oh…..”


    When Mason lowered his sword at the level of his chest, the knights began the next move. They turned


    their heads halfway as they swung down their sword. Then, they threw the sword in the air, grabbed its


    hilt, and stabbed the ground underneath.


    Laritte felt a simr thumping of her heart like she did in the first gathering.


    The prosecutors did an amazing performance.


    Mason’s eyes whipped towards Laritte as the knights waited after saluting her.


    “I will not ask for your forgiveness now that I’ve been reckless. Wielding a sword all day doesn’t open


    our conscience.”


    Mason had gathered the knights beforeing to Laritte.


    And once again, showed what position he held in the Order.


    “She is a good person. This old man will not give up the opportunity to serve such a fine Lord and


    Lady.”


    He said the knights could make their own choices, but they all agreed with him.


    The first reason was, of course, because he was ‘the’ Mason.


    Second, the knights also saw Laritte desperate to block the rain falling on the tombstone with her body.


    ‘On the day of my memorial service, the Duchess will protect my soul like that.’


    Although they were from noble families, they were now knights of an Order. They wished to be trusted


    and recognized by their masters.


    Mason put his sword down like the knights before he dered,


    “I swear upon my sword to serve the Duchy to train the knights for the rest of my life. If I fail, I shall be


    punished, so please give me a chance to train the knights who arecking.”


    The knights standing like statues in the field below were also nervous. Honestly, they were


    embarrassed about the first day, too.


    They discriminated against the Madam for a few days because she was an illegitimate girl, and


    suddenly they wanted to devote their loyalty?


    Laritte stayed silent, staring at his hand. His hand was covered in calluses.


    “I’m very lucky.”


    They were the Knights of Reinhardt. One hundred of them.


    From Laritte’s point of view, gold came out even when she didn’t dig the ground.


    “Nobody will try to harm me.”


    It was a joke, but it was true.


    Who would try to harm her when the Knights of Reinhardt were protecting her?


    Mason’s wrinkled features got brighter.


    “Then…..” “You may do as you please.”


    Laritte had an indifferent but calm tone.


    It seemed she always had an indifferent reaction to whatever was around her, even if it were the stormy


    wind threatening to blow her away.


    “I didn’t care much from the beginning.”


    Laritte bowed to Mason before she made her way inside the mansion.


    The knights below – who didn’t hear her say that – opened their eyes wide.


    ‘So what happens to us? Are we forgiven?’


    One of them approached the tform.


    “Sir Mason.”


    He called the old man standing above.


    “What did Her Highness say?”


    “Hold on.”


    Mason’s eyes switched from Laritte to the knights and back at her.


    He shouldn’t have sent her alone even though she said she didn’t care. The maids might poison their


    meals next time.


    Mason set off towards Laritte’s direction without exining the knights.


    “Ah, just say it before you……!”


    As a result, all the knights of the Order recognized her as their Lady. Such a kind of loyalty was


    impossible to obtain even if they were given five million ways.


    ***


    A few dayster, as always, the morning came.


    The mansion – where the maids had been busy since early in the morning – was clean without a speck


    of dust.


    The maids prepared breakfast in the kitchen, while the housemaid dusted the chandelier and checked


    the nkets in empty rooms.


    Just like in every household, the cleaning took ce between dawn and morning so that the owners


    could spot no stain.


    Meanwhile, Laritte had already gotten used to the quiet mansion without Ian.


    Suddenly, a hawk came flying outside the window she was staring at.


    “It’s Ian.”


    It was the letter she exchanged with him every single week.


    Laritte’s maids, Alice and Irene’s eyes sparkled with curiosity.


    “What did His Highness say this time?”


    Laritte opened the seal. Usually, it contained his whereabouts.


    Such as, he had searched further in the teau, but found no trace of that dragon. And, he was


    worried if everything was okay with her……


    Recently, his three sentences had increased to a full page.


    But today, it was different. The letter contained only one paragraph.


    Laritte read the letter aloud,


    “It has been concluded a few days ago that the dragon has left for a distant ce. I’ll see you before


    the sun sets today.”


    It was the news of Ian and his squadron returning today.