In the Shadowflame Grand Duchy, knight attendants and knight retainers were not the same.
Knight retainers were a lord's subordinates, essentially a type of servant. They needed to fight for their knight lord and attend to the lord's food, clothing, and daily needs on the battlefield.
They maintained the knight's equipment, helped the knight don and remove armor, carried belongings, lit fires and cooked meals, and stood watch for the knight at night. Naturally, in return, all of a retainer's expenses were provided by the knight.
Three daily meals, cultivation resources, and even future wedding and funeral expenses were all paid for by the knight.
But knight attendants were different.
An attendant was more like an apprentice. They followed a proper knight, cultivated Battle Aura, learned combat, and even learned how to govern a territory.
Thus, attendants were usually children of nobles.
Nobles sent their children to serve as attendants in another noble family, where they learned how to become qualified knights.
Of course.
Those willing to send their children away as knight attendants were generally minor nobles, such as Baron Knight Rosen.
As for high nobles, counts, barons, and the like, they would hire tutors to teach their children—Russell had previously studied at home in the castle under Eric, the Great Knight hired by the baron, and had never served as a knight attendant in someone else's home.
"Russell, what are you doing? It's time to give Grandmother your gift!" Rowena called from the sofa.
When Russell walked over, she stared at him maliciously and said, "You're not going to fob her off with another potted flower this year, are you?"
Old Madam Ingrid teased, "Every year, nothing but a potted flower. You little ghost fires have forgotten that you belong to a mushroom family and insist on imitating