* * *
Martius, who had been held by the 2nd Order of Knights for three straight days, had returned to the Viscount’s estate.
Since he followed through with the training to the end, the Crown Prince, seemingly impressed, granted him an extra two days of leave.
Not that he was grateful in the slightest—he just wanted to escape the imperial palace and go home.
“You came at the perfect time, dear. I found us a rather nice mansion.”
“You actually bought a house?”
“Oh, not bought—just rented. An Count I know mentioned a mansion in need of tenants…”
Under the sharp glare of her son, the Viscountess mumbled that it was a great deal for such a large place.
“How much is the rent per month?”
“Only 50 gold! For that enormous house! It’s four stories high, and we got it for a bargain!”
She only briefly looked at her son’s dark-circled face before her expression turned dreamy, no doubt imagining their new home.
“What was with the training all of a sudden? Was it because of what I said? You know you’re my only hope.”
It wasn’t because of her nagging, but Martius didn’t bother mentioning that he’d met his older brother.
If he did, she’d surely go off again about how the elder never did anything for his younger sibling.
“I’ll just live in the Order’s dorms. Please take me off the household registry.”
“What are you talking about? You need a home!”
She laughed and patted his back gently.
“We were waiting for you to come home. Everything’s already moved in. Thankfully, the house didn’t need any repairs, so we could move in right away.”
“What about Father?”
“He’s already at the new place.”
Walking across the creaky wooden hallway, Martius couldn’t hide his disappointment.
“Let’s build new memories in this nice house.”
‘Mother… what about my brother?’
Martius buried the question deep inside his chest.
“What will you do with this house?”
“I’ve already put it under your name. You’re a knight, after all. You should at least have one house in your own name, don’t you think? It’s better than selling it.”
The realtor, after hearing about her son, had encouraged her with something like, “A knight should at least own his own place.”
So she hadn’t sold it or used it to cover their expenses.
“How am I supposed to come up with 50 gold every month?”
Martius, now dragged into the carriage by his mother, felt like he was boiling inside.
It was more exhausting than the three days of brutal training that had pushed his body to its limits.
If they really went bankrupt, he might have to leave the capital altogether.
He recalled the face of his older brother, smiling so brightly during training.
He couldn’t become a burden to him any longer.
‘I’ll make sure the Viscount estate never weighs on him again.’
It’d be better if he just disappeared.
As he stepped down from the carriage and took in the sight of the new mansion, Martius silently made a vow.
✧ ✧ ✧
“Come, greet our guest. This is Sir Timothy Cavern.”
Though the new room was three times larger than his old one, it only made sleeping more difficult.
Unable to go back to sleep, Martius had been sitting in silence when his father arrived with a guest.
The moment he saw the visitor’s face, Martius shot to his feet.
“Greetings! Martius Nertian of the 4th Order of Knights, at your service!”
Timothy was a knight from the 3rd Order.
He was senior to Martius and had a reputation for not-so-great rumors.
“Sir Martius, it’s been a while. I heard you trained during your leave?”
“Yes, well… it just happened that way.”
Timothy greeted him with a hearty handshake, giving Martius a once-over with a smirk.
‘The younger brother’s not bad either,’ he thought, ‘It’s a shame he’s an Alpha.’
“Still, getting into the Crown Prince’s 2nd Order isn’t easy. The Duchess must’ve helped, right?”
“Martius! Is that true?!”
Apparently, the rumors had already spread through the Orders.
Timothy asked with open envy.
“There was someone my age, and by chance, we—”
“I’ve already heard the stories about how you trained with the Duchess. No need to hide it.”
‘My father really keeps strange company’, Martius thought, but gave a reluctant nod.
“I got dragged into it, really.”
“Dragged in?”
If that wasn’t being dragged in, what else would you call it?
“If you’d like, Sir, I can take you to the 2nd Order myself.”
His jaw clenched with a slight crack, involuntarily putting pressure on his chin.
Timothy flinched and took a step back.
He’d only slept three hours in the past three days.
Being the Duchess’s younger brother meant extra attention—and a harsher workload.
He’d been pushed harder than anyone else.
“I hear His Highness has grown stronger. Seems the 2nd Order is more intense than ever.”
“Soon the Duke will probably rework all the Orders personally.”
Martius pictured the Crown Prince groveling on the floor, clinging to the Duke and whining that they should wreck all the Orders together.
He didn’t know why this guy had attached himself to his father, but whatever Timothy was planning wouldn’t last.
Soon he’d be groveling, too.
“No need to be so wary. I just wanted to get to know you better.”
“Of course.”
Timothy raised a sly smile to those cautious eyes.
Seeing a face that resembled the Duchess made his stomach tighten.
He’d met her once by chance at a gathering.
She had pretended not to recognize him, even after releasing pheromones as if to seduce him.
When he heard she was training with her younger brother, he couldn’t just sit still.
The Viscount had offered to introduce his son multiple times, but their schedules never aligned.
“I heard you’re a rising star in the 4th Order. Looks like that wasn’t just empty praise.”
At those words, the Viscount’s face lit up.
“Haha, he’s been praised for his talent with the sword since he was a boy.”
Timothy’s compliments prompted the Viscount to brag about the praise Martius had received from countless sword masters.
Martius had to hold back his embarrassment.
“Becoming a royal knight at twenty—now that’s truly impressive.”
Timothy laughed, thinking, ‘I had to bribe my way in, and this little Viscount’s son got in on pure skill?’
“Thank you.”
“Sir Nertian, how about we young men go somewhere fun together?”
“I’m actually quite tired—”
“That’s a splendid idea! Haha! I should’ve considered letting you young folks bond more.”
The Viscount let out a hearty laugh and stood up.
It was Timothy who had introduced this new mansion to them.
He’d mentioned someone he knew was looking for a tenant and helped them sign a cheap lease.
They’d gotten it 30 gold cheaper than the surrounding rates, so it was a good deal for the family.
The Viscount had never liked seeing his youngest wandering around without any decent friends.
He hoped Martius could befriend someone reliable like Timothy and expand his network.
He didn’t know how the bad rumors had started, but the Timothy Cavern he’d met seemed quite resourceful.
He respected his elders and, as the second son of a wealthy earl’s family, knew everyone worth knowing.
If Martius got close to Timothy, maybe he’d even be introduced to a fine woman from a good family.
“Sir Cavern, I really am fine, thank you.”
Although Martius had politely refused several times, the other man managed to get him into the carriage with the help of the viscount.
“Sir…”
“Just come and see for yourself before making up your mind.”
What a bore.
Timothy sneered at Martius, who sat stiffly.
The duchess had been much more charming.
No—he should say Sylvian now.
Ever since they met at the banquet, that sweet pheromone had lingered in his mind.
It had been a nightmare trying to deal with the waves of lust that surged up because of that damned pheromone.
* * *
