The morning after sealing the deal with Vlad.

Joseph headed to the dining room, following the Bayezid family tradition of spending at least one morning together.

A long dining table, neatly set with a white tablecloth.

But the items on it held no special significance for a morning in the house of a powerful noble.

"Let's eat."

Breakfast at the Bayezid house began with a prayer.

Starting with the head of the family, Fether.

Rutiger, the eldest son.

The second son, Joseph, with his mother, Oksana, the count's second wife.

The whole family gathered, yet only the clinking of cutlery could be heard.

"I brought sacred items. The priest blessed them."

Through the silence that descended upon the table, Count Fether turned to his eldest son, Rutiger.

"Take them with you on this mission."

"I trust my sword more than someone else's blessing, Father."

"So be it."

Rutiger's confident tone as the elder made Joseph shrink.

Although Rutiger didn't mean it that way.

"....."

And there was the woman, looking pitifully at Joseph, who could only retreat naturally.

"Joseph," she said, "take the medicine after breakfast. It's good for your ankle."

"Thank you, Mother."

For the elder brother, sacred relics to ward off threats.

And for him, the medicine he needed for his wounds.

"…..."

Joseph always tried to be big, but a deep-seated feeling of inferiority had squeezed his soul over the years.

A father trying to take care of his children.

A mother looking at her shrinking son.

And brothers who couldn't help but constantly compare themselves.

Only the cold silence concealed their complicated feelings.

***

After a long and silent breakfast.

Joseph hurriedly made his way to his office.

Along the way, his mother offered him a cup of tea, but her embrace was so warm and comforting that once he entered it, it was difficult to escape.

Joseph was an unstoppable man.

He had to run as fast as he could.

The morning sunlight streamed down the white marble corridor.

But it didn't illuminate every inch of the hallway.

"------."

Every time they passed through a dark spot untouched by sunlight, Joseph's expression hardened.

The poisons boiling within him naturally stiffened his face.

But when he reached the door of his office.

"Eh?"

Instead of stiffness, Joseph displayed a perplexed expression.

"What an idiot!"

someone shouted from inside.

"What was that?"

Joseph turned and turned the doorknob of his office door.

Inside, he saw the bright morning sun and the people waiting for him.

"Welcome, Joseph."

"Sir. Are you here?"

There was Vlad, whose head was being held by Jager, and the figure of Goethe, huddled like a turtle at the sight of the bloody scene.

"Why are you being restrained again?"

As soon as he saw them, Joseph felt that the strange emotions stirring within him calmed.

Calm.

And confidence.

That's what the people here gave him.

"Hah…"

With a long sigh, as if words barely escaped him, Jager pointed to a box on Joseph's desk.

"This box… Mr. Rutiger sent it to me."

"My brother?"

Rutiger and Joseph had the same father but different mothers.

They were diametrically opposed in their tastes, and each had their sights set on becoming the next Count Bayezid, so although they were related, they weren't close enough to exchange gifts.

Besides, he hadn't been particularly communicative during breakfast.

"What's going on?"

Vlad started nodding as Joseph shook his head and read Rutiger's letter in the box.

"… Yes."

Finally understanding the situation, Joseph carefully closed Rutiger's letter.

"It's yours. You can eat it."

"... Sorry?"

"Can you do it in ten minutes?"

What Rutiger sent was a box full of peanuts.

Joseph turned to Jager, and his loyal knight nodded.

"I'll take a stroll around the block."

Joseph retraced his steps and left the office.

"What kind of idiot does that just because someone tells him to!"

As the door began to close, a roar came from it.

"I didn't eat anything because you told me not to."

"Is that what I said?"

"I did what you told me to do!"

"Since when do you listen to me so well!"

Listening to the voices behind him, Joseph silently walked away.

"Is it time for the flowers to bloom?"

Even in the darkness without sunlight, Joseph managed to smile.

***

"From today, you'll be a stable boy. You'll handle the horses of my knights and belong to my mother, Countess Oksana, as a worker."

"Thank you, Sir Joseph!"

Goethe's wish was granted.

In exchange for a large sum of gold, he was hired as a servant for the Bayezid family.

"I'll do my best!"

"You can go."

Goethe, now with a stable, comfortable, and well-paid job, left the office with a smile on his face.

Probably because he was hired by Joseph himself, there would be no one to intimidate him.

But he was still hungry and stared at the blonde boy.

"You're not done."

Although he was currently disgruntled by the ridiculous mistake he made yesterday, Vlad was undoubtedly a guy who would rise higher.

Goethe left the office silently, anticipating the moment.

"Vlad seriously..."

Joseph turned his head to look at Vlad.

There were Jager, still uneasy, and Vlad, cheeks swollen from a handful of peanuts.

Perhaps one of the puffy cheeks was the result of a blow from Jager.

"From now on, Vlad, you are officially Jager's squire. Until now, out of respect for you, I turned a blind eye to your rude behavior, but from now on, that won't be the case. Understand?"

"Yes."

"You're a man of few words."

"... Yes."

"... Jager will talk to you about life in the mansion. You can go."

Once Vlad was out of the office, Joseph vented to his loyal knight.

"It won't be easy dealing with him after all. He's unpredictable in every way."

