Finally, the day of the banquet that had been making the palace buzz for several days arrived. The knights, who had been so busy that they didn’t even have a moment to breathe, put down their work that evening and hurried to prepare for it.

Arthur frowned, smoothing the sleeves of his formal attire that had not been worn in a long time.

“It seems that Marquis Grieg will also be attending today.”

“Of course. He’s the kind of person who wouldn’t skip a situation like this,” Richt answered quietly.

It was just a few days ago that Arendt was attacked. Because of this, there was a sense of tension among the Third Knights. However, the person who almost died did not care much and just wandered around the palace.

Arthur’s face distorted.

“How shameless can a person be…”

Everyone knew that Marquis Grieg held a grudge against Arendt.

The rumor that Arendt had been attacked spread by word of mouth, and everyone knew who was behind it. They just kept quiet for fear of retaliation, but the fact that the Marquis came out so confidently meant that he was confident that no one would question him.

“Ha…”

“Arendt is also shameless. He didn’t even blink an eye after being treated like that.”

As Arthur was sighing deeply, another knight spoke. It was Rider Pollos, Arthur’s immediate senior.

“I heard he wasn’t seriously hurt. Is he okay?”

“Can’t you tell by the way he’s walking around? He’s in good spirits.”

“Really? If that’s okay, then that’s great.”

“If you’re concerned, why don’t you just ask him directly?”

Rider’s expression instantly turned pale at Arthur’s casual remark.

“No, that’s a bit…”

“Why?”

“Should I say I’m not mentally prepared?” Rider who was mumbling, trailed off.

Arthur glared at him with unkind eyes.

“He’s just a kid, after all. What are you so scared of?”

“Who’s scared? That’s just how I feel, you punk!”

Rider suddenly got angry, trying to hide his unnecessary embarrassment.

Actually, it wasn’t that strange. It was only a short while ago that the knights were wanting to kill Arendt.

After that, Arendt was busy with his own work and spent most of his time locked in the training ground. As a result, the rest of the knights could only watch Arendt from a distance.

“Anyway, we need to keep an eye on him because we don’t know what he might do next.”

“Yeah, I’ll keep an eye on him to see if there’s anything to find fault with. There’s no need to get caught for no reason, so it’d be better to be more careful than usual.”

The other knights who had been quietly listening to Rider nodded their heads.

The Third Knights had an unusually large number of people of commoner origin. As it was an order directly under the Emperor, it could not be openly ignored, but there were still quite a few who were dissatisfied with their origins.

The rumor in the palace was that they made up things from nothing. The banquets where all the big names in politics and economics gathered were like another battlefield for them.

Although it was Arendt who was attacked, there were plenty of people who criticized him, saying that it was his usual behavior that caused the incident.

Naturally, the knights’ shoulders became tense.

If anyone made a mistake today, Laius’ honor may be tarnished. Not a single person here wanted that.

“What? Why are you all frozen? Are we going to war?”

Except for one guy.

The knights’ faces, once filled with determination, instantly changed to look like they had chewed on something foul.

Arthur, who trembled, cursed in a fit of rage.

“You! You! Please! You’re the biggest problem, you punk! You have absolutely no manners. Can’t you read the mood?”

“It’s okay because my face looks polite,” Arendt replied shamelessly.

Arthur clenched his fists and strode toward Arendt.

“Hey, can I hit you once?”

“What? Why? I was just telling the truth.”

What really annoyed the knights was that no one could refute his statements.

Originally, he was a guy who did his best to look good, but recently, he started to focus on swords. Since then, Arendt had preferred to wear clothes that were comfortable for him as a swordsman instead of dressing up.

Everyone seemed to have forgotten for a moment what Arendt von Eckhart looked like when he really started to dress smartly.

He was already an attractive person, but he looked twice as bright as usual.

His pure silver hair, flowing down to his shoulders, was neatly arranged, and his matching blue robe made him look more like a nobleman from a good family than a knight.

That unique, sassy way of speaking and those amber eyes that were just as cheeky… It was the perfect combination to get people’s hearts racing.

Rider muttered as if sighing.

“Fuck. The world is so unfair.”

No one disputed that statement.

The tension from a few minutes ago had disappeared at some point. The knights looked at Arendt, who was bickering with Arthur, with a slightly empty feeling.

“It was a needless worry.”

Richt muttered quietly.

The biggest loser in the palace was there, so there was no time to worry about anything else.

As long as he was able to rein that guy in, Laius deserved to be respected by everyone in the palace. Just by being able to handle Arendt completely, that alone was proof of his own unrivaled personality.

Laius, who had just finished preparing, walked out from inside.

“Why is it so noisy… ah.”

As Laius was walking out, adjusting his coat, he found Arendt and Arthur bickering.

Laius looked at the two of them with a worried look, then quickly looked away.

Ignore them, ignore them. He just made a face like he didn’t want to deal with them.

The knights were in an uproar.

Laius opened his mouth, pretending not to hear them.

“You’ve worked hard the past few days.”

Then, the surroundings became quiet as if the uproar never happened. Arthur also hit Arendt on the back of the head and shut his mouth.

