Chapter 1

Under the luxurious chandelier, a man and a woman were joyfully dancing the waltz.

The hem of the woman's dress fluttered gracefully, like petals of a flower.

Though it was the season when the trees were turning red, the ballroom was as vibrant as if spring had arrived.

The elegantly dressed women could be called the flowers of the social scene.

Amidst this, a young man stood by the wall. He was dressed in the formal attire of a knight, with a green-lined cloak.

He was tall and slender, with a sword at his waist.

His brown hair was neatly styled, and his green eyes showed no hint of weakness.

Though he had a handsome face, his expression was stiff. His posture was straight, and the air around him exuded a serious demeanor, making him seem rigid.

He looked like a knight on guard duty, but he was a distinguished guest.

His overly serious atmosphere made it difficult for anyone to approach him.

Some women had been glancing at him from time to time, but the young man remained oblivious.

He stood there like a statue, not moving a single step.

His name was Constantin d'Alençon.

He was the only son of a baron and had just turned twenty last month, undoubtedly in the prime age for marriage.

The Alençon family was moderately wealthy and had a long history, yet no marriage proposals had come his way.

Currently, Constantin was the "wallflower" of the ballroom, or rather, a "wall stain."

Just then, a person approached him. It was a man with a striking appearance, wearing the formal attire of a knight and a red-lined cloak. He had curly brown hair and sunset-colored eyes, and he was surrounded by several women who were chatting with him affectionately.

"Hey, Constantin. It's been a while. How are you?"

"Thanks to you."

His name was Clément de Chalais. He belonged to the Prince's Guard and was clearly very popular.

Clément's entourage of women looked at Constantin as if they were sizing him up.

Feeling uncomfortable, Constantin cleared his throat as a warning.

"Sir Clément, do you know this gentleman?"

"He was my colleague, until recently."

Upon hearing that he was a former colleague, the women's eyes sparkled, but they were disappointed and their shoulders drooped when they heard the past tense "was."

The Prince's Guard was an elite unit, favored by the royal family, and only those with good family backgrounds and good looks could join. They were also well-paid and had a bright future, making them highly desirable marriage prospects.

Until a month ago, Constantin had been a member of the Prince's Guard.

For some reason, he was now in a different unit.

Clément flicked his cloak and smiled. The women sighed with admiration at this small gesture.

The red-lined cloak was a symbol of the Prince's Guard, an unmistakable sign of his elite status.

On the other hand, Constantin's cloak was lined with green.

"I've never seen that color of cloak before."

"Neither have I."

The top-ranking King's Guard wore blue cloaks, the Prince's Guard wore red, the Second Prince's Guard wore purple, the Third Prince's Guard wore orange, and other royal guards wore yellow cloaks.

Regular knights wore black cloaks. Green cloaks were not very common.

"He is a knight who guards the 'King's Garden.'"

"Oh! A 'Field Knight,' then?"

"Field Knights really exist? I thought they only existed in fairy tales!"

The King's Garden was a plot of land on the outskirts of the capital where vegetables for the king were grown. Over a hundred types of vegetables were cultivated there.

Guarding the King's Garden was the job of the "Seventeenth Knight Squadron," known as the Field Knights.

The women's gazes toward Constantin became even more critical.

While the Field Knights were not well-known, the Seventeenth Knight Squadron, stationed in the outskirts, was infamous as a place for "fallen knights" to be reassigned.

The women who had been approaching him began to back away.

"Um, Sir Clément, see you later."

"Good day."

The women disappeared like spiders scattering.

"Ah, that's terrible."

"Clément, you should have just ignored me."

"I couldn't not talk to my old friend after not seeing him for a month."

"You're a curious one."

Clément, who had been his colleague until a month ago, seemed willing to maintain their friendship as before.

He was two years older, from a good family, and had always taken care of the aloof Constantin. He was a good older brother figure.

"Today, I met a few acquaintances, but they pretended not to know me."

"They're very straightforward."

They wanted to associate with the Constantin who was a member of the Prince's Guard, but not with the Constantin who was a Field Knight.

The people in the social scene clearly changed their attitudes.

"How is your father's back?"

"It's not bad."

"That's good to hear."

The Alençon family, Constantin's family, had a residence near the King's Garden and had been entrusted by the king to guard the fields.

After graduating from the military academy, Constantin had planned to join the Seventeenth Knight Squadron immediately, but an unexpected situation arose.

He was an excellent student, ranking first in his class.

Before graduating from the military academy, he won a fencing competition and caught the eye of the royal family. He was then nominated to join the Prince's Guard.

Constantin had intended to decline, but his father, saying "Everything is an experience," encouraged him to join the Prince's Guard.

He planned to stay in the Prince's Guard until his father retired from the knight's service. However, his father's retirement came sooner than expected.

A month ago, he fell off his horse and injured his back. Although his life was not in danger, he could no longer walk without a cane.

As a result, he was forced to retire from his knight's duties.

Consequently, Constantin had to take over the job of the Field Knight.

"His Highness the Prince is also disappointed."

"There's nothing that can be done."

Just as Constantin, born into the Alençon family, was destined to become a Field Knight from birth, everything that had happened was inevitable.

Life is unpredictable.