Chapter 16
Selakia gently asked in place of Tenus, who hadn’t spoken.
“I heard you joined a mercenary group? Are you here in the Seidon Duchy because of mercenary business?”
“Ah, I’m not with a mercenary group anymore. Those damned mercenary bastards—despite their bulk—were ridiculously stingy. The commission they deducted every time they assigned a mission was outrageous. On top of that, the fees they charged for room and board were higher than what I was earning, so I gave them a good kick and walked out.”
She must have ended up with a bad mercenary group. But despite her troubles, Roberta let out a hearty laugh.
“If I’d saved all that money, I could’ve bought ten bricks of the Imperial capital’s coliseum by now. I came here to look for a new job.”
“A job?”
“Yes. I heard the young Duke of Seidon stormed out of the Academy, so I figured something big—maybe lucrative—must have happened in the duchy.”
Roberta glanced wistfully at the bustling street where a freight wagon was racing by. Tenus gave a dry chuckle.
“Were you hoping for a civil war?”
“I thought I could seize the chance to earn some military merit. For someone like me with no inheritance, that kind of opportunity doesn’t come often.”
She seemed genuinely disappointed.
After a moment of silent thought, Selakia asked Roberta,
“So you haven’t found a job yet?”
“Nope. I tried applying for merchant caravan escort work, but they all turned me down for lack of experience.”
“Are you only aiming for caravan guard work?”
“What? Oh, no, not exactly…”
Suddenly, Roberta’s green eyes gleamed. Like a predator spotting prey, she stepped closer to Selakia, her gaze sharp.
“Are you perhaps trying to recruit me into the Seidon Duchy’s knight order, madam?”
“…What?”
“Not a chance.”
Tenus interjected, cutting in between them, flustered by her sudden question and overly familiar tone.
Roberta glared at Tenus, who had moved to block her view of Selakia.
“What’s wrong with me?! I graduated second in the swordsmanship division of the Royal Academy…!”
“You failed the Seidon knight order entrance exam last year.”
“Huh? …How do you know that?”
“How could I not know the affairs of Seidon’s knight order?”
“B-but that wasn’t my real skill, you know! I was just unlucky that day. I was feeling sick…”
“A knight’s job includes taking care of their condition. If you can’t manage even that, forget about joining the knight order.”
Tenus was as unyielding as a locked vault. The warm atmosphere instantly turned cold.
Selakia, who now only saw Tenus’s broad back, could easily imagine how sour Roberta’s expression must be. This wasn’t going well.
Growing anxious, Selakia gave Tenus a hard push to the side. He moved surprisingly easily. Ignoring him entirely, Selakia seized Roberta’s hand.
“Sir Belfona. I’d like to ask you to be my personal guard.”
“How can someone who doesn’t even meet the ‘basic’ requirements be trusted with the critical duty of guarding a noble lady? Find someone else. Perhaps someone from the highly ‘qualified’ Seidon knight order.”
Roberta flatly refused without even a second of hesitation. Her pride had clearly been hurt. Selakia tightened her grip on the woman’s hand.
“But Tenus won’t assign anyone from that so-called reputable Seidon knight order to guard me.”
Roberta shifted her gaze behind Selakia. Her eyes were filled with suspicion as she looked over the knights standing behind her.
“They’re just temporary escorts for today’s outing. Normally, Tenus guards me himself.”
“What? The young Duke of Seidon personally?”
“Yes. But as you know, he’s very busy preparing to succeed the dukedom. I can’t keep making him waste his time on me. You understand, don’t you?”
Selakia glanced over at Tenus with a mock-concerned expression. He just raised a brow in silence, clearly observing her antics. His haughty expression only fueled her competitive streak.
“From what you said earlier, it sounds like you were second in the Royal Academy. Did I hear that wrong?”
Roberta’s lips twitched. She scratched the back of her head, embarrassed.
“Ahem. I don’t like to brag, but I stood out in the mercenary group too. Everyone was sorry to see me leave. I swear, the only reason I failed the knight exam was bad luck. If I took it again now, I’d probably pass at the top.”
“There won’t be another entrance exam for a few years…”
Before Tenus could barge in with his comment, Selakia quickly clapped her hands, cutting him off.
