Chapter 27
Frederick nodded with a hint of hesitation.
Jeffrey, on the other hand, frowned as if he didn’t want to come.
Daisy, who noticed his reluctance, added with a smile.
“Although The Knightly Order of Zistanter belongs to the Imperial Family, it’s still under the command of Marquis Jean as the commander of the Knightly Order. I heard Carlyx went to the Imperial Palace for a mission, which means I’m the only one who holds authority in this place right now.”
Daisy spoke in a monotonous yet confident voice. Eventually, Daisy turned her back as nobody was able to refute her words.
“Let’s go over there.”
Frederick and Jeffrey had no choice and followed her from behind.
In a secluded area under a huge tree, Daisy stopped walking.
The dark, long shadow of the tree covered them completely. The leaves tinged with orange and light green fluttered in the cool wind.
Daisy then sat down after scanning their surroundings. The falling orange leaves passed by her and fell to the ground.
“Sit down.”
At Daisy’s gentle request, Jeffrey responded with indifference, while Frederick sat down right away.
“The names of the four people who were gossiping about Carlyx are Eden, Daniel, Nathan, and Jack, right?”
“Yes. How do you know that?”
Frederick, who had always wanted to meet Daisy in person, stared at her with eyes full of fascination.
I’ve been wondering what kind of person she is.
In my opinion, she’s different from Carlyx’s ex-wife, Vera Muas.
Of course, I need to observe her for a longer time before coming to that conclusion, but my intuition is telling me that it’s the truth.
Frederick thought to himself. A moment later, Daisy said.
“I spend time learning more about the knights.”
Learning? Do you expect me to believe such nonsense?
Jeffrey, who couldn’t shake off his negative opinion about Daisy, raised his chin. His attention slowly turned to his new madam.
“Frederick Dante.”
He wasn’t born in a rich family, but he was talented. He was also the second best knight in the order after Logan.
“You are a knight who is very sociable and talented. Even Carlyx gives you special attention.”
“My commander said that?”
It was highly unlikely for Carlyx to say such things. Because of that, Frederick just continued to look at her in disbelief as if he couldn’t believe what she just said.
So as to ease his doubt, Daisy nodded lightly.
“Yes. I heard that you have excellent skills, and that you always practice alone early in the morning.”
“What? Practice?”
Jeffrey’s widened, seemingly surprised. Frederick was so easy-going whenever they sparred that he never once thought that Frederick would practice alone.
“Sir Jeffrey practices early in the morning near this tree.”
“It seems like mr. nobleman also practices early in the morning, eh?”
Jeffrey only shrugged his shoulders at Frederick’s playful question.
Daisy continued talking.
“I heard Sir Frederick practices early in the morning in the field near the mansion.”
Again, she spoke as if she heard it from Carlyx, but in reality, she heard it from Tyler. Tyler recognized them as they often came to the mansion.
“Your passion and effort stand out among the Knights of Zistanter.”
“Did he really say that about us?”
Frederick’s jaw dropped in fascination. Meanwhile, Jeffrey, although with a sour look on his face, turned his body toward Daisy, seemingly interested.
“He knows that both of you are exceptional, and that your talents are needed in the Zistanter Knighty Order.”
It wasn’t a lie.
Based on Tyler’s explanation, the two of them begin their practice at around 6:30 A.M., which is the exact time Carlyx wakes up at.
‘Jeffrey and Frederick have already been in the order for three years and five years respectively.’
Carlyx was open-minded and thoughtful, so he must already be aware of the abounding effort they put in their training. Even if he didn’t say anything about the knights, he would, of course, know them best.
Even if Carlyx didn’t favor them, the fact that they were very much needed in the order remained the same.
‘However, considering Carlyx’s rigid personality, there’s no telling whether or not he distinctly treats them more than just his subordinates.’
Whatever the case may be, I was telling the truth.
“Are you saying he knew everything?”
“Right? That doesn’t sound believable at all.”
Jeffrey casually responded to Frederick. They expressed their bewilderment calmly on the outside, but they were soaked with happiness on the inside.
‘Our commander has been observing us. On top of that, he even acknowledged us!’
It was the moment when their unbearable longing finally came true.
They had the right to believe so and be proud of themselves.
Because Carlyx doesn’t communicate with other people other than his long-time sparring partner, Logan, hearing this must be wonderful news for them.
On the other hand, Daisy swallowed the small disappointment she felt at their doubtful response.
‘It seems Logan is, in fact, the only friend Carlyx has.’
She was convinced that it was true as soon as she saw their reaction.
‘But it’s a pity that they’ve been anticipating Carlyx to recognize them. Being such excellent and faithful knights, I wonder if Carlyx ever saw them differently despite the fact that his friendship with Logan isn’t as deep as it seems in their eyes.’
However, Daisy didn’t want to get their hopes down with that.
As the situation had progressed pleasantly, Daisy took the chance to speak.
