Chapter 143. Engagement – Elson
“You may use this room, young master. Have you had your meal?”
Yuan only opened the door after seeing his uncle’s mercenary captain badge. Leo feigned politeness as he spoke.
“Yes. I had a simple meal with my uncle. By the way… I heard you are an adopted son.”
“That’s correct. Bedding and extra clothes are in this wardrobe, and towels and water jugs are in this drawer. But there’s a shower by the well in the yard, so you shouldn’t need to wash in the room. Also, the restroom is…”
Yuan dismissed his remark lightly. He courteously showed Leo around the room, almost as if emphasizing his humble orphan status, and Leo didn’t pay it much mind as he looked around the mansion.
The mansion was small.
It was nothing compared to the mansions of the great nobles Leo had seen before. It was just one two-story building with a smaller single-story building next to it. Honestly, it didn’t seem much better than his father’s house in Avril Castle.
Yet, the thick ivy vines on the walls and the wide yard surrounded by a high fence bore witness to its old knightly family heritage.
“Miss Lena, right? You’ll use this room. Likewise, bedding and extra clothes are here… I’ll be going now. Have a good night. If you need anything else, call me. My room is upstairs.”
Once Yuan disappeared, Lena and Leo started unpacking their luggage, giggling.
When Leo tried to place her undergarments in a drawer, Lena Einarr blushed slightly but did not stop him.
After roughly organizing their things, the two went outside together. The yard, enveloped in darkness, carried the scent of fresh soil.
“Look at that. There’s even a stable.”
Lena showed great interest in the mansion where Leo was born, looking around.
She pointed to a stable in one corner of the yard, and Leo barely resisted the urge to respond with an “I know.”
Trying to appear natural, as if he knew what was there, he approached the stable, but there were no horses.
Elson had sold them off to finance his mercenary company when he started it.
“This house is nice. So, you grew up here? What did you do here for fun? Did you have any friends?”
It was a difficult question.
Leo shrugged and answered, “Just the usual.”
It was a plain response, but Lena knew he was not a particularly entertaining person. So, she turned her interest elsewhere.
Next to catch her eye was a storage room attached to the single-story building. She sneaked a peek inside and quickly went in.
She explored as if she was searching her own storage room, without hesitation.
When Leo followed her in, he found various odds and ends. Most of them were training equipment like straw dummies, wooden swords, and protective gear, while a few household items were awkwardly placed.
“Wow, cute. They even have children’s stuff.”
Lena, exploring with curiosity, picked up a wooden sword from a corner.
At a glance, it looked like a one-handed sword. Although small, its handle indicated it was a two-handed sword, scaled down for a child to hold.
“Oh? It’s broken?”
But the wooden sword was broken. The tip was severely scratched as if someone had struck a rock with it, and cracks ran between the handle and the blade.
“Did you break this when you were a child? Haha, just kidding. As if our Leo would…”
“Who’s there? Is it a thief?!”
Just then, the storage door burst open.
A middle-aged man in shabby clothes, gripping a club tightly, stood there. His eyes widened in surprise when he saw them.
“Oh my! Young master, is it really you? Do you remember me?”
“…No. Who are you?”
He was a servant.
After a brief introduction and one-sided enthusiasm, the servant spoke.
“It’s no wonder you don’t remember. I haven’t seen you since Lady Noel moved out. I heard you went to your mother’s homeland with the master after the war… When did you arrive here?”
“We just got here. Oh, and no need to show me around; my cousin already did.”
“So, the young master already assigned your room, huh? Well then, is there anything you need?”
Leo wrapped up the conversation with the servant appropriately.
The servant said, “Have a good night then. My wife will prepare breakfast tomorrow. I have to go to the fields early, so I’ll see you in the evening,” and went into the single-story building.
It turned out later that the building was for the servants. In the past, they had five or six servants, but most had been evacuated during the old war, and only one had returned, living there with his wife.
“Let’s go inside, Lena.”
The servant left, and Leo pulled Lena’s hand. But she shook her head and started warming up.
“You go ahead. I’ll come in after a little training.”
“Don’t you think you’re overdoing it these days? Take it easy, or you’ll harm your body.”
“I’m fine.”
Lena took out a sword from the storage and assumed a stance.
Standing in the clearing as dusk fell, she inhaled deeply to focus and then very slowly, almost frustratingly slow, swung the sword down vertically.
