Chapter 66

The silence at the faucet flowed.

Inside that silence, the knights were thinking.

‘Now… what did he say?’

‘Carsein Bargrand? Fiancée?’

‘The handkerchief Theo is holding is supposed to be from his fiancée?’

And then,

They burst out laughing all at once.

“Hahaahaha!!”

“Sir, you just said fiancée, right?”

Even Theo Lamstair couldn’t help but laugh, clutching his belly despite his neck being cut and bleeding.

“Oh, sorry. Even so, lying should have limits. No matter how expensive this handkerchief is, what does it have to do with a fiancée? A fiancée?”

“Hahaahaha!!”

Seeing that scene, the knights at the faucet laughed again, clutching their bellies.

It was a funny situation.

For Carsein Bargrand to suddenly have a fiancée.

It didn’t make sense, and it was clearly a lie.

“Yes, well, I guess it could happen. You’re a man after all, so it’s natural to have someone you’re attracted to. Not just through gifts, but maybe through other means too.”

Like blackmail, extortion.

Or using the status of the Bargrand family to threaten.

“Ah, nowadays even marriages between people of different ranks are quite common, aren’t they? Yes, well, maybe one of the maids took a liking to a young master like you and fell head over heels. Of course, if it’s not from the Bargrand family, the chances are even higher on first meeting.”

“Kahahaha!”

“Kukuku. Theo, you little—”

The surrounding knights, knowing what Theo was about to say, started chiming in.

“Oh, don’t misunderstand. The world is wide and tastes in romance are varied. You could be attractive to someone.”

“That’s right. While marriages beyond rank are rare, they do exist.”

“Wow, the scandal of a Bargrand prince and a maid. Sounds plausible, doesn’t it?”

Laughter echoed again.

“But if they’re willing to give you such an expensive handkerchief, wouldn’t they be a high-ranking noble? Yet you insist it was given by your fiancée?”

Theo stared sharply at the handkerchief, asking sharply.

“In Peselros Empire, no noble is unaware of who the Bargrand family’s son is. But, a fiancée? Who on earth would give a handkerchief to young master? There aren’t many people you’d even talk to.”

He brought up the reputation of Carsein, how he was seen in the empire.

The widespread recognition among the nobles spread like wildfire.

“You said fiancée, but no lady would accept that. Actually, it might apply to all women? Even the maids of the Bargrand family wouldn’t be infatuated with young master.”

Theo added, making light of it.

It was a bold claim, yet a clear insight.

If it were a fiancée’s handkerchief, it could be possible if she were a commoner, but this handkerchief looks clearly noble. Therefore, the fiancée who gave the handkerchief must be a noble.

So, claiming it was given by a fiancée is a lie.

In this empire, there isn’t a woman who would look at Carsein Bargrand as anything other than a noble.

“This alone makes the claim of receiving a handkerchief from a fiancée contradictory. However, this isn’t the end, young master.”

Theo Lamstair grinned, declaring the matter wasn’t over yet.

As he spoke, knights surrounded Carsein.

“Ariana mentioned that in any situation, if young master Carsein harms anyone, he should immediately be disarmed and expelled to the training hall. This is included in the ban.”

Theo tapped his own neck with his index finger, answering casually.

Other knights chimed in as well.

“By drawing a sword at Theo, you’ve already violated the rules of the training hall.”

“Even with the duchess’s permission, this cannot be tolerated.”

“We can no longer teach you, so we have the legal right to expel you.”

“Karma, karma. How consistent you are, young master.”

Though they weren’t outright laughing, their expressions were already grinning, and they couldn’t hold back the sneer from spreading across their lips.

“Don’t blame us too much. This is all because you started it yourself.”

Theo pushed the sword away as he made his final farewell.

However, instead of the sword, a kick hit him in the abdomen.

“Gwah!”

“Whoosh!”

A sword was pressed against Theo Lamstair’s neck as he lay on the ground.

“Have you nothing more to say?”

“Gwah! Isn’t this crossing the line?!”

“You crossed the line. You insulted me, and at the same time, insulted my fiancée. With evidence right before your eyes, you still can’t recognize it? Or are your eyes collectively malfunctioning?”

“What did you say?!”

Theo gritted his teeth.

“Where’s the evidence?! That handkerchief…”

“You should take a closer look at that handkerchief, Theo Lamstair.”

“The handkerchief…?”

At that moment, Theo’s eyes trembled violently.

“Well, it wouldn’t be easy to see. The custom of embroidering the family crest on handkerchiefs isn’t common anymore.”

