Alan Luos. And Bart Luos. Brothers of Count Luos, a vassal of Frozen.
They were the knights who had struck Elise with a broken blade. Their names, as Blake had called them, seemed familiar, so she looked them up this morning. As expected, they were characters who appeared briefly in "Fallen Lovers."
As soon as they entered the room, they immediately knelt before Elise and bowed their heads.
'...Hih?'
“Your Highness!”
“Please give me whatever punishment you want!”
Elise flinched and stepped back at the loud shout that was so loud it made her ears ring.
'Which one of them is Bart and which one is Alan?'
There was a reason why it was so important in this situation.
His older brother, Bart Luos. He was a skilled swordsman, capable of cutting through blades imbued with mana. While his skill rivaled that of Knight Commander Claude, his emotional volatility was a weakness. If he became overly excited, he could easily cause trouble, as in the previous incident.
Alan, on the other hand, was gentle and composed. He willingly volunteered to be Bart's sparring partner, something everyone except Claude avoided, and tried to cover up his brother's shortcomings.
'But of the two, the one I need more is Bart Luos.'
In the original, Bart Luoss is more devoted to Grand Duchess Elise than to his master, the Grand Duke of Frozen. He takes the lead in teasing the female protagonist at her behest and repeatedly lies to the Grand Duke at her behest. He even ultimately takes the blame for her crimes.
So, it was necessary to tame him in advance.
'The problem is Alan...'
As Bart grew increasingly infatuated with Elise and abandoned his knightly duties, Alan Luos ultimately sided with his brother and supported the original heroine. Given the original's setting, it was highly likely that he would have interfered with Elise's every move, rather than being exploited by her.
'Hmm... what should I do?'
Elise was troubled.
There were fewer than two weeks left until she arrived at the capital. If she couldn't win them over to her side by then, it would be difficult to meet Lucas secretly on the island.
'But even if they weren't, Blake would definitely give me a knight escort.'
For now, she's staying in her original home, so she's allowed to move freely. However, for the Grand Duchess's safety, the capital can't afford to do so. If an inflexible knight follows her, she'll be stuck.
In that case, wouldn't it be better to have at least one of these loyal brothers as her bodyguard?
“Bart Luos?”
The knight on Elise's left answered her call.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Alan Luos.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Bart was the one with the tanned, coppery skin and a somewhat gruff look, while Alan was the relatively slender one with smooth, curly hair.
“If I don’t punish you in the end, what are you going to do?”
“I will hand over the wrist that almost harmed Your Highness.”
Alan's face turned pale at Bart's firm answer.
“I don’t want that.”
“If I do it, even my life will be at stake...”
“Then, will you risk your life to be loyal to me?”
At Elise's words, Bart suddenly raised his head. His hazel eyes trembled with excitement. It was as if he had been waiting for this moment.
'It's scary that it's the original setting.'
“If you will accept, I will dedicate my life to you and be completely loyal to you.”
Alan closed his eyes tightly as he watched Bart swear his loyalty without a word.
“Alan Luos. It seems you think differently.”
"No. I, too, pledge allegiance to Your Highness. However..."
"However?"
“As a knight, I have already sworn allegiance to His Highness the Grand Duke. To change masters, I need his permission.”
Elise nodded.
"Good. Then you will go to His Highness first. After that, I will entrust my safety to you. Of course, with His Highness's permission."
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Bart shouted powerfully and jumped up from his seat.
“Yes, I’ll be off.”
Elise found herself laughing without realizing it.
'He's quite impatient and choleric.'
Alan, who had followed suit, poked his brother in the ribs and, together, they left the room. Mary, who had been standing on one side of the room, approached her.
“Elise, I can protect you.”
“You are my trump card.”
At Elise's words, Mary covered her mouth with a thud. Her face looked as if she were about to cry from emotion.
“That, that... that’s so important to me...”
“Yeah. So you have to hide your abilities as much as possible and pretend to be an ordinary maid.”
“Yes! Don’t worry, Elise!”
“By the way, how do I get them to take my side?”
Elise rested her chin on her hand and tapped the table. She wondered how the Grand Duchess in "The Fallen Lover" had managed to win Bart over to her side. Because he was a minor supporting character, there were too many parts omitted.
“Is it really a beauty trap?”
No matter how good her acting is, isn't that all she has?
'No. If you do that and then suddenly turn around, it’ll be a problem.'
Elise didn't believe she could control a man, no matter how pretty she was. In fact, her beauty made it even more so. While seduction might be possible, there was no telling where the other person would turn. There were too many variables.
"It would be perfect if you could control them with something like charisma. Isn't there something that can create loyalty where there wasn't one?"