As her arm came down, the breath she had taken in was slowly exhaled.
Leo watched quietly.
He brought his own sword. Standing four steps in front of her, he also swung his sword down.
In the slow movements and silence, Lena smiled faintly.
Even though he knew I was imitating his swordsmanship, Leo showed me the demonstration without a word. I love this gentle man. How pathetic of me, being all frantic, fearing I wouldn’t be able to keep up with him.
‘Should I have asked for just one room?’
With a cheeky thought, Lena raised her sword again. She locked eyes with Leo, who had also raised his sword.
Unwavering gazes. Lena lowered her sword, matching his gaze. Leo’s sword slowly descended too, and the tips of their swords met with a faint ‘ching’ noise, as if exchanging a light kiss.
The ‘second-floor’ curtains were being roughly swayed by the cold spring wind.
* * *
The next morning.
Waking up at the crack of dawn, Leo gathered a towel, a water bottle, and a spare change of clothes and headed to the well. There was a shower area surrounded by wooden partitions at the well, and he undressed and put his clothes into the water bucket.
— Creeeak.
The water drawn by the bucket had a thin layer of ice that hadn’t completely melted yet. Spring had arrived, but the northern dawns were still chilly.
Leo, regretfully without any ashes, first filled the bucket with water. He let the clothes soak and splashed the ice-cold water onto his body.
A shiver ran through his body.
But his body quickly radiated heat to match his body temperature, and Leo calmly checked his physical condition.
No issues.
His body had already begun to regain balance. It had only been four months, but he hadn’t neglected training to balance his body ever since the scenario began.
His muscles filled every corner of his body. His biceps, as large as a child’s head, were the reward for his hard work.
“Young master. Have you been coughing? You always manage to get up before I do.”
It was the voice of the servant he met yesterday. As Leo came out after lightly washing his body and covering his lower half with a towel, the servant corrected himself.
“Oh, it’s the young master. So diligent. Well, you have always been diligent since childhood. The late master would have been very pleased to see you grow up like this.”
“Are you talking about my grandfather? I don’t remember, when did my grandmother and grandfather pass away?”
“Both of them left before the mess occurred. They didn’t live long, but they got to see their grandchild’s tricks. They were worried sick because Master Elson didn’t marry… Haha.”
By “mess,” he was referring to the Nine Days War. As Leo sat by the well, he tried to remember the grandparents he didn’t recall.
“Did my uncle never consider getting married since then?”
Leo put his hands into the water bucket in front of him to hand wash the clothes, and the servant patted his shoulder.
“Oh, don’t get me started. He went through so much heartache… It’s not that he didn’t want to get married, he just missed the right time. Come this way.”
Following the servant to the back of the shower area revealed a washing machine.
A manual, wooden washing machine. Leo put his soaked clothes inside, filled it with water, and asked:
“What happened that made him miss the right time?”
“At that time, the master was a semi-knight of the royal house. He met a very unpleasant knight.”
Leo nodded in understanding. He scooped some ashes from next to the washing machine, poured them in, and forcefully turned the handle on the lid.
The life of a semi-knight is tough.
For most aspiring to be knights, it was a training process where semi-knights served professional knights for several years.
Meeting a good-hearted knight could mean learning swordsmanship and getting recommendations.
But that was only if they were lucky. Usually, they had to observe the knight’s skills and train in the little free time they had at night.
But if they served a nasty knight?
Then it could be said that their career as a semi-knight had ended even before it started.
Even if they managed to enhance their skills and take the entrance exam for the royal knighthood, it was customary to ask the knight they served about the semi-knight’s character.
— Creak, creak, creak.
The washing machine groaned under Leo’s strength.
The paddles inside, connected to the handle, battered the clothes here and there, and Leo turned the handle vigorously with his massive muscles.
Seeing this, the servant who intended to help kept his hands behind his back and continued the old stories.
“Still, Master endured and waited for years to become a royal knight, but he quit entirely when the young master (Leo’s father) here easily became a knight.”
The servant reminisced.
The day Noel, freshly an adult, passed the knighthood entrance exam with just his skills, without any experience as a semi-knight or recommendations, Elson drank heavily. He lamented in front of his peers and servants.
“Damn it. I knew. I knew it. My younger brother is much stronger than me. But do you know what really upsets me? My brother never showed his true abilities. He was always going easy on me. How pathetic of me as an older brother…”
The young servant fiddled with his glass.
