Chapter 5
Dong… dong…
Somewhere in the vast Rondore territory, the sound of a bell echoed.
This signaled the beautifully adorned coffin descending slowly into the pit.
Colorful flowers scattered around the coffin to honor the owner of the grave.
I stared blankly at the scene.
It had only been a few days since I had met the Duchess, but… I felt I would never forget the forgiveness and kindness she had shown me.
“Kyle!”
My thoughts were interrupted by Pipin, the head servant of the Rondore family, standing beside me.
“Let’s go inside. The funeral is over.”
I nodded and moved toward the pit where the coffin had been lowered.
I was about to offer flowers as a final tribute to the Duchess.
“Vivian!”
But just as I took a step forward, a loud commotion erupted.
Before I could react, my cheek stung from a sudden slap.
–Smack!
It was an unexpected blow, yet I immediately knew who it was.
Turning my head, there stood Vivian Rondore, arms crossed.
Perhaps now I should be calling her the head of the Rondore family.
“Wh-what is this face for… trying to pay your respects?”
My stuttering didn’t faze her one bit.
“Your family caused my mother’s illness, leading to her death… What face do you have to offer flowers?!”
“…”
She probably had no idea how complicated my feelings were toward her.
The Duchess’s request was still lingering in my mind.
Did she really think we could get along?
To me, that seemed utterly impossible.
Vivian spoke with resentment.
“Yes, your family killed us all. D-don’t even pretend to mourn.”
I stood there, dumbstruck by her words and replied.
“…It’s not like I wanted this. Can’t I even pay my respects?”
–Thwack!
With a sharp gesture contrasting my stutter, Vivian snatched the flowers from my hand.
“…Ah.”
Before I could react, she tossed the flowers to the ground and stomped on them fiercely.
The intense kicks sent tears dropping to the floor.
It was the most intense emotion I had seen from her in the days we had spent together, a raw outpour of anger born from losing her mother.
As the situation escalated, several vassals attending the funeral tried to calm Vivian.
“Lady Vivian, please calm down. The funeral procedures aren’t completely finished yet.”
“…Hah… hah…”
Vivian turned away, releasing heavy breaths. Numerous servants from the Rondore family followed her.
I stared down at the trampled flowers.
For a brief moment, I thought about retrieving new flowers to offer to the Duchess.
But I felt it was rude to keep fighting in front of her grave.
So I closed my eyes and mourned for the Duchess’s death in my heart before heading back into the castle.
****
That afternoon, I was summoned and made my way.
Following the head servant Pipin, I wound through the castle and arrived at a room.
–Knock knock.
“It’s Pipin. I’ve come with Kyle Allen. I’m entering.”
–Screech.
Inside the room, a familiar person awaited me.
Vivian Rondore. Her eyes were puffy as if she had cried all day.
Yet, as if she had expected me to come, she was trying to hold back her tears.
Her piercing gaze seemed to bore into me.
I felt neither annoyance nor exasperation but rather discomfort and pity.
Thus, I forced myself to avoid her eyes as I stepped into the room.
So this was Vivian Rondore’s room.
“Welcome, Kyle Allen.”
Inside, a man stood holding a long parchment.
The parchment was undoubtedly the Duchess’s will, and the man holding it was Krellyn, the Rondore family’s healer and scholar.
I had gotten acquainted with him while treating my forehead injury over the past few days.
“You have been called here because your name was mentioned in the Duchess’s will, Kyle. Please bear with us.”
“Ah, yes.”
Recently, I had been confused about how to respond to kindness.
If it were the past, I would’ve nodded and accepted, but now it felt uncomfortable.
Living in Roktana, I felt like my noble demeanor was peeling away layer by layer.
After all, my lifestyle was nearly that of a prisoner.
As I was lost in thought, my eyes passed back to Vivian Rondore.
“…”
She still stared at me intently.
I let out a quiet sigh through my nose and pretended not to see.
“Then, I will begin. The Duchess wished to set aside the grudges with the Allen family and establish a constructive relationship moving forward—”
“-W-what do you mean?”
Vivian interrupted Krellyn before he could finish a single phrase.
“W-what grudges are you talking about? Are you even reading this correctly?”
“…Umm. Yes. That is correct. According to the peace treaty between the kingdoms, you, Kyle Allen, came to Roktana as a guest and thus the Duchess hoped to rekindle ties for a new relationship.”
“…Hah.”
Vivian let out a hollow laugh, seemingly in disbelief.
She glared at Krellyn, then at me, as if I had done something wrong.