Thinking about it, Elise suddenly felt aggrieved. Even though there were some oddities, Mary's brute strength was truly remarkable.
“Mary, why don’t I have a handy ability like you?”
Mary's eyes widened at Elise's words.
"Didn't Philippe say anything? Usually, investigators are given one or two special abilities."
"I just got a briefing on the situation, and that was it. It was a bit urgent."
“Ah... that can’t be. To forget such an important topic, Philippe is a bad guy.”
“Right? There must be something there.”
"Of course. Let's look for it together. I'll help you."
Elise was quite surprised by her unexpectedly trustworthy words. It occurred to her that Mary had a side to her.
“How can I help you?”
“Um... first of all,”
Mary threw the window wide open.
“Why don’t you try jumping just to see if you can fly?”
“...”
Cursing herself for even a moment of hope, Elise closed the window.
“Oh. Now that I think about it, that demon said he smelled something about me. He also asked if I had gotten a worldview correction.”
“Oh, really?”
Elise waited patiently as Mary sniffed at her like a dog.
“...”
Elise lay back down in bed, thinking it would be best to find out on her own. Her first goal was to be able to perform at least ten basic yoga poses within a week.
Blake accepted Bart and Alan's invitation and came to see her shortly after.
He had mentioned several other knights to her, as if he had been planning to decide on her escort before going to the capital.
“At least four men must always escort the wife.”
"Do you really need to bring that many? Is the security situation in the country really that bad?"
“No, that’s not it. But...”
“And you? How many escort knights do you have with you?”
“Aren’t I and Madam no different? No one can harm the Grand Duke of Frozen except His Majesty the Emperor.”
“I am your wife.”
Of course, Elise understood Blake's point perfectly well. Blake had broken the bed top with just his grip. That wasn't something that could be achieved simply by brute strength.
The reason the Duchy of Frozen had autonomy comparable to that of an independent kingdom. The reason it possessed three knightly orders. There was a reason for it all.
Blake Frozen was a commander with extensive battlefield experience. His own military might was no ordinary one. Therefore, even without considering his title as Grand Duke, no one would dare attack him.
Elise, on the other hand, is merely a woman. Because she is a Grand Duchess, or perhaps because she doesn't know it, there are bound to be those who threaten her.
But Elise had a reason to persist. As the number of escort knights increased, the plan she and Lucas had hatched became more difficult to execute.
“I will be safe as long as I am with you.”
“Of course.”
“Then it’s fine.”
“No, that’s not it... I’m talking about when I’m not with Madam.”
“Does that happen often?”
"It won't be much. But in an unavoidable situation, you need an escort to protect Madam in my stead."
"In that case, I'll definitely be accompanied by Sir Bart and Sir Alan. And Mary, of course. As my personal maid and escort, there's no one better than Mary."
At this point, Blake gave up trying to persuade her. He didn't want to say anything more and hurt Elise's feelings.
“...Yes. I’ll make sure to always accompany you as much as possible.”
"Thank you, Blake. It's reassuring to hear that."
Blake carefully pulled her into his arms as she leaned against him. The rapid beating of his heartbeat could be clearly heard through the fabric.
'It's so easy to understand.'
It wasn't just a thought that made his heart flutter; his body really reacted so transparently to her.
"Ma'am..."
His voice toward her carried a subtle anticipation. The feeling of his heart beating so fast that it made her wonder if something bad was about to happen, and the warmth of their bodies touching was familiar.
Elise felt a pang of anger. It was only the afternoon, and she didn't want to waste the day like this. Now she knew for sure that once he started, he wouldn't stop until his stamina was depleted.
“I... Blake, I have a favor to ask.”
“Please speak.”
So Elise quietly diverted his attention elsewhere.
"It's already been a few days, and I still haven't been able to see the inside of the castle. Can I come and take a look around?"
“Ah... Oh, I see. I see. I’m so, um. Sorry.”
He stuttered and stammered, perhaps embarrassed.
“No. You must be busy too...”
“I told you, nothing is more important to me than Madam.”
“Then, will you show me around yourself?”
“Of course.”
"I'm glad! I'll get ready right away. Could you please wait a moment?"
Blake flinched sharply as Elise lifted her heel and kissed his cheek. His arms, wrapped around her waist, tightened for a moment.
“...Ugh.”
At Elise's small moan, he hastily released her and took a step back. Even she could clearly see his dark pupils fluctuating.
“Please prepare slowly and come down.”
Elise smiled, pretending not to notice Blake's bulging area.
“Yes, Blake.”
Blake's body jerked once more, stiffening.
Only after he had practically run away from the room did she smile back and let out a sigh that had mixed meanings.
'What is estrus?'
It was clear that strengthening one's physical strength was essential to deal with him, who would attack one at the mere sight of the other.
