Chapter 19
Rolling a leaf between his fingers, Cailien glanced at Rune’s flushed face before taking a seat across from her. Judging from his expression, he had already figured out the situation.
“Are you well prepared to go to Lefium?”
At Grand Duke Carlo’s question, Cailien merely shrugged with his usual ease.
“It’s nothing new for me. There isn’t much to prepare.”
“Leading cadets is different from leading seasoned knights.”
“I don’t intend to go easy on them. Once they’re commissioned as sub-officers, they’ll be knights all the same.”
After washing his hands in the basin a servant had brought, Cailien dried them with a napkin, then turned his gaze toward Rune.
“I’d like to hear the opinion of the young Lord Este, who will soon be a cadet himself.”
The topic of conversation had suddenly shifted toward Rune, who had been quietly chewing her bread. She swallowed, her face twisting slightly.
“Precisely because of that. I intend to make sure the name of Este shines.”
Who would have thought she’d put her words from last night into action so soon?
Clicking her tongue inwardly, she lifted her water glass. After a sip, her clogged throat eased a little.
“Cadets, too, walk the path of knighthood. Lord Cailien is right. I, for one, look forward to the guidance of one who will soon be the Order’s master.”
When Rune answered with a steady gaze, Cailien adjusted his posture and chuckled, amused.
Grand Duke Carlo stroked his black beard, tilting his head curiously.
“You say you’re going to the Academy? Ha! Hard to believe Edmund allowed it.”
Rune hesitated a moment before speaking. There was no point in hiding anymore.
“…In truth, I never received his permission. As you said, my father sent the application back. I’m going to the Academy solely on my own will.”
“You would go to the Academy alone?”
Carlo’s eyes widened a little in surprise. Rune rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly.
“I must ask that you not mention this to my father. Please.”
“Hm, I don’t know what the circumstances are, but if that’s your wish, so be it.”
To Rune’s relief, the Grand Duke seemed more interested in her admission itself than in her sudden request.
“How do you plan to enroll? As I recall, you can’t without an application form.”
In the Empire, every boy who turned sixteen was granted the right to enter Lefium Academy. It was Emperor Leonard I’s idea that education and learning should be equal for all.
Equal? What a joke. They never even give women the chance in the first place.
Moreover, while they called it a “right,” the application forms were only granted to noble families. Unless you had an official recommendation from a recognized noble house, it was impossible for a commoner to enter the Academy.
She herself would never have considered it possible without Cailien’s letter of recommendation.
Should I say it?
She stole a glance at Cailien. He was calmly sipping his water, not sparing her even a glance—almost as if to say he wouldn’t mind whatever she said.
Letting out a small breath, she faced the Grand Duke directly.
“Lord Cailien kindly wrote me a letter of recommendation.”
This time, Carlo looked even more surprised. Then he burst into hearty laughter.
“Hahaha! So that’s what Cail was up to. I wondered what was on his mind. That explains why he accepted Gregory’s proposal.”
“I only granted the headmaster’s request. No need to make assumptions,” Cailien replied with a tilt of his head, sounding uninterested.
But Carlo grinned even wider, clearly entertained by his son. “We’ll see in due time.”
Rune looked between the two men. Now she understood why the Grand Duke had felt strangely familiar when she first met him. His mischievous smile was so much like the one Cailien often directed at her.
“I don’t intend to trouble Lord Cailien further. He’s already written the recommendation. As for the tuition, I’ll manage it myself.”
“Is that so? A pity. You might as well have taken him for your sponsor, too!”
The Grand Duke laughed heartily before continuing.
“I’ve heard Edmund knighted you formally.”
“Yes. But I won’t stop there. I intend to graduate from the Academy and become a Master.”
“Fine ambition. These days, nobles only seek the title, without the slightest sense of responsibility. But a commander of knights should at least reach the level of Master.”
From there, Carlo spoke at length about the Academy and his own days fighting alongside Marquis Este on the battlefield. Cailien eventually clicked his tongue, calling it nothing but tedious war stories, but Rune listened attentively, nodding along.
Stories of her father as a Royal Knight were fascinating. She had heard plenty from Humphrey, but hearing them from his superior officer cast them in a new light.
The Grand Duke also seemed to know her mother well.
