"It's been a long time, Captain Cyril. I'm grateful that you came all the way here to see me." (Curtis)
The tall knight, who seemed to be the 13th knight's Captain, bowed deeply in greeting to Captain Cyril. On the other hand, Captain Cyril sighed in exasperation.
"Still, Curtis? You are a Captain, and I am your colleague. Please call me Cyril." (Cyril)
"In that case, Captain Cyril please stop using honorific language when speaking to me." (Curtis)
"It's a habit for me, so it takes a lot of effort to stop it..." (Cyril)
"Me too. Having served Captain Cyril for many years, it is with great effort and pain that I treat him as an equal." (Curtis)
Captain Curtis pleaded with Captain Cyril with a serious look on his face.
Captain Cyril let out a small sigh and made Captain Curtis turned to face the others.
"There may be some of you here who are new to the First Knights, so let me do the introduction. He is Curtis, the 13th Knight Order Captain." (Cyril)
Captain Curtis was introduced once again as a tall knight in his early thirties with tanned skin and light blue hair that reached his shoulders. When he smiled, his white teeth looked incredibly clean in contrast to his tanned skin.
"My fellow First Knight Order, it's a pleasure to meet you. I am Curtis Bannister, the 13th Knight Order Captain." (Curtis)
The impression I got from him, as he quietly greeted me with his handsome face, was that of a well-built civil servant.
How should I put it, he's not at all impressive compared to the knight Captains I'd seen up until now. Looking at it this way, I realized once again that First Knight Captain Cyril, Second Knight Captain Desmond, Fourth Monster Knight Captain Quentin, and Sixth Captain Zachary were all fine knight captains. All of them had a powerful presence emanating from within their bodies and the power to command others. However, this Captain Curtis looked very modest, didn't make much of an impact, and even had a quiet voice. It made you wonder if it's even possible to control knights who loved power like this.
As I stared, my eyes met with Captain Curtis. In an instant, Captain Curtis's eyes widened in shock.
"Duchess!" (Curtis)
"Huh?" (Fia)
I couldn't help but let out a strange shriek, but Captain Curtis just kept his eyes wide open as if he hadn't heard me.
"What? You mean I'm a Duchess? ...So, does that mean I'm as elegant as a Duchess?" (Fia)
I didn't understand what he meant, so I asked Fabian, who was standing next to me, and he replied with a straight face.
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's not the case. I think it's really impressive that Fia could think of something like that so quickly. ...I think he might have literally mistaken you for the Duchess." (Fabian)
"What?! Does that mean the duke lives here?" (Fia)
I was so surprised that I raised my voice, drawing the attention of the other knights.
Oh, what? Did I say something strange?
Sensing the amazed gazes of the knights, I instinctively took a step back and bumped into someone. I turned around in a panic and found myself being looked down upon by Captain Cyril. Captain Cyril stared at me in silence for a few seconds, then put on a pretty smile that I could tell was fake.
"Hello, Lady Fia. I am Cyril, Duke of Sutherland." (Cyril)
As he spoke, Captain Cyril stepped back with his left leg, placed his right hand on his chest, and bowed slightly in a gentleman's manner.
Grrrr...
I knew I was being made fun of, but after seeing the perfect image of a high-ranking noble, I couldn't immediately say anything back. Before I could say anything, Captain Cyril straightened up and shook his head slightly.
"Really, it's surprising how little interest you have in me, Fia. The fact that I'm a Duke is as well-known as the fact that I'm a Captain. Which means you've never once asked anyone about me." (Cyril)
"...Ugh. I'm the type who doesn't check things through rumors, but sees them with my own eyes." (Fia)
"That is an admirable attitude. However, with your investigative skills, no matter how long you wait, you will probably never find out about me. I explained the other day that my father received this land, Sutherland, but to go into more detail, it was when he gave up his royal status and became a vassal. My father was the younger brother of the previous king." (Cyril)
"Bloodline of the former king's younger brother!!" (Fia)
My eyes widened in shock.
...What the...? Captain Cyril was of royal blood. But when you put it that way, I understand.
I had wondered what reason there could be for him to be bestowed upon such a vast and fertile land as Sutherland, but if he had been demoted to commoner status, it made sense. It's not unusual for someone to be a representative of the royal family if they're from a family connected to the royal family.
"I-I certainly thought that someone who received such fine land must have been a high-ranking aristocrat, but I never imagined he was a duke..." (Fia)
While I stared at Captain Cyril in utter shock, the captain raised one hand as if giving up.
"I can't believe you're surprised by information that everyone already knows... Now's the time, Fia. If you have any questions, please ask. I'm afraid that if I ignore your doubts, they'll just get the wrong idea." (Cyril)
I swallow hard and ask the question that's been bothering me since Captain Curtis called out to me.
"Well, then, if you mistake me for a Duchess, does that mean that Captain Cyril's wife and I look alike?" (Fia)
"………………" (Cyril)
Captain Cyril opened his eyes slightly wide without saying a word, and I began to worry that I had asked a strange question.
"Ah, ah, ah! N-no, I'm not asking whether I'm to Captain Cyril's taste or anything like that!" (Fia)
As I hastily added the words, Captain Cyril let out a loud, deliberate sigh.
"I see, Fia. You have no interest in me at all." (Cyril)
"Huh? Um?" (Fia)
"I'm single, Cyril Sutherland. I'm 27 years old and 187 cm tall. My parents are deceased, and I have no siblings. I am second in line to the throne, hold the title of Duke, and have been appointed as the First Knight Captain." (Cyril)
"S-second in line...?!" (Fia)
"...Is that so? On the other hand, what do you know about me?" (Cyril)
"Huh? Of course, I know you're the knight with grey hair and blue eyes!!" (Fia)
"That's something anyone can tell within a second of meeting someone. I was foolish to have had any hopes for you." (Cyril)
Captain Cyril sighed deeply and spoke in a tired voice.
"I assume that Curtis was referring to my mother, who passed away ten years ago. My mother also had red hair, just like you. Most of the residents here are from remote islands and have deep blue hair, so red hair, which is not uncommon in the royal capital, seems extremely unusual to them... Perhaps Curtis mistook you for my mother based on hair color alone." (Cyril)
"I would never even dream of making such a horrible assumption that you were my mother," Captain Cyril continued, but I paid him no further attention and turned back to Captain Curtis.
"I, I'm 15 years old. And yet, did it seem like you had such a big child? ...Is Captain Cyril my son? ...No, no! I don't want such a capable and flawless son!" (Fia)
"Oh, I'm sorry." (Curtis)
Captain Curtis hurried over and took my hand.
"My eyesight is a bit poor. From a distance, all I could see was your red hair, and it’s been 10 years since I last saw red hair here, so I made a completely inappropriate comment… Yes, up close, she is a cute, sharp-tongued female knight. It seems I mistook this sharp aura for the dignified aura of a Duchess, didn't I?" (Curtis)
"Hahahahaha, is that so?" (Fia)
Hearing what Captain Curtis had said, I turned to Fabian with a smile.
"Did you hear, Fabian? It seems that my elegance has caused some misunderstanding." (Fia)
"...Do you believe those words? Like I said before, Fia is amazing. No matter who you're up against, you can always have fun." (Fabian)
Fabian shrugged in dismay.
Ah, what? You said something similar to me earlier, but it feels like there's a slightly different nuance this time.
Fa... Fabian. Isn't it okay to be happy when you get praised occasionally?