“Crest?”

“What do you mean? Wasn’t it just an expensive handkerchief?”

No, it wasn’t.

This crest…

“It’s the crest of the Marquis House of Teresia!”

It was absurd.

There was no way.

It was just another obvious lie.

I thought I could easily refute it.

But, I can’t refute this.

Theo’s face turned pale.

“What’s going on here?!”

Senior knights came looking for the commotion at the faucet.

According to Carsein’s memory, it wasn’t time for them to arrive yet.

But it made sense why they came early.

A girl peeked her head out from behind them, hiding.

She seemed to be the informant.

“No, nothing serious!”

Trying to evade like that?

Not happening.

I’m not backing down.

Carsein ordered the official knight in charge of today’s morning training, regardless.

“Sir Carlton.”

“…! Yes, young master.”

Unlike the crowd, the official knight, who had been present for a long time, realized this was a call from Carsein as a member of the Bargrand family, not as a trainee.

“Beat these guys until they’re scattered with dust for touching my belongings recklessly.”

This command seemed unreasonable.

They just arrived here.

Whether they touched Carsein’s belongings or not, whether those belongings belonged to Carsein was unknown to them.

Theo’s gang mocked Carsein inwardly.

“Whack!”

“Ugh?!”

“Pak! Pak! Whack!”

Official knights didn’t utter a single word of protest as they began beating them up.

***

“The official knights witnessed the crime committed by Theo’s gang!”

“The choice led to an unexpected result.”

“Theo’s gang’s rebuttal has been rendered powerless.”

“They’re really getting beaten to a pulp.”

They mercilessly beat them with their hands and feet, and some of them, hit with scabbards, had blue eyes.

They must have been filled with doubt.

Why?

Why are we being beaten?

They all thought the same thing.

“While you’re just trainees or probationary knights, these people are official knights.”

The flaw lies in the Snowflake Festival.

Official knights rushed out upon Isabella’s orders and searched for Carsein, causing quite a stir within the unit.

But everything in that pouch was from the Snowflake Festival, leaving no room for doubt.

Not only did they tamper with Carsein’s belongings, but they also stole, burned, or damaged them.

Therefore, as knights of the family, they severely punished those who recklessly touched their lord’s possessions.

There was nothing wrong with this order.

“Stop.”

When the dust settled in the faucet area, they immediately stopped their actions. Rebuttal? They didn’t seem to consider it.

“As expected. My prediction was correct.”

Although the official knights held negative feelings towards Carsein, they were loyal to the family and didn’t cross the line. Those who acted under Theo’s orders were apparently probationary or trainees.

This contradiction was significant.

The difference between official and probationary knights was like heaven and earth, but Theo hadn’t managed to sway them.

In the past, he indirectly framed Carsein by creating incidents without directly using the power of official knights to expel him.

And this scene before their eyes.

Seeing that only probationary knights or lower were involved in factions and couldn’t manipulate official knights freely confirmed his suspicions.

He couldn’t touch those above him.

Using only those below him to isolate Carsein was his limit.

That’s why he tried to become an official knight himself.

Unable to touch those above, he manipulated those below to set his own stage.

Knowing that wasn’t enough, he reached out to Emma.

Finally, he tried to seize control of the knight order by capturing Flora’s attention.

While the top was clear, the bottom was murky, turning the training hall into a muddy pond.

Thus, a bolder choice wouldn’t be problematic.

“Carlton.”

“Yes.”

“As Carsein Bargrand, I order you to expel all these people who have insulted me and my fiancée from the Bargrand family. And,”

“Whoosh!”

I aimed the sword at them again.

“From now on, send them to the Tullea Mine, where they will never wield a sword or leave again, and inform the royal family of their status as criminals.”

[5. The highest level of punishment, sending them to the Tullea Mine.]

***

“It’s nonsense!”

“How can we be sent to the Tullea Mine? That’s absurd!”

“We can’t even accept the expulsion. Please reconsider!”

They strongly protested.

Expulsion itself was a severe punishment, and to add to that, I said I’d send them to the Tullea Mine, the largest prison in the empire for criminals, making it unavoidable.

“Shut up, you!”

“Why haven’t you moved yet?!”

Regardless, criminals had no say.

They were dragged away by real knights, not mere shadows.

However, the official knights also thought this order was excessive and hesitated for a moment.

After the criminals were taken away, one knight bowed to me.

The knight I called earlier, Carlton.

