Chapter Nine: Unease (Lyos’s POV)
“I feel like we might have done something bad to Karen.”
Frieda said that as she placed a bowl of soup.
Lyos sighed in exasperation. The training of the kingdom’s knights was taking a toll on his body. Even though his blessed bloodline had given him a harder physique than the average person, he was still dragging his tired body back home.
And yet, his mother Frieda was bringing up that finished topic again.
“Mother, didn’t you agree that Karen wasn’t a suitable match for me?”
“Yes, you’ve become such a fine knight. An F-rank alchemist just isn’t your equal. But still, that girl had done so much for you…”
“Tch. I’ve told you time and again, Karen only did that because she couldn’t do anything else.”
Karen couldn’t become a proper alchemist, let alone a knight like Lyos. Marian was right about her.
“Everything Karen ever did for me could have been done by a hired servant. And she acted so self-righteous about it… The thought of hearing that for a lifetime if I had married her makes me sick.”
I supported you. I helped you.
Finally, she had the audacity to say, “You only got better because of me.”
She was just someone who spent a bit of her childhood with him, yet an F-rank alchemist thought she could bind a knight for the rest of his life.
It saddened Lyos that the only law he could find to punish her was "insulting a knight.”
“Mother, if that woman ever loiters around here, report her to the military police immediately. If she causes any harm, we can charge her with obstruction of national defense.”
“That seems overly harsh…”
“First offense, they’ll just give her a warning. I’m being merciful, don’t you think? Better to warn her before she does something unforgivable.”
It was a crime to obstruct knights or adventurers who risk their lives to protect the kingdom. Even nobles or royalty could be prosecuted for such interference. The greater the achievements of the warrior, the harsher the punishment for the crime.
“I’ll achieve enough merit that if that clingy woman ever shows up before me, she’ll face a severe punishment.”
Lyos quickly turned his attention to his soup, eager to end the conversation. He needed to regain his strength for tomorrow’s duties. But as he spooned the chicken and beans into his mouth, he frowned.
“…Mother, what’s this? The food tastes so bland.”
“Bland? Whatever do you mean?”
“The flavor… it’s lacks flavor.”
As he ate, Lyos felt something was off. It wasn’t like the food tasted bland—In fact, it was rather strong, given that it was made by his mother, whose aging taste buds sometimes led to overseasoning. Usually, just one bite would spread a revitalizing energy throughout his body, but this time, it wasn’t there.
“Is this the same muscle-building dish as usual?”
“Yes, it’s the recipe Karen used to make. Could it be that you didn’t like her recipe?”
“No, the recipe itself isn’t the problem.”
It was Karen’s recipe, created while she muttered something incomprehensible like, “If you want to build muscle, protein is the key.” He didn’t like it, but it worked for his body, so he had no choice but to accept it. However, this time something felt different.
“…Maybe I’m just more depleted from the knight’s training than I realized.”
“When you’re tired, you tend to crave saltier foods. I should have made it more flavorful.”
Frieda dutifully brought over some salt for Lyos. The chicken and bean soup with extra salt was overly salty and practically inedible. However, he was the one who had criticized the flavor. Lyos finished it without comment. If she truly thought this was edible, then he could no longer trust his mother with cooking.
“…Mother, maybe we should hire a servant?”
“Yes, that would be best. Karen is gone now, and Marian is the young lady of the Gubert Trading Company, so she can’t help with the housework.”
Frieda gave a lonely smile. Lyos’ father was already gone. Though they had wealth, Lyos constantly warned his mother not to let strangers get too close. But perhaps her loneliness made Karen’s companionship irreplaceable.
Lyos suddenly had a brilliant idea.
“If you feel sorry for Karen, why not hire her as a servant?”
“W-What? Turn the girl who was supposed to be my daughter-in-law into a servant? That’s…”
“She might even be happy about it. With her D-rank magic, she has no hope of advancing as an alchemist. If you offer her a paying job, she’d probably jump at the chance.”
Lyos would never stoop so low as to damage his pride in such a way, but Karen seemed the type to take it on with a sheepish smile. Moreover, having broken off her long-standing engagement with Lyos, Karen was now considered damaged goods—it was unlikely she would find another suitor anytime soon.
“I’d be happy to be able to cook with Karen again, but…”
“If she knew you felt that way, she’d probably cry tears of joy.”
“You think so…?”
“She’s just an F-rank, Mother.”
“That’s true… she is an F-rank.”
His mother’s expression brightened, and Lyos felt relieved. Marian might frown upon hiring Karen, but Karen would be a convenient servant. After all, they had been engaged for eight years—she understood Lyos very well. In fact, Lyos wouldn’t mind paying her double the going rate. It would still be pocket change to him.
As long as he maintained a firm stance as her employer and made sure she didn’t get cheeky, she could be useful. Even as he prepared for bed, Lyos couldn’t help but praise his own idea.
“No matter how I think about it, Karen is the perfect servant for our household… If she works hard, maybe I’d even consider making her my mistress.”
Though he had cast her aside, he didn’t completely lack feelings for her. As Lyos considered how to persuade Marian, he fell into a peaceful slumber.
However, the next day, the day after, and the day after that, no matter how many times Frieda visited Karen’s home, Karen remained absent, telling the neighbors she was out working.
The audacity is appalling
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