Chapter 1 (Part 2)

It hadn’t even been a month since Kayev became a knight of the House of Earl Danverton, and already, all the household staff knew that Celestia was fond of him.  

The youngest and most naive lady of the house had no idea how to hide her feelings and even less knowledge of how to endure the frustration of not getting what she wanted.  

What was fortunate for Celestia was that her first love was so typical that no one felt the need to intervene. A noblewoman harboring affection for a family knight was a common tale, often dismissed among nobles as nothing more than a fleeting memory of childhood.  

The only problem was that her object of affection happened to be Kayev Ruden.  

Unbeknownst to Celestia, Kayev had been just as famous as her before the fall of the House of Duke Ruden. While his fame owed much to his status as the sole heir of an ancient family, Kayev Ruden possessed charms that far surpassed his lineage.  

It was a well-known story that even Prince Jacob had taken notice of him as a child and kept him by his side. He was the kind of knight anyone would covet.  

From a young age, Kayev Ruden had shown exceptional skill in swordsmanship. It was only natural that he joined the Knight Order, and had things not gone awry, he would have naturally risen to the position of Knight Commander. He had both the talent and the family name to support such a future.  

However, the reason for his widespread fame within the Kingdom was not solely due to his swordsmanship.  

‘The Mad Hound of the Knight Order.’  

‘Prince Jacob’s Rabid Hunting Dog.’  

These nicknames, often likening him to a dog, stemmed from his filthy temper, which contrasted sharply with his striking appearance. He was notorious for attacking anyone, regardless of status.  

Perhaps because he had long been subjected to various forms of opposition as Prince Jacob’s close aide, Kayev Ruden harbored a deep resentment toward noble society. But anyone who had experienced his personality firsthand would realize that his temperament wasn’t solely a reaction to such opposition—it was simply who he was.  

He showed no mercy to those who challenged or provoked him. If he was attacked or wronged, he would retaliate without fail—such was Kayev Ruden.  

As befitted the legitimate heir of a prestigious family, he was inherently arrogant and impatient. Combined with youthful recklessness, he became an uncontrollable madman.  

Thus, when tragedy unexpectedly struck the House of Duke Ruden, the nobles openly mocked the young duke with his infamous personality. Even those who wouldn’t have dared meet his gaze when his position was secure reveled in his downfall and ridiculed him.  

Only a handful of people who had once followed the dukedom worried about Kayev’s safety. At the same time, they feared what he might do, driven by vengeance.  

Even Prince Jacob, who had been exiled to the northern regions due to Prince Julian’s schemes, was most concerned about him.  

‘Don’t take your own life, Kayev.’ 

The prince feared that Kayev might succumb to his temper and end his own life. Thankfully, that didn’t happen. After Prince Julian sent Kayev to the Danverton estate to keep him under surveillance, he seemed to adapt to his new circumstances rather quietly.  

Though there were occasional scuffles with the knights of the estate, it was surprisingly subdued behavior for someone of Kayev’s temperament. Of course, no one knew that beneath the surface, he was sharpening the blade of revenge.  

And in the midst of such circumstances, the dynamic between Celestia and Kayev resulted in the worst possible outcome.  

If she hadn’t fallen for him—or at least refrained from approaching him so excessively—things might have been different. But when it came to Kayev, Celestia charged forward like a reckless bull, heedless of the consequences. Kayev, for his part, found her insufferable, if not outright contemptible.  

At the time, he lacked the emotional capacity or generosity to entertain the immature affection of a noble lady—especially one from the House of Danverton, which had contributed to his downfall.  

Naturally, Celestia had no sense of consideration for his feelings. Their interactions brought about tragic consequences for everyone involved.  

Celestia was, by all accounts, an ordinary noblewoman. She was clumsy, as girls her age often were, and ignorant of the world, as nobles often were. She didn’t understand that even servants had their own circumstances, nor did she consider how her gestures of goodwill might be perceived by others.  

To put it kindly, she was naive. To put it bluntly, she had never once needed to be perceptive in her life.  

Even setting aside her recklessly innocent personality, Celestia had a look and manner of speaking that invited misunderstanding. Her golden blonde hair, deep blue eyes, and upward-tilted cat-like gaze were undeniably beautiful but gave off an air of aloofness.  

Her increasingly striking beauty earned her admiration but also led to the occasional misconception that she was cold or arrogant.  

In truth, she didn’t get along well with other noble girls her age in the area. Her dazzling appearance, combined with the stigma of her family’s commoner origins, was always a poor combination.  

If her late mother had been alive, perhaps she would have gently guided her. Or if her father had paid her even a bit more attention, he might have separated her from Kayev.  

But the men of the Danverton family were largely indifferent to Celestia. The decision to assign Kayev as her personal knight stemmed from that very indifference.  

Her father, who had brought Kayev to the estate on Prince Julian’s orders, had no intention of granting him any significant position. Assigning him to guard the youngest daughter, who rarely left the estate, was meant to humiliate him further.  

Thus, Celestia’s affections grew unchecked, like a wild weed in the neglect of her family. Perhaps their indifference only made her cling to Kayev more.  

In her eyes, he was just as much of an outcast as she was. She wanted to rescue him from the loneliness that felt so familiar to her.  

Her feelings for him were far more intense and obsessive than anyone could have anticipated. Even Celestia herself didn’t know where such fervor came from—it simply burned for Kayev.  

At sixteen, Celestia loved him with all her heart. The problem was that her passion always manifested in the wrong ways.  

For instance, she thought of baking cookies for him.  

***

‘I made these cookies myself. You have to eat them all by yourself.’  

‘Why won’t you wear the clothes I gave you? If you don’t like them, I’ll have something else tailored for you.’  

‘I noticed your sword is quite worn… I’ll ask Father to get you a new one.’  

Looking back, her actions were outrageously self-centered. Celestia never considered how much discomfort her attention caused him. She simply wanted to express, share, and showcase her immature love.  

‘You have to escort me on tomorrow’s outing, Kayev.’  

‘After lunch, come to the tea room. Promise?’  

‘Why did you send someone else to the dressmaker’s when we agreed you’d come with me? That’s so mean, Kayev.’  

Her constant requests, like her gifts, were expressions of affection. She liked Kayev, so she wanted him near her. His stiff or grim expressions didn’t matter to her. She didn’t understand that excessive passion could become poison.  

She vaguely believed that caring for Kayev couldn’t be a bad thing for him. After all, a servant’s value often depended on their master’s favor.  

Disregarding Kayev’s circumstances, Celestia gave him everything she could. That was her way of loving him.  

Her misguided courtship lasted about two years before coming to an end when Kayev left the Danverton estate. At eighteen, Celestia still loved him, but her love couldn’t stop him from leaving.  

On the night he fled the estate, Celestia knelt before him and wept.  

Under the crescent moon, in the dim darkness, her tears blurred her vision, and she could barely see his face.  

‘Kayev, can’t you stay? Please? I won’t bother you anymore. I won’t trouble you. Just stay here. I won’t ask you to attend tea parties or hunting events anymore. I won’t give you gifts you don’t like. I’ll just leave you alone… So please, don’t leave, Kayev…’  

The true reason for Kayev’s departure lay elsewhere, but since he didn’t explain it to her, she could only blame herself.  

Despite her desperate pleas, her knight Kayev vanished from the House of Danverton that night, never to return. Celestia, left behind, couldn’t forget him even after he was gone.  

For nearly three years, she thought of him often, sometimes shedding tears. The eighteen-year-old girl who had loved him grew into a twenty-one-year-old young lady.  

And at twenty-one, she was no longer the noble daughter of an Earl’s family.