Chapter 20: Like Father, Like Son (1)

In the Sefira family’s infirmary, Katherine, with one eye bandaged, was leaning against the bed when the doctor examined her. He was amazed.

“Who treated you? It’s so cleanly done... There’s no need for any further intervention. Just rest and recover.”

Katherine couldn’t help but be surprised at the doctor’s examination. When Keter had offered to treat her, she thought he was planning to torture her; the treatment had been so fast and painful that she had braced herself for the possibility of going blind, but it was perfect. This made Keter even more fascinating.

Who is he? He uses archery that’s not from Sefira, and he’s quite good at medicine, too. What kind of place is Absinthe...

Katherine glanced at Keter, who was sitting nearby. As she could sense his presence, she was able to look in his direction even with her eyes covered. Her head was racing with thoughts.

Keter, acting as her guardian, was busy peeling an apple with a knife.

“Open your mouth.”

Katherine felt a bit touched by Keter. Not only was he peeling an apple for her, but he was also feeding it to her. However, what entered her mouth wasn’t the sweet apple flesh but the bitter peel.

“Ugh...”

“Don’t spit it out.”

Chewing reluctantly, Katherine noticed how well he had peeled the apple: not even a speck of flesh clung to the peel, leaving only the bitter taste. Despite the unpleasant flavor, Katherine clenched her teeth and forced herself to swallow it.

Crunch!

Meanwhile, a satisfying sound came from Keter’s side as he bit into the juicy flesh of the apple. Katherine couldn’t complain. After all, she was a slave now.

Of course, that didn’t mean she wanted to live as a slave. However, she made a vow, and breaking that would bring more than just emotional pain. A broken vow would result in a brand being marked on her forehead—an indelible symbol of betrayal that could not be erased, even in death.

But that didn’t mean she would do just anything. If Keter ever attempted to harm Sefira or tried to use her for such purposes, Katherine would take her own life to uphold her duty as a knight. So far, nothing out of the ordinary had happened. While Keter wasn’t devoting himself to taking care of her, he still was, in his own way.

After finishing the apple peel, Katherine spoke up cautiously.

“Um, Lord Keter...”

“Lord?”

Keter raised an eyebrow as he held up the knife, questioning her choice of words.

Katherine hesitated before continuing.

“M... Master...”

𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

“That’s right, slave.”

“The invisible arrows... How did you shoot them? And what was that thing that wrapped around my neck at the end?”

This was the reason why Katherine was always growing. Her first words weren’t a plea to undo what had happened, nor did she accuse him of using the power of Amaranth. She accepted her defeat and the fact that she had become a slave, and she wasn’t ashamed to ask about the power that had defeated her.

“I’ll teach you next time.”

“Right, I knew you wouldn’t—wait, what?”

As Katherine tried to jump to her feet in surprise, Keter flicked her forehead.

Thud!

“Ouch!”

Even though it looked like a light tap, the sound was so loud that it sounded like a watermelon cracking.

Katherine, now lying back on the bed, said with a trembling voice, “If you didn’t want to tell me, you could’ve just said so. Why did you hit me?”

“What are you talking about? I hit you because you suddenly lunged at me. I told you, I’ll teach you how to shoot an invisible arrow.”

“Re... Really?”

Katherine was excited. It seemed like she had forgotten that she lost, even though she was the one who challenged Keter to a duel. No matter how much knights admired strength, she was certainly odd.

“Of course, I was just kidding. Since when does a slave learn their master’s techniques?”

“...Hmph.”

Keter took a big bite of the remaining apple slices.

The ability to shoot invisible arrows was a form of magic; it was not from the well-known school of magic—the circle system—but from a new branch called the embodiment system of magic.

However, when Keter said he could teach it, it wasn’t entirely a lie. If someone was worth teaching, he would teach them, and to him, Katherine had both the talent and character to be worthwhile.

The fact that she’s the only female knight of the Sefira family is a great asset. There are plenty of ways to use that to my advantage.

Keter didn’t see her as a client like he did with Taragon, nor as his student. She was a subordinate—Keter saw potential in her as someone useful for that role.

Keter accepted any client if they had money, but he was extremely picky with his subordinates.

A subordinate must, at the very least, keep their promise. If they vowed to die, they should be willing to die; if they became a slave, they must act like one.

Keter decided to test whether Katherine was the kind of person who could keep her word.

“Who sent you, slave?”

Katherine’s eyes widened in shock.

Keter knew too well that telling the truth sometimes meant risking one’s life, but Katherine had to be able to do that—that was the relationship between a master and a slave. If one chose to be a slave, they had to act the part.

If someone couldn’t keep such a promise—

They’re useless. I don’t care if they live or die.

Asking about who was behind her mission was the first test. Katherine was Keter’s slave, someone who had to obey him completely. She was expected to answer truthfully to anything he asked, even if her life was at stake.

However, Katherine hesitated, caught in an internal conflict. A knight had to adhere to a code of chivalry, which included a clause to keep promises, even to the enemy. According to this principle, Katherine should answer Keter’s question truthfully. But there was also a part of the code that stated that knights should never betray their allies.

What is more important?

There was an intense struggle within Katherine. It wasn’t an easy decision to make, but Keter was not patient. He silently applied pressure by tapping his fingers on the table.

Then, Katherine took a deep breath.

“It was... Butler Prosciutto.”

