The Shadow of the Coming-of-Age Ceremony
Two months had passed since I injured my leg. Now, as I looked toward the third month, I removed the cast from my leg. Although it was still a bit uncomfortable to walk because I hadn't walked properly for two months, it was fine.
"Kyle-ssi, if you're in pain, I can help you," Kyle said, his voice gentle as always.
"No, thank you."
He kept worrying about me. I thought I didn't need help now that the cast was off, but he insisted on assisting me. A lot.
"Lord, you have the coming-of-age ceremony soon, don't you? You don't have time to waste on me," he continued. And there wasn't much time left until Kyle's ceremony began. With only about two months remaining, it was the perfect time to prepare diligently for the event that would start on the first day of the new year. It wasn't the right moment for someone like me.
"Haa... I've already told you several times. I've already learned most of what my father taught me, right?"
"Still, there are many things left to learn. Since there's no end to learning, it's better to always be thoroughly prepared. So, with the Grand Duke..."
"Sophia."
"Yes..."
No matter what I said, he wouldn't listen. Even though I told him several times that it was okay, he kept trying to help me. Honestly, it wasn't that I disliked it. Who wouldn't like someone who thought about them? It wasn't bad. It was just that I was worried something might go wrong with Kyle's succession.
"But really, it's fine. Now is the time to worry about me, not the Lord. Lord, please, for a while, prepare for the upcoming events..."
"Haa... okay."
"I'm glad you understand. I was worried that the Lord would only focus on me." There was a very important thing coming soon. It was extremely important. But I couldn't understand why he was only paying attention to helping me and worrying about me. It wasn't the time for that. He should focus more on himself than on someone like me.
"Haa..."
After sending Kyle off for his lesson, I sat on the chair. Although it seemed like I still needed some rehabilitation for my leg, since I could move, I started working again. The doctor said the fracture had healed, but there was still a slight discomfort. It felt different from the left side.
"At least I can walk, so it's definitely good. If it were the past, I would have been lying alone in the room. In that sense, it's enough now. At least I can go to the bathroom by myself, right?"
"By the way, what about Kyle..." Why does he worry about me so much? I'm 6 years older than Kyle. Even considering my past life, I'm completely older. He thinks of me as an 18-year-old girl. "Now entering my mid-20s." Actually, do I lack the image of being older? When I was young, I was the one who was really into Kyle. But now, no matter how much I say it's okay, he just brushes it off. "...." Is he really not seeing me as an older person? "Haa..." Well, there's nothing I can do. It's inevitable. I have to understand that the Lord wants to worry about me. I hope he does the same to his girlfriend later. His girlfriend would probably like that kind of thing. After the coming-of-age ceremony, he probably won't be all over the place with girls. Since he's an adult, it shouldn't be a problem. "He'll do well on his own." I believe he will. As a man, he has to date girls and do other things. Kyle has a bit of a wooden personality, but maybe he's different when it comes to romance? "Usually, such men have a lot of devoted parts." Probably Kyle is that type too. After the coming-of-age ceremony, there will surely be many people contacting him, so he will have more contact with other girls. Definitely. The person named Kyle is already very famous even within the empire. Surely a lot of interest will be directed at him. Probably noble ladies from across the empire will send letters to Kyle. Widows who lost their husbands when young, young ladies like Kyle who just became adults, slightly young girls before coming of age, ordinary children. They will send a lot. For girls, Kyle is someone they can't help but be interested in. If Kyle goes out more, the interest will be enormous. He hasn't gone to other territories even once until now. He could only go to the capital. "Um..." Well, he'll do it somehow. There's still about two months until the coming-of-age ceremony, so no need to worry about that. Maybe? No matter how interested in Kyle the girl is, she won't come at this point before the ceremony. It shouldn't have happened in the first place. That's rude.
I thought that. For Kyle's succession, I thought other nobles wouldn't come for a while. But nobles were more rude than I thought. "Haa... damn..."
"Sophia, are you okay?"
"No."
It was really not okay. The whole family was focused on Kyle's coming-of-age and succession at that time. At such a time, stupid guys came to the estate to celebrate Kyle's coming-of-age. Guys I had never met. Guys I had never faced Kyle. "Ah... why am I so angry?" Normally, I wouldn't be this angry. I should just get angry and let it go. But I was too angry. I even vented a little to Louise. "Sorry, there's no one to vent to." "It's okay, I don't like it either!" "Yeah..." Anyway, I'm in a slightly higher position among the servants. That's why suddenly a lot of work piled up on me. I'm Kyle's direct servant. And I'm also his tutor! I don't know why I'm guiding nobles who are stupid and have fat bellies. "Haa..." "Sophia, we suck too..." "Elin?" It was the first time I saw Elin say such words. Usually, she had a pure, elegant feel. Even though she was slacking off. Anyway, Elin saying a curse! So it wasn't just the guys who came to the estate this time that I disliked. "Because there are suddenly many people coming to watch, the knights also have to do a performance..." "Ah." "Just during the Lord's coming-of-age, the entire knight group should just stand in armor normally..." "..." "But suddenly they said to have a mock battle between knights, and to have one with the Lord too..." "..." It was a bit sad. It seemed worse than me. At least I don't have to do anything during the coming-of-age. "But I ended up being the one to spar with the Lord!?" "..." With Kyle? The two of us? "If so, then maybe training with the Lord..." "Of course! It's not a real spar, it's just a show, so I have to practice with the Lord. Otherwise, I might get hurt in real combat." "Then alone?" "Yes! That's why I've been sparring with the Lord every day lately! I thought I could rest a bit now that lessons are reduced!" "..." A spar with Kyle alone... Suddenly, memories of the past came back. When Kyle and Elin were supposed to have lessons and went into the training ground, the time they were both shirtless. "...." This time too, they were going to spar and both take off their clothes? Since I haven't taken swordsmanship lessons since then, I don't know. "...." "Elin, isn't it at least good?" "What?" "At least spending time with Kyle. At least better than other nobles?" "That's true. The Lord has known me for several years." "Right?" "..." Something felt uncomfortable. I don't know what, but it's uncomfortable.
"The members of the Chocatara family, please come this way." I was helping the nobles who came to the estate today too. Since we used an entire hotel building for the nobles to stay, all the nobles came here. It would have been better if they hadn't come. "The servants of the Chocatara family, please follow the person over there." They brought servants unnecessarily. They brought 10 servants. What, they came to watch the coming-of-age ceremony and brought servants? Luckily, there were other hotels next to the hotel. If there weren't, the nobles would have gone crazy at us. Just imagining it makes me hate it. "Um... well, it's not bad. I thought it would be a rundown northern village." "Ho ho ho, I thought so too." "..." Do these guys think I'm not from the capital? When I introduced the guys, I always introduced myself as Kyle's direct servant. But why, even though I'm here, do they talk so loudly next to me. "Huu..." I quietly exhaled. It was better to quietly curse than to have a fight with the guys. I didn't want to cause trouble over this. In fact, it would be solved immediately if I told Kyle, the Grand Duke, or the butler. They dared to badmouth the Duchy, not even the Duchy. It's a family level that would be called a Grand Duchy. They are handling the vast northern territory alone. "By the way, I heard that the prince of Eristirol is very handsome..." "I also have a lot of interest in him. When he came for the debutante ball, we met and talked..." "Really?" "Really? He turned out to be even more handsome than I thought." "..." The only person Kyle properly met at that time was the one Catherine introduced. But I don't know why they're talking so enthusiastically. Ah, I wish all the nobles were gone.