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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 73
Chapter Title: The Youngest Sword Master's Banquet
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***
“I’ll go wash up. You should get some sleep.”
Lumina and Karayan returned to the room.
It was quite late, so Karayan tried to get Lumina to sleep first.
But Lumina shook her head.
“I’ll wait for you!”
Determined to completely smooth over the awkwardness from the kiss, Lumina promptly sat on the sofa.
“I’ll be a while.”
“That’s okay! I’m not sleepy at all right now.”
Her eyes sparkled.
Faced with Lumina, who was desperately trying to show she wasn’t sleepy, Karayan said, “Suit yourself,” and went into the bathroom.
Sshhh—.
Karayan sighed, drenching his body in water so cold it would make a normal person's teeth chatter.
He thought he had calmed down, but his mind was already boiling over again.
Pressing his lips together, he scrubbed himself furiously, as if trying to wash his very bones, worried he might smell unpleasant.
He'd been conscious of it since earlier, having spent days and nights rolling around the training grounds without rest.
As he cooled his body with the cold water, Karayan suddenly looked down at his palm.
It was the hand he had held Lumina's with just a moment ago.
The warmth not only lingered, but it felt scorching hot.
“This makes me feel like I'm going crazy… Get a grip. Please.”
Karayan frantically rubbed his face with his hands and repeatedly washed the parts he had already cleaned, finally finishing his long bath.
After getting dressed, all that was left was to leave the bathroom.
But he knew that if he went out, Lumina would be staring at him, her large eyes wide.
The mere thought made his heart flutter, and the heat he had barely managed to quell began to rise again, so he couldn't bring himself to turn the doorknob.
After hesitating several times, he gave up on grabbing the doorknob and stood with his back against the firmly shut door.
“Aaargh.”
Then, letting out an unintelligible groan, he slid down the door and squatted.
He was definitely going insane.
Otherwise, there was no way her face would appear so vividly even when he closed his eyes.
After steadying his breath several times, Karayan finally managed to leave the bathroom.
The first thing he heard was the sound of breathing.
A soft, steady breath.
Perhaps tired from waiting, Lumina was fast asleep.
The sight made all his earlier turmoil seem pointless.
Watching her sleep so peacefully, without a care in the world—so unlike him—drained him of his energy.
At first, he felt a sense of futility, but then he let out a few soft chuckles. Karayan debated whether to wake Lumina or let her be.
It was then.
Her head swayed.
Lumina's head, unable to support its own weight, tilted to the side.
Karayan quickly reached out to support her head, and without further hesitation, he lifted Lumina effortlessly.
He laid Lumina neatly on the bed and carefully tucked the blanket around her.
She was so deeply asleep that she didn't stir once during the entire process.
“Hurry up and grow big and strong, at least as tall as me.”
Muttering this, Karayan gazed down at Lumina's angelic face.
Then, after hesitating for a moment over whether to do something, he turned away unnaturally.
And leaving the wide bed, he went to lie down on the sofa.
But it felt as if he could hear Lumina's breathing right by his ear.
Karayan covered his face with his hands.
It was the first time he'd lain down in a while, yet strangely, sleep wouldn't come.
***
The ducal estate was bustling.
The servants, one and all, were hurrying about, preparing for a small banquet.
It was a banquet to celebrate Ash becoming the youngest Sword Master.
Originally, the knights had planned a small celebration amongst themselves, but that became impossible when someone (Huxley) invited all the maids of the ducal household.
Worse, because someone (Huxley) had blabbed, everyone in the duke's estate now knew that Ash had become a Sword Master.
It was only natural for some grumbling to arise from the other servants, questioning why only the maids were invited and they were excluded.
James, the Knight Commander, who had never intended to make it a big affair, was about to declare, “We're not doing anything of the sort.”
But Olivia, upon hearing news of the celebratory banquet, acted swiftly.
“Your Grace. Our darling son has become a Sword Master. A Sword Master! So we must hold a banquet. We absolutely must.”
Brandon chiming in from the side with “Hear, hear!” was just the icing on the cake.
Knowing she would pester him relentlessly until he agreed, Lucius gave his permission, half by his own will and half by hers.
And so, a banquet for all the employees of the estate was hastily arranged.
The banquet was scheduled for the evening.
After asking for Lumina's opinion, Lucius canceled the daily family dinner.
*Everyone is happy about Ash becoming a Sword Master, as if it were their own accomplishment.*
Since morning, the atmosphere had been strangely buoyant, so much so that Lumina could feel it in the air.
Although the maid standing before her wore an expression as if she carried all the cares and worries of the world.
“Little Madame. Are you sure this is enough for you to eat? If you didn't like today's menu, I can go and speak to the chef right away.”
The maid, Lina, asked worriedly, looking at the lunch Lumina had barely touched.
“No, there's no need for that. I'm just saving room so I can eat a lot of delicious food at the banquet.”
She offered a plausible reason, but Lina's expression didn't relax.