This was the best compromise she could make. She didn’t lie, nor did she entirely betray her allies. While it was Elder Panir who had instructed Prosciutto, it was Prosciutto who had given Katherine her orders.

Keter stroked his chin after hearing Katherine.

Panir probably ordered Prosciutto, who then ordered Katherine.

The root of it would technically be Panir, but for now, Katherine’s answer wasn’t a lie.

Barely a pass.

Of course, this wasn’t the end. One simple test couldn’t be enough to trust someone. Not lying to someone’s face could simply be due to the fear of getting caught. But if someone kept a difficult promise even when the person wasn’t present, that would make them trustworthy.

That was the kind of person that Dork was, the only subordinate Keter had accepted in Liqueur.

Dork was the weakest in the Liqueur food chain; he couldn’t even defeat stray dogs. Yet, he risked his life to keep a promise to Keter. Keter liked people like that—those who, despite having nothing, were willing to risk their lives to keep their word.

“So, it was that old Prosciutto who did it. There’ll be a funeral soon.”

Although Katherine had thrown Prosciutto under the bus in place of Panir, it wasn’t like she disliked Prosciutto, so she began hastily defending him.

“While it was Butler Prosciutto who gave the order, I was the one who agreed to do it. So, please, take out your anger on me.”

“Don’t worry. Of course, you’ll be punished too.”

“Punished... how?”

Keter silently stood up, as he heard footsteps approaching from the hallway outside.

The soldiers who had witnessed the duel had sworn to keep quiet about the incident. After all, the soldiers under her command wouldn’t go around boasting that she had lost in her best, most confident duel method.

The approaching footsteps belong to Katherine’s fellow knights. Although the soldiers said nothing, one of the servants who saw Katherine being carried to the infirmary had informed the knights.

Keter made a zipping motion across his lips and said, “For the next month, don’t say a word. No communicating in writing either.”

This was the punishment and also the test Keter was giving Katherine to see if she would truly keep her promise. Of course, it didn’t mean he would be watching her every minute of every day; Katherine wasn’t that important to him.

“Don’t say a word, even if the patriarch orders you to or Queen Lillian herself comes. Not too hard, right?” Keter said.

“That’s a bit too harsh... Could I at least say one word a day?”

Instead of outright refusing, Katherine attempted to negotiate.

Keter flicked her forehead and said again, “Does a slave negotiate with their master?”

“Ugh...”

As Katherine rubbed her forehead in pain, Keter placed a finger to his lips.

“I thought I told you not to say a word?”

Katherine immediately stopped talking, but she clasped her hands together, pleading for mercy. Others would have found this rather cute, but it didn’t faze Keter at all.

“See you in a month,” Keter said.

Immediately after, the door to the infirmary swung open, and the knights burst in.

“Katherine!”

“We heard you injured your eye. Are you alright?”

Four knights had arrived, all of them Katherine’s peers.”

They expressed their concern for Katherine while glaring at Keter. It was like they were asking if he had done something to her with their eyes.

“Lord Keter, we heard that you carried Katherine here. Could you explain what happened?”

“Do I look like your servant?”

The knight was blocking the door. Keter hit the knight’s shoulder with his and walked past.

“Hey...!”

One of the knights reached out to grab Keter, but another knight held him back by the wrist.

“Let him go. We need to check on Katherine first.”

“Right. That’s what’s important.”

The knights didn’t come knowing the full story. They had only heard that Katherine was injured and had been admitted to the infirmary. They gathered around the bed, asking Katherine what happened.

“Did Lord Keter... No, did that bastard hurt you?”

“Say something. Even if Keter is the patriarch’s son, we can’t just let this slide.”

But Katherine remained silent. She was someone who never lost her optimism, even when she was exhausted or severely injured. The fact that she wasn’t saying anything now made the knights realize this was no ordinary situation.

“Keter...!”

One of the knights shouted Keter’s name in anger, but Katherine shook her head.

“Huh? Katherine, why? Did Keter do something to you? You can tell us; it’s just us here.”

Instead of speaking, Katherine quickly shook her head in denial. The knights were frustrated, as they couldn’t understand why she wasn’t saying anything.

“Did you hurt your throat?”

She shook her head.

“Did you forget how to speak?”

She shook her head again.

“Then why are you acting like this?!”

The knights, growing more frustrated, continued to press Katherine, but she remained silent, only communicating by nodding or shaking her head. Even when the doctor arrived afterward, he was equally baffled and could offer no explanation. The situation remained unchanged when Prosciutto, Panir’s butler, came to see her.

“If you failed your mission, at least explain yourself.”

Prosciutto wasn’t just her superior; he was like family to her, someone she called him her uncle. Yet, Katherine just avoided his gaze with sorrow.

Prosciutto let out a long sigh and said, “Katherine, as of today, you are dismissed from the Order of the Star. Your rank as lieutenant commander has also been revoked. Until I call for you, you are to remain in confinement at your quarters.”

Being confined meant no missions, no training, and not even stepping outside her quarters. It was a deep disgrace for any knight, especially for Katherine. For a moment, she opened her mouth as if to speak, but she soon closed it.

After Prosciutto left the infirmary, Katherine wiped the blood off her palms. She had dug her nails into her hands to resist the urge to speak. Despite her confinement, many people came to visit her, a clear testament to her significant influence within the family.

However, no one could make Katheirne speak. Even when Besil visited her personally, she gritted her teeth and maintained her silence—all to keep her promise to Keter.