NOVPUB“My mood is ruined.”
With that, Cayden Lumos turned his back and left.
“F-Father!”
His children—Kamal and Katrina Lumos—hurried after him in a panic.
Before departing, Katrina shot one last venomous glare at Ludger and the silently standing Flora behind him.
The nobles who followed House Lumos also trailed after Cayden.
As a large portion of the crowd dispersed, the tension hanging over the area finally lifted.
The spectators, sensing the end of the drama, began to scatter one by one.
Only Ludger, Flora, and Heibach remained.
Flora couldn’t meet Ludger’s eyes.
She didn’t know how to face him now.
“...Are you all right?”
“......”
Flora couldn’t answer.
She knew she should say thank you here.
But—what exactly was she supposed to be thankful for?
For protecting her from the insults of her own family?
For confronting the father who refused to acknowledge her?
That would be like a finishing blow.
If she said thank you now...
It would be no different than admitting she was a discarded child in her own family.
Flora bit her lip.
He knows. There's no way he doesn’t.
She knew.
Ludger already understood everything about her situation.
Still... I...
Even so, saying it herself was an entirely different matter.
Call it pride, or call it dignity—whatever it was, it was all she had left.
This was everything.
The only thing she still held on to.
A small, delicate ornament made of beautiful glass.
Something so precious, she clutched it tightly in her hands.
But at some point, it cracked. It shattered.
The broken shards dug into her palms and hurt her instead.
Yet she couldn’t let go.
To avoid losing what little she had, she could only grip it tighter.
Wounding herself in the process.
Bleeding from her palm.
Because this—this fragile, broken thing—was all the “real” that was left of the girl unacknowledged by her family.
So Flora couldn’t say thank you. She couldn’t say sorry.
She just stood there, doing everything she could to hold back the rising sobs in her throat.
Then—
A soft voice reached her ears.
“You should go.”
Startled, Flora looked up. Ludger had turned his head and was gazing in one direction.
“I believe your friend is waiting.”
As always, just like normal.
Yes—this man treated others the same, even in times like this. Calm. Considerate. Unchanging.
At the end of his gaze stood Sheryl Wagner.
Her childhood friend.
“Flora...”
Sheryl, perhaps sensing what had happened, wore none of her usual bright smile.
She walked over to Flora and gently examined her expression.
“Flora... are you okay?”
“...Yeah.”
“...Let’s go back.”
“Okay.”
Hearing Flora’s weak voice, Sheryl bit her lip slightly and bowed her head toward Ludger with a quick nod.
A silent thank you for standing up for her friend.
As Ludger watched the two walk away, Heibach beside him let out a long sigh.
“A shame. That kind of talent would be a blessing no matter which house she was born into. But to be born in Lumos, who worship the Lumenis Church of all things... it’s tragic.”
“Duke Cayden appears to be a far more devout follower than he looks.”
“Devout? He’s practically a fanatic. Still... that girl is lucky in one regard—at least she wasn’t branded.”
Branded.
Ludger’s expression darkened.
Heibach nodded knowingly.
“The Lumenis Church brands impure children. A mark that never fades, not even after a lifetime. A barbaric act, condemned on every level.”
“And they justify ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ it by calling it the will of their god.”
“Yet she wasn’t branded. And Cayden is the sort of man who wouldn’t hesitate to do so if he wanted. Strange, isn’t it?”
Perhaps it had been an act of mercy?
No.
There was only one reason.
“Her mother protected her... to the very end.”
“Flora’s mother...”
“Sadly, she’s no longer of this world.”
So Flora Lumos had lost her mother early—and spent her life unrecognized by her father.
And yet, her status at the academy never seemed too bad.
As the child of a concubine, it wouldn’t have been surprising if other noble students opposed or bullied her.
That they hadn’t meant her status wasn’t widely known.
The Lumos family hid it deliberately.
If she wasn’t going to be branded, they likely figured she could be used to their advantage.
She was still valuable as a political tool—perhaps to forge an alliance through an arranged marriage.
