NOVEL NEXT Chapter 18.3
18.3. Daily Life
At the Ferris household, the family gathering was unfolding as usual.
On the first floor of the residence, beside the staircase, lay a dining hall designed with enough space to host banquets and parties.
The grand dining table in the hall was large enough to seat more than twenty people.
With fourteen family members, including the parents, most of the seats around the table were occupied even during ordinary meals.
At the far end of the room, Albert, the head of the family, sat in the seat of honor, with his wife Maria, the lady of the house, at his side.
While seating by age order was the norm, the Ferris family’s many younger siblings meant older ones sat scattered to help with meals.
Though the room had little in the way of furnishings, it was perfectly suited for dining, and the sound of eating filled the space.
It wasn’t as rowdy as an adventurers’ tavern, but with so many family members chatting, the room was naturally lively.
Nord was seated between his younger brother Ellen and his younger sister Helena, eating a little himself while also helping the two manage their meals.
Whenever they were about to spill something or behaved improperly, he would gently correct them.
Just now, Helena had tried slurping her soup by tilting her mouth toward it, so Nord had guided her to bring the spoon properly to her lips.
“Okay, Brother.”
Helena replied in her childish voice, eating the soup as instructed.
As he watched over her with a kind gaze, Nord continued his own meal.
Though he now had perfect mastery of noble etiquette, Nord had been quite the mischievous troublemaker as a child.
It was his sister, Hannah, four years his senior, who had patiently looked after him back then.
“Oh, by the way.”
In the Ferris family, conversations during meals were common.
While they avoided talking with food in their mouths or other unseemly behavior, family interaction was valued, and meals were an ideal time for conversations.
At this moment, Albert and the eldest son, Albireo, were discussing how the military planned to expand its dragon knight forces, and Albert encouraged his son by saying.
“This is your chance for promotion!”
The Kingdom of Hamill’s military consisted of regional knight orders led by major lords from each region, alongside national units such as the Royal Guard, the Hamill Kingdom Knights, and the Iron Dragon Knights.
The Royal Guard, under the direct command of the royal family, primarily handled security,
and it was formed by selecting skilled nobles from the Kingdom Knights.
The Hamill Kingdom Knights, the largest of the military orders, included nobles with estates near the capital, like the Ferris family, as well as graduates from the “Military Academy.”
Both Albert and Albireo served in the Hamill Kingdom Knights.
Lastly, there were the Iron Dragon Knights, a unit made up of dragon riders chosen for their exceptional skill,
often even more rigorously selected than those in the Royal Guard.
Albert’s comment about the increasing number of dragon knights referred to the opportunity to secure a place in that elite group.
Three generations ago, Nord’s great-grandfather had served in the Royal Guard, so Albert hoped for a similar rise in status for his sons.
Since personal trust in the king often outweighed pure ability when choosing Royal Guards, Albert believed aiming for the Iron Dragon Knights might be more practical.
After all, their great-grandfather had only become a Royal Guard because he’d been a close friend of the previous king.
“I saw Hannah in town today.”
Nord mentioned, catching everyone’s interest.
“Oh? How was she?”
Albireo asked, curious.
While Nord admired her as his beloved sister, to Albireo, she was the cherished little sister.
“Hannah was doing well!?”
Their younger sister Lilia jumped at the topic.
Just like Nord, she had always been close to Hannah, who often played with her when they were younger.
“Big sister?”
Some of the younger siblings, unfamiliar with Hannah, looked puzzled.
Since she lived and worked as a live-in maid for another noble family, she only came home a few times a year, and the younger ones barely remembered her.
“I didn’t talk to her directly. I only saw her from a distance, and since she was in the middle of a conversation with someone, I didn’t want to interrupt.”
He added, “She seemed fine,” with a smile.
Even after becoming an adventurer, Nord had not met with Hannah.
Although she had visited the Ferris household a few times, their schedules had always conflicted,
with Nord being away on missions.
“Aww.”
Lilia muttered, disappointed.
The family’s lively dinner continued after that.
Though the food on the table was simple, Nord felt more content than he ever did eating the feasts served in taverns.