"Everybody." Viscount Alexander said, his voice loud and confident.

People stopped whatever they were doing and turned to look at him.

"Today is the day my beloved son has turned eighteen." he said as he looked at the young man beside him, "We’ll have a few casual competitions between us before we attend the ball at night. Felicia, why don’t you tell everyone what we have planned."

Felicia nodded and looked around at the guests. Her eyes pausing slightly on the three marriage candidates.

Both Bastian and Leon beamed when they saw her looking at them but Adrian? The man was yawning.

For a moment, anger flared in her but she brushed it off and began to speak.

"We will be having a casual hunting competition but before that, you can all participate in the accuracy competition. The use of arrows is obviously required but spells will be allowed too. Even throwing stones will be counted. Those who wish to participate, please follow me."

People began murmuring as they followed her but Adrian had his eyes on one woman.

It was Claire Kaldwin.

She wasn’t just a nobody. He knew of her from the book and he knew that she wouldn’t stay in the barony for long. When the novel started, Claire was a royal knight who taught the protagonist how to use his sword. She was a top notch teacher and a knight who would put her life on the line for the one she was supposed to protect.

Claire had died pretty early on in the novel and it was because she had tried to protect the princess from a bunch of masked men.

’If that stupid donkey of a protagonist didn’t go around picking fights with everyone he saw, then the princess wouldn’t even have been attacked.’ he thought and clicked his tongue, which caught Claire’s attention as she turned to look in his direction.

He was just a few feet away so he smiled at her and cleared his throat as he covered the distance with a slight jog.

"Lady Claire, I was thinking of extending an offer to you."

Claire looked at him with an expression of slight disappointment on her face as she expected him to extend an offer for her to marry him.

"Would you like to serve me as my knight? I’ll provide you with a place to live, all the equipment you need, food and you’ll also be paid 50 silver coins a month."

Claire slowed down as she looked at him and thought about the offer. It wasn’t a bad one considering the fact that most knights were paid around 20-30 silver coins. The reason for this was that every single knight who decides to pledge their loyalty, would get a house to live in for free. They wouldn’t have to worry about food or equipment either.

The fact that he’s willing to pay 50 silvers on top of all the basic terms was enough to make her think about it.

Compared to her current life, it wouldn’t be much different as she had no interest in buying expensive clothes or items. Even as the daughter of a rich Baron, she had always lived a simple life apart from constant training.

"I.... will need to think about it. As you might already know, my father wishes that I marry a noble and settle down." she said as she gave him a wry smile but Adrian nodded.

"I understand. Take all the time you need, but do keep in mind that you’re a knight. A strong knight doesn’t have to conform to the expectations of the society."

Claire nodded slowly as she took in his words but then, she frowned.

"Why are you trying to hire a female knight when you can hire a male knight? They’re generally considered to be stronger."

"I’m looking for a leader, not muscle." he said then placed his hand on Aria who was standing beside him, "On top of that, I’d rather hire someone who is liked by my daughter and you’re a perfect fit."

He then hesitated a bit, looking slightly embarrassed, "I’m also hiring you for personal reasons."

Hearing this, Claire’s expression turned cold. A lot of nobles hired female knights, not just for fighting but for nightly activities too.

She had no plans on selling her body to anyone.

"You see, my curse forbids me from even holding a weapon made for war and this is just my instincts telling me this, but I feel like you’ll be a great teacher. Maybe you can help me become a knight without having to use any swords or other weapons."

Claire’s expression faltered as she did not expect such a reason. She had been thinking that he wanted to sleep with her, but the man just wished to become a knight and get stronger.

Out of sheer respect for his desire to get strong even though his curse limited his options, she made up her mind. She would seriously consider this offer.

"I will give you an answer by the end of the day."

With that, they joined up with the others and looked at the archery range. It wasn’t anything complicated. There was a short wall on one side and almost a hundred meters away, were targets lined up neatly.

"Everyone will get three shots and the one with the best consistent accuracy, wins." Felicia said as she looked at everyone and the people nodded.

The servants who worked for the viscount brought bows and arrows, distributing them to whoever wished to participate.

"Papa, you’ll get the first place right?" Aria asked as she looked up at him, with her large black eyes.

Adrian didn’t even plan on participating but seeing her expectant gaze, he couldn’t help but give in.

"Papa will try his best." he said as he patted her head.

Claire watched this exchange with a smile on her face but her smile faltered when she saw Adrian grab five arrows but reject the bow.

’What is he planning?’