Which meant her background hadn’t been spread within Seorn yet.
At least the students won't be talking about it anytime soon.
Though, considering Katrina’s behavior, she wouldn’t have hesitated to spread such gossip if she could.
But Duke Cayden wouldn’t allow it.
He and Ludger had only exchanged a few looks—but that alone had been enough.
Ludger already understood what kind of man Cayden Lumos was.
If something had value, he would drain it dry.
With that sort of nature, he would never allow bad rumors about Flora to spread.
Not because he cared about her.
But because he didn’t want his tool to lose value.
That’s the kind of man who’s her father...
To Ludger, the concept of a father had long faded into vague memory.
And yet, one thing he was sure of:
A father was supposed to be a good person.
Someone whose presence was reassuring.
Someone who became your pillar when life got hard.
Someone whose absence hurt and left you grieving.
That—was a father.
But Cayden Lumos had shown no affection to the daughter he had created.
He didn’t even treat her like flesh and blood.
That’s not what a father is.
To a child, a parent is more important than anything in the world.
Ludger knew better than anyone what happened to children who had lost their mothers or fathers.
It was why—so uncharacteristically—he had acted on emotion.
He was simply angry.
And so, he stepped forward.
“Professor, are you all right?”
Had his expression betrayed how deeply he felt?
Heibach asked, concerned.
“I’m fine.”
Ludger, having already composed himself, responded as calmly as ever.
* * *
“Father. Are you really going to let that arrogant teacher go unpunished?”
Kamal still hadn’t cooled down from what had just happened. Fuming, he questioned Cayden sharply.
“That fallen noble insulted both you and my younger sister in front of everyone!”
“That’s right! And he did it right in front of Flora too!” Katrina added, backing Kamal.
Cayden, who had been walking ahead, came to an abrupt stop.
He slowly turned his head to look back at his children.
“So, what exactly do you want me to do?”
His voice, laced with irritation, made Katrina shut her mouth on the spot.
Kamal, though shrinking under that glare, still pressed on—he couldn’t calm down otherwise.
“We should lodge a formal protest with Seorn, and bring Flora back to the family—”
“Kamal. And what would we gain from that?”
“Huh? I mean, to restore the dignity of our house—”
“Fool.”
Cayden scowled and shot Kamal a piercing glare.
“Do you really believe House Lumos’s dignity can be shaken by the words of some mere teacher? Or are you saying our standing is so fragile that even that would ruin us?”
“N-no, that’s not what I meant!”
“Then what is it? Were you planning to bury that teacher right there on the spot? And what would you gain from that? At best, a fleeting sense of satisfaction from indulging your anger. Something so... petty.”
Petty satisfaction.
Cayden dismissed his children’s emotions with those three cold words.
“Of course, that man’s behavior was undoubtedly arrogant. But as you saw, that sly old fox Kadatushan was standing beside him.”
“T-that’s...”
“And you may not have noticed, but the headmaster of Seorn was observing the entire scene.”
“Y-you mean the Headmaster?”
“Yes.”
Everyone else may have had their eyes locked on Ludger, but Cayden had seen.
Elisa Willow, Seorn’s headmaster, had been watching them from a short distance away.
“And if I had tried to escalate the matter, she would’ve intervened. No doubt about it.”
“That can’t be...”
Kamal murmured in disbelief, shocked more by Cayden’s awareness than by the headmaster’s presence.
In that tense situation, Cayden had calmly assessed his surroundings and predicted every outcome.
“B-but why would the headmaster...?”
“It means that fallen noble of a teacher has her trust—more than we thought.”
“Then... are you really just going to let this go?”
Normally, Kamal would’ve accepted it and backed down by now.
But Ludger’s brazen attitude still burned in his mind. He couldn’t let it go.
“Think, Kamal. What have I always taught you? As a son of this family—what have I drilled into you time and again?”
“...Lumos never forgets its grudges.”
“And?”
“A grudge... even after ten years, must be repaid in full.”
