Principle Above All (1)
I stared at her, stunned. “...What?”
Asena noticed the shift in my expression but showed no reaction. She didn’t take back her words, nor did she seem uncomfortable with the look on my face. She simply waited.
Behind me, Judy wore a bewildered expression. She kept glancing back and forth between Asena and me. I already knew what that look meant. Judy was silently begging me for help.
Of course, if someone truly swore loyalty or held deep respect, kneeling wouldn’t be an issue. But Judy had only just met Asena. On top of that, their families were sworn enemies. It was obvious she would rather die than kneel before her.
Even so, if Asena truly pressed the order to the end, Judy would have no choice left. A knight who disobeyed her lord’s command could hardly expect a favorable evaluation.
“...Asena. You’re joking, right?”
I knew the atmosphere wasn’t right for jokes, but the command that had just left her lips was so shocking that I asked again anyway. Part of me still hoped she would read my mood and withdraw it.
But she answered as lightly as if she were talking about the weather.
“Don’t concern yourself with it, Brother. It’s an order I gave to my knight.”
She didn’t let a single emotion slip. The Asena I had only read about in the novel now stood before me in the flesh.
On the other hand, I couldn’t hide my anger, frustration, or utter disbelief. My throat closed up; I didn’t even know where to begin. All I could do was glare at her.
Asena didn’t avoid my gaze either. Without meaning to, a battle of wills had begun between us.
More than anything, I couldn’t believe the cruel fact that Asena had chosen my friend Judy as the tool to punish me. The situation had spiraled into something truly terrible.
Anyone who gave such an order to my friend would have faced my full effort to stop it. But the fact that the target was none other than Judy of House Ice made it even worse.
She would absolutely loathe kneeling. She might even start to resent me for putting her in this position.
With a single sentence, Asena had driven a wedge between me and Judy while also shaking the fragile bond I had with Daisy. If I tried to protect Judy’s dignity here by spouting nonsense like “A knight should act this way” and then treated them coldly from now on, only performing my duties, my relationship with Daisy would turn purely businesslike.
But if I did nothing, Judy would have no choice but to kneel.
Even in the midst of that confusion, I refused to break eye contact with Asena. It felt like the wickedness inside her that I had never known was finally leaking out. I began to wonder whether it had always been there.
Had Asena been fated to become a villainess no matter what I did? If that was true, it left me feeling both hollow and incredibly sad.
In the end, I was the first to look away.
“...Asena, let’s not do this.”
I shook my head slightly as I spoke. I had taken one step back from the fight.
But Asena refused to yield. She pushed forward.
“Just as Daisy proved her loyalty, I only want to confirm Judy’s.”
“...Why do you always have to escalate things? Is entering a room once such a terrible crime? Kirsi, say something to Asena.”
I hated the idea of fighting with the twins again more than anything else in this situation, so I turned to Kirsi beside me and asked for her help.
…But no answer came.
“....”
“.....Kirsi?”
The belief that she would take my side shattered, and a faint sense of betrayal washed over me.
“.....Brother, you did something wrong.”
Kirsi spoke. I couldn’t believe it.
“...Why are you acting like this too? Wait, are you still upset about what happened yesterday?”
I asked in a gentle voice.
“....It’s not that.”
“I really don’t understand. How is this my fault…?”
“Brother… you broke the rules. How could it not be wrong…?”
Kirsi’s voice was barely above a whisper. Her expression was as stiff as Asena’s, but she couldn’t even meet my eyes.
“....There’s something called flexibility, Kirsi. Would you really ignore someone who needs help just because there’s a door between you?”
“....If you’re not going to follow them, why have rules at all?”
A hollow laugh slipped out of me before I could stop it. For a moment the hallway fell silent, and only the sound of my laughter echoed.
It was a good thing all the young ladies had already gone to class. Otherwise, this ridiculous scene would have been seen by everyone.
Asena slowly raised a finger and placed it against my chest.
“....I don’t want to do this either, Brother.”
For some reason, I couldn’t believe her. It was the first time I had ever felt that way toward Asena.
