“…?”

An urgent matter?

Upon hearing the unexpected news, both I and Anna, the maid attending me, widened our eyes.

Blinking, I exchanged glances with Anna, then hurriedly stood up and spoke.

“I’m not sure what’s happening, but we should prepare to leave immediately. Can you help me?”

“Yes, my lady.”

Anna obediently answered and soon returned with a cloak. As it was late November and the weather was extremely chilly, it was necessary to wear a cloak to go outside.

After combing my hair, putting on the cloak, and changing my shoes to boots, I went outside with Anna.

Did it take about 5 minutes? The servant waiting outside during that short time approached us with a somewhat hurried look as soon as he saw us.

“My lady.”

“So, what’s going on at the knight’s training ground?”

“Yes, well…”

The story told by the servant wasn’t particularly surprising. Maybe I had anticipated something like this would happen.

‘It’s the same everywhere with this kind of rivalry.’

Upon arriving at the knight’s training ground, I didn’t immediately make my presence known. Instead, I quietly entered.

The inside of the training ground was, as expected, noisy and chaotic. The knights were gathered, engrossed in some kind of story, and in one corner, a few boys who looked like apprentice knights were confronting a redhaired boy.

That redhaired boy, of course, was Rodri.

‘He’s got a bruise on his face. His lip is split… I wonder if he’s hurt anywhere else…’

I closely observed Rodri, who looked painfully just from appearance. It seemed he had had a fistfight after arguing with the apprentice knights, and somehow, only Rodri looked thoroughly beaten.

‘Why are the other guys so unscathed.’

Out of the three apprentice knights who were confronting Rodri, only one had a small injury on his cheek. The rest were unharmed.

‘Ah, it’s heartbreaking…’

Rodri was on the handsome side. According to the original work, even when he becomes an adult, he maintains that face without any reverse harem. He was indeed a candidate for the main male character, just like a fallen flower.

They made such a face of Rodri into this state! Those uncivilized brutes! Beauties should be protected!

I walked towards them with heavy steps. When I stepped into the middle of the training ground from near the door, a few knights who finally noticed me gasped for breath.

I glared at the knights with fierce eyes. Adults watching children fight without stopping them? Not able to guide them properly!

“Red hair, you deserve to be hit because…”

One of the apprentice knights, who was badmouthing Rodri, spotted me and immediately shut up.

And almost at the same time, the other two also noticed my presence. Rodri was no exception. Rodri widened his eyes at me.

He didn’t seem to have expected that I would come here.

“Gosh, Duchess…”

“Why are you here…”

“This is, well…”

The three apprentice knights mumbled, watching my reaction. I gave them a threatening smile.

“I heard all about it. You guys, are you unhappy that Rodri is receiving training as an apprentice knight?”

When I asked, the three boys glanced at each other and bowed their heads. Whether they knew who the instigator was or not, they probably felt less guilty because they were together rather than tormenting someone alone. That’s human psychology.

“Why do you ignore and torment Rodri while you get along well with Jade? Is it because Rodri is a slave? A bloodline beastman?”

“…That’s not because… he is a former slave…”

One boy muttered timidly in a shrinking voice. Well, I thought so. There seemed to be a few knights in the knight’s group who were former slaves that Grayan saved.

Therefore, the reason these guys don’t like Rodri is… Because he’s a bloodline beastman who doesn’t get along well with wolf beastmen, and also.

“Do you think that Rodri lacks basics and qualifications?”

“…!”

Boys 1, 2, and 3 flinched almost simultaneously at the stab at the truth. They were so easy to read.

The knight group is strictly meritocratic. Regardless of origin, the most outstanding knight becomes the leader, and ranks are divided according to the skill assessment held annually.

I had heard this fact from Grayan and was well aware of it.

When Rodri, the child I brought, said he wanted to manage directly, he kindly explained the operation of the knight group to me.

“But seriously, are you sure you’ve properly evaluated Rodri? Not just judging him because of his ‘successor’ title?”

“Eh, we… um…”

Their inability to flatly deny it showed that I hit the mark.

Looking at Rodri, who was staring at me with a blank expression, and then at the three boys, I proposed a suggestion.

“Then let’s do this. There’s a knight brigade skill evaluation coming up soon, right?”

The skills evaluation contest is held on the 15th of every month. It’s the end of the month now, so the time has passed, and we have to wait until December next month.

“Let’s bet whether Rodri’s skills will greatly improve or stay the same by then.”

“A… bet?!”