“Edmund gave up his post right after meeting Claire. Said he wanted to settle quietly and build up his domain. The Emperor was bedridden for days from the shock, haha. You’ve grown into quite the beauty, just like your mother.”
“Is that really the kind of thing you should say to a boy?”
At Cailien’s jab, Rune’s ears turned red. She glanced back and forth between the two men. They bickered constantly through the meal, yet the warmth between them was obvious.
So different from the cold, stifling silence that always hung between her and her own father.
She gazed at them quietly as she spooned up some warm soup.
By now, Father must have realized I’m gone.
When the meal drew to a close, Grand Duke Carlo suggested she stay longer and tour his domain.
“So the first place you visit, after leaving your home, is the Grand Duchy of Herais. Quite the honor. Is there nowhere else you’d like to see?”
It was an unexpected question. The original plan had been to head straight to the capital.
Somewhere I’d like to see…
Suddenly, the image of that endless blue lake she’d glimpsed through the trees came to mind.
“Yes, there is something I’d like to see.”
At that same time, in the Este Marquisate.
Standing by the window, Marquis Este turned to Humphrey, suppressing his conflicted emotions.
“The last coordinates were in the Grand Duchy of Herais?”
“Yes, my lord. A record shows a teleport was used late at night. From the open portal and the lamp that was left burning, I believe she traveled through it.”
Humphrey’s voice carried unease. The Marquis rubbed his aching temples before sitting at his desk. At least if it was the Grand Duchy, there was little immediate danger.
So it’s come to this after all.
Closing his eyes, he recalled Rune’s face, struggling to hold back tears as she gathered the shreds of her torn recommendation letter.
He hadn’t been blind to the possibility of wounding her. But, as always, he had believed a harsh warning would be more effective than coaxing.
Reading the dark lines of worry on his master’s face, Humphrey spoke firmly.
“I’ll send a messenger to the Grand Duchy at once.”
“No. By the time they arrive, she’ll already be gone. I think I know where she intends to go.”
The Academy entrance ceremony was only days away. The reason she had gone to the Grand Duchy was understandable, but her ultimate destination was surely Lefium.
The Marquis unlocked his desk drawer with a key and pulled out a velvet pouch, handing it to Humphrey.
Inside was the black powder recently discovered in the Black Forest.
“As I told you before—go to the capital and find the Traveler. And check whether Rune’s name is on the list of new cadets.”
“…Yes, my lord. I’ll report back as soon as I confirm it.”
Humphrey bowed and left with the pouch. Alone, the Marquis leaned back heavily into his chair and let out a long sigh.
Was there no stopping it anymore?
It felt as though the fortress he had painstakingly built over the years was collapsing into ruin.
He had wanted, even if it meant turning against the world, to forever shield her from the crushing current of fate.
Washing his face with both hands, he murmured bitterly:
“…Perhaps this is for the best.”
Even this citadel he had guarded all his life was no longer safe.
“Get down from there. It’s dangerous.”
Unable to watch any longer, Cailien spoke in a low voice to Rune, who was precariously perched on the balcony railing. She turned to him with an awkward smile, unable to hide her excitement.
“But it’s amazing, really.”
Does she have no fear—or no sense at all? Cailien clicked his tongue as he looked at her bright, untroubled face.
Maybe both.
The very idea that she might leap from that height onto a tree branch was insane.
Even though he had warned her repeatedly on the way back about how reckless she had been, she had clearly ignored him.
“I’ve never seen such a huge lake before.”
Clutching the railing, Rune rose on her toes again, eyes fixed on the rolling blue expanse beyond the castle walls.
“That’s not a lake—it’s the sea.”
“Yes, exactly. I’d only ever read about the sea in books, and now to see such a vast lake—it’s astonishing.”
“…Hah.”
Considering she had never left Este territory, her reaction was understandable.
At this rate she’ll fall again.
Cailien seized her arm and pulled her back inside.
On the table lay the makeshift first-aid kit he had ordered, along with Rune’s travel bag. A servant must have brought them in.
When he had seen her bag dangling from a tree branch earlier, he had been utterly speechless.
Coming out of the bath to find the bed empty, he had actually been startled for once. Seeing the open balcony doors, he had thought, surely she didn’t go out there…
Dragging Rune to the sofa, Cailien sat on the armrest and said:
“Now, start talking.”