“Wow, that’s amazing! Someone as outstanding as you being my personal guard—surely even Tenus would agree. A graduate from the Royal Academy is just as trustworthy as a Seidon knight. It’s perfect.”
Come on, take the bait, take the bait. Selakia stared at Roberta with all the hope she could muster.
Tenus clearly had no intention of assigning her a guard. If things kept going like this, he’d stick to her like a barnacle for another month.
She had originally planned to get someone from the knight order to act so terribly that Tenus would give up. But Roberta’s sudden appearance was like a gem rolling into her lap.
She couldn’t afford to lose this opportunity.
But Roberta, dashing her hopes, gave her an apologetic smile.
“I’m flattered, but this is far too much for someone like me. I’m sure a noble lady like yourself deserves a more capable guard—”
“100 pegel per week.”
“…What?”
“I’ll pay in advance.”
The average monthly pay for a knight in a noble household was about 50 pegel. According to her private tutor from the officer school, mercenaries with hazard pay earned about 70 pegel per mission. Selakia’s offer was incredibly generous.
For someone like Roberta, who had raced to the duchy in hopes of war just to make money, this was a very tempting sum. And sure enough, her green eyes sparkled with interest.
“A personal bodyguard for a noble lady? No one could be more suitable than me. I shall serve with unwavering loyalty!”
Roberta placed a fist over her chest and gave a knight’s salute. It was a complete about-face, but fitting for someone who was ready to leap into war for profit.
Selakia beamed and turned to Tenus.
“Do as you wish.”
Though Tenus looked displeased, he didn’t raise any objections.
“Being together any longer… wouldn’t be good.”
Who’s he to say that? Selakia scoffed to herself and decided to ride the momentum.
“I’ve also picked out a personal maid.”
She turned her head toward the quiet girl standing like a shadow behind them.
“You didn’t have a personal maid until now?”
Roberta seemed surprised as she turned to look at the maid. Caught off guard by the sudden attention, the girl flinched.
“M-me?”
* * *
A strange silence fell over the spacious parlor.
Selakia and Roberta sat across from each other at a table. The maid stood near the door. All of them kept glancing nervously at Tenus, who stood by the window.
Unable to bear the silence, Selakia finally broke it.
“Now that I have an excellent guard and a personal maid, there’s no need for you to stay by my side anymore, Tenus.”
She wished she could say it more directly. But with others around, she couldn’t be fully honest. If only there were a way to express this with just two blunt syllables.
Tenus, arms crossed, stayed silent for a moment before speaking to Roberta.
“Come with me for a moment.”
Roberta followed him out. Their voices could be faintly heard through the door, but it was impossible to make out what they were saying.
Selakia wasn’t particularly curious. She was more focused on enjoying her long-awaited freedom. Since returning to the ducal residence, this was the first time—aside from when she bathed—that Tenus hadn’t been glued to her side.
Even just his heavy gaze being gone made her feel lighter. Humming a tune, Selakia suddenly noticed the maid trembling by the door—the one she’d chosen earlier during their shopping trip.
“Come here, dear.”
With a smile, she beckoned the girl over.
“Y-yes, ma’am.”
The girl’s round eyes were brimming with tears as she approached. Up close, she looked even younger than Selakia had thought. Her soft brown hair and the freckles dotting her nose gave her a very innocent impression.
Selakia gestured for her to take a seat, but the girl just clutched her skirt and stood, visibly overwhelmed. She was nothing like the bold, talkative girl from the dress shop.
“Why are you so scared? It’s okay to sit.”
“P-please take back what you said about appointing me as your personal maid.”
“…What?”
“I haven’t been in this household for long, I don’t know much, and I’m not very good with my hands. I’ll only be a burden to you. Besides, I’m not suited for such a heavy responsibility…”
She babbled so quickly it seemed like she’d choke on her words. Selakia gently interrupted.
“When did you join this household?”
“…It’s been two weeks.”
Two weeks ago, Selakia had still been living in the seaside cottage. No wonder the girl seemed unfamiliar.
Selakia liked her even more now.
A girl who didn’t know anything about her past. No burdens. The perfect person to entrust her present to.
