Chapter 43
When Irene left the room, Ludiana turned to look at Karlos, who was deliberately averting his gaze and pretending to be distracted.
“Karlos.”
“Hm…?”
“How could you keep something like this a secret from me too?”
The warm voice she had just used while speaking to Irene was gone. In its place, Ludiana spoke in a cold and quiet tone.
“Sorry. Irene begged me not to tell you or Lady Roselin. She said you were both busy with so many things.”
“…So it’s my fault then.”
Ludiana pressed her palm to her forehead and squeezed her eyes shut.
She’d been so busy handling various matters that she hadn’t paid much attention to Irene. Still, since Irene always seemed cheerful and was doing well, she hadn’t worried.
“Who would’ve thought she had such a dream?”
Ludiana’s vision grew hazy.
Of course, she wouldn’t stop Irene’s dream. She had always intended to give her whatever she wanted. It just so happened that Irene’s wish wasn’t to go abroad, or to fall in love, but… to become a knight.
“The problem is—I know nothing about that path.”
Even after racking her brain for all the memories of her previous life, she couldn’t recall a single instance of a woman becoming a knight.
“Karlos, can a woman even become a knight?”
“Well… technically, yes.”
“Really?”
So at least there was no law against it.
“But…”
Karlos trailed off, hesitating.
“It’s just never actually happened.”
“Right…”
Principle and reality rarely lined up.
“Still, I’ve heard there was once a woman who entered the Academy.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. But she ended up dropping out halfway through. The Academy’s a very conservative institution.”
“Ah…”
Ludiana covered her face with both hands.
“The Academy, huh…?”
It was an educational institution teaching swordsmanship, etiquette, politics, and other subjects. Although it covered a wide range, swordsmanship was its main focus, so it had always been filled with men.
“Karlos, why didn’t you go to the Academy?”
She didn’t know much about swordsmanship, but she had heard that nearly all of the Empire’s most renowned knights were Academy graduates. Yet in her past life, Karlos had been called the Empire’s strongest swordsman without ever attending.
“Hmm…”
Karlos’s eyes darkened.
“Ludi, do you know where I first met the Duke?”
“Yes.”
“You do? Then you must also know that I’m the illegitimate son of Marquis Lanschtein?”
“Uh… not exactly…?”
Ludiana tilted her head, her brows rising awkwardly. Seeing this, Karlos burst into laughter.
“Hahaha! This is why I like you, Ludi. So you knew.”
“…Sorry.”
“The Lanschtein family has managed the Academy for generations. And I… am the stain they wish could be erased.”
His laughter gradually faded, leaving a bitter look on his face.
“Karlos…”
“It’s fine. Either way, that’s why I never went to the Academy. Not that I wanted to.”
His brows furrowed slightly as he spoke of himself as his family’s shame. Ludiana’s heart ached at the sight.
Knock, knock.
“Mother, do you have a moment?”
A few days later, Ludiana knocked on the door of the drawing room where Roselin had set up her work instead of the study.
“Of course, come in.”
When Ludiana entered, Roselin was buried in even more papers than before. As Ludiana glanced at them, she walked closer.
“I’m sorry to bother you when you’re so busy.”
“It’s fine.”
“Are all of these about the territory?”
“No, they’re documents for the noble council’s upcoming agenda. I can’t attend without being prepared.”
The faint double eyelids above Roselin’s eyes were weighed down by heavy fatigue.
“She must be sleeping even less than before…”
The thought of adding another burden to her already weighed heavily on Ludiana’s chest.
“But if we miss this chance, we might never get another.”
She steeled herself.
“So, what is it?”
“It’s about Irene.”
“Irene?”
Roselin looked puzzled. She had expected something about the territory, or perhaps the newly acquired emerald mine—but Irene?
“Irene wants to become a knight, Mother.”
“What…?”
Roselin’s eyes widened, her red lips parting slightly.
“Judging by your face, I’d say she’s quite serious.”
