Joseph loved the snow.
For him, with a weak body, the cold weather was an unwelcome guest, but there was still a reason why he loved the white snow.
"…It will take some time to return."
When Joseph was young, he felt relieved to see the city covered in snow and silence.
Because at that moment, he wasn't the only one standing still.
Due to his weak body, the reality of sitting alone while others moved forward always made it difficult for Joseph.
"Mr. Joseph. I'm Bordan."
"Come in."
Joseph, awakened from his thoughts by the sound of knocking outside, opened the door and looked at the knight entering.
"It's a message from Deirmar."
A chubby knight who seemed to need to take care of his health as much as he did arrived at his office with a message in hand.
The outcome Joseph had been waiting for must have been written in that small note he held with his thick lettering.
"Hand it over."
"Yes."
Joseph accepted the note handed to him by Bordan with calm eyes.
Although I did my best to prepare him, it must have been an overwhelming task for the boy.
I hope we can avoid the worst outcome.
"..."
Because it was a letter sent by magic, it was not possible to write and send many letters.
Therefore, the letter sent by Jager contained only the results without any explanation.
"…I didn't expect this."
Therefore, the letter containing only a few lines and no previous explanation was enough to make Joseph's head spin.
"Is Stephen of Gaidar an easy opponent?"
"...That can't be possible, right?"
Bordan ended up responding to Joseph's absurd question with a reply without realizing it.
Just in terms of skill, it would be difficult to stand shoulder to shoulder with the existing knights, but Stephen is only in his twenties.
There were few people in the West who stood out as much as Stephen at that age, so it would be difficult to say that Bordan's reaction was exaggerated.
"Yes."
After hearing Bordan's words, Joseph tossed the note onto the desk and smiled slowly.
It was the kind of laugh where you want to laugh but don't know how to.
"Call the wizard. I need to respond to Jager."
"Ah... Okay."
We were prepared for the worst, but not for the best.
Because his thoughtful plans, born of depression, flowed in a completely different direction from the wave the boy was creating.
"...I prepared him to endure no matter what."
Joseph chose Stephen of the West as the boy's opponent for his debut as a knight.
For a strong man with such a well-known name, even if Vlad loses, it won't be a flaw, and if he even puts him in a difficult situation, his evaluation of Vlad will increase significantly.
Alicia even calculated that if he lost the handkerchief, he would have no choice but to take Bayezid's hand.
"I guess I'll have to rethink everything."
As his thoughts became more complicated, Joseph leaned his head against the cold window and took a deep breath.
From outside came the sound of the crunchy snow falling to the ground.
Now it was an unpleasant sight.
***
Knights facing each other in a large hall.
Even though the weapon was sheathed, the look in the eyes between the two groups was nothing short of brutal.
However, if you look closely, you will see that the reactions of the knights are slightly different.
The Northern knights wearing fur cloaks smiled oddly.
The Western knights with their capes billowing in the wind clenched their teeth.
Winners laugh, and losers bow their heads.
The Northern knights were in the hall, enjoying the rights granted to them by their junior.
"I wish I could get my sword back."
Godin, who was always smiling, now looked at the man in front of him with a slightly severe expression.
Godin always treated his opponents with a flexible attitude, but he had never faced such a humiliating situation as the current one.
"Hmm."
After hearing Godin's words, Jager simply stroked his chin and made a concerned expression.
"There doesn't seem to be any problem with the procedure. But wouldn't it be cumbersome?"
Stephen is the eldest son of Count Sigmund.
He was responding, but Godin was asking if he might suffer the repercussions of taking that man's sword.
"I suppose it's a problem we can solve on our own."
Jager crossed his arms and scoffed at Godin.
Bayezid's attitude toward Gaidar could be seen in his attitude that there was no need to worry at all.
"Still, taking a sword during a duel is uncommon. This has clearly crossed the line."
As Godin said, taking a sword during a duel could be considered excessive.
However, in the current situation, it would be a trophy that would pose no problem.
"I think Gaidar was the first not to think about what happened."
Obviously, Gaidar was the first to ignore Hainal and Bayezid, so the current shame is also the result of his own contribution.
All these were consequences they had to bear.
"Besides, they crossed the line first."
He was smiling but not laughing.
Although he was the only eye left to Jager, the light emanating from him exuded a strong presence.
"...Tell me what you want."
The situation is already a catastrophe.
Godin, at a loss for words to justify the situation he himself had provoked, made one last attempt to retrieve Stephen's sword.
"You can't ask me that."
Jager's eyes deepened at Godin's question.
The winner of the duel was Vlad, and the owner of the loot was also Vlad.
So, to change the fair price, the intention of the boy will be important.
"You know very well why he took Stephen's sword."
Jager leaned his body against the table as if there were no doubts anymore.