“Today is a special day given to you by His Highness the Crown Prince, so everyone should put down their burdens and enjoy themselves. However, we will also serve as escorts for the guests. The guards will be stationed outside, but do not let your guard down too much.”

“Yes!”

The knights straightened their posture again as if they had never been relaxed and answered.

A satisfied smile appeared on Laius’ blunt face.

Arendt’s first impression upon entering the banquet hall was this:

‘It’s like a set.’

A chandelier with thousands of candles glowed brightly in the middle of the hall. The servants walked cautiously, offering desserts and champagne to the nobles.

Arendt took a sip of champagne, taking in everything: the gorgeous wallpaper, the large windows, the magnificent ceiling paintings, and the men and women dressed to the nines.

‘It’s familiar.’

If he just took a step outside the door, it seemed like he would be in the back of the stage, messy with equipment strewn about.

In addition, the subtle gazes that he felt since a while ago was also one of the reasons why Arendt felt a sense of discomfort in the current situation.

While talking in groups, some people would occasionally glance at him, while others would just stare at him as if they were watching a skit. Among them, there were some who looked puzzled upon spotting Arendt.

It seemed like they hadn’t expected him to show up at the banquet.

‘The gazes aren’t that hard to withstand.’

It was only a few days ago that he almost got assassinated for teasing Marquis Grieg. It would be standard for a normal person to stay in their room and hide.

Arendt looked around the banquet hall at the people gathered there.

The nobles who met his eyes quickly looked away.

Kendrick and Diana were exchanging opinions with nobles who seemed to belong to different departments within the palace, while other members of the Knights Templar were also mingling around, enjoying music and light conversation over drinks.

‘Is the Crown Prince here yet?’

It seemed like Cantares was going to show up late.

Arendt was just leaning against the wall, sipping champagne, when he heard a familiar voice next to him.

“Lord Arendt, it’s been a while. Are you enjoying yourself?”

Arendt looked up reflexively. A middle-aged man with a handsome beard was staring straight at him.

It was a familiar face.

“It’s been a long time, Grand Duke Lancelot.”

“What about the Grand Duke? Just call me Duke. From what I hear, you’re not doing so well.”

Duke Lancelot came closer with a smile.

Arendt leaned his back against the wall again.

“Yes, well. I guess you’ve been briefed on this and that.”

“Still, it’s fortunate that you weren’t seriously injured. If you had been killed on the spot by someone we didn’t even know, wouldn’t that have been a huge problem? Even though you were called an idiot, my efforts to keep you alive would have gone down the drain.”

The Duke burst into laughter.

“Is that so?”

“Why, it seems like it’s not a very pleasant memory for you either? I thought you wouldn’t care since you were walking around the palace just fine after spewing out all the things you couldn’t say back then.”

“If you’re curious, why don’t you try standing in the courtroom, Duke Lancelot? Will you be able to say what to say and what not to say?”

Arendt responded bashfully and took another sip of champagne.

Duke Lancelot looked up and down at the young knight in front of him; he was still the same.

“It seems like that impudence really doesn’t change.”

“They say that when a person suddenly changes, it means it’s their time to die. It’s not my time to die yet.”

“Yes, I hope you live long, and know how precious life is.”

“I hope so too, Duke Lancelot.”

At that moment, someone again intervened behind the Duke.

“Grand Duke, do you have anything to say to that troublemaker?”

“Sir Kendrick, you’re also here? Well, I didn’t say much, just a wish for a long life.”

Lancelot gave Kendrick some space.

Kendrick didn’t come alone. Diana also showed up, holding a glass of wine in one hand, and smiled.

“A wish… did you know that the apprentice knight could do something like that?”

She, too, looked quite different than usual.

A dark-colored evening dress that was not flashy but luxurious, lightly wrapped around her well-proportioned figure. Her long, flowing, dark brown hair and her eyes that had shed a layer of their usual sternness were worthy of being called beautiful.

Arendt responded briefly, swirling the glass in his hand.

“I know how to do it. I just don’t do it.”

“It’s a talent to only say such mean things.”

Kendrick burst out laughing.

The gazes of those who saw Arendt surrounded by the Grand Duke and the two captains were filled with even more shock.

Arendt had been locked up in an underground prison, on the verge of execution, and the people he was calmly conversing with were the ones who had put his life on the line and passed judgment.

It was natural that the current situation appeared abnormal to others.

Duke Lancelot, noticing the gaze directed at them, shrugged his shoulders naturally.

“There are more stares than usual.”

“I guess that’s because the biggest topic of conversation in the palace is here.”

Diana glanced at Arendt.

Arendt shrugged.

“What did I do?”

“You’re not asking because you really don’t know, are you?”

“No, actually I know.”

“…”

Diana was momentarily speechless.

Arendt added shamelessly.

“They have to talk. Then my hard work will be worth it.”

Kendrick and Duke Lancelot also looked dumbfounded at the unexpected remark.

After a while, the Duke muttered with a sigh.

“…Sir Laius must really be having a hard time.”

“I agree.”

Kendrick just smiled bitterly at Diana’s seemingly sincere answer.