âYes, yes! Lily Isles⊠no, de Winter, my older sister. Yes. But who are youâŠ?â
âSomeone you shouldnât dare ask.â
Dandelionâs face paled. Â He was near the Order of Knights, so it was obvious that he had a fairly high position among them.
Just then, Dandelion discovered another knight who appeared to be a subordinate standing behind the man.
The brown-haired man was also staring at him fiercely.
Dandelion couldnât even think of bowing down and hiccuped. âHey. SirâŠ? Knight? Are you going to punish me for nothing? I just talked about my sister, so itâs a family problem⊠And Iâm the duchessâs younger brother. My older sisterâs husband is the highest one here. Donât you know?â
Vlad looked down at him with a dull look on his face. âHow old are you?â
âMe? Iâm 18 this yearâŠâ
The duke frowned slightly. As he recalled, when he was 18, he was in the midst of severing the head of an enemy at the frontline. âIâm not old enough to just move on from an idiotâs words.â
As soon as Vlad had finished speaking, the chief knight removed the medal from his uniform and shoved it into Dandelionâs mouth.
It was a common tactic to scare the trainees who spoke recklessly.
ââŠ!â
Dandelion trembled at the touch of the cold medal on his tongue.
If someone punched it, his teeth and jaw would be shattered.
An extreme fear struck Dandelion.
Vlad looked at him with unwavering eyes..
He remembered Lily, who worried about her younger brother even while suffering from a high fever.
[Donât say anything. Iâm worried⊠that you and the others will catch my fever.]
Vladâs eyes, which became even colder, turned to Dandelion.
âYour sister doesnât seem to know how to handle her younger brother. She must have⊠taken care of you with love and compassion.â He tilted his head and looked down at Dandelion. âBut this is your punishment.â
The younger man trembled and began to shed tears.
âMhm⊠hm, mhmmâŠâ
The chief knight raised his hand as if waiting.
Dandelion sobbed and closed his eyes tightly.
However, even after waiting for a long time, what he was prepared for did not happen.
When he slowly opened his eyes, the chief knight grabbed his chin and pulled out the medal, wiping the saliva on his clothes.
Vlad grimaced as he looked at Dandelion, who was looking at him in dismay. âIf I hear something that shouldnât be said just one more time, you will be disciplined in a way you canât even imagine. SoâŠâ
Under Dandelionâs curtain-like eyelashes, the moist green eyes glowed bewilderingly.
ââŠThank yourself for the features that resemble your older sister.â
When the chief knight let go of the hand holding his chin, Dandelion slowly sat down and began to weep.
Vlad clicked his tongue slightly.
He was going to scold him properly, but when he began to cry, he looked like Lily, so he didnât.
At this rate, if Lily was painted on the enemyâs armor, he would be easily defeated.
Dandelion barely spoke, holding back his tears. âHic. Thank you, thank you! I will! I-I will never do that again. Iâll take good care of my sister and my brothers, hic!â
Vlad ignored him. âAre you the one who asked Lily to prove it?â
Dandelion, who was trying to calm his breath, blinked absently. âProveâŠ? What?â
Vlad let out a shaky sigh as his expression was so similar to Lilyâs that he lost his will to argue.
No matter how much she loved her younger brothers, there was no way she would have been swayed by such an idiot.
If so, it was clear that the person who instigated it was the other one.
âHow about your brothers? Do you have similar personalities?â
âBrothers⊠huh? I have one older brother, Brother Crocus. And one younger brother. Antonio⊠Brother Crocus is different from me. â
ââŠCrocus?â
Vladâs eyebrows rose sharply.
It was different from the name he had heard. The name Lily had been calling out while suffering from a fever wasâŠ
âIs Tristan your brother?â
âAh, you mean Brother Tristan? Heâs a good friend of our family.â Dandelion shut his mouth, aghast. Then he racked his brain for words. âWeâve known each other for about 10 years, so he can be called sisterâs good friendâŠâ
A dark look crossed Vladâs face.
This time, Dandelion covered his mouth with both hands in fear of losing his jaw.
However, it seemed that the dukeâs ill feelings were not directed towards Dandelion.
Vlad slowly turned his head towards the castle. âTristan was⊠a friend.â