TLDWAE 54

Chapter 54

“Damn it, what the hell is that guy!”

Noah stood alone in the back garden, panting in frustration as he slammed his fist against the wall.

Just moments ago, when Karia’s divorce had been finalized, the atmosphere had been celebratory. The entire townhouse had been so delighted that people were raising their glasses in broad daylight.

But then what—“I want to return to your side”? Who was that man who suddenly showed up to pour cold water over everything?

What made it worse was Karia’s reaction.

“Unfortunately, my guard posts are already full. There’s no particular reason I have to accept you.”

“I trust my abilities are well known to Your Excellency.”

“That’s true as well.”

She had looked back and forth between the man kneeling before her—this Higgon or whatever his name was—and the Black Night mercenaries, especially Noah. And just as he had feared, she calmly made a merciless proposal.

“Then let’s do this. Sir Alkestra and my current guard, Sir Trantes, will duel. If you win, I’ll hire you. If you lose, you return to the princess. How about it?”

Higgon had glanced briefly at Noah, then accepted the offer without hesitation. He exuded the confidence of someone sure he could win.

Of course, Noah himself was also confident he could crush Higgon’s nose flat.

But Karia’s attitude stung. He had handled more than dozens of tasks for her. He had planned alongside her, laughed and cried with her.

And yet, she treated him as though he were just another hireling?

“Tch!”

“Will punching the wall fix anything?”

Her voice rang out from behind him as he vented his frustration on the wall.

Noah had already heard her approaching footsteps but deliberately didn’t react. Realizing he was truly sulking and made no attempt to hide it, Karia let out a deep sigh.

“I know that man’s skills. There’s no way you’ll lose to Higgon.”

“Higgon?” Hearing her call him by name, Noah felt a surge of irritation.

“Is that so? For someone doomed to lose, he certainly looked confident.”

“Well, he has some faith in his abilities, I suppose. But he’s no match for Sir Trantes.”

“Noah. Call me Noah.”

Why was he addressed by name, while she called him by his fake surname? Especially when she already knew it wasn’t real!

“Noah.”

Hearing her say it, Noah softened a little despite himself. At least she believed he would win—he felt a small surge of pride.

“Have you calmed down now?”

“If you thought he would lose anyway, then why bother with conditions? You could’ve just refused outright.”

“Well, yes, that’s true.”

She could have easily rejected Higgon on the spot. So why pretend to consider him by setting conditions?

Karia studied Noah’s curious expression for a long moment before speaking in a flat voice.

“He was my first person.”

“Y-Your first?”

Noah’s mind went blank, a flood of thoughts racing through it. Karia, realizing how odd her words had sounded, rubbed her chin once before clarifying.

“When I lived as an illegitimate child in the ducal house, I went through a lot. Subtle scorn from my family, invisible bullying from the servants. I was always alone, convinced no one in the world was on my side.”

“Even your father, the duke?”

“Of course. He was the very source of my loneliness.”

And the cause of all her misfortune. Karia clicked her tongue, then continued in the same emotionless tone.

“One day—was I fifteen?—my father assigned me a newly knighted guard, Higgon. I’d never commanded anyone before, and he had never served anyone before, so we were a perfect pair to practice on. And… I liked it.”

“What exactly did you like?”

“Everything. He didn’t look down on me or belittle me. And since I was always with a knight, the servants couldn’t bully me anymore. And, well… he was rather handsome. Can you imagine how reassuring he must’ve seemed to a fifteen-year-old girl, always being protected by her knight?”

She delivered it like a joke, completely expressionless, making it impossible to tell if she was serious. Almost as though she was mocking her past self.

Noah scowled but kept listening.

“But after about five years, just when I had grown completely used to him, the princess must’ve noticed. She was the type who couldn’t stand to see me happy. So she ran straight to my father and begged for him.”

“That’s awful.”

“Yes. That girl was truly rotten to the core.”

Karia had even shed tears before the duke, something she hadn’t done since childhood. But the duke ultimately sent Higgon away.

Seribis had whispered slyly, pretending to worry: ‘You and that knight look so close. To outsiders, it could be mistaken for romance.’

In the end, the duke gave Higgon to the princess and assigned Karia another knight. Though older and more experienced, Karia simply couldn’t accept him.

“Of course, I understood his position. A common-born knight couldn’t refuse a reassignment. But I thought at least he’d be reluctant to leave me. I believed we’d grown close. Yet when I begged him to stay, do you know what he said?”

“No idea.”

“He said he was grateful I was a bastard. That thanks to me, he’d been stuck rotting in the mansion every day, but now he finally had a chance to succeed as a knight. And he said it was fortunate I was someone everyone hated.”

Fine. Wanting to succeed is natural. Maybe you even lash out cruelly at the girl who trusted you.

But to come back later and shamelessly say he wanted to return? To bare his selfishness the moment he received his title? That was too much.

“Seeing him now, speaking so arrogantly about coming back, just makes my blood boil. Simply rejecting him wouldn’t have satisfied me.”

As for skill—sure, he had talent with the sword. As the son of a knightly house without inheritance rights, he wouldn’t have been admitted to the ducal guard otherwise.

But a knight is meant to be the sword and shield for his lord. Acting as though he had the right to choose his master was arrogance no talent could excuse.

And Noah wasn’t the only one who thought so.

“Should I just slit his throat for you?”

“No need for that. Just defeat him, that’ll be enough. And then, I’ll finally listen to that thing you’ve been wanting to tell me all this time. If possible, win overwhelmingly.”

Karia smiled and added, “If you can.” Noah grinned back, brimming with confidence.

But not far away, someone else stood listening. Hidden behind a wall like a guilty man, he couldn’t be seen—but that didn’t stop him from hearing their conversation.

“You could’ve at least gotten angry and demanded an explanation…”

Higgon clenched his fists in empty air. Of course he knew his words had hurt Karia. He had meant for them to—he’d wanted her to be disappointed in him.

But time had passed. He thought her anger would have cooled by now. He’d hoped, for old times’ sake, she might at least ask him why.

Not that he expected her to take him back. That would’ve been a miracle. But he wanted her to know his heart had always been with her—that he regretted the pain he caused. He thought that might make up for it, just a little.

“Is there no chance…”

Back in the dining hall, when he had kissed her hand and looked up into her cold eyes, Higgon had already known how this farce would end.

So if she wanted to see him humiliated, so be it.

After all, he had returned only to apologize.

“Well now, is that so? Your name’s Alice? And how old are you?”

“Alice is five years old.”

“Wow, amazing! How can a five-year-old be this clever, huh?”

Alcard played with Alice as though she were a baby, making silly sounds like “peekaboo.” Despite the exaggerated praise, Alice beamed with delight.

Unlike the mansion servants or Red, who staggered whenever she tugged too hard, Alcard stood firm. Since Andeon rarely played with her, Alice found him the perfect toy.

When she leapt up and dangled from Alcard’s arm, Andeon clicked his tongue with a sulky look.

“Jealous your little sister’s been stolen from you?”

“Ah… Count, that’s not it.”

“Oh? Then what is it?”

“I just think it’s unwise to get too close when we don’t even know what relationship you and my mother truly have.”

When Count Lowell addressed him, Andeon quickly smoothed away his frown and replaced it with a polite smile. Watching how easily the boy’s expression shifted, the count couldn’t help but click his tongue.

“You’re far too clever for your age.”