“I’ve been wanting to meet and talk to Carlyx’s most trusted knights.”
Frederick and Jeffrey’s attitude had changed. Jeffrey, who was hostile in the beginning, began to open his heart to Daisy.
Although she gave them stereotypical compliments such as ‘You have a good posture’ or ‘Both of you are very skilled in swordsmanship’, she stopped herself from going further than that.
Since she knew there was nothing more she could say.
‘He knew about it from the start!’
‘It seems he’s been watching us from behind.’
Choosing to say such things worked very well for her since it was wonderful news for the two of them, who had been following and respecting Carlyx for so long.
It says a lot about how much of a difference a praise can make.
“Can you tell me the names of the knights who have neglected their duty as the knights of Zistanter?”
Daisy wrote the names of those people as she walked around the training field before she met Jeffrey and Frederick. No one recognized her because she disguised herself by hiding her hair and wearing no makeup.
While Carlyx was gone, those foolish people were busy mocking him. What’s more, there were quite a lot of them who did so.
That’s why she was glad that she wrote down their names.
‘A duty of a knight.’
On the battlefield, a knight cannot fight alone. They have to trust their leader’s command in order to fight alongside their comrades.
However, it was necessary for their morale to be boosted so that they could behave properly on the battlefield despite Carlyx’s lack of commands.
To have them act according to the order’s code of conduct at each and every critical moment, first and foremost, they must have a strong sense of pride in the Zistanter Knighty Order. At the very least, they must respect Carlyx as their commander.
‘As of now, he uses his skills to make up for what he lacks. But he can’t keep doing that.’
Daisy, who had finished writing down their names, suddenly looked up at the sky.
Today is a good day to live.
The reason as to why she was doing this was simple.
Knowing that he was willing to die first on the battlefield, she couldn’t turn a blind eye to their unpleasant behavior. After all, she wasn’t that heartless of a woman.
Above all, the Knight of Zistanter had a significant correlation with the marquisate, so a change was necessary to fulfill her goal.
‘Even at this moment, I am more concerned about my goal rather than my feelings.’
He behaved so passively, as if he would have given her his entire fortune and land if she asked him, to the point it incited her determination to stop him.
She didn’t want to simply look the other way and take everything for granted. She wanted to get rewarded in a fair way.
For that reason, she decided. That she would definitely change Carlyx as well.
Until this very moment, Jeffrey and Frederick stayed under the huge tree. However, they could no longer see Daisy’s blonde locks fluttering about in the cold wind.
“Daisy Jean.”
Frederick grinned and spoke in a lively voice.
“I told you she’d be different.”
Vera Muas. If there was anyone other than Carlyx and Logan who knew what kind of person she was, it was Frederick.
In terms of similarity, both of them were eager to do their duty as a marchioness at first, but their way of solving problems was different. And that’s what made Daisy special.
‘Our previous madam was satisfactory in the beginning, but she began to turn for the worse as time went by.’
As years passed by, her complexion became darker every time he visited the marquisate. She looked sensitive, lethargic, and dull every time he saw her.
‘I would only meet her if I had something to discuss with her.’
Later on, she even went as far as choosing to protect her dignity as a noble instead of protecting the dignity of the marquisate.
To be honest, Frederick could not remember when Vera Muas, his former madam, had ever gotten so passionate about managing the marquisate. He might have seen her act so once, but his memory about it was hazy.
‘In any case, I’m looking forward to what our new madam has to offer.’
Frederick, who was both amused and excited, jumped up with a refreshing smile and put his arms around Jeffrey’s shoulders.
“So, are you going or not?”
“I have to go. Our madam personally gave me an invitation letter.”
Jeffrey opened the letter he received from Daisy. There was a formal invitation inside an envelope stamped with a luxurious seal.
Daisy gave it to him before leaving, saying that she would wait for his answer.
“A mere Viscount like me, who is inferior to the current madam, has to comply with her request no matter what.”
She somehow has a way of getting a hold of information that even he couldn’t get his hands on.
Maybe Daisy needed to investigate someone? If that was the case, then Marquis Jean would no longer be someone people avoid, but someone people laugh at instead.
She had strong ambitions, but I know for a fact that she’s getting too ahead of herself. Jeffrey twitched his lips.
“I don’t know what intentions she has behind inviting a knight such as myself while we’re currently at war, but shouldn’t I at least listen to what she has to say? Though I’ll be going as a noble, not as a knight.”
He spoke in a tone that was mixed with mockery, whereas Frederick responded in a tone opposite to his.
“Come and meet her as a fellow noble. It’ll be great if you bring back delicious food as well.”
Jeffrey looked at Frederick as if he was pathetic.
The fierce war was currently taking place.
But, to him, it was nothing out of the ordinary.
Early in the morning, Carlyx got up from bed and frowned.
Daisy was not by his side, rather, only a soft blanket filled the empty bed.