Volume 6 Chapter 48 Interlude - The Knight and the Young Lady II
By the time the sun had completely set, Hartfield's group had arrived at the capital of the Count Gardner's territory.
They were welcomed by the Count Gardner and his wife, who were in high spirits, along with their son, Fried.
With wavy brown hair and eyes reminiscent of jade,
his tall, well-proportioned figure and handsome features, while not quite as striking as Luke's, still made him appealing to women.
(Tch, he's got that smug look on his face.)
That was Luke's impression, but it was far from the truth.
Fried had simply dashed Luke's faint hopes.
He had a charming and sociable demeanor.
Luke had expected a bit of roughness, having heard that the family was once famous for battling pirates, but his expectations were off the mark.
He was hoping for a rugged vibe like Victor's.
...By the way, Luke also had a sociability and freshness that Victor lacked.
In other words, he was completely overlooking his own shortcomings.
From Fried's perspective, it was probably a case of "I don't want to hear that from you."
Anyway, while he was certainly not as impressive as Waldner, this rare sociability for a well-known martial family in the area was a trait that Victor's Knights did not possess.
(I would have preferred a grizzly bear or a grumpy guy. Well, it seems they've been focusing on trade lately.)
Taking a deep breath as if to convince himself, Luke recalled that the Gardners were involved in trade, not just military might, albeit on a smaller scale.
Indeed, as Luke had observed, Fried, along with Conrad and the other guard Knights, was showing a friendly smile, giving off the vibe of a pleasant young man.
"Luke──"
"Yes?"
At Conrad's instruction, Luke pushed aside his distractions and bowed his head as he stood by the door.
After confirming that the Knights were in position, Conrad called out through the door and slowly opened the carriage door.
The first to appear was the head of the family, Alfred.
As the Count Gardner greeted him with a firm handshake, Katarina was led by Conrad, and Luke took Cecilia's hand next.
"Please watch your step."
"...Yes."
It was an ordinary conversation they had every day, but Cecilia wore a troubled expression.
Luke tried his best to show a smile, but it came off as awkward.
Cecilia's hand felt colder than usual as it slipped away from Luke's, and she walked with her parents, exchanging greetings with the Gardner family, heading toward the mansion in a friendly atmosphere.
Both the Hartfield and Gardner families had their daughters and sons, forming a trio with their parents.
Counts and ladies mingled, and Cecilia was escorted by Fried as they disappeared into the mansion.
Of course, the Count's guard was just Conrad alone.
That was to be expected.
Conrad, the assistant captain, was known at the Gardner household, but the newcomer Luke was not.
The difference in rank between Luke and Conrad was evident, as Luke was only allowed to enter the mansion as a guard for the Count.
As Luke observed this, his shoulder was tapped by the senior knight, Robert.
"You don't have time to daydream."
"...Yes."
Nodding, Luke entrusted the horse he rode to the Gardner stableman and began unloading the Count's luggage from the carriage.
It wasn't a task typically assigned to knights, but there were no footmen accompanying them on this trip.
Working alongside the Gardner household staff, Luke unloaded the luggage from the carriage, directing the maids and footmen, saying, "This is for the young lady, and this is for Lady Katarina."
Finally, after sorting the luggage, Luke was left to tend to the horse he rode in on.
Even though he had entrusted the horse to the Gardner stableman, horses were important companions for knights.
Each horse had its own temperament, and today they were in unfamiliar surroundings.
To ease their stress, each knight fed their horse and at least brushed them down.
This was normally the duty of squire or attendants, but on this trip... well, that was another story.
Additionally, since the trip was for 2 nights, it was also important to convey the horse's characteristics to the stableman for care starting tomorrow.
It was a simple yet crucial task that could not be neglected as a knight.
And, of course, it was the youngest, Luke, who was responsible for taking care of the captain Conrad's horse.
Everyone heads to the stable, informing the stablemaster while gently brushing the horses.
With 2 horses to care for, Luke is incredibly busy.
After all, a welcome party from the Knight group is waiting for them.
They can't keep the guests waiting too long.
Luke's attention drifts to the impressive mansion visible beyond the stable.
It's different from the traditional Hartfield estate and Victor's smaller residence.
The light spilling from the slightly refined modern mansion makes Luke instinctively look away.
In that light, Cecilia and the Count couple are likely in the midst of cheerful conversation.
He had forgotten.
No, he hadn't known.
It was because he was too close to the lord in Victor.
And because he had served under Cecilia.
The gap in status between her and himself was indeed so vast.
Luke is painfully aware of this.
He had been misled by always being with Cecilia at the academy, in the carriage, at the mansion, and in the courtyard.
He thought he was more than just a Knight.
But how about now?
When he actually visits another household like this, Luke is just an ordinary Knight.
No, that's not entirely accurate.
At least in Victor, he held the position of Squad Leader, assisting the Knight Brigade Captain and Deputy.
Thinking about it that way, brushing the horses here makes him feel rather miserable.
"Hey, your hands have stopped!"
It's his senior Knight, Robert, who taps Luke on the back of the head from behind.
"I'm sorry..."
Seeing Luke's lack of energy, Robert sighs and snatches the brush away, saying, "Let me take over."
"Horses are delicate creatures. They are our partners. So, we need to face them properly."
While lecturing, Robert gently speaks to the horse and continues brushing it.
"I heard you don't ride horses much in Victor?"
"...Yes."
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