Chapter 57

"...Then this afternoon's training—"

"You were away from the duchy longer than you were ever here."

He said it bluntly enough, but it wasn't hard to tell what he meant underneath it: that I shouldn't worry about that part.

Well, I'm not complaining...

Still, it stung a little. If the Duke himself was saying something like that, it meant I must have looked like a complete wreck. As someone who trained dragons for a living, failing to manage my own condition — it was embarrassing, as a trainer.

"I'm sorry. I'll make sure this doesn't happen again."

"Don't apologize to me. Worry about your own health first."

Blunt as ever, but since he hadn't taken back the sweet part — telling me to go home — even that came through sounding pleasant to my ears.

"Grrrrrrrr..."

I looked over at Kazen, who had his neck stretched out, letting out a…