Chapter 2

From the knight's perspective.

Livonis Worrian is a knight.

Born into a family that has produced knights for generations, it was decided from the moment he cried out as a newborn that he would become a knight. Of course, Livonis had his own dreams—of being a gardener, a cook, or a butler—but those were never going to come true. After all, he knew nothing beyond the world inside the mansion.

Like all the men before him, who had a long history of becoming knights, Livonis began attending a boarding school for knights and learned about the outside world. It was then that he realized, "Our family is quite prestigious, isn't it?" By the time he realized that this was something he couldn't escape, it was already too late. From morning till night, the weight of discipline and the family name was always with him, like a shadow.

He didn't really have the luxury to think about such things, but he knew that he had to treat it as something important, even if it was annoying. Every time his friends came back from their dates, looking tired, Livonis would think, "I want to break up, but I don't want to."

It's not that he really wanted to run away.

It's not that he didn't want to become a knight.

But he couldn't accept it.

Without any choice, with expectations placed on him without his consent, and with the burden of those expectations, he was made to swing a sword from morning till night, run, and be yelled at by his instructors. He could understand the meaning of it, but he couldn't grasp it.

One day.

Without any warning, Livonis fell in love.

It all started at the knight training ground where his father took him during a holiday.

"Let's spar," said a child of the same height, wearing a helmet, in a condescending tone. Livonis, thinking it was probably the child of some superior, accepted the invitation and swung a wooden sword leisurely.

Livonis, who attended a knight school where many nobles studied, was also skilled in ceremonial swordsmanship. Even if the child laughed loudly, thinking, "Is that all you've got?" Livonis would grit his teeth and act as if he was struggling. His performance was so convincing that even his father, who watched with a deeply disapproving look, would have been fooled.

At that moment, Livonis still had the presence of mind to think, "Maybe I should let him win," while the knight watching the sparring smiled awkwardly.

But 13-year-old Livonis was a bit short-tempered. His brain and strength were directly connected, making him a gorilla-type short-tempered person. So when the child said,

"Is this the best the eldest son of the Worrian family can do? I'd be too embarrassed to come to the training ground! I'd want to see your father's face, Lord Worrian!!!"

"Ah."

By the time Livonis realized it, the child in armor was flying through the air.

Not knowing that the child was the crown prince, Livonis accidentally sent him flying. That day, he was thoroughly scolded by his father.

His father said, "You can't get away with not knowing."

Of course, Livonis couldn't argue that he wouldn't have hit the child if he had known he was the prince, or that he couldn't see his face because of the helmet. He knew that if his father had known, he would have told him. But he wasn't allowed to argue.

He knew that it was lucky that the situation was resolved with just a bow and apology. Without the intervention of the head of the knight order, the Worrian family might have been destroyed.

"You're not at fault. Don't worry about it," the head of the knight order whispered to Livonis, smiling. Then, looking at the prince, he muttered, "I hope this will teach him to behave better," which Livonis heard clearly. What a mess.

Feeling too lazy to go to the infirmary, Livonis wiped his nosebleed and walked aimlessly.

He had no particular destination in mind. With a small rebellious spirit, he thought about spreading the word about his father's tyranny, and in the other hand, he held the message that he had been properly scolded. He walked with a dirty shirt and a swollen cheek.

He knew he might get scolded again, but it was okay. He would apologize sincerely and humbly, saying, "I got lost ☆"

After a while, he arrived at a quiet garden where colorful flowers swayed in the breeze.

Livonis, who knew gardens as places where women exchanged insincere smiles and compliments, nodded and decided to turn back. It was an instant decision.

In battle, a split-second decision can determine one's fate. Whether to dodge to the right, parry forward, retreat backward, or jump up, there are many choices, but only a few are correct. Making a bold and sure choice in less than a split second is Livonis's strength. So, he decided to retreat.

But a small voice stopped him.

A tiny, tiny sniff.

With senses as keen as an animal, as praised by his instructor, Livonis was the only one who could hear it. With a light heart, he turned toward the sound.

