A man rested on the bed in the knights' garrison infirmary, his striking light-purple hair complementing his otherwise charming features.
Yet, his face was covered in bandages and stitches, evidence of a recent fight marked by bruises and cuts. His body bore similar signs, with bandages wrapped around his arms, stomach, legs, and more.
Above him, a pair of hands glowed with blue light, sending beams toward his injured form. The light appeared to work wonders, as the bruises and cuts gradually faded, revealing smooth skin beneath.
After a period of focused effort, the blue lights dimmed, and the owner of the hands let his arm fall, a sigh escaping his lips as his cat ears drooped in fatigue.
"It's done, mew has finished healing nyou nyow," Felix announced, clearly relieved to have completed the task, evident by his flattening ears and relaxed tail.
However, there was still one last thing to do. He extended his hand toward the sleeping figure, blue light flickering as it reached his head. Moments later, the man's eyes began to flutter open.
Tired, dull yellow eyes met Felix's bright and playful gaze.
"Wakey wakey, Julius-kun! You really made Ferris-chan work real hard today!" Felix exclaimed with his typical cheerfulness
Julius blinked at Felix, his eyes slowly sharpening in recognition of the familiar face above him.
"Ferris?…?" he croaked, his voice rough and raspy from his injuries.
"Yep! That's ferris-chan! mew's so glad you recognized me; otherwise, nyou might have ended up with some serious brain damage, which would have made mew's life difficult!" Felix replied, relief evident in his eyes at seeing Julius on the okay side of things.
Julius gradually propped himself up, weighed down by exhaustion and fatigue. Felix supported him as he moved.
"Take it easy. We dyon't want to hurt ourselves and make Ferris-chan's work even harder, meow?" he said.
Reaching for a cup of water on the nearby table, he brought it to Julius's lips. "Here, nyou should drink this. Nyou must be thirsty."
Julius eagerly accepted the cool liquid, his parched throat making him savor every drop. He let out a contented sigh once he finished.
"Ferris… Do you know what happened?" he inquired, finally feeling at ease.
Felix tilted his head, a hint of concern in his eyes. "Hmm? Don't nyou remember anything? What's the last thing nyou recall, Julius?"
Julius pondered, trying to piece together his memories: heading toward the castle, the announcement of the fifth candidate, each one sharing their platform and ambitions, one candidate being ridiculed, and then a butler—
His breath caught as a memory surfaced.
Azure-blue eyes glaring at him, filled with wrath and pain.
He tried to fight back, but was hit again, and again, and again, and again.
Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. More pain.
His sword was taken from him.
Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. More pain.
He curled into a ball.
Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Humiliation.
"Disgusting."
"Hypocrite."
"Liar."
"You are not a true knight."
"—lius, Julius, Julius! Snap out of it!" A loud voice mixed with shouting jolted him back to reality.
What was going on?
He suddenly realized he was curled up, sweat dripping down his face, shaking uncontrollably, his pupils dilated and restless—
A calming blue light enveloped him, and Julius felt himself relax, his erratic breathing turning steady. His fidgeting ceased.
"…Ferris?" he managed to say, finally regaining his composure after the ordeal.
"Julius! Oh, thank the Od you've calmed down. Nyou nearly scared Ferris to death! What happened to Nyou?" Felix asked, his voice filled with concern.
"F-ferris… I remember everything. From the royal candidates to the duel. I remember it all," he managed to say, his voice trembling.
"Oh... Ferris-chan understands nyow. So Julius-kyun remembered the duel and got frightened, right?" Felix remarked, gazing into his eyes.
"… It wasn't meant to turn out this way." He started. "He… disrespected everyone—the nobles, the sage council, us. He even threatened one of the councilmen,"
"Ferris-chan knows this, Nyan. What else, Julius-kun? Please keep talking, and mew will be all ears." Ferris asked, gently stroking the knight's head to soothe him.
After taking a moment to gather himself, he went on. "I… wanted to help him…"
Felix paused, blinking in surprise at the knight, then staring at him in disbelief. Julius? The one who was so strict about knighthood and the law wanted to help someone like him?
"I… wanted to save him. He had insulted and disrespected everyone present. The other knights would have sought out for his neck; I wanted to protect him from that."
Felix looked contemplative as he thought about his words, then pieced it together, "So Julius-kyun was willing to play the villain for someone like him, nyow it makes sense."
He let out a dry chuckle, devoid of any joy, "No… Felix… That's what I told myself. That I was doing it for his own good, that the humiliation would save him from the knights' fury. But that had been a lie, right from the very start."
Felix looked intrigued at this. So this wasn't Julius's motives? "Then what was your reason for doing it?"
