Larisa spoke with a determined expression, “Still, I took the entrance exam fairly, right? If you felt unfairly treated, you should have beaten me.”

“Hey, considering how many risk their lives here…”

“Do I seem unenthusiastic?”

Huh? Alexander wore a perplexed expression.

“I’m not a genius, so I wasn’t desperate. I just got selected, you know. You also know how hard I work.”

Alexander nodded. Larisa was known for putting in extra effort in individual training, apart from regular classes. Alexander cautiously asked, “But why do you work so hard?”

“…”

“Do you have some circumstances?”

Larisa smiled bitterly.

“Just because. Lady Ginevra suggested that it would be good for me to join the Knight Department.”

Ah, that was the reason. There weren’t many wards who could ignore the opinion of their benefactors. Alexander was aware of the rumors about Larisa being Lady Ginevra’s cute doll.

Larisa seemed to be making efforts in her own way to survive. Alexander unconsciously cast a scrutinizing gaze at Larisa.

“If you didn’t join the Knight Department, where do you think you would have gone?”

“Well, maybe Alchemy?”

“Isn’t that because of that senior from earlier? What do you really want to do?”

“I don’t know. I don’t have dreams.”

As Larisa spoke, she seemed a bit melancholic. Alexander felt a heavy atmosphere.

“Um, maybe dreams will emerge as you go through school life.”

“Do you think so?”
“That’s right! The academy is like a small society. Hey, why don’t you try various experiences.”

“Yeah, true. I also worried about what I would do to make a living if I lived independently.”

Born as the third son of the Belboro family, Alexander had once faced such concerns. While others might say, “Why worry? Your big brother will take care of everything,” Alexander didn’t want to live by clinging to his brothers like his cousins did, tarnishing the family’s honor.

So, Alexander gave sincere advice without realizing it.

“I don’t know why you don’t want to become a noble, but consider receiving the Royal Knight appointment. You’ll also get a knighthood and a good annual allowance. You might be able to choose a better groom with better conditions.”

“Do I have to get married?”

Alexander was surprised by Larisa’s unconventional thinking ahead of the times.

“Well, not necessarily. If there’s no suitable partner, you might choose not to.”

“Then you won’t receive the yearly budget, or rather, the dowry.”

The dowry fund was set up to return the principal to the family in case the daughter did not marry and passed away.

‘Ah! So, was that senior cautioning me because she didn’t want her dowry taken away?’

Alexander’s imagination wandered far. He felt a strong sense of obligation to protect his friend from the sinister Duke Lodante.
“Lara, make sure you become a Royal Knight. And marry someone gentle and obedient. That way, you can receive a dowry.”

“Huh?”

“Think about it; you can quit being a Royal Knight after just three years. After that, you can use the dowry to do whatever you want. First, take the money and then figure out what you want to do.”

Larisa looked at Alexander with a strange gaze.

‘Someone gentle and obedient.’

Isn’t that William? Although she hadn’t ordered him to die, he probably would if she asked.

Wait, now that she thought about it, Alexander, despite grumbling, followed along every day, participated in all the training, and even came all the way here for meals.

If she married William, the duties of a Duchess would follow, but if she married Alexander…

‘Isn’t that freedom?’

Larisa chuckled and said, “Alex, you’re a good guy too.”

“Huh…?”

“No, thanks for worrying about me and everything.”

Alexander blushed.

On Friday evening, during the dinner gathering at Hadel after a long time, Larisa smiled and said, “Mother, scold William a bit, please.”

“Huh?”

Ginevra widened her eyes.

“William caused a lot of trouble for my friend, the first person I made friends with in the Knight Academy.”

One of Ginevra’s eyebrows raised.

“Did he?”

“…Not causing trouble.”

William awkwardly replied.

“You know, Alex couldn’t even eat properly because of William, right?”
Ginevra looked at William with a stern expression. William coughed lightly and offered an explanation.

“I was just curious about who he is, so we had a meal together.”

“He caused quite a stir. Alex even expressed concerns about how you would fare after marrying me later.”

All eyes were on William. He chuckled nervously and made a small excuse.

“I didn’t… I just asked some basic questions.”

Larisa grumbled.

“Don’t try to act like an older brother when you’re not.”

There was annoyance in her tone.

‘Is this adolescence?’

Ginevra finally thought that the time had come.

While William’s adolescence passed like a storm, along with gradually recovering memories from the past, Larisa’s adolescence was an unknown entity that she had never experienced before.

Ginevra cautiously intervened, observing Larisa’s reactions.

“True. Larisa is the most sociable among us. Even if we leave her alone, she’ll handle things well.”