I calmed my bitter laughter and spoke simply.
“.....Then just don’t do it.”
“You won’t admit that you were wrong.”
“No…… ha….”
No more words would come out. I was one step away from saying something harsh.
Why did our relationship keep getting worse?
Asena wanted to force me to submit no matter what. She wanted an apology from my lips. Yet I still couldn’t figure out exactly what I had done wrong.
Was she ashamed of me? Afraid that strange rumors would spread about me and Daisy? Embarrassed that the name Caiden Freister was becoming widely known?
“....Say that you were wrong,” she said.
“About what?”
I asked because I genuinely didn’t know.
“About entering Daisy’s room. Say you were wrong and that you won’t do it again.”
“......”
Was this one single thing really enough to make us fight so viciously again?
Did Asena truly want me to turn a blind eye even when someone was in danger?
“....Of course, even if you admit you were wrong, I won’t let it slide this time.”
She seemed quite angry; she had already decided on the punishment. Asena paused for a moment, swallowed lightly, and continued.
“.....Come to my room tonight. After classes are over.”
“.....”
I clenched my teeth and closed my eyes. I took a deep breath through my nose and fell into thought.
After I had stood there silently for a long time, trying to collect my emotions, Asena spoke again as if to pressure me.
“....If you don’t want to, then don’t. Judy, when are you going to kneel?”
I opened my eyes.
“....I’m sorry.”
Asena glanced at me, then let out a sigh.
“.........It’s good that you admit it. Still. Tonight, come to my room—”
But I didn’t let her finish.
“—Judy. Daisy. I’m sorry.”
The snake-like eyes that had begun to relax with tension snapped back to me. Once again, I didn’t avoid her gaze.
Looking straight at Asena, I spoke to Judy and Daisy.
“This is the best I could raise the twins.”
“.....”
For the first time, a reaction appeared on Asena’s face. She blinked once or twice, showing what might have been a wounded expression. I couldn’t be sure.
Kirsi spoke from the side.
“....Is it really that hard to just say you won’t do it next time, Brother?”
“If something like this happens again, I’ll act the same way. Do you two really think this was my fault?”
“I already told you…! If you’re not going to follow them, why have rules at all…!”
I nodded slowly.
“So that’s how it is…?”
It might have been because I had touched Judy, or maybe I had simply grown emotional while speaking.
“You’re saying you want me to become someone so inflexible… a true stickler for principles?”
Whatever the case, I had to admit I was acting a little childish.
I straightened my posture. Like a soldier standing at attention. I squared my shoulders, took a deep breath, and spat out the childish words.
“Asena Freister. Kirsi Freister. Understood. From now on, I will strictly follow the rules.”
“.....”
“.....”
A brief silence fell.
Kirsi, who had been staring at the floor, lifted her head. Asena’s expression crumpled.
Kirsi asked me in a trembling voice.
“....What are you doing, Brother?”
I looked back and forth between Judy and Daisy.
“Fortunately, everyone here already knows. As you all know, I will be expelled from House Freister in two years. I am essentially a commoner-in-waiting. For someone like me… to speak casually to the young ladies of House Freister is simply unacceptable.”
I began to speak to her in a rigid, formal tone, as if addressing a stranger.
“I have been committing a serious discourtesy. From now on, I will speak to you this way.”
Asena spoke in a pained voice. Her usually even tone had already cracked.
“.....Stop it. This isn’t funny.”
The situation had completely reversed. Asena was now showing countless emotions, while I had hardened my expression like her and hidden my true feelings.
“Does it look like I am joking, Duchess Freister?”
“...I said stop!”
Forgetting they were in a hallway, Asena raised her voice. I acted as if I hadn’t heard her.
I knew that the most frustrating thing was when the other person gave no reaction at all. That was exactly why I deliberately didn’t answer her.
The twins might feel hurt, but I had no intention of backing down. I wasn’t planning to act like this forever. It was just a childish way to vent my anger.
But right now, I wanted to be colder than ever. That was how much pent-up rage had built up inside me.
Kirsi took several rough breaths beside me, then clung to my arm.
