“This is the path to the training ground.”

The path connected to the passage leading to the knights’ training ground.

As Catherine passed by the knights’ quarters, a familiar presence appeared. That presence was revealing its location by itself.

Catherine raised her head and smiled faintly. Lorendis was looking down at Catherine from the outer wall of the training ground.

“Were you training?”

“Yes.”

“Are you finished?”

“Probably.”

Lorendis, who was gripping the railing of the outer wall, lowered his body. He jumped down from the outer wall just like that. Despite the considerable height, he landed smoothly on the ground. Not a speck of dust rose, and it was quiet.

“Where were you going?”

That looks a bit dangerous…… Catherine tried to gauge the height of the outer wall but swallowed a groan at the dizzying feeling.

“Catherine?”

Lorendis called Catherine once more. Catherine tilted her head and fidgeted with her chin.

“I was just passing by this area. But how did you know I was here?”

“I can see from the top of the outer wall. I happened to be passing by this path.”

Lorendis exuded a clean musk scent. His appearance, without a drop of sweat, was stiff yet simple.

A languid decadence flowed from his crumpled shirt. His thick arms moved smoothly, and Lorendis approached Catherine with large strides.

“Is it okay to move?”

At first, she didn’t understand what he meant. While she stared blankly, Lorendis unfastened his wrist guard.

Nancy perceptively took the guard and stepped back. Lorendis reached out and wrapped his arm around Catherine’s waist. It fit in one grasp.

“I thought you wouldn’t be able to move.”

“It, it wasn’t that bad.”

“You seemed to be struggling.”

The hand wrapped around her waist brushed her spine. When she arched her back and moaned, that area still felt numb. Knowing this, Lorendis steadily caressed that area.

Catherine had never expected consideration or gentleness from Lorendis. He was quite far from that sort of person. But his way of touching her body had the side effect of making her constantly aware of him.

“St-stop it.”

“Is stammering when you’re flustered a habit?”

I don’t have such a habit. I only do this in front of you. It was an awkward side she had never shown before her stepmother or stepsister.

Lorendis said never mind and released Catherine. Catherine wrapped her arms around her shoulders and stepped back from Lorendis.

“Your Grace. It’s the vice commander of the knights. Madam, you’re here too.”

“I hope I haven’t called away someone busy.”

As Lorendis was in the middle of knight training, boisterous shouts could be heard from inside. There were several knights in simple shirt attire. Catherine glanced inside and asked Lorendis.

“Is it okay to leave during training?”

“That’s for them to handle themselves, and I’m not in a position to spoon-feed them.”

When Lorendis said he would be away for a moment, those inside sighed as if in relief. And judging by the occasional groans rather than shouts, it seemed that today’s training had been grueling as well.

“If they can straighten out their rotten minds, wouldn’t it be a blessing even if they have to push their bodies?”

The outer wall of the training ground was dome-shaped, with one side completely open. As she carefully stepped forward and turned her head inside, Lorendis blocked her with his body.

“Where are you going?”

“You looked busy, so I was wondering if I should step aside.”

“Where are you looking while talking? If you want to talk, look at me properly.”

Catherine fixed her gaze on his chest. Beneath his sweat-soaked shirt, the contours of his body were clearly visible. His firmly set muscles and threateningly broad shoulders stood out prominently.

Catherine fumbled with her lips and stepped back, bumping into Nancy, who gently pushed her forward again. She swallowed a low moan at that sudden action.

“Ugh!”

She stood close to Lorendis. Her gaze wavered up and down, and she looked around like a lost child. Perhaps finding her gaze strange, Lorendis lowered his head.

“What’s wrong?”

“No-nothing.”

“That’s not the face of nothing, so speak plainly.”

The hand around her neck tightly bound her nape. As she hunched her shoulders and urgently reached out, red marks covered her wrist. From her wrist to the inside of her forearm, clear bite marks where teeth had nibbled and chewed were visible. Like red lotus flowers, they were vivid lip marks with a bright crimson hue. The traces were explicit.

Catherine tightly closed her eyes.

She now realized what Nancy meant when she said she should be careful with areas visible outside her clothes. They’re easily visible. The marks left on her wrist explicitly told of last night’s events.

“Would you like to look around?”

“You’re still in training……”

“It’s fine to take a quick look.”