They were the knights who had struck Elise with a broken blade. Their names, as Blake had called them, seemed familiar, so she looked them up this morning. As expected, they were characters who appeared briefly in "Fallen Lovers."
As soon as they entered the room, they immediately knelt before Elise and bowed their heads.
'...Hih?'
“Your Highness!”
“Please give me whatever punishment you want!”
Elise flinched and stepped back at the loud shout that was so loud it made her ears ring.
'Which one of them is Bart and which one is Alan?'
There was a reason why it was so important in this situation.
His older brother, Bart Luos. He was a skilled swordsman, capable of cutting through blades imbued with mana. While his skill rivaled that of Knight Commander Claude, his emotional volatility was a weakness. If he became overly excited, he could easily cause trouble, as in the previous incident.
Alan, on the other hand, was gentle and composed. He willingly volunteered to be Bart's sparring partner, something everyone except Claude avoided, and tried to cover up his brother's shortcomings.
'But of the two, the one I need more is Bart Luos.'
In the original, Bart Luoss is more devoted to Grand Duchess Elise than to his master, the Grand Duke of Frozen. He takes the lead in teasing the female protagonist at her behest and repeatedly lies to the Grand Duke at her behest. He even ultimately takes the blame for her crimes.
So, it was necessary to tame him in advance.
'The problem is Alan...'
As Bart grew increasingly infatuated with Elise and abandoned his knightly duties, Alan Luos ultimately sided with his brother and supported the original heroine. Given the original's setting, it was highly likely that he would have interfered with Elise's every move, rather than being exploited by her.
'Hmm... what should I do?'
Elise was troubled.
There were fewer than two weeks left until she arrived at the capital. If she couldn't win them over to her side by then, it would be difficult to meet Lucas secretly on the island.
'But even if they weren't, Blake would definitely give me a knight escort.'
For now, she's staying in her original home, so she's allowed to move freely. However, for the Grand Duchess's safety, the capital can't afford to do so. If an inflexible knight follows her, she'll be stuck.
In that case, wouldn't it be better to have at least one of these loyal brothers as her bodyguard?
“Bart Luos?”
The knight on Elise's left answered her call.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Alan Luos.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Bart was the one with the tanned, coppery skin and a somewhat gruff look, while Alan was the relatively slender one with smooth, curly hair.
“If I don’t punish you in the end, what are you going to do?”
“I will hand over the wrist that almost harmed Your Highness.”
Alan's face turned pale at Bart's firm answer.
“I don’t want that.”
“If I do it, even my life will be at stake...”
“Then, will you risk your life to be loyal to me?”
At Elise's words, Bart suddenly raised his head. His hazel eyes trembled with excitement. It was as if he had been waiting for this moment.
'It's scary that it's the original setting.'
“If you will accept, I will dedicate my life to you and be completely loyal to you.”
Alan closed his eyes tightly as he watched Bart swear his loyalty without a word.
“Alan Luos. It seems you think differently.”
"No. I, too, pledge allegiance to Your Highness. However..."
"However?"
“As a knight, I have already sworn allegiance to His Highness the Grand Duke. To change masters, I need his permission.”
Elise nodded.
"Good. Then you will go to His Highness first. After that, I will entrust my safety to you. Of course, with His Highness's permission."
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Bart shouted powerfully and jumped up from his seat.
“Yes, I’ll be off.”
Elise found herself laughing without realizing it.
'He's quite impatient and choleric.'
Alan, who had followed suit, poked his brother in the ribs and, together, they left the room. Mary, who had been standing on one side of the room, approached her.
“Elise, I can protect you.”
“You are my trump card.”
At Elise's words, Mary covered her mouth with a thud. Her face looked as if she were about to cry from emotion.
“That, that... that’s so important to me...”
“Yeah. So you have to hide your abilities as much as possible and pretend to be an ordinary maid.”
“Yes! Don’t worry, Elise!”
“By the way, how do I get them to take my side?”
Elise rested her chin on her hand and tapped the table. She wondered how the Grand Duchess in "The Fallen Lover" had managed to win Bart over to her side. Because he was a minor supporting character, there were too many parts omitted.
“Is it really a beauty trap?”
No matter how good her acting is, isn't that all she has?
'No. If you do that and then suddenly turn around, it’ll be a problem.'
Elise didn't believe she could control a man, no matter how pretty she was. In fact, her beauty made it even more so. While seduction might be possible, there was no telling where the other person would turn. There were too many variables.
"It would be perfect if you could control them with something like charisma. Isn't there something that can create loyalty where there wasn't one?"
Thinking about it, Elise suddenly felt aggrieved. Even though there were some oddities, Mary's brute strength was truly remarkable.
