Chapter 72 [Couple's Interaction]
Lillyless was quite famous among the nobility from a young age.
Her birth was not particularly noble; she was merely the daughter of a viscount. However, as soon as she stepped into social circles for the first time, her stunning beauty quickly became known among the crowd.
Besides her beauty, Lillyrus also possesses a noble soul that is no less impressive than her appearance.
“Her Royal Highness the Queen never looked down on us ‘lower classes’,” Cherge said nostalgically.
Even though they served these nobles wholeheartedly and risked their lives for their safety, they were still looked down upon as a matter of course.
It's as if a person's identity is predetermined from birth.
The lowly remain forever as lowly as dust, while the noble remain high above for generations.
Of course, Cherk never thought so, otherwise he would not have been able to run to the royal city as the son of a peasant, and even participate in the selection of the royal knights with such ambition.
"With my abilities, I naturally entered the royal knight order with ease. However, on the day of the knight commander selection, I defeated many people, including the sons of nobles. But they said, 'I am a commoner, how can a commoner stand up to lead a noble?'" Cherge said calmly. Recalling the past, he no longer felt the resentment that had once filled his heart.
To this day, Cherge can still recall that day, when the blood-red sunset covered most of the training ground, and he gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, letting the sweat drip down his face and fall silently to the ground.
The man who had been lying on the ground was helped up by two other people and was staring at Chelge with resentment.
He was Cherge's twenty-first opponent of the day. After fighting so many people in a row, even Cherge felt his body becoming sluggish and his sword swinging becoming difficult.
Even so, Cherger seized the opportunity, taking advantage of the moment when the man's hands were temporarily numb from the force of the sword, and swiftly and accurately knocked the sword out of his hands, securing the final victory.
Whispers kept coming from my ears, nothing but the same old tune.
"Is he even human? How is it possible for someone to defeat twenty-one people in a row without collapsing from exhaustion?"
"No wonder he's hailed as a monster. Is there really anyone in the world stronger than him?"
"What a pity, he's a commoner. Even if we win, what then? We can't just let a commoner ride roughshod over us nobles, can we?"
Chern ignored the whispers and turned his gaze to the man who had been standing to the side with his arms crossed, observing the selection process with a solemn expression.
He is the outgoing Knight Commander.
Whether it was the weathered face or the meticulously combed white hair at his temples, it all proved that he was indeed no longer suitable to continue serving as the Knight Commander. After all, the Knights were a young man's domain.
He also noticed the gaze Cherge cast his way, and a rare expression of emotion appeared on his face—a regret that he couldn't be mistaken for someone else.
He also lamented why Cherk was of such humble origin.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have found himself in such a difficult situation.
Silence is, in fact, a silent and torturous judgment.
Even as Cherk's disappointment grew, he stubbornly believed that there might be a sliver of a chance he would become the first commoner to become a knight commander.
If overwhelming strength can't bring fairness, then what's the point of him staying? Is he just going to get hurt for the sake of these nobles who look down on him?
"Is this our new Knight Commander? What a handsome and outstanding man."
A soft female voice suddenly rang out, immediately drawing everyone's attention.
The gorgeous dress accentuated the woman's already stunning beauty, making her appear even more noble, while the crown on her head blatantly proclaimed her identity to everyone: she was none other than Her Royal Highness Queen Lillylless Ellennor.
"Your Highness."
In an instant, all the knights present placed their clenched right fists to their chests, lowered their heads, and bowed respectfully to Lillyrus.
This, of course, includes Chernobog.
Therefore, he could only hear Lilyles' footsteps getting closer and closer. As a purple skirt appeared in front of him, a hand wearing a white lace glove reached out.
She also wore a dazzling gemstone ring on her ring finger.
"May I have your name?"
“My name is Cherge, Your Highness.” Cherge put down his sword, took Lilyles’s hand, solemnly placed a light kiss on her glove, and then quickly let go, without any hint of intimacy.
"Now that you are assuming the position of Knight Commander starting today, the safety of the royal palace is in your hands from now on," Lillyless said with a smile.
"Your Highness!" Before Cherge could speak, the old knight commander suddenly called out.
"Hmm? Is there something you need, Andrew?" Lillie's usually gentle gaze turned to him.
“Chelgotha, he is a commoner…” Andrew could not say in front of everyone that if Chelgotha became the Knight Commander, the noble knights under him would not obey him and might even cause trouble in front of King Nurenger IX. Therefore, he could only hesitantly use this sentence to hint to Lilyles, hoping that she would change her mind.
