Arendt, who had been grumbling for a while, stopped and touched the corner of his mouth.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to dump that on you, Marquis, when we just met.”

“No, don’t worry. I understand your feelings, so I’ll pretend I didn’t hear any of that.”

“…Thank you.”

When the young man hesitated for a moment and then spoke sheepishly, Marquis Lanford was convinced that his intuition was correct.

‘It looks like he’s burdened.’

Even though Arendt was a reckless and arrogant brat, he couldn’t help but be affected by the current situation where all eyes were on him. Moreover, he was a young boy who had only recently entered the palace.

Arendt, who was rubbing the back of his neck, grumbled in a small voice.

“Honestly, I feel a little frustrated. What did I do wrong?”

“I am an apprentice.”

“Once you complete your training period, you will be ready to become a full-fledged knight.”

As Marquis Lanford spoke sternly as if he were teaching a child, the young knight nodded his head, showing a look of discontent.

“Yes. I know very well that I am not in a position to act childish. I also feel that I should not start doing things that I cannot handle.”

“I’m glad you know now. Humans learn by making mistakes.”

Marquis Lanford nodded slowly, answering in a pretend softened voice.

“It seems like the current situation is a bit burdensome for you.”

“I think it’s something I should do. I have a responsibility to do it. Above all, I don’t want to die yet.”

Even as Arendt spoke calmly, he glanced down on the ground.

Marquis Lanford guessed the meaning of that action well enough.

It was a warning to not ask any more questions, as he wanted to avoid the situation where his neck falls off while carelessly wagging his tongue.

‘I thought he was naturally sensitive.’

In addition, the current complicated situation made him even more nervous. Thinking about it that way, he could fully understand his harsh words and actions during their first meeting.

The Marquis’ tone became softer.

“Don’t worry. Although His Highness the Crown Prince is strict, he is not that cold-hearted.”

“Do you really think so?”

A cold response came right back.

“I don’t know what you hope to gain by talking to me, Marquis, but I have nothing to say to you.”

As he raised his head, the young knight’s cold face was now unable to suppress the anger that was welling up.

“It is extremely burdensome for me to even have a conversation with you right now, Marquis. Please leave now. I am only doing what I am ordered to do.”

“…I’m sorry for being rude. You must have had a lot of troubles too.”

Marquis Lanford, who had been quietly listening to the young man’s cold words, nodded calmly.

It would be normal for young people to walk around with their shoulders high, thinking that their abilities have been recognized.

However, having been driven to the brink of execution and the pressure of not knowing when his life would end was difficult for even an experienced veteran to endure.

‘It actually turned out well.’

It seemed that the Crown Prince, who needed an easy-to-use person, had put Arendt’s life on the line and kindly allowed him to do as he pleased, but it seemed that the glory was too much for this apprentice knight.

“I didn’t say those words to comfort you.”

“I know. But when you say that, it’s hard for me as an elder to just sit still.”

When Arendt snapped at him harshly, Marquis Lanford spoke seriously. Then a puzzled light passed through the young man’s eyes.

Without missing a beat, the Marquis continued speaking slowly.

“His Highness the Crown Prince is not very pleased with me anyway, so no matter what I say to him, it won’t harm you.”

For a moment, Arendt’s expression became blank. It seemed as if he was carefully thinking over what the Marquis had just said.

“Please don’t be alarmed. Pushing a young man around is something that adults should not do.”

“…Excuse me.”

After a brief pause, Arendt muttered awkwardly. The strength that had been in his shoulders was clearly gone.

“Then let me ask you honestly. What is your wish? It seems that you do not wish for glory or wealth.”

“Honestly, I’m sick of it now.”

Arendt put his hands deep in his pockets.

“I wish I could get away, but I still have work to do.”

“You want to get away…”

The Marquis repeated those few words.

To be honest, he hadn’t looked at this young knight with kind eyes until now, but it’s not something an adult should do to simply criticize a young man who was struggling and paying the price for his own mistakes.

After a brief moment of deliberation, Marquis Lanford slowly opened his mouth.

“If that’s what you want, I guess I can help you.”

“Yes?”

Arendt suddenly raised his head.

The moment Marquis Lanford saw the hope clearly expressed on the boy’s face, he was sure that he was right.

Arendt von Eckhart was a puppet put forward by the Crown Prince, or a hunting dog who carried out orders and brought back the entire harvest.

‘If someone has to step forward and fight.’

It had to be at least the Grand Master of the Order, Laius de Winfried, or another Grand Master of the Order; not a young apprentice knight who brings food to the Crown Prince without knowing anything.

Arendt, who could not even hold a small amount of power and was virtually cut off from his family, was just a hunting dog for the Crown Prince, no matter how capable he was. How pitiful.

