Unfortunately, Duke Alcott stopped short before he could take more than a few steps.
This was because his friend who was next to him grabbed Duke Alcott's arm and obstructed his progress.
"...What are you imitating, Noel? I'd like you to stay out of my way."
Duke Alcott stared at his gripped arm with an unpleasant expression.
However, Duke Balfoir immediately raised a voice of rebuttal.
"That's my line! Listen, Lloyd. The Spirit King's curse is an 'inviolable secret'! Don't stick your neck in!"
In response to Duke Balfoir's warning, Duke Alcott looked at his friend with a challenging expression on his face.
"Ha, what are you doing now? Because of Cerulean, that secret will be exposed to the light of day anyway! Can you be so careful about something that can't be avoided?"
Duke Balfoir brought his face close enough to touch Duke Alcott and spoke in a lower voice than usual.
"We have no choice but to accept the inevitable future. However, there is no need to make it a big deal. Why do you think we are taking a step back from the Knights? We, the King's faction, including the Duke of Sutherland. This is to clearly distinguish His Highness the King's younger brother's faction. His Highness Savvis, who will carry the next generation, does not need unnecessary scars."
"So, are you trying to tell me to stay away from the Knights? Why don't you say it more clearly? 'Don't go near Fia.' You must have seen her red hair and blonde eyes. Isn't it amazing when you see it up close! It’s so perfect red and gold that it looks like it came straight out of a portrait!"
Duke Balfoir was shocked when he heard his friend's words.
"Oh, oh, you really said it clearly! It's a matter that you should ignore."
Duke Alcott looked at Duke Balfoir, who was muttering in a panic, as if he were making fun of him.
"I'm probably worried that if I get close to Fia, her color will attract attention and things will become a big deal, but it's impossible if I wear such obvious colors! Whether you get close or not, it's so vivid that no one can miss it. In that case, it's probably best to get acquainted with each other as soon as possible and shake hands with them as much as possible."
As soon as Duke Balfoir had finished listening to his friend's words, he covered his face with his hands and crouched down on the ground.
"Ah, why are you so outspoken all the time! Just say it a little vaguely and give me some wishful thinking! That’s what I thought from the bottom of my heart! Like 'What is that color?'!! Red and gold like that will only bring disaster... I seriously hate it. My stomach knots just thinking about what the senior saints would say when they saw that color."
"That’s how much we have to put up with it. Unlike His Highness Savvis and the Duke of Sutherland, we can get away with it as long as we have the minimum necessary interaction with the Saint. It was surprising that His Highness Savvis had Fia by his side. I'm curious as to whether that alone makes her special."
After saying that, Duke Alcott sped up his speed and headed towards Fia.
Seeing his friend like that, Duke Balfoir raised an irritated voice.
"Lloyd, you! You said something plausible, like it would be better for the future if we got to know each other early and had a hand-ring, but I guess you're just looking for something interesting after all!!"
Duke Alcott waved his hand, his back turned to Duke Balfoir.
"It's been almost half a year since Fia joined the Knights, but I didn't recognize her. In other words, she never came to my side. Many of the knights took advantage of the opportunity to approach Duke Alcott, hoping to get to know him."
"She’s not that kind of kid, so leave her alone!"
"Yes, Fia is one of those rare people who has no interest in power at all, so I have to approach her in order to get to know her. And like I said, I'm crazy about her."
"After all, it’s just out of curiosity!!"
Ignoring his friend's accusations, Duke Alcott walked quickly and reached Fia.
When he looked down at Fia, who was crouched on the ground, he saw that she was enthusiastically picking grass.
"...Hello, Fia"
Duke Alcott was standing silently near Fia, but after waiting for a while, she didn't seem to look up, so he called her impatiently.
Then, the girl knight looked up in surprise and blinked.
"Um..." (Fia)
It was obvious that she was confused in front of an unknown person, but Duke Alcott smiled kindly and said that was not the case.
