The General Meets a Grand Duke

Chapter 29 - The General Meets a Grand Duke

I was running to catch up with Martha and Chloe. They had gone ahead after I got a small lecture from my mom about how to behave in the presence of a Grand Duke. Unlike Chloe, I wasn't always treated like nobility, so I had to learn 'etiquette.'

I still want to know the difference between a Duke and a Grand Duke…

My aunt said she would explain it to me later.

"Hurry up, Nathan!" shouted the little brute from down the corridor.

"I had to stay back and get scolded, you know? And why did you wait for me?"

She slapped my shoulder. "Did you forget we have to greet him together? Martha went ahead to announce us, and he's waiting there."

She grabbed my hand and started dragging me. "Stop it, you little monster."

"No! You're too slow, and it's my first time leaving here, so I'm in a hurry," she said, pulling me towards the castle exit.

"I think that's just an excuse. You're nervous about going outside for the first time."

"Sh-shut up! That's not it at all…" she said, turning her head to the side.

It's definitely that…

We walked, and the door was open. I could see the outside with a large garden and some people passing by. Chloe stopped at the door.

"What is it?" I asked her.

"N-nothing…" she said, turning her face away.

I looked outside and then at the girl who had been locked up in this place all her life.

"You're nervous, aren't you?"

"I'm not!" she snapped back.

I sighed.

"Of course, you're nervous. Even I'm a little nervous," I said to the little monster, squeezing her hands firmly.

"Come on, I'm in a hurry too, Miss 'Duchess,'" I said, laughing.

She nodded, and I pulled her strongly to make her follow me and stop walking so slowly. "That hurts, stop!"

"No! Now you know how it feels to be dragged," I said, laughing as we headed to where the Grand Duke was waiting.

***

We crossed the garden, and it took a while because a lot of people stopped to greet Chloe and me. For many of them, it was the first time they had seen their little Duchess, and it was an honor for them. The little monster was embarrassed by all the attention she was receiving and even hid behind me.

They greeted me too, but it was easier to interact with them. Unlike me, Chloe had only ever stayed within those walls and had only spoken to a few people. This was her first time leaving that place, and at that moment, she realized that the world was much bigger than she had ever imagined. There were no windows in that mansion since it was located within the castle's interior. Chloe could only see the sky through the garden, and that was where she learned to annoy Carnellian.

The only contact she had with nature was in that fake green field with that cold lake. She had taken me there the first time she called me because it was her favorite place. It was the only spot where she could experience a bit of the world outside the walls, even if it was a fake one.

"Where's the girl who used to invade my room? Are you scared of the outside?" I asked her as she hid behind me while we walked to where the Grand Duke was.

"It's not like that! I'm just a little nervous..." she murmured.

I chuckled, and she pinched me.

"Okay, I won't tease you anymore..."

We kept walking, and the little monster still hadn't let go of my hand. The problem was that the closer we got, the tighter her grip became.

"We're here!" I said, pulling my hand free.

That hurt...

A short distance away, a man stood with his back to us. The Grand Duke wore a shining white armor and seemed well-trained. His light brown hair caught my eye, but what really drew my attention was what stood beside him.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT, ICARUS?" Athena yelled from beside me.

I was so shocked by what I saw that I couldn't even respond to the Psychopath Goddess. I was frozen in place, staring at a creature I thought I'd never see again, especially in this world.

"Ah, finally, you've arrived. The heirs of the Evenhart family," the Grand Duke said, approaching us.

He crouched down beside us, and Chloe hid behind me. I was too stunned to greet him properly.

"Is everything alright, young man?" he asked me.

"Sorry, sir. I was just a bit... surprised," I said, staring at the creature behind him.

He looked back and chuckled softly.

"Everyone is when they see one of these up close. It's normal, don't worry." He stood up proudly beside the creature.

"This magical animal is a..."

"Pegasus?" I interrupted, asking.

"No... it's called an Asalon," the Grand Duke said.

"THAT'S MY PEGASUS, ICARUS!" Athena yelled beside the horse.

In front of me was a white horse with eagle wings. In my old world, there was only one Pegasus, and it belonged to the Crazy Goddess Athena.

"CRAZY, MY ASS!"

Don't interrupt my narration!

"FUCK YOUR NARRATION, ICARUS!"

The Asalon was imposing for a child, and I understood as soon as I saw it how the Grand Duke had reached us.

"You flew from the Royal Capital to here?" I asked, surprised.

He laughed.

"Of course! An Asalon is the royal family's trademark. I'm the king's cousin, so I have one of these. We are the only ones in this world who have a magical flying animal that serves as a mount. My family's surname is Asalon because we've monopolized the skies for many generations," he said, stroking the flying horse that reminded me of a Pegasus.

Athena kept staring at the horse.

"It's smaller! My Pegasus was about 4 meters tall; this is just a fucking INFERIOR COPY. It's just a damn horse with wings," she said.

I see you're a bit irritated...

I ignored the Goddess as she started to rant and swear and focused on the Grand Duke.

"Lord Grand Duke..."

"You can call me Ryan," he said.

"Sir Ryan... so you're the only ones in the entire world with a magical creature that can fly?"

He shook his head.

"There are people with other flying animals, but we're the only ones with a creature you can ride and fly on. How do you think we stay in power?" he said, laughing.

"I doubt anyone would dare challenge those who have a troop of soldiers and mages riding a flying animal. And there's no other domesticated animal large enough for that besides ours," he said, laughing again.

I just stood there, remembering a certain phoenix.

"Does your Asalon have any kind of power?" I asked slowly.

He looked at me strangely.

"Are you talking about magic? No, it doesn't. That would be madness, kid. It already flies, and you want it to shoot magic? Even I'd be scared of the royalty if it did that, hahaha."

I took a deep breath and tried to grasp the danger I was in by having that phoenix.