“Master. Although they deserve punishment for touching the master’s belongings, sending them to the Tullea Mine is relatively lenient.”

Carlton continued in a respectful manner.

“The Tullea Mine is the largest prison in the empire. Once inside, there’s no escape. It’s a royal facility. It’s difficult to send someone there just for theft or insults to nobility.”

“So what?”

“First, detain them in the Bargrand family’s prison and deprive them of food, water, and shelter for 90 days, creating a harsh environment. After serving their sentence, remove all their rights and send them back to their hometown.”

Carlton’s suggestion was entirely reasonable.

Judging from this scene, the three crimes would warrant only expulsion and loss of knighthood.

If there were backlash due to excessive punishment, the consequences would fall on Carsein Bargrand.

If this news spread among the nobles, it could lead to other negative effects.

Indeed, these knights weren’t merely loyal in name.

It was simply a mistake in choosing successors.

But I knew this.

[3. If the criminals committed further crimes worthy of being sent to the Tullea Mine, what would you do?]

“What if they commit further crimes worthy of being sent to the Tullea Mine?”

“Are you saying they committed another crime?”

“Of course.”

Panicked, Carlton gestured to the surrounding knights if they knew anything.

None of them had any information.

Then, someone suddenly joined the conversation.

“Do it. As young master said.”

“Captain Mark?”

“Captain Radiel?”

Surprised, the knights looked at the captain and vice-captain.

There was no need to ask if something happened.

“I have a question for you.”

***

“If asked to explain what happened here, how would you report to me?”

One knight raised his hand.

“You would report that young master Carsein had his belongings stolen by probationary knights including Theo Lamstair, and that you saw him properly draw his sword in response.”

Other knights nodded.

It was a concise and understandable report.

“Now, let’s assume that scene didn’t enter your eyes. What would happen?”

“Hmm… I would hear it from other knights then.”

“Yes. You would hear it from others, not directly seeing it. So, who would be the first to deliver this news?”

“The probationary knights, since our order frequently listens to reports from juniors.”

Then, all the knights looked puzzled.

“Come to think of it, those guys just now, all…”

“They were probationary and trainees, right?”

“Not exactly. All those who touched young master’s belongings were like that. There were no regular knights among us.”

“Moreover, I recall that regular knights stopped reporting directly to each other after a certain point.”

“Suspicious. It feels like they were acting like a group.”

The knights’ expressions grew more serious.

They felt they had missed something significant.

“At least hypothetically, if we hadn’t discovered it…”

Just as that hypothesis surfaced,

Radiel spoke up.

“Yes, that’s the flaw.”

“Captain…?”

“Isn’t it perfect to plant a bad impression and turn someone into a liar? With the entire network being probationary and trainees.”

“Is that possible? Without covert operations within the unit…”

“Found something in the old storage. Maybe they hid it because they felt conspicuous spending more than their salary allowed.”

“Rattle!”

Radiel dumped the contents of the box onto the ground as if waiting for that moment.

“Evidence has emerged. If someone offered a sum equivalent to 30% of their salary to report differently, the money-hungry probationary knights would certainly comply.”

“…So, this money appeared because such bribery actually happened in the training hall.”

“Not just that.”

“What else?”

“What if it was an external request?”

“…”

The knights’ faces darkened instantly.

It wasn’t a small amount.

The box contained a substantial amount of currency and jewelry.

Among the probationary and trainees, there were quite a few who expressed a desire for wealth.

Some even boasted about buying new gadgets with their sudden salary increase.

Radiel drove the point home.

“It wouldn’t be hard to align stories, even if framing me for stabbing someone with a sword.”

“Captain!”

“Does that mean…?”

The knights jumped up.

Their eyes naturally turned to one person.

“Did young master Carsein…”

“Wear a false accusation?”

“Did Captain Radiel stab you truly?”

Confused, their eyes darted around.

With evidence clearly present, it was no longer a matter of belief.

The hatred of the probationary and trainees toward Carsein was evident, and the suspicion of bribery from outside was clear.

“Who is the criminal?”

Carlton swallowed hard and asked Radiel.

As a victim and witness, she would surely know who the true culprit was among the three.

It was a tense moment.

No matter whose name came out of her mouth, the knights wouldn’t let it slide.

But the person whose heart was about to explode was none other than Flora.

Clutching her cloak tightly, she waited breathlessly.

Finally, Radiel uttered one person’s name.

And the girl felt as though she was going to faint as she collapsed to the floor.

“I… helped Theo… and Carsein…”

Something inside her burst.