Chapter 26….
Asking the Duke of Berndt, “Will you join the Royal Guard?” —
That was as insulting as asking a cat, “Are you a dog?”
“I…”
Duke Berndt—Clearas—opened his mouth to reply.
All the adults around swallowed dryly.
“Wherever I stand, I will protect Your Highness.”
Lilcia’s lips parted slightly.
Marquis Simon and Baroness Laval both gasped softly.
It could have been taken as the impulsive remark of a child.
But at the same time, it was the Duke of Berndt’s pledge of loyalty.
Even if he was still young, the words of a Duke of Berndt could not be taken lightly—
Even if it wasn’t a formal oath, even if it had simply slipped out during dinner.
“Thank you!”
But Ellie, who did not understand the weight of those words, just beamed brightly.
Clearas, not seeming to realize the gravity of his own words either, returned her smile just as brightly.
✦ ✦ ✦
“When I come to visit next time, I’ll definitely let you know in advance, I promise!”
Ellie repeated her promise several times before climbing into the carriage.
Clearas only nodded quietly, then suddenly spoke up when Ellie poked her head out the carriage window.
“If it’s urgent… you may come even without notice.”
“Huh?”
“For instance… if you just happened to think of me while passing by today.”
“Eh?”
Ellie’s face, which had dimmed with the sadness of parting, instantly lit up twice as bright.
She had secretly been nervous that he might tell her not to come again.
“There might be times when you can’t contact me beforehand… so don’t hesitate. You’re always welcome.”
“Okay!”
Ellie reached out from the carriage window and threw her arms around Clearas’s neck.
“Your Highness!”
“P-Princess!”
The adults panicked, afraid the princess might tumble out of the moving carriage—
but seeing Clearas firmly holding her, they relaxed again.
He was still just a small boy, but…
“He’s a man.”
“Yes, definitely a man.”
He carried himself like one.
✦ ✦ ✦
After sending Ellie off, Clearas watched the distant carriage and let out a small sigh.
The butler and Dulsen approached to stand by his side.
“She’s gone.”
“Good work handling the sudden guest, Butler.”
At Clearas’s praise, the butler bowed deeply.
“And from tomorrow, you’ll train with me every morning.”
“…….”
Clearas wasn’t one to let the morning’s incident slide easily.
He never forgot what he chose to remember.
The butler was quietly shocked.
To think that the young master could accept so calmly the child of the man responsible for his parents’ deaths…
There was no way this child had simply forgotten his grudge.
Yet, what he’d seen today—
It wasn’t how one treats the child of an enemy.
Even the butler had to admit Princess Ellia was bright and pure,
a person whose mere presence seemed to melt one’s heart.
So even he had found himself naturally kind to her.
And if he felt that way—how could the young master be any different?
“Human hearts… truly unpredictable.”
Both people and fate had their own unknowable paths.
“I’ve told you many times to train more often with me,” Dulsen grumbled.
Clearas’s words might have been fair, but that loud, muscle-headed knight-captain didn’t deserve polite conversation.
“At least wipe the dirt off your boots before entering the house!”
“If you ran with me, you wouldn’t notice the dirt. And from now on, you might as well give up—there’ll be a lot more of it.”
“…What was that?”
“…Lilcia… she provoked me. I can’t let it go. I’m starting intense training tonight!”
“…Ah.”
The butler understood well their endless rivalry.
Pride was more important than dirt, after all.
With a resigned sigh, the butler turned to gaze down the hill.
By now, the princess’s carriage had disappeared completely from sight.
“Well then, shall we begin evening drills?”
“Yes.”
“You too, Butler.”
“I—I must help with the dishes—”
“Oh no, you’re coming.”
There was no place for the weak in House Berndt!
Dulsen’s eyes gleamed as he grabbed the butler’s arm.
The frail man struggled desperately to escape, trying to come up with any excuse—
And then he saw a carriage approaching in the distance.
“Wait—there’s another carriage coming. We weren’t expecting anyone today…”
Dulsen released him and looked too.
The carriage was heading straight for the Berndt estate.
They waited, trying to spot a crest—but there was none.
“…Too brazen for an ambush,” Dulsen muttered, eyes narrowing.
Still, the carriage rolled up to the front gate and stopped politely before the guards.
The gatekeepers gestured, asking what to do.
Clearas took a deep breath and stared at the carriage.
At times like this, the choice was entirely his.
The shoulders Ellie’s smile had lightened now felt heavy again.
“The princess must feel this a hundredfold…”
If even managing one family was this hard,
how difficult must it be to bear the weight of an entire nation?
Thinking of Ellie, Clearas straightened his resolve.
He had to become strong and capable—
only then could he protect her.
“Summon the knights.”
“Yes, sir.”
At his order, Dulsen sent out the signal.
The knights assembled instantly in full battle readiness.
“Butler, get the noncombatants to safety.”
“Yes, sir.”
The butler hurried off to follow his command.
“Let them in.”
Only once the butler was safely inside did Clearas give the next order.
With just one carriage’s worth of men, few could threaten the heart of the Berndt estate.
Allowing entry posed little risk.
Dulsen glanced down at the boy’s round head and smiled faintly.
“You’re growing well.”
Young, yet wise—
He already showed better judgment than many grown men.
If he continued maturing like this, he might become
the greatest head of House Berndt in history.
As Dulsen was thinking this, the carriage stopped before the main entrance.
Up close, it was clear that although unmarked, it was made of fine wood,
and the coachman was impeccably dressed.
Only high-ranking nobles could afford such quality.
The door opened, and two men stepped out:
One was a flamboyant man in his mid-to-late thirties,
the other an older gentleman.
Clearas recognized them immediately—
he had just begun learning the faces of nobles.
“…Duke Whitten. Duke Notman.”
“You recognize us already? As expected of the famed prodigy of House Berndt! Ha ha ha.”
It was Duke Whitten who spoke, his tone oily and jovial.
In stark contrast to the plain, black, unmarked carriage,
his attire was dazzling—almost gaudy.
He greeted them with exaggerated enthusiasm, nearly to the point of mockery.
“We brushed past each other at the royal funeral not long ago,
and again at your predecessor’s service. This is the first time we’ve truly met, though.”
“…Yes.”
“You may not know, but I was quite close to your late father.
Why, when you were little, I even carried you on my back sometimes.
You might not remember, but while on my back you—”
“What brings you here?”
Clearas cut him off curtly.
Whitten’s eyebrows twitched upward, and his mouth snapped shut.
He kept smiling, but his eyes turned sharp.
Clearas met that gaze head-on, unflinching.
“…Well, surely we came for something discreet and important, no?”
“Is it that urgent?”
Clearas stood firm, clearly unwilling to invite them inside for tea.
Both had arrived unannounced—
but while he had wanted to serve Ellie tea, food, even a bed,
this man, Whitten, he wanted to send away immediately.
Still, as a duke, he had to at least hear them out.
It might concern the family.
“…The Duke of Berndt is rather stingy with hospitality, I see.”
Whitten chuckled thinly.
No need to get offended by a child’s stubbornness.
“Don’t be so wary, young duke.
I bring you good news, after all.”
He spoke smoothly, his tone honeyed and sly.
Clearas said nothing—
but in the end, he had no choice but to listen.