“Mary, why don’t I have a handy ability like you?”
Mary's eyes widened at Elise's words.
"Didn't Philippe say anything? Usually, investigators are given one or two special abilities."
"I just got a briefing on the situation, and that was it. It was a bit urgent."
“Ah... that can’t be. To forget such an important topic, Philippe is a bad guy.”
“Right? There must be something there.”
"Of course. Let's look for it together. I'll help you."
Elise was quite surprised by her unexpectedly trustworthy words. It occurred to her that Mary had a side to her.
“How can I help you?”
“Um... first of all,”
Mary threw the window wide open.
“Why don’t you try jumping just to see if you can fly?”
“...”
Cursing herself for even a moment of hope, Elise closed the window.
“Oh. Now that I think about it, that demon said he smelled something about me. He also asked if I had gotten a worldview correction.”
“Oh, really?”
Elise waited patiently as Mary sniffed at her like a dog.
“You had steak! Oh, I want some too!”
Elise lay back down in bed, thinking it would be best to find out on her own. Her first goal was to be able to perform at least ten basic yoga poses within a week.
***
Blake accepted Bart and Alan's invitation and came to see her shortly after.
He had mentioned several other knights to her, as if he had been planning to decide on her escort before going to the capital.
“At least four men must always escort the wife.”
"Do you really need to bring that many? Is the security situation in the country really that bad?"
“No, that’s not it. But...”
“And you? How many escort knights do you have with you?”
“Aren’t I and Madam no different? No one can harm the Grand Duke of Frozen except His Majesty the Emperor.”
“I am your wife.”
Of course, Elise understood Blake's point perfectly well. Blake had broken the bed top with just his grip. That wasn't something that could be achieved simply by brute strength.
The reason the Duchy of Frozen had autonomy comparable to that of an independent kingdom. The reason it possessed three knightly orders. There was a reason for it all.
Blake Frozen was a commander with extensive battlefield experience. His own military might was no ordinary one. Therefore, even without considering his title as Grand Duke, no one would dare attack him.
Elise, on the other hand, is merely a woman. Because she is a Grand Duchess, or perhaps because she doesn't know it, there are bound to be those who threaten her.
But Elise had a reason to persist. As the number of escort knights increased, the plan she and Lucas had hatched became more difficult to execute.
“I will be safe as long as I am with you.”
“Of course.”
“Then it’s fine.”
“No, that’s not it... I’m talking about when I’m not with Madam.”
“Does that happen often?”
"It won't be much. But in an unavoidable situation, you need an escort to protect Madam in my stead."
"In that case, I'll definitely be accompanied by Sir Bart and Sir Alan. And Mary, of course. As my personal maid and escort, there's no one better than Mary."
At this point, Blake gave up trying to persuade her. He didn't want to say anything more and hurt Elise's feelings.
“...Yes. I’ll make sure to always accompany you as much as possible.”
"Thank you, Blake. It's reassuring to hear that."
Blake carefully pulled her into his arms as she leaned against him. The rapid beating of his heartbeat could be clearly heard through the fabric.
'It's so easy to understand.'
It wasn't just a thought that made his heart flutter; his body really reacted so transparently to her.
"Ma'am..."
His voice toward her carried a subtle anticipation. The feeling of his heart beating so fast that it made her wonder if something bad was about to happen, and the warmth of their bodies touching was familiar.
Elise felt a pang of anger. It was only the afternoon, and she didn't want to waste the day like this. Now she knew for sure that once he started, he wouldn't stop until his stamina was depleted.
“I... Blake, I have a favor to ask.”
“Please speak.”
So Elise quietly diverted his attention elsewhere.
"It's already been a few days, and I still haven't been able to see the inside of the castle. Can I come and take a look around?"
“Ah... Oh, I see. I see. I’m so, um. Sorry.”
He stuttered and stammered, perhaps embarrassed.
“No. You must be busy too...”
“I told you, nothing is more important to me than Madam.”
“Then, will you show me around yourself?”
“Of course.”
"I'm glad! I'll get ready right away. Could you please wait a moment?"
Blake flinched sharply as Elise lifted her heel and kissed his cheek. His arms, wrapped around her waist, tightened for a moment.
“...Ugh.”
At Elise's small moan, he hastily released her and took a step back. Even she could clearly see his dark pupils fluctuating.
“Please prepare slowly and come down.”
Elise smiled, pretending not to notice Blake's bulging area.
“Yes, Blake.”
Blake's body jerked once more, stiffening.
Only after he had practically run away from the room did she smile back and let out a sigh that had mixed meanings.
'What is estrus?'
It was clear that strengthening one's physical strength was essential to deal with him, who would attack one at the mere sight of the other.
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