Episode 03
Silence hung in the air.
Rosalyn’s gaze shifted between her captured wrist and Cassius’s expressionless face.
“Ugh, caught me.”
Rosalyn promptly released her hand.
“No way it’d be that easy, right?”
Grumbling playfully, she leaned back against the seat.
A sidelong glance revealed no change in Cassius’s expression, despite her brazen attitude.
‘He’s supposed to be a stickler for principles.’
For someone like that, he was being surprisingly lenient.
‘How far will he let this slide?’
Staring openly at Cassius’s face, Rosalyn straightened up.
“How’d you know I was looking for the key?”
She expected no response, but—
“The woman with the devil’s tongue, the heretic who stands above nobles.”
His emotionless voice recited monotonously.
“Before the leader of Hyde, everything must be questioned.”
His blue eyes turned indifferently toward Rosalyn.
“And there’s no reason to let my guard down in front of a surveillance target.”
“Oh.”
No wonder he was that knight commander.
‘But that’s surprising. He knows all the rumors floating around?’
He seemed like the type to avoid gossip for fear of tainting his ears…
“Anything else?”
When she asked out of curiosity, Cassius’s gaze returned to the front.
“I’m not here for idle chatter.”
“Why not? We’re going to see each other a lot now, so getting to know each other would be nice, don’t you think?”
Her shameless words were ignored, but Rosalyn smiled brightly, undeterred.
“That community service thing? Probation? You said I have to do it.”
As she spoke, Rosalyn subtly gauged Cassius’s reaction.
It was a system that existed on Earth, but she wasn’t sure if it worked the same here.
‘I vaguely recall reading about it in the lawbooks…’
She’d have her guild members look into any loopholes.
But the immediate issue was how to get back to the guild, so for now, she had no choice but to probe Cassius.
Perhaps because it concerned his duties, Cassius opened his mouth.
“The details of the community service will be decided within a few days. There’s no precedent for this ruling, so it’s being interpreted based on the Knights’ circumstances. I’ll inform you when the decision is made.”
Rosalyn quickly seized the opening.
“If no one knows how it works, why not just let it slide? Good for you, good for me, no need to waste the precious time of busy knights…”
Cassius’s expression immediately turned cold.
“Probation is also under interpretation, but as the designated supervisor, I can’t leave the Knights often, so you’ll likely stay at the headquarters.”
Even his cold voice remained steadfastly principled.
Rosalyn’s red eyes sparkled for a moment.
“So, it’s all still under interpretation?”
Cassius replied plainly, “Yes.”
Bingo.
Rosalyn inwardly shouted, Eureka!
“Then I’m not under detention right now, right? Neither community service nor probation requires confinement.”
Detention meant physically restricting someone.
This was a crucial point.
The bait Rosalyn had thrown worked brilliantly.
“No detention order has been issued, so you’re correct.”
The biggest flaw of a principled personality.
‘Rules come first!’
Rosalyn boldly demanded, “Perfect. Then I’m going home today.”
Cassius’s eyebrow twitched, but Rosalyn quickly added, “Once the interpretation is finalized, I’ll comply obediently, of course. Until then, I’ll wait at home. You’re a busy man, Sir Cassius—doesn’t that sound reasonable?”
Rosalyn flashed a radiant smile.
This way, she wouldn’t have to go to the headquarters right now!
For Rosalyn, the guild was her home.
She’d head there and order her guild members to find a way to nullify the community service ruling.
‘…And while we’re at it, let’s dig into this guy’s weaknesses.’
Rosalyn added one more task to her list.
If her guild members could find a way to invalidate the ruling before the Black Iron Knights finalized their legal interpretation, that would be ideal.
‘Even if they fail, I can just find his weakness and slip out.’
Despite all the information she’d gathered, she’d never found a weakness for Cassius.
‘But there’s no such thing as a person without a speck of dirt if you shake them hard enough!’
If she dug with intent, she’d find something.
At least, that’s what Rosalyn firmly believed at the time.
* * *
[Hyde Guild]
Standing before the signboard, Rosalyn was overwhelmed with emotion.
‘My sweet home!’
Escaping before reaching the Black Iron Knights’ headquarters.
Success.
Cassius had accepted her absurd proposal.
“Really? I can just go home?”
“There’s no logical flaw in your argument.”
‘Principled types are great for this.’
Rosalyn confidently flung open the guild’s door.
Jingle, jingle!
The chime rang as she shouted, “I’m back, kids!”
“Guild Leader!”
“You weren’t dragged off by the Crows…”
Rosalyn shot a quick glare at the guild member who’d just spoken.
“Crows” was a derogatory term for the Black Iron Knights.
And then—
Gasp.
“…”
Crash.
Amidst the sound of someone catching their breath and the shattering of a dropped cup, the guild lobby fell silent.
“G-Guild Leader… Behind you…”
Tom, the guild’s troublemaker who’d mentioned the Crows, stammered as he pointed behind Rosalyn.
‘I’m done for.’
She’d already made a bad impression.
With a heavy sigh, Rosalyn stepped aside with a bright smile.
“Everyone, say hello. This is the renowned leader of the Black Iron Knights.”
“…”
Despite her cheerful introduction, a suffocating silence followed.
Not just the guild members, but even Cassius behind her.
‘This is bad.’
Even a three-year-old would stop crying at the mention of the Black Iron Knights.
So, it was only natural the guild members were shocked to see the knight commander himself show up.
In the frozen atmosphere, Rosalyn grabbed Cassius’s arm and tugged.
“Don’t just stand there, come in, Sir Cassius. I’ll take you to a nice, comfy parlor!”
But Cassius didn’t budge an inch.
His strength was so immense that no matter how hard she pulled, his thick arm wouldn’t move.
‘Come on! Work with me here! You followed me all the way!’
Who’d have thought the busy man would follow her to the guild?
Something about needing to inspect the living conditions of his supervision target.
Since getting to the guild was her priority, she’d agreed, but still.
If he came, he should cooperate!
“Sir Cassius, let’s go to the parlor and rest?”
Gritting her teeth, she spoke, but Cassius abruptly turned.
Then he strode out of the guild.
Without a single glance back.
“Huh…?”
Rosalyn stared blankly as Cassius climbed into the carriage beyond the open door.
Neigh.
The horses snorted, pulling the carriage away, and the escorting knights followed, leaving the scene.
Whoosh.
A lone breeze blew past the empty guild entrance.
‘What was that about?’
She couldn’t even guess his intentions.
As Rosalyn stood there dumbfounded, Tom sidled up cautiously.
“Guild Leader… Should I pack our bags?”
Rosalyn slowly turned to face Tom.
The freckled, innocent-looking Tom had a grim expression, as if preparing for a covert operation.
The corner of Rosalyn’s mouth curled upward.
“Run away?”
“It’s obvious you’re marked. We gotta split before the guild gets trashed…”
“Oh, I must’ve been crazy to put you in charge of intel! How are you handling clients with that kind of tact?”
She smacked his back repeatedly, and Tom bolted, yelping.
“Ow, ow, ow! Guild Leader! Use words, words!”
“I am using words right now!”
“No violence! No violence!”
As Tom fled, a gentle voice interjected.
“Rosalyn, don’t bully the kid. What’s going on?”
Rosalyn whipped her head toward the voice.
“Zion!”
A man with honey-blond hair smiled.
Zion, the deputy guild leader, was beloved and trusted by the guild members.
Rosalyn rushed over and threw her arms around him.
“Guess what happened?”
To her pouty expression, Zion smiled even more warmly.
“I heard you were carted off by the Black Iron Knights from the courthouse.”
His tone was soft and measured.
“But I didn’t expect you to show up with the knight commander himself.”
Rosalyn slowly released her grip on his arm.
‘…That’s his angry tone.’
Zion, with his disarming appearance that melted people’s defenses, had a peculiar trait: the angrier he got, the gentler his demeanor became.
‘And that’s his really angry…’
As she cautiously stepped back, Zion smiled serenely.
“You said the only time our guild would fall is if you brought it down yourself.”
Despite the menacing words, his tone was impossibly calm as he asked,
“So, should we prepare to shut down or go into hiding, Guild Leader?”
Cold sweat trickled down Rosalyn’s back.