He had nothing to say to the master who never drank a drop of alcohol, saying it interfered with training.
For a moment, there was silence. Then Elson gulped down his drink and spoke firmly.
“You know what? I’m quitting. I’ll quit tomorrow.”
“Sir, but you’ve worked so hard until now…”
“No. I’m tired of wiping that damn brat’s ass. Father will be disappointed, but since my brother will lead the family, I’m free to live as I please. Haha! Yeah. Being a knight never suited me. I was dreaming an impossible dream.”
“No, sir. You were meant to be a great knight. Always diligent and respectful to the servants, you lacked nothing to become an honorable knight.”
The servant wanted to say, “Absolutely not!” but before he could open his mouth, Elson raised his glass.
“It’s okay. You don’t need to comfort me. Today, let’s just celebrate that my beloved brother became a knight! Here’s to Noel, the youngest knight of the Aslan Kingdom! Hahaha…”
Elson, now completely drunk, collapsed, and the servant carried him to his room.
Thinking that he would wake up the next day and live strongly as usual… But the next day, the master disappeared.
He left a letter on his bed, and years passed before he came back, on the day of Noel’s wedding.
“I’m~~ back! Hahaha! Hey, friend. How have you been?”
Elson had changed a lot.
With a beard and a hearty laugh, he put an arm around the servant’s shoulder like a free mercenary.
“My God, you’re alive. I’m glad you came back. But what happened to your face? Those bruises…”
“It’s nothing. Just took a few hits from Father. Seeing his strength, he’ll live a long life. Hahaha! Oh, here they come. Oh, my brother landed a fine woman. This big brother here hasn’t even met a woman. By the way, are you married?”
“I got married last year. We’re expecting a child soon.”
“Wow, congratulations. Damn it. Am I the only one not married? I’m jealous.”
The wedding proceeded.
The priest solemnly declared the union before God, and Noel and his bride faced each other.
A woman he met while assisting in the Maunine-Lettie competition. She, a warrior from the ‘Einarr’ tribe, never bowed her head throughout the ceremony. The image of her looking straight at Noel as they kissed was impressive.
“So are you back for good now? You must not leave again. Master and mistress were worried sick.”
“I know. I thought they might disown me, but… Father is asking me to inherit the family. Well, it worked out well. Now I have something I want to do.”
“What is it?”
Elson grinned.
“You’ll find out soon.” He then ran to his brother and hugged him tightly.
He looked happy.
+ + +
“I see. Oof. Ah, thank you.”
Leo took the water bottle handed to him by the servant. He pulled out clothes soaked in ash water from the washing machine and began rinsing them.
“Then I should wash up and go. We’ve talked for quite a while.”
“Aren’t you going to eat?”
“I already ate. If you go home, my wife will have meals prepared. So then…”
The servant went into the shower, and after finishing the rinse, Leo returned to the mansion.
Inside, a kind-looking lady was busy preparing a meal.
She said, “Nice to meet you, young master. Please wait a moment. I will prepare a splendid meal for you,” but contrary to her words, the meal preparation took a very long time.
She was putting all her effort into making the first meal for the young master.
Growl—
Lena, Leo, and Yuan, who had woken up a little late, waited patiently as they stifled their hunger. Then Elson came in.
Seemingly having barely slept, his eyes were red.
Yuan rushed to take his father’s overcoat as soon as he heard the door open.
“You’re back? You must be very tired. Have something to eat and then rest.”
“No. I need to change clothes and leave immediately. Something urgent came up.”
“But you should at least have breakfast. I heard you barely had dinner last night… Madam! Is the food almost ready?”
“It’s done! I’ll bring it out now!”
Dishes steaming warmly were brought to the table.
The main courses were ‘Penaran’ (a kind of minced meat stir-fry) and a steamed white bread called ‘Domptel’, which smelled wonderful.
Since it was spring and still lacked many vegetables in the city, pickled radimu was served on the table.
Soon, the five of them sat around the table.
Yuan cut the sticky Domptel with a knife, picked up the radimu pickle with his bare hands, and asked.
“But what’s the urgent matter that’s taking you away now? Changing clothes at this hour… Are you going to meet a noble?”
“Yes. Baron Bryna wants to see me urgently.”
“Wh-what? Cough… Cough cough.”
Lena, who was eating radimu pickles and Penaran with a fork, coughed. Leo also put down his utensils with a surprised look.