She spoke,
“…Kyle Allen. I have no intention of being friendly with you, even if I die.”
It was a heart-wrenching statement. Just a little bit.
“Same here.”
Krellyn continued,
“And as part of this, Kyle Allen is hereby appointed as the protector of Vivian Rondore. Moving forward, you are to get along—”
“-No, I told the Duchess I don’t want to—”
“-What the hell are you saying?!!”
–Crash!
Vivian knocked over the teacup from her table with the back of her hand and shouted.
Was it because she was still young and small? Her anger felt almost like a tantrum.
My attempt to speak was cut off by Vivian.
Surprised by our intense reactions, Krellyn quickly thumbed through the parchment, reading aloud.
“H-her Grace was clear that you don’t always need to be together. Essentially, it means you can protect Lady Vivian whenever you feel like it.”
Seeing Vivian’s expression still unfazed, Krellyn shifted his gaze from the will to Vivian and spoke gently.
“I think this is a formal statement. It’s simply a suggestion to get along. There’s no need to stick together, nor is there a requirement to collaborate. It only states that Kyle should look out for Vivian, that’s all.”
“…”
Krellyn looked flustered as Vivian’s expression refused to change.
When you think about it, it’s understandable.
The unpredictable Vivian Rondore was now the lord of Roktana.
To put it bluntly, it felt like handing a sword to a monkey.
“Ahem, moving on! All rights regarding Kyle Allen’s personal safety are now transferred to Vivian Rondore—”
“-Wait, what?!”
With that, I also cut Krellyn off.
…Of course, I was aware that the authority would be handed over to Vivian, but I hadn’t expected it to happen so quickly.
‘When you are old enough to leave, if your relationship with Vivian is bad, would she even let you go back home? You have to at least be friends for her to let you escape.’
The situation made me feel like the Duchess was holding a knife to my chin, threatening me.
So, will you be friendly or not? That’s the question.
Looking back, it seemed I would have to fear the sword-wielding monkey the most—myself.
Another glance at Vivian Rondore showed her mood had shifted.
“S-so, you’re saying that’s what will happen?”
She let out a laugh, almost mocking.
“Yes. That’s exactly what she said.”
“…”
I swallowed hard, maintaining a calm demeanor.
It was better not to show any signs of panic that could expose my weaknesses.
Vivian stood up.
“…Kyle Allen. I’ve thought long about this. How you might realize the wrongs you’ve done to us… and how you might regret it.”
She slowly approached me.
“Also, I’ve heard many rumors about you. They say you’re one of the finest in Allen territory. The invincible knight was quite proud of you.”
Though my father might not know, my family definitely praised me a lot.
They said I was a genius that came once in a hundred years and that the future of the Allen family was secure…
All flattery, of course, but I certainly did not neglect my sword training due to the pressures of war.
The feeling of helplessness when I was subdued by Lois Rondore spurred me on.
“Think about it… as long as we don’t kill you ourselves…”
“…What?”
“Just like how you guys disguised my brother’s death as an accident in a landslide—”
“-We did not disguise anything. Lois Rondore’s death was just an unfortunate accident.”
“Say what you will. Anyway, if you end up dying in an accident… Allen family would have no argument, would they?”
“…What do you mean?”
Vivian Rondore smirked slyly.
Seeing that made me think.
Oh. Why is she so cute, really?
The slight wrinkle of her nose was utterly adorable.
Oblivious to my own absurd feelings, Vivian continued.
“All the soldiers are dead… various monsters have started rampaging around the territory.”
“…”
“The three knight orders of Rondore are working hard, but… there’s still a lot of damage from the monsters and beasts.”
Vivian Rondore poked my chest with her finger.
“If you use that talent of yours… take care of the monsters… maybe you can pay your dues… and if you’re lucky you won’t die… and well, that would really be an accident.”
Just when I thought she would be a tormentor, this was honestly within the realm of reason.
Just like Lois Rondore, just like the Duchess Rondore, now Vivian Rondore.
What you plant is what you harvest.
In truth, I was beginning to think that Vivian Rondore might not be as bad as expected. It could be a cultural difference between northern and southern families.
“So you want me to join the knight order and fight?”
“N-no, just any knight order won’t do. You’re not from Roktana.”
“…? Then?”
“…You will join our newly established Fourth Knight Order… the Punishment Unit.”
The Punishment Unit.
Somehow, the name alone sounded ominous.
It seemed like it would be a place for the dirtiest and gloomiest tasks only.
“P-please, I’m begging you, just die over there.”