“Yes.”
“Oh dear…”
The shadows beneath Roselin’s eyes deepened further.
“I want to support her dream.”
“So do I. But a knight? Is that even possible…?”
“It’s not forbidden by law. But…”
Silence weighed heavily between them.
“So I was thinking, Mother… what if we asked the Duke for help?”
“…The Duke?”
“Yes. I’ve come up with an idea, but we’ll definitely need his help.”
“Ludi, but…”
Roselin’s gaze dropped to the floor, words caught in her throat. Seeing this, Ludiana spoke again.
“I understand, Mother. You don’t want to owe the Duke any more favors, do you?”
“My, our Ludi really has grown up.”
“I feel the same way. But right now, only the Duke and Karlos can truly help Irene.”
“If Irene’s dream is to become a knight, there’s only so much Mother and I can do. And if we go through with this plan, it could bring great benefit to the Duke as well.”
“All right. Let’s speak to him.”
“Right now…?!”
Roselin rose to her feet immediately. There was still such a mountain of documents before her!
“If she leaves now, she’ll probably end up pulling another all-nighter.”
“Mother, maybe tomorrow…”
“No. There’s nothing more important in this world than you children. This is the most urgent matter for me.”
“But what if you stay up all night again?”
“Shh, I’ll be fine. Now, come along.”
Roselin turned toward the door, then spun back with a playful smile, pressing her finger to her lips.
“He’s probably in his study right now.”
“Duchess Roembek? Lady Ludiana? And even Karlos? Has something happened?”
Inside the study of Pianus Mansion. On the way to meet Allen, Ludiana had asked Karlos to come along too. After all, he knew best how serious Irene was and what training she had been doing.
“Forgive us for disturbing you, Duke. We’d like to discuss something.”
“Not at all, Duchess Roembek. I’m not busy in the slightest!”
Roselin leaned slightly to peer at the mountain of paperwork on Allen’s desk—much more than her own.
“Ah, that’s just because I had to stay longer in the capital than expected. It’s all work I can leave to my aides, so don’t worry!”
Allen quickly shifted, blocking her line of sight, flustered.
“I see. Then may we have a moment of your time?”
At that, Roselin chuckled softly, covering her lips with her hand.
“Of course. Please, have a seat.”
Following his invitation, Roselin, Ludiana, and Karlos sat down.
“Ludiana, tell him your thoughts.”
“Yes. Duke, what do you think of the Academy?”
“The Academy?”
Allen’s brows furrowed slightly.
“I believe it is a place where, in addition to swordsmanship, a variety of disciplines are taught, and where the future leaders of the Empire can build valuable connections.”
“That applies only to western nobles, doesn’t it?”
“…….”
A deep crease formed between his brows, his lips tightening.
In her research, Ludiana had quickly realized the Academy was very different from what she had assumed.
First, in theory, any noble child between the ages of 12 and 15 could enroll—but in practice, only nobles from the West were admitted.
Second, since that one case long ago, women had never again been allowed to enter.
Third, the professors openly funneled high marks and praise toward sons of powerful families, bowing and scraping before them.
In short, the Academy no longer fulfilled its role as a true educational institution. And yet, ironically, an Academy diploma was still one of the highest honors in noble society.
“But why do you ask about the Academy all of a sudden?”
“Because Irene wants to become a knight.”
“What?!”
Allen’s voice thundered through the study.
“Karlos has been helping her train. We know the path is difficult, but Mother and I want to support her dream.”
“Karlos?”
Allen turned his sharp gaze on Karlos, his eyebrows twitching as if in disbelief.
“Yes, Irene has been training with me for months now. And she truly has talent.”
There was conviction in Karlos’s voice. He had been the first to recognize and encourage Irene’s potential. He didn’t want her to abandon her dream simply because she was a woman.
“At first, I thought about enrolling her in the Academy. But…”
Ludiana slowly closed her eyes.
