AWML 19

Chapter : 19

It was the morning after Kaisa had been fully acknowledged by the military. Even the birds’ chirping, which would normally have sounded noisy, felt pleasant.

Before leaving the house, I turned to look at Kaisa. I checked the clothes of the Kaisa who was staring back at me with a puzzled expression.

Heh. It was the formal uniform of the Siern Navy. Wearing that made Kaisa’s beauty stand out even more.

I couldn’t suppress the weak laughter slipping out.

Now that Kaisa’s martial prowess had been confirmed, if Rayban was truly a man with sense, he wouldn’t let Kaisa slip away. The weight had clearly tipped to our side. Rayban would need Kaisa’s strength, and now that we held the advantage, we could demand more.

Enlisting Kaisa in the Siern Navy had been a god-tier move.

Wow. I really did well.

I had expected things to turn out like this, but I hadn’t imagined it would happen so quickly.

Ah, what a good job.

But now the real game begins.

“You’re certain you didn’t use aura, Your Grace?”
“Of course. I’ve memorized the current situation in Siern as you explained it. I did nothing that would reveal my identity.”

From the very beginning, ever since arriving in Siern, I had never revealed anything about Kaisa to anyone. I had made sure of it, and I intended to continue doing so. The fact that Kaisa was a Grand Duke—and a Swordmaster—had been kept strictly secret.

Isn’t that only natural?

The title of Grand Duke is not given lightly. Moreover, the Lorencia Grand Ducal House was a world-renowned Swordmaster family. Kaisa was the kind of talent anyone would drool over. That was why I had hidden his true identity and introduced him merely as an outstanding knight.

And from here on out, it was crucial.

Rayban must have seen Kaisa’s martial ability with his own eyes. He would surely try to verify it.

“Your Grace, in that case, I think we need to sort out how we address each other.”

If Rayban was clever, he would somehow find someone who understood Luikaron and try to dig into our identities. To hide it as much as possible—

“I think we should also be careful with calling you ‘Your Grace.’”

Kaisa’s expression instantly turned serious.

“You’re right. You may call me comfortably.”
“Then…”

What should I call him? His name? That feels strange. Do we need a nickname? A nickname? Have I lost my mind? Maybe a different form of address would be better?

“Call me Kaisa. Here, I’m no longer a Grand Duke anyway. It was an excessive title.”

I swallowed. I had never imagined a day like this would come. To dare call the Grand Duke by his name. My lips moved awkwardly. My mouth felt dry from the tension.

“Kaisa.”

At my call, Kaisa’s expression changed. His eyebrows twitched, and he called my name.

“Milena.”
“Yes, Kaisa.”

Phew. That was a little more natural. It felt ticklish somehow.

“I’d appreciate it if you pronounced it more clearly. My name is Ka-i-sa. Not Kai-sa.”

In an instant, the ticklish feeling vanished. I forced an awkward smile as I stared at him.

Is that really what matters?

But Kaisa’s expression was completely serious.

“…Yes, I’m sorry. Ka-i-sa.”
“Please take care in the future. Now, let’s go. We’ll be late.”

I nodded and followed him out. I glared at the back of his head, which somehow looked excited.

It was early morning.

After confirming that Kaisa and Milena had arrived at work together, Rayban immediately summoned Milena. As always, she was neatly dressed. She bowed her head before him.

“I heard you were looking for me, Count.”
“…The martial prowess Kaisa showed yesterday was truly impressive.”

Rayban’s voice was low and subdued; he hadn’t slept properly due to deep contemplation. Milena lifted her head and met his somber gaze.

“Yes! As I mentioned, Kaisa was one of the finest knights in Luikaron.”
“…One of the finest knights? I’d like to know more. Keeping Kaisa as an ordinary knight seems like a waste of manpower. I’m thinking of transferring him to a position more fitting. But since I can’t communicate with him, I’d appreciate it if you could tell me what you know.”

At those words, Milena broke into a bright smile.

A position fitting for Kaisa!

With Kaisa’s abilities, a promotion was only natural. And with a promotion would come a raise in salary. Besides, given his personality, it would suit him far better to lead ordinary knights than to mingle with them as equals.

‘From a permanent position straight to a promotion. Just wait, Kaisa. I’ll get you promoted.’

Of course, even so, she had no intention of revealing Kaisa’s true identity.

“I heard he was famous for his exceptional martial ability. I wasn’t very healthy, so I lived in the countryside.”

To be precise, it had been Roella who was unwell, and Milena had voluntarily stayed in the countryside to be with her.

“I heard he held a high position within the Luikaron Knights. Even among noble offspring, he stood out… And every battle he led ended in victory, or so I’ve heard. But I think it would be better to ask Kaisa directly for details. I don’t actually know much. I lived in the countryside for a long time, after all.”

Milena smiled as innocently as possible.

Seeing her smile, Rayban blinked.

He thought he now understood where Milena’s optimism and adaptability came from. He had wondered why she was so unusually cheerful. So she had lived in the countryside. That explained why she lacked the stains of high society. And if she’d lived there, she must have had many opportunities to interact with commoners as well.

Rayban swallowed.

As Milena said, asking Kaisa directly would be fastest. But… they couldn’t communicate. It seemed the path to obtaining a Swordmaster was long and arduous.

If only someone like the Grand Duke of Lorencia were in Siern.

Though he didn’t know the details, faint rumors had spread—stories passed from sailor to sailor across the seas. The enemy of monsters, the Grand Duke of Lorencia.

It was said that before his domineering aura, no matter how powerful a monster was, it would instinctively recoil. Lorencia’s fame, active across both sea and land, was well known even among sailors.

“It would be best to speak with him directly, as Milena suggested. It seems I underestimated him.”
“Not at all. Communication with Kaisa isn’t easy right now, after all.”
“His skill more than compensates for that. I have something to discuss with Kaisa. Would you be willing to interpret between us?”
“Yes, Count!”

Milena smiled brightly.

At Rayban’s summons, Kaisa also came to the Count’s office. As he opened the door and stepped inside, he paused. His eyes blinked slowly. The sunlight streaming in was dazzling.

But more dazzling than that…

…were the smiles of Rayban and Milena.

They stood close together, smiling. More precisely, Milena stood beside the seated Rayban. Seeing them side by side, they looked strangely alike.

Like a master and mistress of a house.

Kaisa’s eyebrow twitched.

He was certain that he was closer to Milena—yet somehow he felt like an outsider. Compared to the closeness between Milena and Rayban, the distance between Milena and Kaisa felt too great.

That relative distance stood out clearly before his eyes.

For no reason at all, his heart suddenly sank.