Fia figured out without a hint that the King was dressed as a clown.
Once Fia saw him dressed as a clown, there was no way she wouldn't notice Duke Alcott.
Still, in front of Fia who seemed confused, Duke Alcott suddenly realized that he had made a mistake.
"Oh, I didn't say my correct name yet! I'm sorry, that was very rude!"
So that's it, Fia's bewildered performance was meant to teach him how rude he was by not using his formal name.
Duke Alcott was amused by how euphemistic and elegant this was.
To use Fia's words, it was the first time in his life that he saw Cerulean, the "respected lord," in a scene where he could completely get into it, and he felt extremely refreshed.
For that reason, he thought Fia was cool, and he wanted her to be a very sharp girl who could even go so far as to act like a fool... but it looked like he's getting what he wanted.
The duke bent down and held out a hand to Fia.
"I was unaware that I hadn't introduced myself yet. I'm Lloyd, Duke of Alcott. Can you call me Lloyd? Can I call you Fia?"
However, Fia, who should have known everything, stood up in a panic and denied Duke Alcott's proposal.
"Huh, Duke!? If that's the case, of course I can't just call you away! It would be more appropriate to call you 'Duke Alcott'." (Fia)
Duke Alcott frowned when he heard Fia's reply.
"No, since you've given up on even Cerulean, I won't be able to balance things out unless you stop calling me like a duke."
"Huh, even Cerulean..." (Fia)
In front of Fia, who was watching her with a wary attitude, Duke Alcott's face smiled as he wondered if this was her way of having fun.
Then, as if to tell her something secret, he brought his face closer and whispered in Fia's ear.
"Of course, I know who he is...I'm one-twentieth."
From the conversation he had with Fia, he picked out some words that seemed to be confidential, and when he said them, her eyes widened.
"I-I see! That's right!! He's a duke!!"
Seeing Fia's shocked expression, Duke Balfoir, who had been listening silently until then, began to have doubts.
"Oh, aren't you actually surprised by this!? Hey, Lloyd, Fia really doesn't know who you are, does she?"
"No way! If that were the case, it would be interesting, but...huh, that's not the case, right?" (Fia)
Fia had an ambiguous expression on Duke Olcott's surprised question.
Seeing that expression, Duke Alcott was shocked, thinking that maybe she really didn't understand.
"Oh, is that really true? Fia, I'm Lloyd! It's l-l-o-y-d. If you rearrange it..."
"Your name is Lloyd, right? I don’t think there’s any need to rearrange it." (Fia)
"Yeah, yeah, what's this? Amazing, you don't even want to think about my name! Wow, seeing how clearly you're not interested makes me want to do something about it!!"
Duke Balfoir frowned as he saw Duke Alcott's eyes begin to sparkle with excitement.
"Lloyd, your strange fetish is starting to activate."
Then, seeing Duke Alcott reaching for Fia, Duke Balfoir warned him.
"Wow, Fia, run away! Basically, Lloyd isn't interested in anything, but once he does, he's persistent. If you keep this up, you'll be locked on as a target!"
"Eh, ah, yes! Huh?"
Fia tried to follow the warning and start running, but it was already too late, and Duke Alcott, who was smiling at her, held Fia's arms firmly in place.
"Lloyd, you stop!"
Duke Balfoir was desperately trying to get him to remove her hand, but Duke Alcott remained smiling and did not respond.
Fia was caught between the two men and tried her best to pull her arm out, but it didn't work.
"Hey, just let go!"
"Eh, I’m a knight, but I’m losing in power!?" (Fia)
"Fia, would you like to talk to me?"
The lively voices of the three echoed in the garden of the royal castle.
The residents of the royal castle, who had been keeping them at distance— couldn't help but look at the dukes, who normally wouldn't interact with others, wondering what was going on that was making such a fuss, as if I had just seen something scary.
Author's Note
Thank you for always reading!
...