Crest of the Strongest Knight

Chapter 46 - The Duke's Duties

"I trust you've been well, Vivi? There isn't anything I should be concerned about, is there?"

"Of course not, father. I've been having a lot of fun at the academy lately!" Viviane grinned. Though she'd certainly been bullied by Isabella Rosenhall and her friends, Viviane didn't want to worry her father. Besides, she really had been having quite a lot of fun with Medrauta.

"'Father?" Duke Castellia repeated in a despondent tone, the light in his eyes fading slightly. "That's the second time you've called me that today... Since when were we so formal with each other, Vivi? Do you not like papa anymore?"

Viviane blushed, covering her face to hide her embarrassment. "I-I'm not a little kid anymore, father!"

"But... it was just a month ago that you still used to call me 'papa'..."

"W-Well, a month can be a very long time! And we're in public right now!"

"They grow up so fast..." Duke Castellia sighed. "Well, your father's aching heart aside, who was the lovely noblewoman you were dancing with earlier? I didn't recognize her, but it looked like she wanted to speak to me before she was dragged away by her friends."

"Oh..." Viviane hesitated, not sure how to answer the question. Her father was unfamiliar with the situation on campus. Most parents were. More importantly, she wasn't entirely sure what her father's stance was when it came to lady-dame pairs.

Most nobles scoffed at the mere thought, and some even believed it to be an outright desecration of the legacy that Emperor Soleil had left behind. Viviane certainly didn't want to deal with the aftermath if her father fell into the latter camp.

"What's wrong? You're not going to tell me that she was courting you, right?" Duke Castellia joked.

Viviane flinched. Based on Medrauta's recent behavior toward her, it wouldn't even be inaccurate to say that the knight really was courting her. Oh father... How can you be so perceptive even when you're not trying...?

"...Wait." Duke Castellia stared at Viviane, his keen eyes not missing a single facet of her reaction. "Are you serious, Vivi?"

"...She's my knight, father. Her name is Medrauta."

Duke Castellia remained silent after hearing that. His brows knitted together in a frown, and he looked as though he had fallen into a moment of deep contemplation.

Ah... He disapproves... Viviane lowered her gaze, dismay filling her heart. Her chest felt heavy and her breathing became shallow. She wanted to protest, to justify herself, to just say... something. Anything. As long as it served to stave off her father's inevitable attempt to separate her from Medrauta, she didn't care.

"Father, I—"

"So, when's the wedding, Vivi? You're not thinking of excluding your dear papa, are you?"

"H-HUH!?" Viviane had been so surprised by her father's sudden question that she'd ended up shouting, and loud enough for most of the gala attendees to hear too. She'd been prepared to protest her father's objection to her relationship with Medrauta, not... this!

Immediately, her cheeks took on a bright red shade and she hurried to cover her face as she sought to flee the scene, only to be stopped by the gentle touch of her father.

Duke Castellia laid his calloused hand on Viviane's shoulder, drawing his daughter closer to him in an effort to act as a shield for her embarrassment. Under the steel of his glare, the crowd that had previously been staring due to Viviane's outburst now quickly returned to minding their own business.

"...How did you know?" Viviane murmured into her father's chest. "How did you know that I was..."

"In love with her?" Duke Castellia raised an eyebrow. "Vivi, I'm your father. I saw the way you embraced, and the way you looked at her. At first, I thought it might've just been a trick of the light. The two of you were close, and that was it. But when I made that joke... I guess your reaction simply told me the rest."