I glared at Kenntrips for being such a fool. It made far more sense for us to secure her retainers’ support in winning her over than to let her explore some fruitless romance.
“If she is going to marry one of us and stay in Dunkelfelger, then it is imperative that she settles matters with Lord Wilfried first,” Kenntrips assured me. “Lady Hannelore is as stubborn as they come—when she comes to a decision, she holds it fast and refuses to let go. Unless she gives up on her romance by choice, there will be no knowing when she might betray us again. At that point, I would rather she wed into another duchy entirely.”
I stared at my fellow suitor in shock. There were more than a few people pushing for Lady Hannelore to become the next aub, now that she had taken part in true ditter and developed a strong bond with the divine avatar. Yes, she had sided with Lord Wilfried during our ditter match, betraying both her duchy and Lord Lestilaut in the process. And yes, she probably still harbored feelings for him. But with everything that had happened, there was no way she would turn her back on us again.
You should know that, Kenntrips!
“As an archduke candidate, Lady Hannelore must obey the archduke’s will,” I said. “She might be stubborn, but she would never forget her place.”
“Instead, she would suppress her unhappiness, allowing it to fester for years on end. Dare we let that happen, not knowing when she might eventually explode? She would need to give up on her romance for the sake of duty and her position. Would you be able to do that, Rasantark?”
As much as it pained me, he was right—the last thing we wanted was to deal with such uncertainty. And yet, I still couldn’t agree with him.
“How can someone so smart say such stupid things?!” I exclaimed. “You’re a moron, Kenntrips!”
“That means painfully little from someone too obtuse to come up with a more creative insult,” he shot back. I racked my brain for another mean word to use, only to realize he had a point.
“Sh-Sh-Shut up! That’s not what I mean! I’m saying we don’t need to manipulate Lady Hannelore in this weird, roundabout way. We should face her directly!”
“Manipulate her? I mean only to cherish her emotions. She should see them through, not feel compelled to hide or obscure them.”
“Huh?! Do you want Lady Hannelore to leave us for Ehrenfest?! Think before you speak... idiot!”
How can you expect her to face her emotions when you won’t even admit your own?!
If we let Lady Hannelore put her heart above the suitors her father had chosen for her, she would be betraying the nobles of her duchy for the second time. More than that, though, it was hard to imagine her finding true happiness in Ehrenfest when they had already cast her aside once.
“How can you risk Lady Hannelore getting sent to another duchy?! You love her just as much as I do!” I shouted. “Instead of resorting to all this nonsense, why don’t you just confess to her and do what you can to make her feel the same way? It’s because she means so much to me that I resolved to protect her!”
Lord Wilfried had shamelessly demanded to take Lady Hannelore as his second wife, despite never having intended to marry her in the first place. I would treat her so much better than such a deceptive wretch ever could.
“I envy how straightforward you are,” Kenntrips said at length, lowering his eyes and letting out a hollow laugh.
At once, I recognized the resignation in his smile. A long time ago, Lady Crybaby had asked him to become a knight to protect her from Lord Lestilaut. He had agreed, only for his parents to decide he should serve her brother instead.
At least back then, Kenntrips had actively sought to become a knight. He would surely have excelled no matter which path he took, but his father had ordered that he become a scholar, forcing him not to take the knight selection test. He had worn the same forsaken expression back then as well—and when he gave Lady Crybaby a magic tool to defend against Ehrenfest, only for her to concede to Lord Wilfried without even using it.
In short, Kenntrips only wore his current expression when he was pushing down the frustration, sorrow, and other such negative emotions rising in his chest, not wanting to cause a fuss.
What are you giving up on this time?
The only thing that came to mind was his potential engagement to Lady Hannelore. In an instant, irritation more intense than I could describe surged through me.
“Stop running, Kenntrips!” I yelled. I couldn’t stand the way he never acted on his emotions. Seeing him give up on his desires as though it were the wise, correct thing to do frustrated me to no end.
“I’m not running. I just can’t protect her with my usual methods.”
He just had to confess his love to Lady Hannelore, win her over, and then never let her go. It really was that simple, so why wasn’t he even trying to marry her?
“I could understand accepting defeat if you’d expended all your options, but your refusal to even try makes my blood run hot. If you won’t see sense, then I’ll punch some into you!”
“You two! If you’re going to fight, do it in the grounds proper!”
I’d tried to leap at Kenntrips, but Vestaert had grabbed me first. I attempted to brute force my way free, with no success; he seemed to know exactly how I would try to escape him. He used enhanced arms to throw me, then Kenntrips, to the very center of the grounds.
I twisted in midair, locking on to Kenntrips’s position. He had traveled farther than me, so I raced toward him as soon as my feet touched the ground.
Kenntrips landed as well, only to retreat at the very sight of me. He sprinted toward those training nearby—but they ran to the wall and took their highbeasts up to the stands so as not to be involved. I used all my might to catch up to my target amid the chaos.
“Quit running away!” I roared.
“And do what, exactly? You’re a knight, remember; don’t get so serious about fighting a scholar.”
“Shut up! Face me!” I declared. It was time for him to challenge me head-on, as his heart desired.
Don’t let others get to you! You can’t protect Lady Hannelore by marrying her away! Listen to your heart! Don’t run from what you’re feeling!
“Where’s Professor Rauffen?!”
“Someone contact Lady Hannelore!”
Shouts rang out all around us, but I didn’t have time to think about the lecture I’d receive. I needed to wake Kenntrips up and get him to stop moping as though giving up were his only option.
My fists clenched, I charged straight at him.