If there was a lost child, he would feel sorry for them. Even though he was lost himself, he had a handkerchief. He wiped his nose, but it wouldn't stop. It was a 13-year-old boy, after all.

Pushing through the bushes, Livonis found a girl with green hair like a new sprout, her big eyes wide open in surprise.

Her eyes, the color of acorns, were wide open, filled with tears.

Her cheeks were red, and her fists, clenched on her knees, were white.

"...Are you okay?"

"...Are you?"

Of course, it made sense.

Sucking his nose, Livonis nodded, "I'm fine."

"It's always like this," he said.

"Your nosebleed?"

No, that would make him sound like a pervert, so he corrected himself.

"Um, getting hit by my father."

"...Your father...?"

Oh, he thought, this might be too intense for a girl. He shouldn't have told her, a girl who looked like she was about to cry. He was already in a bad situation, so how could he cover it up? Livonis opened the drawer in his mind, searching for a less bloody topic.

"You're not alone," the girl said, her voice breaking.

"Huh?"

"Ah."

It wasn't a mistake.

"Should I hit him back for you?"

His father was as strict as they come but as gentle as could be with his mother. He was a complete mess.

During sparring, his father would hit Livonis and his younger brother while preaching, "A knight must never harm a woman," and when his younger brother bit back, his body flew like a piece of paper. Livonis, of course, said, "Yes, Father," with his middle finger up, but somehow his father noticed and kicked him.

So, Livonis concluded that a scumbag who could hit a little girl should be eliminated from the world. It was extreme, but it was part of his family's values.

The girl, looking surprised, shook her head.

"No, I'll get in trouble."

Will I? Will you? Livonis, despite his appearance, was a considerate 13-year-old, so he smiled.

"Don't worry. My father says that anyone who hits someone weaker than themselves should be killed. He's a crazy man."

The girl, thinking he was joking, giggled.

"You'll get in trouble with your father."

"A man who gets mad over something like that would be kicked out of the knight order."

And while he was at it, Livonis would run away from home.

"...I'm fine. It's just that I'm not trying hard enough."

Livonis frowned.

This girl, who hadn't shed a single tear?

"Impossible."

"Indeed."

You don't know me, the girl said, smiling. Livonis probably knew her name.

To her, Livonis was just one of many, but there was only one girl who stood next to the crown prince.

He had seen her at parties and tea parties, always with a beautiful smile.

In a place filled with flattery and malice, where Livonis would secretly stick out his tongue, she always stood tall.

The knight order, which even struggled with her, was free, yet she was a small girl, standing alone, holding back her tears. Who said that her efforts were not enough? Livonis felt so nauseated by the unfairness of it.

"I was born into such a family, so I want to fulfill my responsibilities."

So, she smiled gently, with a strong gaze.

"I can't support him if my efforts don't match his."

Her eyes, so earnest that they made him want to cry, were so gentle, strong, and fragile. Livonis couldn't look away from her clear, tea-like eyes.

So, when he noticed the handkerchief gently pressed against his nose, he panicked.

"It'll get dirty!"

"That's what handkerchiefs are for."

"No, no, you can't use a handkerchief to wipe a man's blood!"

The soft touch of the handkerchief made Livonis flustered, and the girl laughed.

"My handkerchief is cheap, so don't worry."

"That's not true!"

He couldn't hold her delicate hand with his dirty, blood-stained hands.

The girl, wiping his face with a carefree expression, was too close, making Livonis flustered. She was so cute up close.

With a pure 13-year-old heart, Livonis felt his heart pounding, but the girl, oblivious, continued to pat his face with the handkerchief. Livonis, trying to calm down, couldn't take his eyes off her face, even as he imagined his instructor's bear-like face.

So, he didn't miss it.

"I won't lose, so that you can live in a country where you won't regret your dedication."

Her voice, like the young leaves in the morning dew on a cold day. Her words.

Livonis didn't miss a single word.

