Chapter 159
"Pardon?"
"Is it not allowed?"
"W-Well, you see..."
"Indeed, since it's the Imperial Guard, their training process might be confidential. I apologize if I have overstepped."
"N-No, that's not the case at all. I'll guide you there right away!"
The young knight was visibly flustered but acted quickly. Violet followed him towards the training grounds of the imperial guard.
"You can enjoy the tour as well, Zylo."
Zylo, whose guarding presence seemed to be simultaneously there and not there, followed her with a slightly crumpled expression. Violet smiled.
She was curious about the differences between House Everett's knights and the knights of the imperial guard, but she had a different purpose in mind.
She wanted to meet Aldin.
Each knight order had their own facilities, and since the knight currently guiding Violet belonged to the third knight order, he couldn't take her to the first knight order. Nevertheless, this knight hailing from a lower noble house made great efforts to escort the ducal lady.
No matter where people lived, it wasn't much different. The imperial guard was organized like a well-structured army, suitable for leaving on expeditions quickly. Of course, it was right to say that they were an army.
While she was watching the training, unexpectedly, she met a familiar face.
"Hmm?"
"Huh?"
An unexpected face was looking at her.
"Why are you here?"
"...And you?"
"Sightseeing in the palace."
"Why?"
"I have a question I want to ask."
Cairn looked at Violet with a delighted expression. The knight from the third order, who had been guiding Violet, went from a shocked expression to one of understanding.
The place he had been watching was the integrated training grounds.
"Cairn, about the sparring just now..."
It looked like the first knight order was using the integrated training grounds today.
"D-Ducal Lady...?"
Aldin, drenched in sweat, had an expression of disbelief as he swiftly came over here from the other side. He was even in a state of undress.
Well, even though she knew that this place was the knights' domain, Violet was not expecting to see him with his top off like this. Seeing him like this, she froze up.
His muscles were incredibly well-defined. They were more aesthetically perfect than any sculpture out there.
Violet couldn't help but admire Aldin's physique as she gazed at him absentmindedly. Even under the sunlight, his unblemished, fair body captured her attention.
"Oh, I apologize for my rudeness."
Violet quickly added as she realized her gaze had been impolite.
Either way, Aldin's presence of mind had already left him, and he couldn't hear anything she said.
"Why is the Ducal Lady here..." one of the knights asked.
"Ducal Lady? From House Aesir?" another inquired.
"She's now a countess. Remember, there's another famous Ducal Lady."
Unusually, in the sweat-filled training ground, a cheerful spring scent wafted. Violet's perfume, which she had applied, diffused gently.
The knights stationed in the training ground began to pay attention to her. As Violet herself wasn't particularly fond of such attention, she sighed softly.
"I was just observing for a moment."
"Well, you see... I apologize for showing you such a sight. Please wait a moment..."
Still somewhat distraught, Aldin quickly exited. Cairn remained, scolding Violet.
"Geez, what were you even looking at here?"
"...I have many questions, but let me ask again. Why are you here?"
"Oh, they kept telling me to come in."
"What?"
"It was a joke, but I got caught up in it. Since I'm still on hold after postponing my academy graduation, I thought I might as well help out."
"...So you're helping out at the Imperial Guard?"
"What else can an academy dropout like me do? Just some odd jobs, that's all."
"I see. So you got pulled in."
Violet countered without hesitation. Her conclusion was clear: it was the crown prince, greedy for talented people, who had extended his influence once again.
Though Cairn thought little of it, it seemed like he was being leashed to the imperial guard's training grounds. Roen must have supported this decision, too. It meant that Cairn should learn well and later be of assistance to the family's knights.
In the power struggle between the two ambitious snakes, Violet remained a mere spectator, not taking sides or getting involved.
"Tsk..."
Whether it was the crown prince who sought talent or Roen, who intended to make use of such talent, they both belonged to the imperial faction, so Violet simply sighed.
However, Cairn approached her with a serious expression, interpreting her sigh differently. Violet, feeling a bit disgusted, backed away.
"No, I have something to say... Anyway, there's something suspicious about Gavi and the temple's movements. We may not be able to do anything even if we find out, but just be cautious."
"Gavi? The country to the west?"
"Yes. There are rumors that Margrave Blaise will soon visit the palace. He's the one guarding the shared border with Gavi."
"...I see."
"Hmm? That's it?"
"How else should I have reacted?"
"Did you forget?"
"Forget what?"
"Our grandfather."
"Ah..."
"Margrave Blaise. He's our grandfather and is stationed on the border with Gavi."
"I know. I was a bit distracted."
Violet closed her eyes slowly and put on a thoughtful expression. Cairn looked puzzled at her seemingly lackluster response.
"Well, rumors are just rumors, and we've never met our grandfather. So, you don't need to worry."
"But it could be serious. You should be careful too."
"...Huh?"
The single sentence made Cairn freeze up. Violet looked at him, wondering if there's something wrong with what she said. For some reason, his expression seemed odd.
Violet didn't realize that she had just expressed her concern for Cairn in an affectionate tone.
"What?"
"N-Nothing."
Feeling awkward, Cairn quickly turned his head. In the meantime, Violet had already moved on to other thoughts.
t/n: House Blaise was previously mentioned through 'Countess Blaise', Violet's grandmother, and it was revealed only here that her grandfather is actually a margrave (whose formal title can also be 'count'). From now on, whenever her grandparents will be mentioned by their formal titles, even as they're referred to as 'Count' and 'Countess' in the original text, they'll be referred to as 'Margrave' and 'Margravine' in the translation to lessen the confusion.