This was the second time she had come here directly. The first time was half a year ago.

Catherine walked around the training ground alongside Lorendis. While doing so, they passed by knights who were resting.

“Why are they lying down?”

“Seems like they haven’t fully sobered up from yesterday’s drinking.”

The knights glanced at Lorendis as if they were fed up. Leonard shook the dust off his shirt and squatted on the ground. He sat on the bare ground covered in dirt as if dead, but warm heat was rising from his body.

“Leonard, are you okay?”

“Isn’t it the madam? What brings you here?”

Leonard was the knight who had recommended fruit beer to Catherine. Even the usually cheerfully smiling Leonard frowned at Lorendis, saying he was fed up.

‘Was the training tough?’

Everyone smiled awkwardly, but they clearly looked exhausted.

“Leonard, you’re sweating a lot too.”

“That’s evidence of being faithful to training.”

Leonard had a rugged yet gentle impression. His strong features revealed a gentle yet indifferent personality. When Catherine handed Leonard a handkerchief, he waved his hands in refusal.

“No, madam! To offer a handkerchief to someone like me. I can wipe my face with dust.”

“……Are you sure?”

“The handkerchief will get dirty. I’m already filthy and need to wash, so please keep it. You can give it to His Grace when he needs it later.”

Did he refuse because white handkerchiefs get dirty easily? As Catherine fidgeted with the embroidered handkerchief, a large hand wrapped around her wrist. It was a familiar touch.

Catherine blankly raised her head, and Lorendis was staring at her.

“You’re disrupting the knights’ training.”

“Yes, it’s disruptive…… No! That was a slip of the tongue. How could I dare say that the madam is disruptive?”

Leonard sent a silent glance to Lorendis as if wronged, then quietly closed his lips.

“Stop being disorderly and focus on training. Vice captain, please resume the remaining training.”

The vice commander tidied the surroundings and gave a salute. He wore guards on his wrists and shoulders, and even those guards were clearly marked with the laurel pattern.

Everything in Helen bore Helen’s traces. As Catherine stared as if entranced, the vice commander cleared his throat and spoke.

“This is a place where only rough men live together, so it might be boring for the madam to see. Please leave the knights’ training to me, and Your Grace should go now.”

Even the shoulders of the shirts worn by the knights had small laurel patterns. Suddenly, that pattern felt different.

“At first, that laurel pattern looked like the grim reaper…… But seeing you all walk on dust, everyone looks impressive.”

Even when coming to Helen, it felt like walking into danger of her own accord.

That was partly because she already knew about her future early death, and partly because the intimidation emanating from the laurel knights was rough and frightening.

“They need to train, so let’s go now. The dust makes it not such a pleasant sight for you either.”

Catherine looked up at Lorendis blankly and pulled at his clothes. He looked down at her and slowly tilted his head. His gaze asked ‘what?’ and that gaze settled on Catherine insensitively.

“Even the clothes you briefly wear for training have the laurel pattern?”

“It’s been that way since before. Thanks to that, there’s a good sense of belonging within the knights.”

To Lorendis’s indifferent comment, the vice commander objected that it wasn’t quite like that.

“It’s because it’s a knight order directly led by Lord Lorendis that we unite with such a sense of belonging. We’re people who would give our lives out of loyalty if asked.”

The vice commander proudly thumped his chest as he spoke.

“Half of these men are knights whose lives were saved by His Grace. That loyalty is so deep it would be tiresome to talk about.”

Leonard awkwardly scratched his head. From this, she realized that Leonard was also one of the knights who owed his life to Lorendis.

Dust rose as the wind blew. When Catherine tightly closed her eyes, Lorendis covered her eyes with his sleeve.

“Let’s go now.”

Lorendis just dusted himself off and put on his uniform over it.

“Where were you going?”

“I was just walking along the path……”

Lorendis mindlessly led Catherine by the wrist and walked somewhere. His large, determined steps were resolute, like someone who had already decided on a destination.

“Shouldn’t we hold a small banquet now?”

“Indeed, it’s about time to host a banquet. I might be a bit lacking and unskilled in preparing for a banquet……”

As she answered like that, Catherine realized.

This person is desperate to show me outside.

“Lorendis, you know.”

“What are you going to say now?”