As if making a vow.

As if repeating to herself.

As if warning herself.

The words that fell softly, which she probably didn't intend for anyone to hear, Livonis couldn't let go of.

He fell in love with her voice.

It was a love that changed him completely, 360 degrees.

It wasn't enough to turn around. It was as if he had been turned inside out, from his brain to his pockets.

Nothing changed—his becoming a knight, his instructor's harshness, his friends' one-track minds, her being the crown prince's fiancée—but Livonis felt suffocated.

Suffocated, suffocated, he had to protect her at all costs.

Ah, love, how wonderfully terrible it is. No wonder romance novels are so popular, Livonis thought as he confronted his father in the carriage on the way home.

He wanted to help that girl.

Desperately, he told his father, who sighed and said, "Ah, I see," and roughly patted Livonis's head. What the hell? Annoying.

"Did that young lady ask for your help?"

Livonis hated this about his father, who knew the answer already.

"...No."

He wanted to punch his father's nodding profile, but unfortunately, he didn't have the strength. Looking up, he saw his father narrow his eyes as if looking at something inevitable.

"Knights are supposed to save everyone, but not everyone can be saved."

Livonis glared with his purple eyes, just like his father's.

"Shut up, you old bastard!!!"

He was immediately hit, of course.

"Sophia's mother is dead."

Defeated by his father, Livonis, exhausted, listened to his mother's slow words.

"Forming bonds is difficult. She must be trying hard to connect with her new mother and sister."

Livonis, who was raised by a noble mother and a knight with a decent position, puffed out his cheeks.

"Understanding can only be achieved through mutual force, and by the way, only by a bastard like Father."

Livonis, the son of a barbarian, hated the formalities of wrapping things in something, whether it was a handkerchief, a blanket, or gelatin. He hated being hit and hitting, but he appreciated the straightforwardness. After all, he was the son of a barbarian.

"Yes, but my dear Liv, you understand, don't you? She is the crown prince's fiancée. It's not a simple matter."

Livonis, despite his appearance, was a smart boy raised by a noble mother and a knight with a decent position. Of course, he understood.

For example, when he helped a classmate who was being bullied and hit the bully, the moment the classmate said, "There's no bullying," he was labeled as a lawbreaker. Livonis knew that these kinds of issues were delicate.

He didn't hate the classmate.

The classmate's trembling teeth made an unpleasant sound, and the adults who ignored it were scumbags. The classmate's family, which was a pile of pride, was scum for resorting to meaningless violence. The classmate was not at fault.

His father was right. If they don't speak up, even a knight won't know where to go. He understood.

But, but. But.

What about the classmate who couldn't speak up? What about the girl's "help me"? Where would it go?

Feeling frustrated, empty, and sad, Livonis couldn't stop crying.

He had never cried, even when his instructor hit him, scolded him, or when his father broke his bones. But that day, he cried for himself, unable to forgive his own weakness for not stopping the girl as she left the school, just like he couldn't stop her as she left the garden. The shame of it made him feel so frustrated.

"...Her father, who was unhappy with the arranged engagement, had a lover outside. No one was surprised when he brought his new wife and daughter into the house right after her mother's death. ...I'm sure Sophia knew."

His mother, well-versed in the gossip of high society, spoke matter-of-factly, making Livonis clench his fists.

"The royal family doesn't want to lose the family, which has a lineage connected to the royal family. Sophia understands everything, which is why she always stands tall and smiles. ...The country won't let go of her intelligence."

In other words, there was nothing Livonis could do.

The girl herself, standing with a beautiful smile, saying everything was fine, meant that nothing was happening, no matter what she was going through. What a mess. What a mess.

"I'm getting hit by Father and the instructors to gain the strength to protect people. What's the point of this? Seriously, what a joke, you bastards."

"Since I gave you such a pretty face, please don't talk like that."

When the adults told him to give up, Livonis covered his ears with the blanket.

It's a long one, so I'll split it into one more part. I'll post the next one after this!