“....I… I got it. I understand, so…”
What Kirsi and Asena had said differed, and if we were being strict, Kirsi had done less wrong. But that didn’t mean I was going to forgive only her.
“Please do not touch me, Lady Kirsi. According to the rules, you must not lay hands on a knight’s body.”
-Tap.
I brushed her hand away.
Kirsi stared at her own hand, then at me. Tears began to well up in her eyes.
“...B-Brother… don’t do this… why are you talking to me like I’m a stranger…”
I was only human. The urge to use this opportunity to let out all the resentment I had been holding back surged up. It was incredibly difficult to suppress that itching impulse.
“Since you said principles are important. Judy? How do you speak to your siblings?”
I suddenly changed the direction of the conversation and asked Judy.
Judy looked flustered, then stammered.
“I… I… use formal speech…”
After hearing the answer, I looked at Kirsi again.
“You heard her. Even House Ice does it this way. Since I am an adopted son, I should be even stricter, not less. From now on, I will treat you with the utmost respect. It is a shame. I had hoped we could spend the remaining two years on good terms before I left.”
I didn’t look at her. I turned my head away.
I had endured a lot in situations like this until now. This time, I would not yield.
“...Ugh… ugh…!”
Kirsi held back her tears, pushed against my chest, and then ran away.
Judy sent me a confused look. But I had no time to give her any signal. Even though Kirsi had left, Asena was still standing right in front of me.
When I looked at her, the bridge of her nose and the corners of her eyes were red. This was certainly unexpected. Asena was looking at me as if she, too, might cry at any moment.
She had never shown tears in front of others no matter what happened. But seeing that expression… the devil inside me felt refreshed.
Emotions were such strange things.
I nodded at her.
“I apologize. From now on, I will not enter Lady Daisy’s room.”
“.........”
“Duchess Freister. It is getting late. Shall we go to class?”
She lowered her head. Her two hands trembled violently. She opened and closed her mouth several times before finally clamping it shut and spinning around sharply.
I guessed that if she spoke any more, she would start crying.
Judy glanced at me, mouthed “We’ll talk later,” and followed after Asena.
“...Haa…”
Once the situation had settled, I turned to look at Daisy. I felt sorry again. When it was just the twins and me, things weren’t like this, but in front of others, it looked no different from a completely broken family.
“...I’m sorry. For showing you only this kind of side. I keep having to apologize.”
But Daisy shook her head with her eyes wide open.
“.....I was surprised.”
She said that to me.
“....Pardon?”
“...No… it’s just that I’ve never seen anyone argue with Asena like that before.”
I couldn’t say her words didn’t make sense. Even when I had read the novel, the only person who had ever stood against Asena’s momentum was the protagonist, Eric Endra. Daisy wasn’t the type to be pushed around, but she had never tried to overpower Asena either. From her perspective, seeing Asena reveal such a resentful expression must have been a fresh shock.
“.....Still, they are my younger sisters.”
“Weren’t you being oppressed?”
“....Did you think I wouldn’t be able to talk back at all?”
Daisy nodded.
“Honestly… yes. I thought you would just apologize and end it. Even though, in my opinion… there was nothing to apologize for.”
I scratched my head as I spoke. Since it was about the family, I had been reluctant to bring it up in front of Daisy, whom I knew admired nobility. But since she had already gotten somewhat involved, it felt right to tell her.
“Actually, when it’s just the three of us, we get along well.”
“...Really?”
“It’s true. But in front of other people, it’s always like this. So it’s fine if you don’t believe me… but I can still scold the kids when I need to.”
“....I see…”
Daisy seemed quite shocked. She spent a long time organizing her thoughts before speaking again.
“...I was also surprised to see how much the twins seem to like you, Lord Caiden.”
“.....”
“Just seeing how quickly they got hurt the moment you turned cold… And I’ve never seen Asena show her emotions like that before.”
“They like me, but they don’t like that I’m part of the family, I suppose.”
“Ah. That does… seem to be the case.”
“There’s nothing I can do about it.”
I forced a smile as I looked at Daisy.
“...I’ll just have to leave.”