Chapter 63 - 21. Dignified (2)

If it is an event with this scale, I would be able to see Vasago’s face.

She didn’t know the circumstances of other kingdoms. Still, in the case of the Balmong royal family, who led the Kasius, they enjoyed jousting from generation to generation. In addition, Balmong IV, who inherited the throne this time, especially cherished this tournament.

Kasius Jousting Tournament, held in the summer, had developed so much that it had become a central event in the social world. This was because no nobles wanted to be out of the king’s eyes, so most of them accepted the invitation.

“But obviously, there was definitely a content that Vasago didn’t attend this year’s Kasius Jousting Tournament in the scripted novel.”

Shrug. In the empty room, Fanora took out the diary she had left in the drawer and retraced the midnight novel she had copied. Vasago didn’t come to this event. But how can a fisherman wait all her life just for one fish? In order not to die of starvation, she had to boat on the octopus fishing boat.

Godmother is coming to this jousting tournament. I could get acquainted with ‘that person’ through her.

Fanora tossed the invitation from the royal family into the fireplace and moved her body. “Cecil! Will you come and change the bandage on my shoulder? And in the afternoon, I want you to pick out clothes to wear to the jousting tournament!”

* * *

On the day of the Kasius Jousting Tournament.

“Hey, it seems that the colors of the horses around this year are different.”

“So, who participated in this event?”

“Honey, you bet on the wandering mercenary, right?”

Murmur. In the noisy atmosphere, a girl dressed in a sky blue dress looked around. It was because she was looking for a person she should meet.

“Ah! You are here, Godmother.”

“Did the funeral go well?”

“Yes, but because of that, I had to cancel my birthday banquet. My heart feels heavy because I think I made Godmother come unnecessarily.”

“Don’t think about it.”

Fanroa, who met the person she was looking for, acted like a gentle lamb in front of her godmother.

“Thank you. But as expected, I want to talk to Godmother anytime, even if there is no reason. If I have any party later, I will definitely invite Godmother.”

Despite saying things like that, Fanora had no intention of meeting her godmother for no reason. The only time she sought out her godmother was when she needed her help for her revenge. And she distanced herself from her godmother because she was uncomfortable with her from a certain point.

“If it’s time with my goddaughter, there’s no reason to refuse.”

Fanora subtly avoided godmother’s eyes, which warmly looked at her. Godmother overlaid her with her dead youngest daughter, which was very uncomfortable for Fanora.

Anyway. Damn it. If only my birthday banquet had been properly held, I wouldn’t have had to work in this noisy venue. She thought for a moment alone. She couldn’t wait to get out of this jousting tournament. So Fanora quickly informed the godmother of her intention.

“Ah, Godmother. The person I told you I wanted to meet the other day. Did she come to the Kasius Jousting Competition today?”

“If it’s Lady Amore, she will be here soon.”

“Ah, I see. I’m glad!”

Lady Amore, the daughter of a count somewhere in the West. The reason Fanora was looking for her was simple. This was because in the midnight novel, Amore was Vasago’s friend.

I heard from godmother that Amore’s mother has ties to the Creed family, so let’s take this opportunity and get a recommendation for Salon’s admission.

When Fanora finished her business, she gracefully bowed and moved. The place she soon arrived at was the spectacular viewing area.

“…”

How much money did they spend to prepare this venue? Not only was the throne built on the highest point, but also the seats for the nobles were all of the finest wood. In addition, the seats were covered with silk-like curtains so that no sunlight could reach them, and the servants went around and distributed drinks so that the nobles were not bored.

“…”

However, despite paying so much attention to the audience, the arena was unexpectedly simple. There was a straight, elongated fence in the middle of the arena. Using that fence as the boundary, the two knights would drive their horses roughly, and they would soon spear at each other to the point where they faced each other.

“…”

Fanora didn’t like jousting tournaments from the beginning. Her regression didn’t suddenly change her interests, and she couldn’t hide her boredom before the tournament even started.

“Hoamm…” Fanora spread her fan in her hand and secretly yawned behind it. Unfortunately, it seems that someone has seen her yawning expression.

“I wish you hadn’t attended if you were tired.”

“If it’s the royal family’s order, how could I… Huh!”

Tak. Fanora closed her open mouth and hurriedly changed her posture. She soon greeted him with her usual noble expression. “You are here, Duke.”

“…”

When she looked up, she saw Aloken looking down at her under the shade. Aloken seemed to be unhappy that she called him by his title. The corner of his mouth was still smiling, but his one eyebrow was slightly furrowed.

Is it a sky-blue suit? Fanora didn’t react much to his displeasure. Just looking at her fiancé’s outfit today, she thought they were coincidentally wearing the same color. What followed was a conversation in a flat tone.

“Did you come back to the capital for the Kasius Jousting Tournament?”

“No, I came to see you.”

“…”

“But since I’ve already come, I’m considering participating in the tournament.”

“It must be because the prize the king bestows is so great.”

The prize for winning the Kasius Jousting Tournament was ‘Heart of Passion,’ a royal family treasure. It wasn’t really heart-shaped, but it was a necklace made of rubies and garnets of high purity enough to enchant people’s hearts. The estimated value was enough to buy a whole small estate.

