Let’s Make Saving a Habit - Chapter 47

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 47
Duchess Papiope nodded as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
“If Tania wishes it, there’s no reason we can’t meet whenever she pleases. That’s not a decision that requires my permission.”
“Then that settles it. More than sufficient, truly.”
At his refusal to accept anything further, the Duchess furrowed her brow with evident discomfort.
It seemed she was troubled by letting the matter pass so easily.
From what I knew, Lucian’s biological father received a monthly stipend without fail.
It was then.
Grandfather Declan, who had maintained silence from the very beginning until now, spoke with a grave expression.
“Have you given any thought to joining the Papiope Knights?”
“…Father, what are you saying at a time like this?”
The startled Duchess uncrossed her legs and grasped her father’s shoulder.
But the Old Gentleman seized this very moment, immediately latching onto Grandfather’s offer to recruit him into the knights.
“I’ve heard much of the Papiope Knights’ renown through rumor. However, I lack both the station and the education befitting a knight—would that truly be acceptable?”
“Ha, Papiope doesn’t discriminate by birth when hiring. If we did, why would we have established the Talent Cultivation Institute?”
“Father!”
The Duchess raised her voice in protest, but Grandfather remained unmoved, showing no sign of relenting.
“Education? Who among us knew everything from the start? A willingness to learn is all that’s required.”
“Father, we need to talk. Privately.”
Amid the confusion,
Aiden caught my eye and gave a small, knowing nod.
He seemed to have realized I’d already struck a bargain with Grandfather.
It was thanks to my boastful declarations days prior—when I’d asked him to become my guard knight and claimed I had a way to bring him to Duke Papiope’s Mansion.
Yes, the wish I’d made to Grandfather Declan was….
To have Aiden enlisted as a knight in Duke Papiope’s Household.
I recalled the conversation in my mind.
“Tania, if your purpose is simply to be together, wouldn’t a servant suit better than a knight?”
“It’s rare for a young girl to have a servant assigned to her. Besides, since you’re skilled with a blade, a guard knight would suit your aptitudes far better.”
“Very well. If you truly wish it, I can manage to place him in the knights, though it will require some maneuvering.”
“Oh? I thought you’d deliberate longer given the alternatives you offered, yet you’ve agreed quite readily.”
“Slipping one person into the ranks is well within my capabilities. I’ll simply endure a few insults about senility—that’s all there is to it.”
“…Are you certain you’re comfortable with this?”
“I am. However, the contempt and scorn that may follow from insufficient skill—that burden will fall upon your guardian to bear.”
“I see.”
“The Papiope Knights value ability over birth, and their pride runs deep. Can you accept that?”
I smiled softly and opened my mouth, speaking as though I’d anticipated this very question.
“That won’t be an issue, Grandfather. Have you ever heard of battle-tempered muscle?”
Practical combat-compressed muscle.
The strength accumulated through light sparring in the training grounds could never equal the weight of a blade wielded with one’s life on the line in true combat.
Of course, I had never actually witnessed the Old Gentleman fight with a sword.
Yet I was confident that my skills were not inferior to the Papiope Knights.
After all, surviving this long as a professional mercenary was proof of strength.
Moreover, Aiden belonged to the renowned Golden Silver Mercenary Company.
While I leisurely recalled memories from a few days ago, the confrontation between Grandfather and Duchess Papiope continued.
The Duchess took a deep breath and firmly refused.
“Regardless of what Father wishes, as long as I stand at the helm of Papiope, I cannot permit this person to be admitted to the Knights through special recruitment.”
“Why not?”
“Without any examination, simply because you favor them? There will certainly be talk.”
“Talk can be silenced by demonstrating skill.”
“That aside, I have no wish to bring dishonor upon the knights who have pledged their loyalty to me.”
At this point, I couldn’t help but admire the Duchess’s sharp boundaries.
Impressive—our Duchess truly separates public from private matters.
Just moments ago, she seemed troubled about not being able to do something for Aiden.
I never expected her to refuse so decisively.
“Surely Father is aware of this fact, yet this response seems uncharacteristic. You appear to be insisting unreasonably.”
Of course.
Had it not been for the promise I made with Grandfather, he would have hired Aiden without hesitation.
Yet Grandfather’s expression suggested he had already anticipated the Duchess’s response.
He clicked his tongue and spoke.
“To lack such discernment in recognizing talent…”
“What do you mean—”
“Daughter, can you not see it plainly? An exceptional talent stands right before you, and you refuse?”
Only then did the Duchess fall into contemplation, her eyes trembling slightly.
She knew well that Grandfather’s eye for people was extraordinary.
His subordinates were always prepared to lay down their lives for him.
Yet she soon steadied herself and issued a warning to Grandfather.
“Father, I say this once more: the authority to appoint knights rests with me.”
“I did not ask your permission. If you will not take him, I shall take him as a knight under my command.”
…Ah, such a move?
I struck my knee at Grandfather’s clever stratagem.
He also commanded a knight order.
Though not the official Knights of Duke Papiope’s Household, their strength was in no way inferior to the official order.
Because they too had once been official members of Papiope’s Knights.
The question was whether, even under Grandfather’s command, Aiden could become my personal guard knight…
Was it possible?
Before Grandfather passed the dukedom to the Duchess, Duke Papiope’s Household had maintained three knight orders.
The Blue Knights, who wielded swords.
The Red Knights, who wielded Abilities.
And finally, the Black Knights—an elite order that accepted only those who pleased Grandfather, regardless of whether they used swords or Abilities.
But now, only the Blue Knights and the Red Knights existed in Papiope.
Grandfather had passed the ducal title to his daughter Viviana, and all members of the Black Knights had left the order.
Their loyalty had been directed solely toward Grandfather Declan.
The Duchess herself had permitted their retirement, stating she would fill the order with her own people.
Yet whether out of laziness in reorganizing the order or a lack of perceived necessity—
she had left the Black Knights vacant ever since.
Grandfather clicked his tongue at the Duchess’s sullen expression.
“Why that face? You’ll meddle even if I place him under my command?”
“Yes, I will meddle.”
Just as another confrontation between the two was about to begin—
the Old Gentleman, who had been observing their clash, quietly offered his suggestion.
“What if I took the formal entrance examination for the Papiope Knights?”
But even that was swiftly shut down by the Duchess.
“Taking a formal entrance examination is fine. But that’s impossible too.”
“May I ask why?”
“The Papiope Knights’ entrance examination is conducted as a tournament among applicants. So then, Aiden, who would you compete against?”
And waiting for the next entrance examination was hardly feasible either.
The tests were held only once every two years, and one had been administered mere months ago.
“Enough of this circular conversation!”
Finally unable to bear the frustration, Grandfather let out a long sigh and spoke.
“Daughter, you possess not a shred more flexibility than an ant’s waist. What if we did it this way instead?”
“I’m someone with not a shred more flexibility than an ant’s waist, just as Father says, so I’m not sure it will satisfy me—but I’m listening.”
“…I’ve failed as a parent.”
Listening to Grandfather’s discontented murmur, I reflected that poor parenting was a universal affliction across all generations.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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