At that time, Leslie and Braden were having lunch together.
"Honey."
Leslie was eating and suddenly spoke to Braden.
"I feel like you've sold your mind somewhere else. What's on your mind?"
"Oh."
Braden, who was sitting around eating steak, looked at Leslie and answered.
"Thank you very much, Leslie. I can't believe you noticed that I'm out of my mind… The love is real. I'm so touched."
Then he grinned.
"I'm worried… My problem has always been the same since two years ago."
"You start worrying about Ian's marriage from the time of his coming-of-age ceremony."
Leslie grumbled, pouting her lips.
"If you're worried about Ian because he's so boring, just get him married with the right family. Push on with Wades' wealth and power."
"Leslie, to be exact, I'm not worried about Ian's marriage."
Braden tapped the table and said.
"I'm afraid the Wades's bloodline will be cut off. Marriage is a different matter. The only thing he's ever 'really' interested in is a sword, which I'm very worried about."
"What's wrong with that?"
Leslie opened her mouth wide and said, chewing the salad loudly.
"That's exactly how I used to live."
"That is the problem. The one who is not interested in the opposite sex seem to resemble you."
Braden couldn't bring himself to say, 'Oh my, but it was hard for me to marry you,' so he swallowed those words.
But who would have a strategic approach like Braden for a woman that would go to a man who was not funny like Ian?
Braden was quite uneasy because he thought that pushing for a political marriage with wealth, honor, a good shell, and a good reputation would make a show window couple.
"He's a man of his own accord."
Braden muttered seriously.
"He's the one who lives with courtesy and enters the coffin with the sword in peace."
"That's true."
Leslie nodded and replied in a casual way.
"But what's wrong with that? If he doesn't have the woman he wants, he just hugs his sword and lives like that. It's a pretty good life, isn't it? I mean, that's how I was meant to live."
In a refreshing response, she pulled the rope, saying, "I should have dessert time with the Rainfield siblings."
These days, Leslie has been close to the Rainfield brother and sister because then she could go to the Rainfield restaurant without a reservation.
When she approached them for the first time, she had such an insidious intention, but now she often called them to avoid Ian's eyes.
Of course, at first, she asked Ian to have a tea time with her, but then Ian replied with a straight face.
"If the person in charge of the Knights is away from work and time, discipline will be disrupted. The Rainfield siblings and I are in different positions."
After being rejected with such exemplary words, Leslie was secretly seeing the Rainfield brother and sister.
"Well, I don't know."
Braden said slowly, completely letting go of the spoon.
"You don't know that. Speaking of which, Leslie. I actually have a daughter-in-law that I've chosen."
"Oh really? I see."
"Shouldn't you ask who it is?"
"I'm sure she's a good daughter of a good family. I'm not curious because I don't know much about that anyway."
"Actually, it's Annabelle Rainfield."
"What? Huh?"
Leslie opened her eyes wide with astonishment, and she shook her hand with a ridiculous smile.
"Are you crazy? Annabelle doesn't lack anything to Ian. Ian is our son who doesn't get hurt no matter what, but objectively, is there any other attraction besides being handsome, tall, rich, good swordsmanship, exemplary, upright, diligent, and gentlemanly?"
Leslie's words could not continue as the servant then came in and told them that Annabelle had not come to work today.
'Look at Leslie's ridiculous response…'
Seeing Leslie's immediate rebuttal, Braden was secretly relieved.
'I think the two get along well. I tested them last time just in case, but I think it's clear.' (tl/n: Braden stays scheming even here haha)
~*~
Annabelle and Robert were sitting face to face talking comfortably.
"The Knights of the Wade would be nice."
Originally, Robert, who had great social skills, was used to leading the conversation with ease.
"I'll train every day listening to Miss Annabelle's blessing."
Annabelle, who was as good at interpersonal relationships as Robert, responded with a gentle smile.
"Well… I swear more than praise. Yesterday, I told the knights that it would be more productive to throw flies at the spatula all day than to train like this."
"Oh."
Robert's eyes glistened with amusement.
"It's pure curiosity, have you ever cursed or blessed Ian like that? I wonder how he reacts."