"Plus, he's had a tough life, so he has a lot of rebellious character."

"Yes, I suppose."

Joseph said, looking at the executive office door that Vlad had just slammed open.

"But I have to do it because I'll never be recognized by my father unless I have a track record of having my own knight."

"I understand..."

His own knight, raised by Joseph.

Although there was a good knight beside Joseph, Jager, given to him by his mother, Countess Oksana.

Knight Jager.

The knight who came with the immense talent that Oksana brought with her when she married his father.

Raised by Countess Oksana's family, the Oskars, he was handed over to Joseph at birth.

This made him a knight of House Bayezid by birth, but he was only loyal to Joseph and Oksana, so technically he couldn't be considered purely a Bayezid knight.

"Good luck with that."

That's what Joseph needed.

A title of a knight of House Bayezid, not the one his mother gave him, but one of his own creation.

"I'll do my best."

Jager left his office, determined to succeed for his lord.

"..."

Upon leaving the office, a disgruntled blonde boy awaited him.

"Tsk."

This was the kind of boy he would have to deal with from now on.

"Follow me."

"Yes."

Joseph had chosen this task, and he had to follow his master's decision.

To fulfill his master's will.

That's chivalry.

"This is the dining room. The knights have their own dining room, and the servants use the same dining room as the maids."

"I see."

He was indeed difficult to handle, but he was also a man who would produce brilliant results.

"This is the training ground. We train our bodies, not our swords. Ask the boys next door how to use the equipment."

So Jager took Vlad around and showed him the facilities of House Bayezid.

They were rough, but the care put into them was nothing compared to what other knights put into their squires.

"This is your room. It's a single room."

"Oh."

And with that response, Jager trusted that Vlad would navigate well in the unfamiliar environment of House Bayezid.

"Is it okay?"

"Really?"

It was a small room, barely big enough for a bed, but Vlad smiled, acknowledging even that.

"It's not even dirt floor, and it has a bed. This is a palace."

"I had forgotten for a moment that you were from the streets after the shock earlier."

They were the offspring of a well-educated family, but from the moment they arrived here as squires, the boys had to start from the bottom.

Even if they were in good physical shape, many couldn't adapt to the sudden change in environment and treatment.

But for Vlad, who had been living like a weed, this was paradise.

"Hmm."

He shouldn't have trouble adapting.

As long as he doesn't make any mistakes.

"Follow me."

Vlad followed behind Jager, trying to soak up everything he could from the surroundings.

Yesterday he had embarrassed himself by getting carried away by Rutiger's momentum, but for a latecomer like Vlad, quick thinking was a matter of survival.

"Hmm?"

Then Vlad's eyes spotted someone moving with the maids.

It was a lady with neatly framed green hair.

"She's Lady Oksana. She's Joseph's mother. Be polite, as you were taught before."

"Yes."

This was the most embarrassing thing for Vlad, who had lived in an alley where every time you saw someone, you shouted insults.

Be polite.

Treat nobility with respect.

Bow your head.

These were things he wasn't used to.

But in the future, he must adapt to the discipline of this place.

After all, they were going to be here for seven years, so it was best to adapt as soon as possible, Vlad thought.

"..."

Vlad learned it in a day, but he remembered everything he could and bowed his head in a sign of respect.

But Oksana's walk, which they thought would pass by, was slowly approaching Jager and Vlad.

Vlad swallowed hard as he saw her.

"Jager. My faithful knight. Good morning."

"Are you well?"

Jager raised his head in a greeting, and Vlad, who had been watching, quickly raised his eyes too.

"Is he?"

"Yes, he is. Joseph brought him here himself."

"I see."

Rough men, whores selling laughs, hustlers looking for an opportunity.

For Vlad, who had only dealt with people like that, noble Oksana was the kind of person he had never encountered.

"Thank you," she said. "You saved my son's life, didn't you?"

"I just did my job…"

Maybe if Vlad had turned his head a little to the side, he would have seen Jager looking at him impatiently.

"I'll have to give you a reward; you've done much more than you think."

"Thank you…"

Vlad was about to bow and express his thanks, but he froze as Oksana suddenly approached and stroked his head.

"It's a nice color. It goes well with your blue eyes."

"..."

He wanted to say something, but Vlad stiffened and rolled his eyes.

Oksana sensed a smell.

It was a nostalgic scent.

"You have broad shoulders for someone so thin. It would be good if you gained a little weight."

Meanwhile, Vlad had been living in the company of prostitutes.

He was immune to women and had the knuckles to handle them.

But now.

For now, he could only look down, unable to utter a word, like a mute in honey.

Oksana's gaze at Vlad resembled nothing he had ever seen from a woman.

Youth Vlad lost himself in that look he hadn't seen for so long that he couldn't even remember.

It was the first time in his life that he found himself on the wrong side of a thorn.

"I leave him in your service. Sir Jager."

"Yes. Lady Oksana."

He could only nod his head in gratitude.

When she left, Vlad, who had remained stiff for some time, made eye contact with Jager, who was as tense as he was.

"Did I do well...?"

"... Somewhat well."

The boy unnecessarily looked away, scratching his neck at the chill that rose to the depths of his chest.