“Is that so?” Lillieles smiled and shifted her gaze back to Cherk’s face. “Then it seems that you possess a bravery that is no less than that of the nobility. I am truly delighted that someone like you has appeared in the Royal Knights.”
“Your Highness…” Cherge was stunned for a moment, knowing clearly that with Lilyles’s affirmation, he would undoubtedly become the next Knight Commander.
The resentment that had been surging within him vanished completely. He bowed to Lillieles once more and solemnly said:
"I will certainly not let you down."
*
Before the sun sets, this afternoon tea is coming to a complete end.
Cherger politely took his leave from Mela, as he had other matters to attend to and did not escort her back to her room.
Mela smiled and waved to him, "The manor is so safe, I just need to go back to my room. I don't need a famous knight like you to escort me back."
Once Cherge's figure disappeared from sight, Mela slowly picked up her teacup and drank the last bit of the cooled tea.
Then, she slowly walked down the corridor into the lobby on the first floor, and then slowly walked up the stairs to the second floor.
"Mera? What are you doing outside my room?" Lex, who had just returned from Fernando's place, was surprised to see Mela leaning against the wall before he even reached his own room, as if she had been waiting for him there.
"Because I'm waiting for you," Mela said with a smile, admitting her purpose.
"Wait for me?" Lex couldn't understand Mela's reason for doing this. "Is there something you need my help with?"
"Well... nothing much, I just wanted to show you this new dress. The tailors at the manor are really skilled, aren't they?" Mela lifted the hem of her dress and twirled gracefully in front of Lex.
The well-tailored lines perfectly outlined her slender waist, and the purple fabric made her snow-white skin appear even whiter.
"Yes, it's nice, this dress suits you very well," Lex gave a very fair assessment.
“After all, you specially had it made for me, so of course it suits me, doesn’t it?” Mela said with a smile, revealing a secret that Lex was trying to cover up.
If Mela hadn't realized the problem with the dress this morning, then after Cherk explained that because Lillie's beauty was so stunning that no one else had worn a purple dress since she became queen, lest they be outshone, Mela suddenly understood that the dress must have been sent to her by Lex through Catherine.
Cherger added that even years after Lillie's death, this unspoken custom was still preserved among the distinguished ladies.
As for Lex's thoughts, Mela understood them with a little guess.
In his heart, purple, the color his mother loved, must be the most beautiful color in the world, so when he finally had the chance, he wanted to see Mela wearing a purple dress.
Now that Mela already knew, Lex saw no need to hide it any longer. He touched his nose with a hint of helplessness and said knowingly, "Chelgo must have leaked it to you."
Even if Lex didn't know that Mela and Cherge had afternoon tea together, there were very few people in the manor who knew about these old stories, and a little elimination would be enough to pinpoint the suspect.
Since Fernanke had no chance, and Mrs. Jones was unlikely to specifically mention Lilyles to Mela, that left only Cherk.
“I didn’t say anything.” Mela made a secrecy gesture, indicating that it was all Lex’s speculation and that she hadn’t betrayed anyone.
So, do you think I look prettier in purple, or in other colors?
Then, Mela posed a question that even Lex dared not answer easily.
For some reason, Lex had a constant feeling that choosing either option would anger Mela.
“I think,” Lex said after a moment of thought, “you look beautiful in any color, but you only look your best in the color you like.”
Mela chuckled with satisfaction. "Lex, you're really getting better and better at pleasing women."
"I heard that Cherge was quite popular with the ladies back then. I think even Mrs. Jones, who was known as the 'cold beauty,' treated him very well. You must have learned a lot of useful things while you were with him, right?"
Lex: "..."
He suddenly felt like he had no way to defend himself.
Should he solemnly tell Mela that he had never learned this skill of smooth-talking to women from Cherk?
Seeing Lex speechless, Mela was in a good mood and left humming a song.
Before they completely passed each other by, Mela parted her red lips slightly, as if somewhat annoyed, and said, "Speaking of which, my waist seems to have gotten a little thicker than before, don't you think, Lex?"
Lex subconsciously recalled the moment not long ago when his hand was on Mela's lower back.
Comparing the warmth I actually felt with the way I remembered it, it seemed there was no difference.
However, as his thoughts returned to normal, Lex felt an inexplicable dryness in his mouth.
And the deep helplessness he felt towards Mela.
He knew that Mela was saying that on purpose.
I just wanted to amuse myself by seeing him so upset.
What can Clex do?
Even if Mela offered him a bottle of poison, would he be willing to say no to her?
Love is the most obvious yet irresistible poison.
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