Chapter 15
After politely declining the princess’s request, I returned home. Sitting by the window and gazing outside as I整理整理ed the events of the day, a suffocating feeling welled up inside me.
Despite how busy I’d been, I’d gained absolutely nothing today.
Then the man I’d met before visiting Commander Alonso’s office came to mind—the enigmatic man with dark bluish hair and blue eyes.
Just who was he, really?
I took out the stone he’d given me, but found no answers in it.
Even holding it up to the sunlight outside the window, it was nothing more than a jagged rock. Rough, dull-colored—there was no way to guess why he’d given this to me.
Could it be something precious to him?
Having never been the object of someone’s fervent admiration before, I found it hard to understand his feelings.
Still, I had a strange certainty that he wasn’t someone who meant me harm. One of the things I’d learned through sword training was how to read an opponent’s intent—whether someone wished to hurt me or not.
That was why I could more quickly sense a person’s mood, atmosphere, and emotions directed toward me than most people.
I hadn’t felt any killing intent from him. Rather than malice, what lingered in his gaze had been curiosity—interest directed squarely at me.
“This is troublesome.”
But it wasn’t an unpleasant sort of trouble.
Since joining the knight order, many people had secretly followed me. The problem was that what they usually handed me wasn’t a gift—but a blade swung without warning.
Because of that, I even found this situation a little novel. Crude as it was, he had at least expressed his feelings honestly.
I’d been wary, wondering if he was suspicious—but thinking it over again, his face was rather close to my ideal type.
There was just one problem.
I had a blind date coming up soon.
I planned to quit the knight order. Still, before that, I intended to accept the introduction Commander Alonso had promised me. That was partly why I’d gone to his office in the first place.
And now, while I was already expecting a good meeting with someone else, a strange man had shown interest in me.
On top of that, I apparently had someone harboring unrequited feelings for me as well.
It was deeply troublesome.
So troublesome that the smile wouldn’t leave my face.
Heh… hehehe.
Because of all these thoughts, the princess’s proposal had long since vanished from my mind.
***
The following afternoon, I went to see Commander Alonso again.
Based on experience, it was about time the paralysis should have completely worn off.
Bang!
I threw open the office door, and Commander Alonso sat upright behind his desk as though nothing had happened the day before.
Was he hoping I’d pretend not to know?
I understood his feelings—but my curiosity outweighed my consideration for him.
“What exactly happened yesterday?”
“Exactly what you saw.”
“What I saw? The princess knocked you over and was stepping on you. That’s all I saw.”
The hand holding Alonso Vargas’s pen began to tremble.
Snap.
The pen broke cleanly in two.
“Comman—”
“That’s enough. I don’t want to talk about it anymore. Let’s receive the report on the recent subjugation first.”
“Kyern will handle the report.”
Alonso Vargas snapped.
“Then what exactly do you do?”
Seizing the opportunity, I answered immediately.
“Nothing. Then may I quit?”
Vargas quickly changed expressions. The tension between his brows eased, and a gentle smile formed.
“Sometimes, simply existing can be a source of strength. There are those who become the symbol of a knight order through reputation and dignity alone. I’d say you’re fulfilling that role just fine.”
“Then can I just exist and skip subjugations? Ah—of course, I’ll still accept my salary.”
Thud.
Unable to endure it any longer, he slammed the desk.
“What’s the problem? Enough joking. Tell me why you really came.”
It wasn’t a joke—but he seemed intent on treating it as one. Since I still had something to extract from him, I nodded and spoke.
“You haven’t forgotten what you promised me, have you?”
“Of course not.”
From his confident expression, I could tell he was just as excited as I was.
I got straight to the point.
“Then when do I meet them?”
“Tsk. Being that impatient never leads to good results. I’m still figuring out how to arrange a natural meeting.”
“…Arrange?”
I tilted my head in confusion.
“Why do you need to arrange it?”
“He’s a man with delicate sensibilities—unlike you. He doesn’t like artificial setups. A chance encounter is far more dramatic, wouldn’t you agree?”
Ah. That type.
In that case, it couldn’t be helped.
“Then how about we ‘accidentally’ meet on a walking path? You drop your sword, and I pick it up.”
“What would you do with my sword? It’s not like you want to date me.”
Blegh.
I mimed gagging, and Alonso Vargas snorted before offering another idea.
“How about accidentally spilling tea while passing by? That’s a rather cute mistake.”
