Then Ill be waiting there. Please be at ease.

Laritte made her way under the cool shade of a tree.

Alice and Irene, the twin maids, were worried that their madam might have been offended. They either asked Laritte to chastise the knights or offered her snacks.

Try this one, madam. Its very sweet!

Those knights are really terrible. Am I right? If only the Duke was here.. hmph!

Laritte only shrugged in response.

The fragrant grass under the tree was calming.

Just in time, a yellow striped butterfly appeared in front of her. It sat on the tip of her finger as she reached out her hand.

It doesnt matter.

She meant it. She didnt care whether the knights hated her or not.

It took such a long time for Laritte to acknowledge herself.

The knights who grew up as aristocrats, much less others, of course thought she was pretending.

In the distance, Redra looked like she was losing her sanity.

You dont have to scream like that. Youre only making yourself struggle.

Laritte yawned under the warm sun.

She decided Lady Redra needed some juice to calm down.

Knights absent from the meeting were gathered at the annex.

Would it be okay to have so many knights there?

What are they all going to do?

In the midst of them was an old man. His name was Mason Moore, and he was the oldest knight of the Order. His times of glory might have gone, but he was twice as towering and muscular as the young knights. Even now, he was considered one of the strongest. Everyone looked out for him.

Is everything all right, Sir Mason?

For the Knights of Reinhardt, Mason was as absolute as Redra. If Redra had force and power, Mason had influence and skill upon the Knights.

Mason clicked his tongue inwardly.

Youngsters these days, too naive to stop threatening someone.

So what, if Lady Redra is the interim deputy commander? You should relax, old man.

Mason was the one who told them not to attend the meeting Redra ordered them.

At my best, Im not driven by my temper.

But his thoughts were diverging.

The liaison remarked.

Lady Redra has said, those who wouldnt participate in the introductory meeting will be kicked out of the annex.

What?

The knights were shocked to the core.

How could a knight be discarded for not attending the meet!

The commander and the owner of the Order was Ian Reinhardt. Only he had such rights.

The knights rebelled against Redras message delivered by the liaison.

Shes kicking us out? Thats too far!

It cant be possible!

Mason, however, had a different opinion.

Sitting at the center of the knights, he burst into laughter.

Bwahaha!

The sun beams entering the villa were as dizzying as his heart.

Shes got a shot at that.

What does that mean, Sir Mason?

Mason responded calmly.

Lady Redra is sending us out. Shes just doing her job.

But how can we surrender?

Mason Moore heaved a sigh. It seemed the knights these days didnt use an ounce of their brains.

He began to explain.

Has anyone taken a Knights vow since we returned to Reinhardts mansion?

Of course, we didnt. Captain isnt present here.

So are we knights of this mansion yet?

Only then did the knights understand Masons words.

They thought they were knights. Thats how employees treated themselves, too. However, employees didnt need to pledge.

Obviously! The Captain isnt here.

Now, they were uninvited at Reinhardts mansion.

Well get to take vows when he gets back anyway. Lady Redra had such an interesting idea. Shes smart.

The knights began to murmur among themselves.

They didnt want to be kicked out of the mansion for going against an order. They could come back to the Duchy, but it would be disgraceful.

The downside was that they would be kicked out.

The atmosphere in the annex deteriorated.

Everyone turned to look at Mason, while two of them spoke up.

S-Sir Mason. Do you really think we shouldnt attend it?

Theres nothing we can do about it.

They had swore upon their flesh and bones to serve the house of Reinhardt.

Mason instigated this, because as an aristocrat, he could not see an illegitimate girl sitting as the Duchess.

But this time, Mason raised the white flag.

How can this old man stop you when you want to go?

But Sir Mason said.?

I think Im old enough to get over my illness. Im not really feeling well, so please leave me alone.

Well. She cant fire Sir Mason. What a commander Lady Redra is.

Mason had been in the Order since his father and Ians fathers time. He had stayed here since his apprenticeship. He was a teacher to the Knights now. The Knightship of Reinhardt was his pride and destiny.

In his view, he was opposed to Redras actions. A young knight controlling a knighthood. The purpose of her actions was only to show off her strength because the illegitimate girl was backing her up.

To organize the Knights of Reinhardt, Mason would have to take over the power of the Knights himself.

An illegitimate child without the presence of Captain cannot do anything. Lady Redra is the only one he needs to be wary of.

What could she do after she gathered the knights together?

They wouldnt even salute Laritte properly.

But there was something the old man was mistaken about. He thought everyone would ignore illegitimate children like nobles did.

However, as opposed to that, Laritte had a lot of support. Ian, the knights who left on duty with him, and the servants. And among the servants was Ava. The power of the mansions households resided in the head maids grip.

She was responsible for everything in the house. No one denied how Ian treated her like a mother. Then again, she was the strength of Laritte.

Ava stomped her feet down the hall.

The madam called the knights, and theyre disrespecting her?

She was furious. Another maid followed behind her. There was flour on her sleeve, perhaps because she was in the kitchen.

This is a complete disregard toward Madam! Ava needs to teach them a lesson!

Just because the Duke is gone, they think it would be fine.

Ill not tolerate any harm that comes to her!

Ava dashed towards the training field.

After a while, more knights arrived at the field. Including the ones who were lured in by Redras threat.

Redra passed through the columns of the knights.

One appears to be absent.

A knight carefully spoke up.

Sir Mason Moore said he was really sick.

Speaking of, Sir Mason is the one whos missing. Hmph! Theres no knight as arrogant as him

Redra agonized with her arms folded.

Was he expecting Redra to force him to attend?

That will be hard for both of us.

Mason was neither a Swordmaster nor a candidate of Swordmaster, but he had skills. He was hard to tackle, even for a candidate who had a conditional sword like Redra.

Whats more, Mason had a high reputation within the Order. She wouldnt be able to fire him.

Thereafter, Laritte, who was enjoying the shade of the tree, approached.

Lady Redra, are they not complete yet?

Yes. One is missing.

There must be a reason. Let us move on. The maids keep trying to feed me.

Laritte sounded desperate.

She didnt want to eat, but it was hard to refuse when she saw the maids deer eyes.

Eventually, the meeting began.

Laritte stood on the podium. She could see the armament in the distance.

It wasnt like the gathering shed attended with Ian before.

The knights began a parade in unison.

However, when the knights looked up at Laritte, they found her laughing.

And they said they were knights of noble descent?

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep