Chapter 2 – Reunion
Roa found it hard to sleep at night, thinking about meeting him again. After a light nap, she got up and went downstairs to prepare to welcome him. The servants were already busy.
He was not just a knight—he was the Chief Vassal of Duke Trone. Roa personally checked over the preparations for receiving such a guest.
And right on time, Eizen arrived. Since Count Clarion and his wife were away in the capital, the current master of the estate was the young Count Sheindrick. Together with Sheindrick and his wife, Roa finished preparing to greet him.
“Thank you for coming such a long way. Welcome to House Clarion.”
It had been four years since Roa last saw Eizen. She froze, unable even to blink. He had always been tall, but now he was far larger, a fully grown man. He was no longer a boy but a strong, commanding figure. Meeting him again as a man was nothing like what she had imagined.
“Ah…”
After greeting Sheindrick and his wife, Eizen walked toward Roa. She stared blankly as he approached, then belatedly bowed her head.
“It is truly an honor to have you visit House Clarion.”
Roa forced a bright smile, though it felt awkward. In front of her, Eizen knelt on one knee. That a duke’s vassal would show such formality to a count’s daughter was almost unbelievable—but at this moment, he was simply a knight. Hesitating, Roa held out her hand.
“It is I who am honored that you would grant me this precious time, my lady.”
Taking her white hand, Eizen lowered his head and kissed it. Not the silver magnolia leaves, nor the sword in its sheath—what he had longed for most was Lady Roa Clarion.
Now, after four years, they faced each other as man and woman, and a strange air hung between them.
Eizen rose after lightly kissing her hand. Roa gazed at him, startled by how much he had changed, and quickly lowered her eyes when their gazes met.
“His Grace the Duke will be surprised. I am of much lower rank, yet you…”
“I am now a knight in full. Please, call me Sir Eizen.”
Eizen smiled warmly. Roa glanced at that smile out of the corner of her eye, then quickly lowered her gaze again. The boy who once had no expression and carried only gloom had grown into a man capable of such a gentle smile.
“It is all thanks to you, my lady.”
Sheindrick, Roa’s eldest brother, sensed the subtle tension between them at once.
“We still have duties to attend to. Roa will show you around.”
With a small push on her back, Sheindrick urged Roa forward. The two of them began walking side by side. It felt awkward. She worried about how to match her stride with his, whether to walk faster, how to turn corners—too many little details to think about.
She didn’t know what to say first. Blinking rapidly, her eyes darted around until they landed on the garden before them. She turned to Eizen.
“Brother Kailon landscaped our estate’s garden in the same natural style as Duke Trone’s.”
He, too, had always loved natural gardens. It was the only piece of common ground they shared.
“Sir Eizen, you liked natural gardens too, didn’t you?”
“The thing I missed most from that house was the garden.”
He should have had no lingering attachment to that place, yet he could never forget the back garden where he first met her.
“Especially the silver magnolia.”
Roa was surprised he remembered her saying it was her favorite tree. In their brief childhood meeting, she had left such a deep impression on him. Her heart grew heavy. She hadn’t known her light words would affect him so much. Though grateful that it led him in a good direction, she felt a small sense of responsibility.
“My lady.”
“Yes?”
Lost in thought, Roa lifted her head when he called her. Eizen leaned closer. Startled, she instinctively drew back. By her ear, in a soft low voice, he whispered:
“I wish to spend time alone with you.”
“…Ah.”
Roa glanced nervously at the maids following them.
“Then… later, on the terrace, just for a moment.”
She replied in a whisper as small as his.
Eizen smiled again, his face bright with boyish warmth despite his broad, grown body. Caught staring, Roa quickly turned away.
“There’s a silver magnolia planted in front of the terrace in the central garden. Shall we go see it together?”
She hurried to change the subject and quickened her steps. Watching her flustered movements, Eizen could not help but laugh quietly.
At the terrace in the central courtyard, the two sat facing each other outdoors.
“Prepare the herb tea that Kailon brought back from his last trip.”
“Yes, my lady.”
The maids left to prepare the tea, leaving the two of them finally alone.
“Can I speak more casually?”
Eizen broke the silence with a friendly question. Roa was flustered but agreed.
“When we’re alone, it’s fine.”
Once, she had been the one to smile first and reach out to the gloomy boy. Now, time had changed things—she was the nervous one, and he exuded the poise of an adult.
“I never thought you’d truly become a knight. I only meant to comfort you when you seemed so down.”
Did her words steer the course of his life? The thought weighed on her. She twisted her fingers, unable to meet his eyes.
“Roa.”
He called her name softly. It was the first time he had ever spoken it aloud. Her heart pounded, heat rushed to her face. Embarrassed, she couldn’t lift her head—but she wanted to look at him when he said her name. Slowly, she raised her gaze, letting her blue eyes meet his.
“If it weren’t for you, I’d still be trapped in that dark cellar, unable to grow at all.”
He reached for her hand. She hesitated, then placed hers in his. Their hands overlapped.
“I will never forget the warmth you gave me that day. You gave me purpose and the will to live.”
Looking at him so directly felt strange. His jet-black hair gleamed in the daylight. She had never noticed before how his mysterious red eyes could shine so beautifully.
“I’m glad… if you think of it that way.”
Roa forced a stiff smile, though she longed to smile as naturally as he did.
“That’s why…”
Eizen tightened his grip on her hand.
“If you don’t yet have a knight, I want to become your official guard.”
Roa gasped. Shocked, she nearly pulled her hand back, but he held on firmly, not letting her escape.
“Next month, at the knighting ceremony in the Luctia estate where I trained, I want to make my knight’s vow to you.”
The thought of receiving a knight’s vow herself seemed like a fairytale. She had dreamed of it as a child but never believed it would happen in reality.
“Weren’t you already knighted?”
“Yes, but the ceremony was delayed due to Luctia’s private matters.”
That delay, however, had become Eizen’s chance.
“And when you finish your debutante…”
Still holding her hand tightly, he continued:
“I intend to formally ask the Count of Clarion for your hand.”
“What?”
He was bold and unwavering. Roa’s mind went blank.
She, too, had imagined marrying him—but only as a foolish daydream. To learn he thought the same was shocking. After all, they had only met once, four years ago.
“I’m sorry, it’s just… too sudden.”
“Take your time. Think about it.”
He released her hand and leaned back in his chair, relaxed.
“I’ve already thought about it carefully.”
He had confessed, yet still carried himself with composure.
“You were the one who gave me hope and pulled me out of hell. You’ve always been my support.”
Roa, overwhelmed, couldn’t hide her confusion.
“If you don’t want it, I’ll never force you.”
He tried to ease her burden.
“Your happiness matters most. I have no right to harm it.”
“…I understand.”
At that moment, the maids returned with herb tea. The two chatted lightly, sharing small stories. As the sun began to set, servants prepared a room for Eizen.
Roa exchanged goodnight greetings and went upstairs. After a refreshing bath and changing into comfortable clothes, she sat on her bed, thinking over all he had said that day. Having just returned from Bellanis’s debutante, her mind was already dwelling on marriage, so his words weighed even more heavily.
When her worries grew too much, she would always open the window and gaze at the wide garden. As she looked out, she saw Eizen walking outside. Roa quickly slipped on her shoes and quietly made her way down toward the back garden where he was.