“That’s right.”
Cayden moved as if to place a hand on his son’s shoulder, but merely nodded instead.
“House Lumos has risen to where it is today precisely because we do not forget our grudges. We’ll let this pass for now—but don’t ever forget what happened. Understood?”
“...Yes.”
“Good.”
“Father... then what about Flora?”
Katrina, who had remained quiet until now, couldn’t hold back anymore.
Her face was still flushed with humiliation from earlier.
“Leave Flora be.”
“Why? Shouldn’t we publicly announce that she’s a failure—that she’s just a concubine’s daughter—”
“That would reduce her value.”
Value.
That single word laid bare how Cayden viewed Flora.
He did not see her as his daughter.
She was a tool. A useful one—nothing more.
Had she not been gifted in magic, she wouldn’t have even received that much acknowledgment.
Knowing their father well, Katrina said no more.
“...Understood.”
“That’s enough.”
With that, Cayden resumed walking ahead.
Kamal and Katrina followed, watching their father’s back with something like reverence.
But there was one thing Cayden Lumos hadn’t told his children.
That teacher.
Recalling Ludger’s unwavering stare, Cayden slowly opened his hand.
His palm was damp with cold sweat.
A dangerous man.
Cayden hadn’t backed down because of reason or pride. He had backed down because of instinct.
A honed instinct born from decades of navigating power and politics as head of a great house.
And that instinct screamed—Do not engage him.
There had been a pressure to Ludger, the kind one only feels from kings.
But... Lumos never forgets a grudge.
A grudge must be repaid.
That belief had shaped House Lumos—and Cayden knew it better than anyone.
* * *
“Really now... we almost ended up with another headache.”
From afar, watching through opera glasses, Elisa Willow clicked her tongue at Cayden’s retreating figure.
But despite her words, a smile lingered on her lips.
“As expected from a head of house—he’s quite perceptive.”
She set the opera glasses down on the table.
Wilford, pouring her tea beside her, asked,
“Was he aware?”
“Yes. Duke Cayden realized I was watching and chose to back off. He knew that acting emotionally would only make things worse for him.”
“Still, given his personality, I doubt he’ll let it go. I imagine he’ll carry this for a long time.”
“Of course. They talk like noble eagles, but House Lumos has the temperament of a snake.”
Though renowned as a house of great magicians, Lumos was more famous for its cruelty and obsessive tendencies.
The prime example being their feud with the de Ville family.
House de Ville had once served Lumos as retainers.
The de Ville family’s use of the eagle crest was originally permitted by Lumos when they served them.
But after certain events, de Ville entered the service of House Kadatushan.
And for a hundred years since, Lumos had demanded that de Ville stop using the eagle symbol.
Yet Veronica de Ville, current head of her house and vice-captain of the Cold Steel Order, brazenly flaunted the eagle insignia in open defiance.
“With how obsessive Lumos is, there's no way Cayden gives up that easily.”
“You seem amused, madam.”
“Of course I am. That incident confirmed something for me about Professor Ludger.”
“And what would that be?”
“Watching him stand up to a duke for the sake of a student—I’m now certain. He’s someone we can trust.”
Elisa had been suspicious of Ludger for some time.
Well, not just Ludger—many others too.
But Ludger’s exceptional qualities had made her hesitate to lower her guard.
Now, with everything she’d seen, she was sure.
Ludger was no villain.
Of course, some worries still remained.
What if all of this was just an act to gain favor?
No way.
There were limits to what one would do for attention.
No one trying to earn favor would reveal groundbreaking magical theories or openly defy a duke for a student.
Besides, people who try to curry favor always make it obvious.
That performative self-righteousness—Ludger didn’t have that.
Of course, he still hides a lot.
But that only made him more intriguing.
Elisa was now certain.
Ludger would be the axis around which resistance to the noble factions at Seorn would form.
So... I’m counting on you, Professor Ludger.
* * *
What the...?
Ludger shivered slightly as a chill crept down his spine.