“Who carries tea while taking a walk? Then how about I trip him instead? A bit old-fashioned, but it could be romantic.”
“That’s ridiculous. Are you trying to send the man to his grave? Think about your strength.”
The heated debate over a “natural meeting” continued for some time. In the end, we settled on me discreetly dropping a handkerchief.
A handkerchief. I’d never carried one in my life—but if I asked Marian, she’d surely prepare one with elaborate decorations.
We set the appointment for two days later in the morning, on a walking path near the imperial palace.
That night, I couldn’t fall asleep easily—like a child before a picnic.
***
Was a ray of romance finally blooming in my life?
Heh, heh. I couldn’t stop the smile from slipping out.
The man from my imagination even appeared in my dreams that night, inflating my expectations to the brim.
At dawn, I sprang awake and chose my dress and accessories with Marian.
I wanted to wear a red dress embroidered with roses, but at Marian’s advice—that it was too flashy for a walk—I chose a more modest yellow dress trimmed with lace.
After that, Marian poured all her carefully honed skills into my appearance.
She braided my long hair and pinned it up, placed an amethyst necklace around my neck, and added earrings.
My reflection in the mirror transformed in an instant. Watching with satisfaction, I asked—
“Marian, how do I look?”
“Perfect! You’ll set men’s hearts ablaze—and burn them to ashes!”
Marian smiled brightly at me through the mirror.
I burst into laughter. Laughing along, Marian then pulled out a handkerchief from her bosom and handed it to me.
Examining it closely, I saw yellow flowers embroidered along the edges.
It matched my outfit perfectly, like part of a set. When I brought it to my nose, a faint floral scent drifted up.
“It smells like flowers?”
“I dried fresh flowers last night and put them inside. I thought real flower fragrance would be nicer than perfume.”
The pinnacle of naturalness!
Clenching my fist, I declared—
“Marian, I’ll succeed this time—no matter what!”
“You absolutely will!”
Buoyed by Marian’s enthusiastic support, I left the house brimming with excitement.
There was still plenty of time before the appointment, so I planned to take a leisurely walk while waiting.
***
My romantic luck must be cursed.
There’s no other explanation.
I arrived at the meeting spot a full hour early and was strolling along the path, admiring the flowers.
With a gentle smile, I imagined the perfect man I was about to meet—
Kyaaaah!
A piercing scream rang out.
I turned my head.
From far away, people were fleeing in panic.
What was happening? Had an emergency broken out?
I strained my ears and assessed the situation.
Of all times, I wasn’t even properly armed.
Commander Alonso’s words—that a knight should sleep with their sword—finally made sense now.
I still couldn’t grasp what was happening. But even without a weapon, I couldn’t just turn away.
I grabbed a fallen tree branch nearby and ran in the opposite direction of the fleeing crowd.
As I drew closer, I heard the roar of some unknown beast.
Yet it sounded… weak somehow—like the cry of a creature that hadn’t yet reached adulthood.
People were running away because of a mere young beast?
I found it odd—but then remembered that even the monster I’d fought before had possessed a voice beautiful enough to steal one’s mind.
Keeping my guard up, I cautiously moved toward the source of the sound.
Slide.
I hid beneath the bushes and observed.
In the distance, I saw the creature.
What… is that?
My eyesight was better than most—yet the creature’s form was so unusual that I couldn’t identify it at a glance.
Jagged spikes protruded from its dark red hide. Its thick-scaled body extended into a long tail, which slammed against the ground as it stood on two powerful hind legs.
A reptile? No—it didn’t resemble a crocodile. Too massive for a lizard.
And it had wings.
Something like that existed?
It looked more like a monster than a beast—and that made me uneasy.
This was an area adjacent to the imperial palace. People passed through constantly, and security was tight.
How could a monster just appear here, unnoticed?
The creature seemed agitated, unable to control its body. Its red eyes gleamed fiercely as it flapped its wings.
If that’s not a monster, then what is?
I hesitated—should I run?
That thing couldn’t be called a beast. And if it was a monster, fighting it without a weapon would be suicide.
Fortunately, it hadn’t noticed me yet. If I backed away carefully now—
I froze in place, holding my breath completely.
Then slowly, I stepped back.
Crunch.
The instant I did, I stepped on a branch behind me.
In a flash, the creature’s head snapped toward me.
Our eyes met—its red pupils locking onto mine.
I froze in shock.
