Chapter 36
After letting out a sigh, he removed his hand from the desk.
At the same time, the pressure eased, and it became noticeably easier to breathe.
“So please be careful when talking about your skills to other knights.”
Carlos said.
“It would be dangerous if anything happened to you. Your stamina is still severely lacking, isn’t it?”
His accurate assessment left me speechless, and I closed my mouth.
“During the subjugation, stay right next to me. Don’t even think about doing anything strange.”
Carlos continued to explain at length why I shouldn’t carelessly challenge other knights to duels, and how I should behave during the subjugation.
I quietly watched him, then cautiously opened my mouth.
“Sir Ivach, you’re worried about me, aren’t you?”
“……!”
Carlos stiffened like someone struck by lightning.
“What are you talking about?”
Carlos asked, visibly appalled.
But I remained unfazed by his reaction—because unlike before, I was sure of it.
“Listening to you, it’s clear you’re worried about me.”
“That’s ridiculous!”
Carlos shouted, then quickly closed his mouth.
But he couldn’t hide the flush spreading across his face.
“Don’t worry. I don’t think your feelings toward me have changed or anything.”
I waved a hand as if to ease the situation for Carlos, whose face was now nearly steaming.
“You still hate me, and I think that’s only natural.”
Some of the red color faded from Carlos’s face.
“You’re just doing your duty as vice-captain by looking after me.”
I wasn’t under any delusions.
Knowing how terribly Elia had wronged Carlos, there was no way I could shamelessly believe he was showing concern because he liked me.
But even so, I brought it up…
“Even if you’re only worried about me out of obligation, I appreciate it.”
Carlos looked at me with wide eyes, clearly not expecting those words from me.
“I…”
He started to say something, then closed his mouth.
“…Forget it.”
He let out a short sigh and gathered some documents.
“Tomorrow, we’ll be meeting His Majesty. Even if it’s a small-scale deployment.”
After briefly summarizing the next day’s agenda, he left my office.
Once Carlos left, I had nothing in particular to do, so I spent the rest of the time dazed until it was time to go home.
“My lady! I’ve prepared your formal attire for tomorrow!”
After eating dinner alone due to mismatched schedules with the rest of the family, I went up to my room, where Mary greeted me holding a dazzling ceremonial outfit.
“I have to wear that…?”
I recoiled at the sight of the countless buttons and tassels on the outfit.
“You’re going to have an audience with His Majesty!”
But Mary was firm.
“This is your chance to show everyone that you’ve changed!”
“……”
Though the thought of wearing the uncomfortable clothes made me dizzy, Mary had a point.
Tomorrow was the first time I’d appear officially since turning over a new leaf, and many would be watching and judging me.
I couldn’t afford to give them any reason to criticize.
“Alright, I’ll wear it.”
“A wise choice!”
I took the outfit from Mary and hung it beside my bed.
“Don’t worry, I’ll come help you dress in the morning.”
Thankfully, Mary knew exactly how the outfit should be worn, so I had nothing to worry about.
“Sleep well, my lady.”
She handed me a nightcap and turned off the lamp for me.
I drank the nightcap, washed up, and lay down in bed.
Tomorrow will be a long day.
With that thought, I closed my eyes.
The Next Morning
I woke up at just the right time, even without anyone waking me.
After a light breakfast prepared by Mary, I changed into my formal attire and headed to the knight order by carriage—riding a horse might wrinkle the outfit.
The carriage rolled along slowly, and I arrived at the 3rd Knight Order Headquarters in a relaxed mood.
“Welcome, my lady.”
As I gracefully stepped out of the carriage, Cesare, who had been waiting, greeted me politely.
“Where is Sir Ivach?”
“The vice-captain is currently preparing to meet His Majesty.”
Cesare kindly answered my question about Carlos’s whereabouts.
At first, I wondered what exactly Carlos needed to prepare, but then I realized how important it must be to him to meet the emperor.
The emperor was his biological father—the same man who once cast him aside.
Carlos’s lifelong goal was to be recognized by the emperor.
No wonder he was nervous.
‘I should be nervous too.’
I composed myself and waited for Carlos in front of the carriage.
A few minutes later, Carlos appeared from inside the headquarters, looking elegant and poised in his formal attire—unlike me.
“Wow… what a sight.”
Even Cesare couldn’t hold back a tacky exclamation at Carlos’s striking appearance.
Carlos really was ridiculously handsome.
I had been admiring him quietly myself and completely forgot to scold Cesare.
Luckily, Carlos didn’t seem to hear him and approached the carriage with a blank expression.
“Let’s go.”
He invited me in a somewhat stiff voice.
‘He really is nervous.’
Wanting to be considerate, I refrained from commenting on his tone and boarded the carriage.
He sat across from me, and Cesare took the driver’s seat. The carriage began to move.
Inside the rattling carriage, Carlos stubbornly stared out the window in silence.
‘Are we really going to reach the palace without saying a word?’
Just as I thought that—
“This will be my third time meeting His Majesty.”
Carlos suddenly spoke.
I searched Elia’s memories to recall Carlos’s previous audiences with the emperor.
He had only met the emperor twice—both times after becoming vice-captain and during prior subjugation missions.
“The captain has met His Majesty far more often, though.”
Prompted by his words, I searched Elia’s memories again.
Indeed, Elia had many opportunities to see the emperor due to her status as a promising genius and daughter of a high-ranking noble.
“Yes, I was often at the palace from a young age.”
Not knowing how else to respond, I chose a neutral reply.
Carlos turned his gaze from the window and looked at me.
Silence fell again.
His brown eyes briefly shimmered gold.
Come to think of it, Carlos’s ambition was to rise through the 3rd Knight Order and get closer to the emperor.
‘The fastest way to do that is to take the captain’s seat—by surpassing me.’
…Should I have been more wary of Carlos than worrying about cleaning up Elia’s past misdeeds?
Just as I realized that—
“What kind of person is His Majesty?”
“Huh? You mean the emperor?”
“Yes.”
Carlos nodded seriously.
“I’ve seen him a few times, but I still don’t understand him.”
Carlos’s gaze deepened.
“As a member of the Imperial Knights, I want to know what kind of man His Majesty really is.”
His words made me flinch slightly.
Would it kill you to hide that murderous aura? You sound like you’re about to assassinate the emperor.
“The emperor, well…”
I could understand, at least in part, the emotions Carlos must feel toward the emperor, and I didn’t want to dismiss him when he was asking so earnestly.
So I began to speak, drawing from both Elia’s memories and my knowledge from the original story.
In Elia’s memories, the emperor was a dignified, unreadable man.
He was cautious and quiet in all things, earning the people’s admiration and love.
But in the original story, things were different.
As a reader, I hadn’t thought very highly of him.
‘He was a father who cast aside his own son just because he was born of a lowborn woman—an irresponsible man.’
Reading the story from Carlos’s perspective made me empathize with him more.
So to me, the emperor’s cautiousness seemed more like indecision, and his quietness felt like a disguise to hide his guilt.
“The emperor is…”
I organized my thoughts and began to speak.
Hmm. Should I really say this?
Oh well. It’s just the two of us.
“To be honest, he’s not exactly… reassuring.”
Carlos’s eyes widened, as if he couldn’t believe what he just heard.
Oof, straight for the throat