Volume 6 Chapter 48-2 Interlude - The Knight and the Young Lady II
Luke nodded, and with a wry smile, he observed that everyone in Victor preferred to run rather than ride horses.
"You're right; even Lord Walker, who visited before, and you too, are incredibly strong, to the point that it's incomprehensible."
Robert smiled and patted the horse's neck, saying, "That's good enough."
"But Luke, strength isn't the only standard for a Knight."
Luke nodded in agreement, but in reality, he didn't fully understand.
It wasn't his fault.
Having grown up in Victor, a society that valued strength above all else, as a member of the Randy Exploration Team, his perspective was shaped accordingly.
Hey! What's that supposed to mean?
Are you kidding me?
I'm the strongest, so I'm the captain!
Under such a captain, it was no wonder his sense of normalcy was skewed.
Of course, Luke himself felt more joy in breaking free from his preconceived notions than anything else.
At least he had the pride of earning his position through his own strength, rather than being labeled as the illegitimate son of the Grand Duke.
However, Robert, seeing Luke like this, chuckled and patted him on the shoulder.
"You don't get it, you idiot."
Luke forced a wry smile as Robert put a hand on his shoulder. "Actually..."
"It's alright. You'll understand eventually, or I'll make sure you do."
Robert, dragging Luke along, called out to the other team members, "Come on, let's eat!"
Luke and Robert were about to receive a rather enthusiastic welcome from the Gardner Knight Squad, unlike the glamorous Cecilia and her group.
Luke felt a little lighter, but he still couldn't bring himself to look back at the light emanating from the mansion.
* * *
During the time before dinner, Cecilia and the others were being welcomed by the Gardner family in the reception room.
Cecilia was surprised by the taste of the tea, but inwardly, she couldn't stop sighing.
Her parents were talking animatedly with the Gardners, and even Fried, who was talking to her, wasn't a bad guy.
They were discussing Hartfield's business ventures and even reminiscing about school days.
After all, even though he was 3 years older, they were both graduates of the same academy.
There was an abundance of common ground, from classes to teachers.
He was a true gentleman, even more considerate than Dario, to the point where she could say he was actually better.
Unfortunately, Dario was the benchmark.
It's Luke who has captured Cecilia's heart and won't let go.
He appears gentlemanly, but he has a certain air of detachment.
However, when he puts his mind to something, he goes all out.
Even at school, due to his appearance and strength, he has a fan club, but he doesn't even glance at women other than Cecilia.
He shows only kindness to Cecilia.
He also displays a boyish innocence when interacting with Randy, and a side of him that makes Cecilia's heart flutter.
All of these things capture Cecilia's heart and refuse to let go.
Even though she doesn't voice her feelings for Luke, and she can be with Fried, Cecilia is still a noble lady after all.
She still smiles and nods along to Fried's stories, so being born into nobility is terrifying.
If Randy saw this scene, he would gasp, "Whoa!"
In any case, the lively conversation in the reception room, which seemed to be going well on the surface, ended sooner than expected, coinciding with the completion of dinner preparations.
From there, the 3 of them, accompanied by Conrad, moved to the dining hall, led by the Gardner family.
As they walked, Luke, who had just come out of the stables, caught Cecilia's eye from the hallway window.
Cecilia couldn't help but smile when she saw Luke, who had his shoulder patted by a senior knight, with a slightly troubled yet happy smile.
The fact that her knight was getting along with the knight order was enough to make Cecilia happy.
What kind of relationship they will have in the future is uncertain.
She hopes they can be together forever.
But even if her wishes don't come true, she wants Luke to continue staying at Hartfield.
So, seeing the two knights, who seemed to be getting along well, Cecilia smiled involuntarily.
"Miss Cecilia, was there something amusing?"
Fried, who wore a smile, proudly talked about the strong and closely-knit Knight group of the Gardner family.
"It's a good thing that the Knights are so united."
Fried smiled and proudly spoke about how the Gardner family's Knights were strong and well-connected.
"By the way, I'm also a member of the Knight group."
"Well, aren't you busy?"
It was no wonder that Cecilia was surprised.
If it were a hardcore warrior noble like Waldner, it would be one thing, but the Gardner family wasn't solely focused on martial prowess.
As the heir of a noble family that also engaged in trade, what was required was not mere martial power, but rather political ability like Cedric's.
There was no way he could have enough time to join the Knight group.
"There's a boy my age, Cedric von Braubelg. He inspired me."
Shrugging his shoulders, Fried laughed, saying he had never beaten Cedric even once while at the academy.
He also mentioned, with a hint of regret, that he had been training in his family's Knight group since midway through school.
"I'm not as good as him, but my sword skills have improved quite a bit."
Cecilia felt a slight unease from Fried's smile.
For a brief moment, but it quickly faded, almost as if it was just a misunderstanding; the Fried before her now was genuinely smiling, inspired by Cedric.
"So, you participate as well. The Knight group has strong connections, doesn't it? It seems like a good family."
That was Cecilia's honest feeling.
Even with the heir participating, he managed to bond with the other members.
It truly relied on mutual trust.
Just as Cecilia spoke, Fried nodded with a smile, finally seeing the dining hall door coming into view.
The maids opened the door, and as the two families laughed together, Conrad stepped into the dining hall.
With a small sigh as the dining hall door slowly closed, Conrad glanced back at the shut door and thought, "Connection, huh."
By now, Luke and the others were probably deepening their friendship with the Gardner Knight group.
"I'm counting on you, everyone──"
Conrad's murmured words were unheard by anyone.
Only the cheerful voices of both families talking and laughing echoed through the dining hall.
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