It was because King Balmong’s affection for the tournament and the splendor of the prizes were proportional. The same was true of the award given to the second seat and the award given to the next place to go. The Kasius Jousting Tournament was always crowded with nobles who wanted to participate because of the huge rewards.

“No, I’m not interested in the prize.”

“Then?”

However, wealth wasn’t the only thing to be gained from this tournament.

“Do you want honor?”

In this kingdom, jousting was quite a sacred duel. Even if it wasn’t held by the royal family, once you won jousting, even an unknown knight instantly became popular.

“You were already a groom that many women coveted, and if you build your reputation here, a princess from a neighboring kingdom might propose to you.”

“There were times when it almost happened.”

“Yes?”

However, when Fanora stopped at the topic that came up during the conversation, Aloken explained it as if it was nothing special.

“When I was young, I had a marriage talk with the princess of Gamiel.”

“But why…”

“The predecessor duke, who knew my flaw, opposed it. Of course, I didn’t really want to marry a foreign princess either.”

As Aloken shrugged lightly, Fanora turned her eyes. Why am I listening to this?

But at that moment, a red color stood out in Fanora’s eyes as she turned her head. The appearance of bright red hair in this place, which consists mostly of nobles, usually came from that family.

“Andras!”

“Oh, Lord Aloken! Lady Fanora is also here too.”

When Aloken found him and shouted out his name, the red-haired man came running.

“All my friends are gathered here. Wow! Then I will sit here.”

There were many eyes to see, so Fanora couldn’t chat freely there. She kept quiet as much as possible. Fortunately, the atmosphere didn’t become awkward because Carl and Aloken were also close.

“Ah, I only heard the news when I came here… That your brother passed away… I’m sorry I could go to his funeral, Lord Aloken.”

“It’s all right.”

But I’d like you to talk without me. Fanora, who was caught in the middle of Aloken and Carl, gnawed at the biscuits with an awkward expression.

“But even if it’s not a funeral… I’m indeed sad because it’s been hard to see your face.”

“I’m sorry about that too.”

“I need at least one close friend to talk to, but don’t you think our Sir Carl Andras has forgotten me since he joined the Knights?”

“No, it wasn’t like that! I was just a little busy.”

“Haha. If you’re really sorry, let’s go falcon hunting together tomorrow. I will cut you some slack with that.

Wait. Knights? Fanora listened quietly to their conversation and intervened in the middle. “Have you been knighted already? What about the knighting ceremony?”

The answer to this was given by Aloken. “When a knight comes from the Andras family, the knighting ceremony is skipped. I heard the knighting ceremony is held in an informal way, just like on a battlefield.”

“…”

“There is nothing to be surprised about. Andras’s blood proves their ability. Since they don’t have to go through long training and complicated test, joining the knights is bound to be fast.”

I see. Fanora nodded her head only when she heard the knighting ceremony was omitted. At this point, he is already a member of the Knights. If she waited a little bit, Carl would be promoted to vice-captain at a young age. She recalled briefly what would happen in the future.

“Sir Carl, but where do you sell your nice uniform for wearing shabby clothes like this?”

“But it’s frustrating to wear them.”

“I can’t even tell if my fiancée is a knight or not because she’s dressed shabbily like this. Anyway.”

A little later, their conversation, which had flowed elsewhere, returned to its original subject. It was because the application for participation would close soon.

“…Fanora, do you know the tradition behind this royal jousting tournament?”

When Aloken finished his word, Fanora stopped chewing on the snack and nodded quietly. However, Carl asked with an innocent face whether he had no idea what they were talking about.

“What?”

What could she do if he was so curious? Fanora readily explained. “Once upon a time, there was a poor knight. The knight had less than others, but he had the best jousting skills.”

“Wow.”

“The knight secretly loved a noble lady, but on the contrary, the lady came from a very wealthy and prestigious family. It was difficult for the knight to be with her.”

“What’s next?”

“But one day, the king declared that he would bestow great prizes and positions on those who won the jousting tournament he held, regardless of their status…”

“…”

What’s next? She was silent for a moment before giving an explanation. Then a few seconds later, the backstory she had forgotten came to her mind.

“Ah, so the knight went to his beloved and asked her to grant a wish if he won the competition.”

“Aha. Now I know the end of the legend.”

“Yes. So… it was obvious. The knight risked his life to win the tournament, dedicating his honor to his beloved. Impressed by this, the nobles later accept the knight’s marriage proposal.”

Her mouth was dry from talking so much. So Fanora got up halfway from her seat to fetch a drink.

“That was a great legend!” But then, Carl said something like this. She stopped and corrected him.

“It’s not a legend. The descendants of this story are the current Count Shaintrix.”

“?!”

“It’s also on the record.”

Even Aloken nodded along at her words, and Carl was very surprised. He must have thought that it was just a made-up story, but it seemed strange to mention that family actually exists. 

“Anyway, it created a kind of tradition. The audience promises a wish to the contestant, and the winner says, ‘Glory to the person I love’.”

“Aha.”

“It is said that the main characters in the story were very happy after getting married, and if they follow this tradition, the lovers will also share eternal love or something like that…”

At that moment, Fanora slowly noticed what the black-haired beast sitting next to her was up to.