The two knights knew well why the boy so desperately desired victory in yesterday's duel.
"...I suppose so."
Godin inwardly nodded at Jager's words.
Godin remembered it.
Although the sword was aimed squarely at Stephen, the blue eyes were aimed at him.
It was as if he were telling me to look here or at me.
"...Negotiations have failed."
Why did Vlad take Stephen's sword?
It was to declare war on the Blue Moon Knight.
Godin was no longer the only one who could receive a fair reward for victory.
The relationship that began with Jorge twisted and eventually ended here.
Flowing and flowing, the current relationships I knew in Deirmae were relationships that could have transcended karma or the trend of the times.
"After all, we'll see each other later."
Stephen and Vlad.
The first skirmish between the West and the North.
The winner of that war was the North.
"Get out."
Said the North.
Now, leave Deirmar.
"Please say goodbye on my behalf."
"Okay."
The Western knights who lost the encounter had no choice but to rise and make their way.
The Northern knights opened the door to the cold corridor for them to stand up.
***
Alicia was carefully embroidering a handkerchief brought to her office by a maid.
"I did it. I didn't say anything."
Since the handkerchief was almost completely finished, it didn't seem to need her help, but a cause is important at any time and place.
"I've done everything up to this point."
"...You're right."
There was nothing she couldn't do if necessary, but Alicia found it difficult to fulfill the duties of the head of the family.
Anyway, it was true that Alicia had embroidered at least one stitch, so the child who received this handkerchief would fully understand the current situation.
"Hmm. There's no need to accept Joseph's offer now, is there?"
"That's correct."
Alicia nodded as she carefully folded the letter Joseph had given her and placed it back inside the envelope, as if indicating she was done.
Now that Vlad has halted Stephen's proposal as his knight, there's no longer a reason to have Oksana as his godmother.
"Yes, it's a relief. Although Bayezid's embrace is comforting, it's always wise to avoid giving them excuses."
"You're right."
Alicia's goal is the survival of Hainal and the reconstruction of Deirmar.
Alicia, who knew that no matter how warm Bayezid's embrace was, their goal was eventually to take control of this place, was struggling to stand on her own.
And her struggles were now finding a new target.
"…A knight like Mr. Vlad is rare, isn't he?"
"Of course, Lady Alicia."
If you get a woman, you can get full rights to Hainal and Deirmar.
For Alice, who had no power to protect herself, the current situation was that her mere existence was a weakness.
"How far do you expect me to grow in the future?"
Therefore, the gentleman named Vlad, whose potential in the future was more anticipated than in the present, was clearly someone who had all the elements he could covet.
"If he continues to grow like this, he will probably represent the entire North in the next generation. That's the magnitude of the situation."
Duncan already had the age of a knight, but his eyes, trained by experience, were still sharp.
As someone who had witnessed the two duels in Deirmar, Duncan had already realized that the child's potential was extraordinary.
"Mmm."
Alicia fell into deep concern after hearing Duncan's words.
Although her appearance didn't fit her furrowed brow, she was now gaining the grace of being the mistress of a mansion rather than an ordinary lady.
"…After all, it's not easy for a woman to take on the role of the head of the family alone. There's no guarantee that something like this won't happen again."
Insects are drawn to beautiful flowers.
Although there were no marriage proposals like Gaidar's, in her office there were already accumulating letters from numerous noble men requesting their right to triumph.
It was dangerous as it was.
"It would be better to have an inexperienced knight under my protection."
In this situation, Alicia only had one way to solidify her foundations as the sole Hainal.
The only way was to find as a husband an untimely match from another family.
"Oh, oh. Lady Alicia."
Duncan was surprised when he realized what Alicia was implying.
No matter how likely it was, the child was still a child who had only been a knight for a few weeks.
"Bayezid might like my proposal too. In a way, doesn't it feel like a blood pact? Isn't it still too soon? No matter if a knight is a semi-noble..."
"I heard he'll be bigger."
Duncan felt like he wanted to take back what he had just said.
However, as he was in a situation where he couldn't suggest an alternative proposal than the one by Alicia, he simply lowered his head with a sad expression.
"It would be better to get him first before others do."
"…"
Duncan silently agreed that Alicia's decision was not entirely unfounded.
"...But don't make decisions too hastily."
"It's better than marrying a stranger."
With those words, Alicia turned her head and looked to where the Hainal tree was.
"Besides, what he's doing is amazing too."
Alicia's teary eyes watched the boy's actions there.
The hill where my parents' graves are.
The child was pouring the alcohol he held with his head bowed towards the owners of the Hainal family.
It was as if he was grateful for taking care of him.
The other men were just making a fuss to gain trust, but the blond boy was serving alcohol to his parents.
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