“Still, isn’t it too disrespectful for someone who is supposed to be the Knight Commander?”

Two men bickered like children over sandwiches.

“If you’re not going to eat, just don’t. I didn’t make it for the Knight Commander; I made it with care for my lady.”

Hertian solemnly took Havel’s plate away.

“Hey!”

Then, Havel cheekily snatched a sandwich, put it in his mouth, and chewed. Hertian placed the plate back down with an unsatisfied expression.

“It might be because he’s the Knight Commander. Please endure it a bit, my lady, even if it’s a bit unpleasant to see.”

“I hope you enjoy it. Eat a lot, Havel.”

I also took a big bite, following Havel.

The sandwich I chose had egg in it, and the savory taste made me unintentionally make a delighted sound.

“It’s so delicious.”

I focused on nibbling on the sandwich for a while without saying anything.

Havel finished one sandwich during that time and wiped his mouth.

“I enjoyed it. Your Highness.”

“Make the most of the favor you’ve gained.”

“No. I’ll compensate you with the value of the high-quality wine you took from me last time.”

Listening quietly, it seemed the two were indeed close friends.

I finished the remaining sandwiches without leaving any behind.

The two continued their endless banter.

“But today, you seem to have dressed up excessively for the palace commute, unlike your usual self who doesn’t even wash properly.”

Havel coughed loudly at his words and glanced at me.

“What nonsense is this? I came as the Knight Commander, at least with minimal formality.”

“Well, fortunately. I thought you might have dressed up excessively to impress my lady today.”

“Well, that’s not entirely incorrect.”

“Unpleasant, Knight Commander.”

“I’m uncomfortable too, Your Highness.”

They exchanged glances with displeasure.

I finished wiping my mouth and had a light snack with the juice he brought.

“If you’ve finished, please don’t bother us anymore.”

“We have to wait until Her Grace finishes, and then we’ll discuss matters together.”

Havel also subtly teased Hertian.

While Hertian might be like that, I wondered why even Havel was behaving like that.

Listening to their conversation, I hoped someone would answer as I threw a question.

“How do you two know each other?”

For Hertian, memories in the palace were not long.

And since he didn’t like staying in the palace, he spent time in the townhouse in the capital.

The rest of the time was spent going back and forth between the battlefield and territories.

I became curious about why Havel, the adopted son of the Sharpenen Duke, and the Knight Commander had become so close.

“Same academy.”

“A friend of a friend who went to Dash.”

Hertian intercepted Havel’s response.

I asked again as the mixed answers were unclear.

“So, what kind of relationship is that?”

Then Havel spoke first.

“Same academy.”

“A friend of a friend who went to Dash, in short, we got to know each other through connections.”

Once again, Hertian intercepted the response. To make it easier for me to understand, he added an explanation.

“Oh, he was a friend of a friend.”

“That’s right.”

Hertian smiled agreeably and forcibly shoved a sandwich into Havel’s mouth. With his mouth full of the sandwich, Havel expressed his dissatisfaction, swallowing it.

“We’re not particularly close.”

Even that statement was possible because they were close.

“Rather than being close, we were more like rivals.”

“Rivals, really? In terms of swordsmanship?”

I blinked my eyes, looking back and forth at the two.

Come to think of it, one was a Duke known as the War Ear, and the other was the Knight Commander of the Imperial Palace.

It was impossible to gauge who would win in a swordsmanship competition.

“Her Grace wouldn’t have imagined such a rivalry at all.”

Havel replied, and then rummaged through the picnic bag.

“You didn’t bring something like wine?”

Then, he suddenly found a bottle of alcohol.

“No.”

“Now is the perfect time for just one drink.”

Havel sighed in disappointment and took a sip of the juice.
“Do you like wine? I’ll send you a bottle of Château Sharpenen later. It’s for the Lady as well.”

“Oh, no. It’s just that it doesn’t sit well with me.”

He awkwardly laughed.

Suddenly, Havel, who was looking for alcohol, caught my attention.

“Even so, we’re on duty, and alcohol is not allowed. We still have work to do.”

“Well, about that.”

Instead of wine, Hertian filled a cup with juice and handed it to Havel. Whether it was burning his insides or not, Havel emptied the cup.

“I guess I won, and now my insides are burning.”

Havel wiped his mouth roughly at the response.

He seemed to be holding back from making a loud noise.

Apparently, it was about swordsmanship.

“Do you acknowledge Havel’s skill, Knight Commander?”

“I have to acknowledge what needs to be acknowledged.”

His response was more straightforward than I expected, so I didn’t press further.

Then, I recalled the words I had heard from him earlier and grabbed Havel, asking him.

“But, Havel, have you heard anything about the prophet that Her Majesty has been seeking lately?”