HTNSA 91

Chapter 91

Of course, despite all his complaining, Kadin was still out here pushing through the crowd in the hopes of getting close to the duke’s son.

Standing beside him—though not enthusiastically—were Freya and Rosia.

“Ugh, this is such a pain. If my parents weren’t nagging me about it, I wouldn’t be out here like this.”

“…Still, if he’s the heir to a duchy, we should at least greet him once. Don’t you agree, Senior Kadin?”

Ever since the incident with Eila, things between Kadin and Rosia had been incredibly awkward.

Their presence here together was only because Freya, who had noticed the weird tension between the two, had arranged for it.

“I guess.”

Kadin replied without interest, boredom plain on his face.

The return of the lost son of the Duke of Agenta had become the hottest topic in high society.

He had been missing for so long that everyone had assumed he’d died.

But just recently…

The Duke himself had come to the capital and publicly announced before the Emperor that his successor had returned alive.

Yet, he’d kept strict secrecy over the identity of that heir.

It had caused a big commotion even in Kadin’s household.

Marquis Reit, his father, had practically gushed over how important it was to get on good terms with the duke’s son.

“The only heir of House Agenta? Naturally, everyone from even the royal family will want him!”

“I heard the duke treasures his son immensely. We must draw him to our side.”

“Kadin, listen. According to some leaked info, the heir will be attending Riod Academy. You must get close to him.”

Kadin found the whole thing both irritating and slightly amusing.

“Sucking up to some brat who probably doesn’t even know the basic rules of etiquette? Annoying.”

But on the other hand, this likely meant one satisfying outcome.

Felix would be out of the picture now.

The so-called “sole disciple of the Duke of Agenta”? That pompous little title wouldn’t mean much anymore.

Now that the duke’s rightful heir had returned, Felix—a lowborn commoner—would simply be cast aside. The duke would have no reason to care about anyone else.

Felix’s position would naturally diminish as the duke focused on grooming his own blood.

Kadin figured that getting close to the duke’s son and gradually driving a wedge between him and Felix might not be a bad idea.

That’s when—

Freya pointed with her fan.

“Isn’t that Eila over there?”

All three turned their eyes toward her.

“So even she came out to see who the duke’s son is, huh?”

Eila lived in the dorms, so there weren’t many other reasons for her to be out here.

Rosia laughed mockingly.

“She must be delusional if she thinks he would pay attention to a commoner…”

But she trailed off mid-sentence and glanced sideways at Kadin, who stood on the other side of Freya.

Luckily, he didn’t seem to have heard.

He was intentionally standing further away, with Freya between them like a barrier.

Freya, fanning herself, muttered:

“Even if she’s a commoner, she’s the Black Dragon’s chosen. His Majesty even awarded her a medal for it recently.”

“She’ll probably regain noble status once she graduates.”

That comment made Rosia clench her fists tightly and fall silent.

It wasn’t wrong. These days, Eila was a hot topic in noble circles.

“Meanwhile, I’m getting criticized for having worse magical skill than her.”

And that wasn’t the only source of frustration.

Somehow, word had spread within Rosia’s family that she had reported Eila—and the household environment had become… tense.

Her expression darkened noticeably as all these memories of the break surfaced.

That very moment—

“It’s the Duke of Agenta’s carriage!”

“Wow, the Kistar Knights are escorting it!”

“I heard the Duke dotes on his son… Looks like it’s true.”

“Well, of course. The heir who returned to him after more than a decade!”

Knights in full plate armor guided their horses with sharp precision as they arrived at the academy gates.

Behind them rolled in a massive four-horse carriage emblazoned with the crest of House Agenta, gliding smoothly down the road.

All the students were buzzing with excitement, eyes trained on the carriage door.

Then, finally—

The carriage opened, and a figure stepped out.

The moment Kadin saw who it was, his face distorted in disbelief.

It was the same for Rosia and Freya.

Kadin spoke in a tight, irritated voice.

“Felix…? Why the hell is he getting out of that carriage?”

Rosia quickly tried to explain.

“Maybe it’s because he’s the duke’s disciple? Perhaps he just rode along?”

But that denial only lasted a moment.

Because almost immediately, a knight from the Kistar Order approached Felix and respectfully spoke:

“Young Master, I hope your journey was comfortable.”

Just one sentence, and the entire front gate of the academy exploded into chaos.

“Felix is the Duke of Agenta’s son?!”

“What the hell?!”

Kadin’s eyes turned red with fury.

His stare drifted to Felix’s waist—

Where once there had been only a cheap iron sword, now a gleaming unfamiliar blade hung.

The emblem of House Agenta, engraved into the scabbard, was clearly visible even from afar.

Surrounded by the Kistar Knights, Felix walked through the crowd.

Everyone stared at him—enthralled.

None of them seemed to remember how they had once mocked him. Now, their eyes were filled with admiration and reverence.

Under the glinting sunlight, the insignia of the knights shone brilliantly.

✦✦✦

Eila watched Felix approach from a distance, feeling overwhelmed.

With every step Felix took, the crowd parted like waves. The attention on him grew stronger by the second.

“I didn’t expect to get this much attention…”

Next to her, Peony looked equally stunned, her mouth wide open.

“Felix? That guy is the Duke of Agenta’s heir?”

Currently, House Agenta held unparalleled influence.

The duke, known as the Empire’s strongest sword.

The Kistar Knights, known for their unmatched skill.

Few forces, even the imperial family’s own, could match that level of military might.

So, it made sense for Peony to be so shocked.

Eila thought back to when she first met Felix.

“Back then, he looked like a drenched little puppy.”

There was no trace now of the shabby, wounded commoner boy she had known.

He stood tall—now the undisputed heir to a powerful house, admired by all.

Her nose stung with emotion at the thought.

Even if her own future felt uncertain, she was truly glad Felix found happiness.

Peony, too, seemed swept up in emotion.

“I don’t know what happened, but… Eila, this is wonderful!”

They exchanged glances, and before she knew it, Felix had reached them.

“Eila.”

His voice was warm, his face glowing with honest joy.

The way Felix looked at her—like he wanted to be praised—made Eila smile despite herself.

“Congratulations, Felix.”

“Thank you. I have so much I want to tell you… but more importantly—”

Felix slowly extended his hand toward her.

“Hm? Your hand?”

“Go on.”

“Why?”

“Just give me your hand.”

Confused but complying, Eila reached out.

Then, looking straight into her eyes, Felix gently bowed—

And kissed the back of her hand.

“W-What was that, Felix?!”

Eila’s face flushed bright red.

Felix laughed cheerily and straightened up, then stepped closer and linked his arm with hers.

He leaned in and whispered softly in her ear:

“Did you forget? We’re pretending to be a couple.”