"Oh…"
Annabelle's expression, which was answering comfortably without hesitation, slightly hardened.
"Well, Ian… Well… I don't have much to swear at. Honestly, he's perfect in everything, right?"
"That's true. So you don't give him the same blessing?"
"Oh, well…"
Annabelle rolled her eyes slightly and scratched her cheek with her index finger.
"I don't think he'll like it even if he heard that. He's so unchanging and cold-hearted… I feel like I have to say only refined things to him."
"I know how it is."
Robert nodded sympathetically.
"It's a little hard to deal with because he's so common-sense about everything. Of course he's a great and wonderful friend."
"That's right…"
"Come to think of it, there's the last swordsmanship contest soon, right? Since you've shared one win and one loss side by side, everyone's really curious about who's going to win this time, what's the atmosphere of the parties?"
"We're always the same."
Annabelle had heard the question a thousand times, and each time she would answer the same thing.
"We each have a medal… Since we don't put much importance on winning or losing to each other, we feel that if we do our best, that's all. Ian is more of a person who doesn't value such trifles."
"Winning the sword competition is a trivial value… So what's important to Ian?"
"Maybe… The ordinary, common sense, and just the days itself? Anyway, it's not something that other people will enjoy."
Annabelle's tone, which recalls Ian, was strangely stiff, but Robert didn't notice.
In fact, Annabelle had been a little uncomfortable facing Ian since a few months ago.
To be exact, it was from the time the two of them went on a business trip from the duke's decree, which was a little far away.
She didn't know much because she always spent a lot of time with the people of the Knights, but for the first time in her life, they went far together, so she learned a new fact.
It was that Ian knew her better than she thought. From eating habits to sleeping habits, frequency of drinking water and taste in clothes…
"It's a little colder than the capital. Have this wrapped around your hand."
"What? You don't have to cut your robe with a sword though… Besides, the temperature isn't that low right now, is it?"
"But your hands get cold easily compared to other places."
"…How do you know about my other places?"
"We've been together since we were nine years old, in case you don't know. Oh, from here on, stand on my right. There is a colony of lilies over there. Didn't you hate the smell of lilies because it gives you a headache?"
"Oh, well… Yes."
After he took care of her calmly, after a very comfortable business trip, Annabelle felt strange whenever she faced Ian.
Even when she recalled the days they spent together, her stomach tickled strangely. Read only at pm tl.
"Ian does make me speechless."
Robert agreed once again with a grin.
"I don't think he's going to break his regular routine, and he's only putting value on things like world peace… Miss Annabelle?"
It was then. Annabelle sensed a familiar presence and glanced behind her.
"…Ian?"
Robert's eyes widened in surprise.
Sure enough, he then saw Ian striding up not long after Annabelle called and looked behind her.
"What? Ian?"
Robert tilted his head and said absurdly.
"Didn't you say you were pretty busy these days with knights work? So it hasn't been long since you said you couldn't leave the training ground, but why are you here…"
"…I'm here to see Annabelle."
Ian roughly saluted Robert and then looked at Annabelle.
Annabelle suddenly felt Ian's burning red eyes were cooler than ever.
In addition, noticing his disordered breathing, she also noticed that he had come here faster than ever before.
"Me?"
Of course, that does not mean that Annabelle was intimidated, and she slowly observed Ian and asked.
He even had a child's wooden sword in one hand that looked like it was rolling in a dust pit, completely different from the view of his perfect outfit.
"And why is this garbage…"
"What do you mean 'garbage'?"
Ian's voice was deep.
"Do you know how valuable this is… I'm disappointed."
Robert and Annabelle, who had just been saying that nothing would be worth much to Ian unless it was world peace, exchanged their eyes with each other in absurdity.
With Ian's appearance in a hurry, other customers in the restaurant were also glancing at them.
Of course, Annabelle said something in the midst of that absurdity.
"Wait, you're upset? At me? Do you know how to feel that way, Ian? But I didn't do anything wrong to you…"
"Why not?"
Ian unwittingly muttered his thoughts as he listened to the chatter of the Knights earlier.
"…You don't swear at me, you don't hit me…" (tl/n: andddd round 2)
Annabelle, who was going to say something, was at a loss for words.