Home/I confined you, but I have no ill will/ch 29

29.

When they brought back a wild boar, the barony would turn festive. The massive beast had a gamey smell, but when roasted with the herbs her grandfather procured, it was incredibly delicious.

They had also caught quail and baked them wrapped in clay—the meat would turn out so tender that she could eat two even with just a sprinkle of salt.

Rabbit meat was delicious too.

To Ibelin, everything in the mountains was divided into edible and inedible. Of course, the young veal steak served here was also excellent—melt-in-the-mouth tender, the kind everyone would enjoy.

But it didn't have that taste—the one that came after hunting in the wild and butchering the game.

After a leisurely multi-course meal, they had dessert—sweet cream topped with fruit and simmered jam, also excellent.

"How did you find the meal?"

At Leonhardt's question, Ibelin smiled lightly and answered.

"All the dishes were wonderful."

"Is that so? Well, I suppose these are foods you wouldn't easily find in the provinces."

He had been sending her strange glances all along—he was clearly displeased that Ibelin was Kite's fiancée.

"In the provinces, we often eat different things. If Your Majesty permits, I would like to treat you to a meal sometime."

Pretending not to notice Leonhardt's hostility, Ibelin said that. With Kite holding her leash, any rebellious move would only make things worse.

"You can cook?"

"Yes. I naturally learned while hunting with my grandfather."

"You hunt too? What do you catch?"

"Well, usually wild boar or deer that damage crops."

"What?"

Leonhardt asked back in disbelief.

"Wild boar? How do you catch them?"

"First, I set a snare on a frequently used path. Then, once the boar is caught, I shoot it with a bow or strike its head with a hammer."

"Huh? Really? That's brave."

"Is it?"

Having even caught a bear before, Ibelin didn't understand why that was considered brave. The truly dangerous ones weren't boars—boars only occasionally harmed people, but once a bear acquired a taste for humans, it would actively hunt them.

"We should go hunting together sometime."

"I'd be happy to."

Leonhardt seemed to have more to say, but he fell silent. Nothing else happened afterward.

After the meal, Kite helped Ibelin escape from Leonhardt.

---

Thus, two days passed.

During that time, Ibelin hadn't even seen the hem of Kite's clothes.

"Are you bored?"

Alex, who had been attached to her side, grinned and wiggled his nose.

Since Kite couldn't be with Ibelin himself, he had assigned Lucen and Alex to her. Though they alternated as squad leaders, both were high-ranking knights—having them accompany her was a significant gesture, meant to establish Ibelin's position as his fiancée.

With two well-known knights of the order by her side, no suspicious person approached.

"The palace is lively."

Indeed, the palace was bustling with arriving guests.

"Yes—His Majesty's birthday is in three days. Today and tomorrow will see the most arrivals."

"It's impressive."

"Right? There's always plenty to see during this time. The festive atmosphere continues for about a week after the birthday as well. Perhaps Lord Kite could show you around later?"

Would he, though? Just because he was keeping her here as his fiancée didn't mean they had any real relationship. Ibelin smiled awkwardly and looked away. The breeze through the open window was cool.

"Could I take a short walk in the garden?"

"You mean the garden below? That one is open to all palace guests, so you're welcome to."

Ibelin should have known then—if it was a place open to all palace guests, she might run into someone troublesome.

Enjoying the beautiful flowers and trees in the garden lasted only a moment.

"Well, well—who do we have here? Sir Alex!"

A young man with a rough appearance, also walking in the garden, called out to Alex. The moment he saw him, Alex smiled with amusement.

"Right, long time no see. What was your name? Sir Lise?"

"Lucen! Can't you even remember a name properly?"

"Right—that was it. I remember you getting beaten by Lucen and ending up in the hospital. When did you get out?"

The moment the words left his mouth, Lucen (?) trembled with rage. Two knights stood beside him, and one urgently whispered something in his ear. Apparently, that calmed him down slightly.

"Who is he?"

Taking the opportunity, Ibelin quickly asked Alex, and he answered.

"He's from House Barkel's Iron Knight Order."

Barkel—she had heard that name before. It was the house of the man beside Leonhardt when she first met him, the Emperor's maternal relatives. They had strong ambitions for power, but Kite stood in their way.

"Are relations bad?"

"It's hard to be good, isn't it? We beat them soundly in a past knight tournament."

Normally, tournaments were sword duels—but they had openly thrashed them, even silencing them before they could surrender.

"Ah, I see."

So they were enemies. Ibelin looked at the other side with an awkward expression.

The man's eyes quickly swept over Ibelin. Then his body shifted toward her—it seemed he was switching targets since Alex was too hard to handle.

Ibelin's hand unconsciously drifted toward her thigh, where she hid her weapons.

"Greetings, Lady Frillie."

"Hello, Sir—"

"Ruse. This is my first time meeting you. Are you enjoying your stay at the palace?"

"Yes, everyone has been very kind."

"I suppose so. You wouldn't see such things in the provinces, would you? I hear even nobles there eat nothing but bread and butter."

His intent to insult was so blatant that she didn't even feel angry—just wondered what to do about it.

It reminded her of when a giant moth flew into the house, or when she saw a centipede—that same feeling of wondering how to deal with it.

She thought a verbal dismissal would be the safest approach. Just as she opened her mouth to speak, someone flew in from the side.

"Huh?"

That is—Alex had launched himself and kicked Ruse.

"To insult my lord's fiancée—unforgivable!"

Despite the words, his voice sounded thoroughly excited.

"You madman!"

Ruse was sent flying, his body bent in half from the kick. The other knights reacted immediately, but Alex was faster—he drew his sword and began driving them back.

But as with pests, when you see one, there are many more unseen. More knights of House Barkel appeared from somewhere and joined in.

"Oh dear."

Ibelin stepped back and watched the brawl unfold. Any trace of knightly decorum had long been discarded.

Alex fought well, but being outnumbered, he began to be pushed back as they employed rotating tactics.

The capital is frightening—knights brawling over such a trivial reason.

Ibelin shuddered anew and retreated further. Just as she lifted her skirt to reach for the gun hidden beneath—

"Stop!"

A firm voice rang out loudly.

"Have you all gone mad!"

Turning toward the voice, she saw an elderly woman with silver hair neatly braided. From her uniform, she was clearly no ordinary person.

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