‘If it weren’t for this child who had made a contribution, the Neumann Group and the mines would not have fallen into the hands of His Highness the Crown Prince.’

What the palace needed now was balance.

While it is true that the ruling class had to be loyal to the emperor, one of their duties was to keep the imperial family in check.

The closer the balance tips to one side, the more this has to be done.

If the imperial family makes a wrong decision, the Empire would be engulfed in flames. If that happened, his family would also be finished.

Marquis Lanford steeled his resolve and spoke subtly.

“If you’re willing to give up everything, I’ll help you get back home. What do you think?”

This was the best he could do to save everyone.

The Marquis smiled with satisfaction before the conflicted Arendt.

After a long while, Arendt finally responded.

“…I’ll think about it.”

“Okay, so can we move so we can talk some more? I know you must have had a hard time.”

The knight nodded silently.

The Marquis smiled contentedly and began walking in front of Arendt.

That was Marquis Lanford’s fatal mistake.

He didn’t see the evil smile on Arendt’s lips as he looked at the back of his head.

“You, change your job to a conman.”

Cantares, who had been listening blankly for a while, muttered.

The Crown Prince’s training ground had now become something of a secret meeting place.

By the time Arendt’s report was finished, both Cantales and Laius had lost their minds.

“So… you were pretending to be pitiful?”

“Pretending to be pitiful? That’s called acting.”

Arendt shrugged.

“After all, I am an apprentice knight who is on the verge of collapse from exhaustion after being pushed around by the Crown Prince with his life on the line. Isn’t that right?”

“You are a dirty, disobedient apprentice knight who is running wild with excitement. Look at your Captain’s face. It looks like he’s going to have a hole in his stomach soon.”

It’s so frustrating. The troublemaker subordinate who never listened to him was now committing fraud against nobles.

“…It’s okay.”

“It’s not credible when saying something like that while taking out a vial, Sir Laius.”

“In addition…”

Cantares, who had been looking at Laius with pity as he silently poured the stomach medicine into his mouth, turned his head again.

“What? Hm?”

“That old man, is he close to my father?”

“To Count Eckhart? Well, I heard that there’s some contact between them, but I don’t know the details, but I think he’s closer to Marquis Lanford than me.”

“Hmm.”

Arendt tilted his head, his voice turning ambiguous.

“Your Highness… so, what is my father doing these days?”

“He’s your father. Why are you asking me that?”

“It’s not like we’re that close. I just got curious because Marquis Lanford suddenly mentioned him.”

Cantares furrowed his brow slightly, but Arendt simply responded indifferently.

“He said he would help me persuade my father to allow me to return to the Count’s household. I said that I would think about it.”

As he was having this conversation with the Marquis, a setting that he had briefly forgotten came to mind.

That he is the second son of Count Eckhart.

Count Eckhart barely appears in the novel. He didn’t remember even a brief mention of him after Arendt’s execution, so before coming to the training hall, he searched the room again, hoping to find some traces of the Count’s family.

But it was in vain.

Even after pulling out all the drawers and turning them over, he couldn’t find anything related to Count Eckhart.

Not only was there no family portrait, but there was not even a single item with the family crest or letter from the main family.

It meant that communication had been cut off for quite some time.

Cantares pursed his lips.

“Well, he didn’t even show his nose when you were in prison. I thought it was understandable at the time since he probably didn’t want to get involved in a treason plot.”

Because if he’s not careful, the entire family could disappear, but now things were different; and yet, there has been no contact at all.

“Isn’t he pretending he doesn’t have a son?”

“Your Highness!”

Laius shouted involuntarily at Cantares’s ill-tempered remark. However, Arendt, who was actually involved, simply shrugged his shoulders as if nothing had happened.

“I guess that’s how it is.”

“…But maybe things will change a little now that a raccoon has stepped forward. You probably know better than I do what kind of person Count Eckhart is…”

Cantares pursed his lips and continued speaking, perhaps not liking the reaction to what he had called a decisive blow.

“He seems like a person who would ignore a son who is like a loser, but not the benefit that his son might bring. What do you think?”

“If His Highness the Crown Prince says so, then it must be that.”

There was a lot of talk going on between the two.

Laius seemed like he wanted to say something, but he just kept his mouth shut.

Cantares pretended not to know and changed the subject.

“What am I going to do from now on? Should I just watch for a while?”

“For now. It’s not your turn right now, so Your Highness the Crown Prince, you just need to watch.”

The one who had to make a move now was not Arendt or the Crown Prince, but Marquis Lanford.

“I’m quite excited. I wonder how it will turn out.”

A very light voice flowed out.

The side profile of the boy was so impassive that it was impossible to guess what he was thinking.