She was well aware that Lumina was not one to overeat.
But this was the first time she had left her food so untouched.
It was to the point where one could say she hadn't eaten at all.
Lumina quickly changed the subject.
“Everyone's busy preparing for the banquet. I'm fine, so you should go. Oh, is there anything I can do to help?”
“All the Little Madame needs to do is eat well and rest well.”
Lina smiled brightly and cleared the dishes. Lumina didn't get up right away, instead bringing up another topic.
“By the way, Mrs. Klein is still staying at the estate, isn't she?”
“Yes. She says she hasn't fully recovered, so she's staying in bed. I heard she sent a letter to her home, probably to say she'll be returning late.”
“How sick is she?”
“Her dizziness is so severe that she can't move at all.”
*Such a person was wandering the estate in the middle of the night? It was an obvious lie.*
Lumina lowered her eyes as if contemplating something. Then she spoke carefully.
“Lina. Is Mrs. Klein eating properly?”
“Yes. I heard she cleaned her plate at both breakfast and lunch today.”
“That's a relief. Then, I know you're busy, but could you keep an eye on her for me?”
When Lina looked at her quizzically, Lumina continued.
“If I, her student, stay by her side constantly, she might feel uncomfortable. She might even feel like I'm rushing her to leave. So, I'm asking you.”
“Yes. I understand.”
Having received Lumina's order, Lina nodded.
***
The sun had set and darkness had fallen, but the estate was as bright as day.
Wearing a cute yellow dress, her hair in two thick braids, Lumina walked down the bright corridor toward the banquet hall.
Annie, who was by Lumina's side, fidgeted before speaking cautiously.
“Little Madame. If you don't wish to attend the banquet, it's all right to go back now.”
“Hm? Would my presence make things uncomfortable?”
“No, it's not that. It's just that with the knights and servants gathered together, I thought the Little Madame might feel uncomfortable.”
Unlike the Imperial Knights, which only nobles could join, the duke's knight order was composed almost entirely of commoners, with the exception of sons from vassal families.
There were quite a few nobles who abhorred the idea of dining with commoners.
That was why Annie had brought it up, albeit a bit late.
*A banquet for the household employees. Even if they got swept up in the mood because of the knights, it's still unprecedented.*
*Though becoming one of the few Sword Masters at the age of thirteen was also unprecedented.*
“I heard His Grace the Duke will also be attending later. If the Little Madame wishes, I can arrange a separate dinner for you right now.”
“No. Sir Ash is my escort knight. Something good happened to someone I know, so I'm happy too.”
“…”
“They say joy shared is joy doubled. And I believe status has nothing to do with sharing and celebrating good news.”
“The Little Madame is very thoughtful.”
Annie murmured in admiration.
*She probably wouldn't be so impressed if I told her it's because maintaining a good relationship with the youngest Sword Master isn't a bad idea.*
Lumina arrived at the banquet hall.
Long tables were arranged vertically at regular intervals, laden with a generous spread of food.
The hall was filled with familiar faces from around the estate, and Ash was standing awkwardly at the center of it all.
*In the original story, his parents branded him a traitor, so he probably wasn't congratulated by anyone even after becoming a Sword Master.*
But things were different now.
Though Ash was a noble, he was still just a big, thirteen-year-old knight.
The servants, all of them adults, doted on him and offered their congratulations.
Lumina congratulated the still-dazed Ash and sat down next to Karayan.
Karayan flinched but didn't move away.
*Come to think of it, I was going to strike while the iron was hot yesterday…*
But she had fallen asleep last night, and when she woke up, Karayan's face looked even more haggard than before.
Not only would talking to him when he was in a bad mood lead to poor results, but it also seemed Karayan wasn't avoiding her anymore.
Lumina thought they might just let it slide. In fact, a little distance wasn't a bad thing.
*From now on, I’ll just hold his hand and not kiss him.*
Lumina thought nonchalantly.
Meanwhile, Huxley, who had finally spotted Lumina, tried to approach her.
“Huxley.”
“Ugh.”
But his attempt was cut short when Yuri pinched his arm.
Swallowing a pained yelp, Huxley could only gaze at the Little Madame, who was even cuter than the rumors said.
Ding, ding, ding—.
Once everyone had gathered, Knight Commander James stood up and tapped his glass with a spoon to quiet the crowd.
“Everyone! Let's raise a toast to Ash for becoming the youngest Sword Master.”
Fruit juice was prepared for the minors, and low-alcohol beer for the adults.
Everyone raised their glasses, filled to the brim.
“The Young Master should give the toast. He played a big part in Ash becoming a Sword Master, after all.”
Huxley suddenly shot up and interjected. Handed the floor, Karayan was taken aback.
“…What is it?”
“Alright, you all heard him!”
Everyone raised their glasses with cheerful laughter.
And they shouted.
“What is it!”
Clink!
They all shouted in unison and clinked their glasses.