The Son of the Knightray Family
Looking up, the spot before her held a boy with thick golden hair and green eyes, his hand extended toward her.
“Ah…”
Idel let out a sound without meaning to, her mouth snapping shut in alarm. She hadn’t even heard his name yet, but she could guess exactly who the boy reaching for her was.
“He must be the male lead.”
She would have known even without Dante’s report to Diane.
There was something sparkling and bright around the boy in front of her—the unmistakable aura of the original protagonist.
Exactly like when she first met Jiana.
Idel clenched her fists tightly at the sight of the central figure of this world stepping into the picture. The sand beneath her feet grated between her fingers.
“Um… I…”
“…?”
The boy, who had awkwardly offered his hand, scanned her carefully with a worried expression. No answer must have been worrying him.
He immediately dropped to one knee, placed a hand on her shoulder, and spoke with gravity.
“Is it difficult for you to stand up? Or are you feeling dizzy?”
The green eyes so close to hers matched the afternoon sunlight perfectly. Idel, who had admired her little brother for being so proper, gazed at the boy with her eyes wide. She slapped his hand away.
“…I’m perfectly fine. Don’t just grab anyone you like.”
“Ah, I see. I thought you couldn’t move at all, so I was worried. It’s a relief you’re all right.”
It would have been embarrassing to ignore kindness, but Dante’s face showed no trace of it.
Even after she rejected his help, he waited until she stood on her own, then apologized again.
“It was my fault. I’m sorry.”
Idel pouted, replying curtly as he bowed his head in the obvious way.
“I know. That’s enough.”
She honestly wanted to accept the apology, but doing so might have changed how things would unfold.
‘There’s no way that’ll happen, but he could suddenly step in to mediate between me and Jiana.’
Deciding to cut off the conversation, she answered with a blunt tone and strode past him. That was when…
“Pardon, Lady! Please wait a moment!”
Dante called her name, his voice carrying a mix of realization and panic.
“What is it now?”
“I’m sorry. It’s… um…”
He offered an immediate apology for her sharp reaction, then fell silent, clearly trying to choose his words carefully to avoid another mistake.
Of course, he couldn’t stay quiet for long.
Idel’s gaze toward him had turned increasingly sharp and irritated.
“Why did you grab me and not speak? Are you teasing me right now…?”
“I thought you might understand, but I didn’t know how to introduce myself properly….”
Before she could finish, he answered quickly, his eyes sparkling with certainty and joy.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lady Jiana. I am Dante Knightray.”
…What the heck did he just say?
Idel blinked slowly at the unexpected words that came out of his mouth. She was briefly taken aback, but after a moment of thought, she came up with a simple explanation.
‘Ah, we haven’t met before. This swordsmanship lesson must be our first encounter?’
It made sense she would misunderstand. Grown-ups would be strange if they didn’t know their own existence through rumors, but he was just a child.
‘He’s smiling and saying he’s glad to meet me, so he must have been expecting to meet Jiana the whole time….’
It was cute, but there was no helping it.
And she couldn’t soften her attitude and clear up the misunderstanding either.
‘The “second son of the Duke of Clementine” doesn’t forgive anyone who ruffles her feathers. That includes the male lead in the novel or someone she’s just met.’
‘Plus, you’ve provoked my temper three times now.’
One for bumping into her, two for grabbing her wrist, and three for mistaking her for Jiana. The last one hurt the most.
Idel, lips pursed and fists clenched, shot back in a sharp voice.
“Jiana Clementine? You just called me that?”
“……Yes?”
“Hah! How interesting.”
Idel gave a hollow laugh at his completely unamused expression, narrowing her eyes in a glare.
“Hey, when you bumped into me, did you sprain your eyes? Or did you not see my hair color? Or are you deliberately starting an argument with me right now? What makes you think you can just be here?”
“I must have misunderstood something. I didn’t mean that at all….”
“Not at all. You just didn’t expect me to come running at you.”
From Dante’s perspective, it would have been a huge blow to simply say hello. But that was beside the point.
The timing hadn’t been great, and that was his fault for saying such sensitive things.
‘If I hadn’t been in the middle of a cold war with Jiana, he wouldn’t have gotten such a twisted answer.’
Since everyone knew she and Jiana were fighting, Idel had to keep acting tough on the surface.
‘At this rate, I’ll have to tone down my voice a bit, like I’ve been broken.’
And then she would have to watch for an opening.
Despite reading shock and slight discomfort on Dante’s face, Idel ignored it all. Instead, she delivered the final blow.
“Stop with the nonsense and move aside. I don’t like that kind of person.”
“……”
“And don’t speak to me. Don’t touch me either.”
Like a cat with its claws fully extended, she spun on her heel and marched into the training grounds.
* * *
It had only been a few minutes since she caused a scene with Dante.
While she prepared alone and let her guard down, Idel soon realized she had misjudged him.
“Lady.”
As if he had found the perfect way to use her warning, Dante approached her at once.
‘No way. Even Jiana isn’t that much of a pushover.’
After a beat of silence, he took a slow breath and began to speak in a gentle tone.
“……First of all, I apologize for ignoring your words and grabbing you again.”
“If you know it’s wrong, why say it?”
“But I really wanted to say this….”
His hesitation lasted only a moment.
“Actually, I met Lady before at Cafe Florant. A man had spilled water on her, and she stepped in to help.”
‘What kind of story is this? Was Dante Knightray there too?’
Idel’s eyes widened slightly at the sudden words.
“My apologies. I knew only the Duke’s daughter named Jiana Clementine, so I didn’t realize someone else might be involved.”
“……”
“I truly had no intention of upsetting you. Rather, I… I wanted to become friends with you. Since the day I saw you.”
He paused briefly, eyes meeting hers.
“If you would allow me, please give me another chance. Not now, but when you are ready.”
Dante lowered his gaze slightly, having already conveyed his thoughts.
An awkward silence fell between them.
While Idel hesitated over the sudden information, loud voices erupted near the entrance of the training ground.
“Whoa~ So this is where you were! Thank you so much, Lady Jiana! Thanks to you, I didn’t have to wander around at all. You’re really kind!”
“Oh, you’re just guiding a guest. It’s only natural! Besides, I was coming this way too.”
“Oh my, so humble too? This Patrick Icadorn has been deeply impressed by your heart!”
“Hehe, you’re flattering me.”
One voice sounded exactly like Jiana’s, but the other was unfamiliar.
Idel reflexively looked toward the entrance at the unfamiliar voice. Next to Jiana, who had her hair tied up high for training, stood a man she didn’t recognize.
‘Slightly younger than the Duke of Clementine… Is he the swordsmanship assistant instructor?’
The man with reddish-pink hair was bouncing with an expression full of cheer.
The golden eyes that had been carrying Jiana suddenly sparkled with delight at the sight of Dante.
“Oh, young Master Dante!”
He strode over quickly, arms wide open.
“Patrick.”
“Huh? Why are you so serious, Patrick? Hey, were you lonely because I wasn’t here?”
Hey?
Idel, standing behind Dante, rubbed her arms at the unexpected flattery. Her expression hardened without trying.