"My own satisfaction." He appeared tired as he spoke, "My pride, my honor, they were all wounded by him. I didn't like it, so I wanted to respond to his words in kind, to teach him that he was wrong about everything he said."
He then locked eyes with Felix; Felix had never seen him look so defeated and downcast before.
"You can tell how that turned out for me," he said, lifting his bandaged arm to examine it.
He could still feel the phantom pain coursing through him, the flesh tearing, his bones cracking, each blow felt like he was being hammered repeatedly like dough.
Julius had never felt this sense of hopelessness before. Even during his brief fight with Cecilius Segmunt, he had never experienced anything like this.
"He didn't use magic," he muttered, a sound that would have gone unnoticed if not for Felix's demi-human keen hearing.
"Magic?" Felix repeated.
"He told me that he saw me as an ant, someone so beneath him that he wouldn't bother using magic against someone as weak as I am," he explained.
"Even if I summoned all my spirits to aid me in battle, the outcome would have likely still been the same: me getting humiliated in front of my peers," he concluded, sinking back into his bed. looking dejected, even depressed.
He doesn't know anything about the white-haired butler, but his gut told him this; he got off scot free.
Felix was at a loss for words. He desperately wanted to support his friend, but while physical injuries could be treated, emotional scars were a different matter entirely, and it was not an area of his expertise.
No, there was something he could do to help him…
'No! Ferris won't resort to doing that!' he thought, shaking his head vigorously. He wouldn't mess with his friend's mind in that way, no chance!
After a moment of silence, he decided to approach Julius, "Julius-kyun, is there anything mew can do for you?"
The knight merely glanced at Felix before looking down again. "I… I just need some rest, Felix. A little sleep would be nice," he replied.
Felix slowly nodded, this wasn't a good idea, but forcefully pushing against would only harm him, "Alright! If that's what nyou want, then Ferris-chan will do as Julius-kyun wishes," he said, getting up and heading for the door of the infirmary.
"Just remember to drink plenty of water, okay? If nyou need anything, just call and Ferris would come right out. Take care now, nyan!" Ferris said as he closed the door behind him, leaving Julius alone with his thoughts.
His mind wandered back to the fights, replaying the harsh words exchanged.
"My lady was insulted by everyone here, including the knights. You saw that with your own eyes."
"You're Anastasia's Knight, right? If she were in that position, what would you have done? Would you have stayed quiet and accepted it like the good knight you are? Or would you have defended her?"
"See? The moment I insulted her, you jumped into action, just like I did. But somehow, I'm the one in the wrong, not you. What a hypocrite,"
"You all are just some spoiled brats with nothing to offer. A bunch of kids playing dress-up with daddy's money,"
"Hypocrites."
"Hypocrites."
"Hypocrites."
A hypocrite
"No… Natsuki Subaru, you are mistaken. I'm not a hypocrite… I'm even worse than that," he mused, a bitter chuckle escaping his lips, devoid of any real humor.
If his lady had been insulted like Emilia-sama… Then he would have remained silent, his loyalty and duty to the kingdom binding him from intervening.
From the very beginning, since he aspired to be a knight, he had been taught that a knight's loyalty must always lie with the kingdom. That was the essence of his training in knightly conduct.
But what happens when the kingdom he pledged his loyalty to, along with its nobles and leaders, begins to show disrespect towards the lady he vowed to protect?
How could his knightly conduct and decorum assist him in such a scenario?
That's when it hit him.
It wouldn't.
A seemingly ordinary butler stood up against the entire kingdom to defend the dignity and honor of his lady, his friend, while he would have merely watched from the sidelines, doing nothing.
"You know, knights should embody chivalry and heroism, serving as role models who would defend the common people and everyone around them. However, after witnessing this farce of an event, I can only say that, with a few exceptions, you all are nothing but disgusting hypocrites."
Those words replayed in his mind, reminding him of his own thoughts about the order.
'I'm a fraud, a fake. What value does my knighthood hold if I can't even defend my lady? No, my friend, as you did.'
He turned slightly, tears welling in his eyes, feeling the weight of the principles of knighthood: the strength to protect, the loyalty to defend, and the honor to uphold.
Which he found himself owning none of them.
His mind wandered to his lady, Anastasia. She had been so eager and excited for this conference, and what had he done?
He had humiliated himself in front of his peers, embarrassed his lady, and, in a way, shamed the entire kingdom since he was known as the "Finest of Knights."
"'Finest of Knights,'" he scoffed, "Such a title does not befit a scum like me,"
Julius would spend the night weeping, his contracted spirits comforting him as his confidence and pride were irreversibly shattered.