Chapter 9
Five minutes later.
“How is it? Feeling better now?”
“…It’s terrifyingly effective, considering how it looked.”
Cassel replied, sinking back into the sofa.
“See? Didn’t I tell you? With this, no matter how much you drink, you’ll be fine.”
Blair sat down next to him with a triumphant look on her face.
“Rather than inventing something like this, wouldn’t it be better to just drink less?”
Cassel muttered, wiping his face with his hand.
“That’s impossible. Drinking is my one and only joy in life—”
“Or.”
Cassel, who had been staring blankly at the ceiling, slowly turned his head to face Blair.
“You could invent something to get rid of your drunken antics instead.”
His deep blue eyes locked directly onto Blair’s. When he let out a faint sigh and stared at her as if mildly scolding her, Blair flinched a little without meaning to.
‘What the— He came at me so suddenly.’
“Drunken antics? I don’t have any—do I?”
Blair tilted her head in confusion.
Honestly, that was half true. She always drank alone at home. So she wasn’t even sure if she had any drunken habits. Sometimes she didn’t remember parts of the night, but usually she woke up quietly in her own room.
“…You really don’t remember anything?”
Cassel’s eyebrow lifted slightly as he gave her a look that said she ought to remember at least something.
“Remember what?”
“…Never mind.”
“Why stop halfway? Now I’m curious.”
“I have a regular knights’ meeting today. I probably won’t be back until late at night, so if you need anything, tell Emma or the head butler, Henrik.”
Cassel stood up abruptly, cutting off the conversation. He straightened his clothes, strode to the door in just a few long steps, and tossed out one last, cryptic remark before he disappeared.
“Since you’ve forgotten, it’s probably best you don’t remember.”
＊＊＊
“All surprise training tactics and supplies for the Priya Mountain Range are ready.”
“The naval combat unit is ready too.”
“The training manual and supplies for immediate response to monster attacks are complete.”
“The Knights’ Corps medical unit’s personnel requests have been filed, and we plan to finalize arrangements with the apothecary division by the end of the week.”
“With that, the preparations for the joint training exercise are mostly done. If there’s anything more to report, don’t hesitate to update me immediately.”
“Yes, Commander.”
Tap, tap.
Inside the knights’ meeting room.
The meeting that had started that morning finally wrapped up only when the crescent moon had risen in the dark blue sky.
“Finally, this cursed joint training prep is almost done.”
Edwin leaned back in his chair with a sigh.
“Seriously. Once this training is over, we can finally have a real vacation, right?”
One of the officers cautiously tested the waters.
“Well…”
Douglas, the captain of the 3rd Order, slowly rolled his eyes toward Cassel.
‘Please…’
Everyone in the room fixed their gaze on Cassel at once.
They had even given up their last vacation to prepare for this joint training—though not by choice.
Their commander, whose skills far exceeded theirs, always led by example and worked without rest. It was impossible to use vacation days when the boss never took a break.
So this time, everyone was desperate to secure their leave no matter what. Unconsciously, every hand under the table clenched tight.
“We’ll see how things go.”
Cassel replied, eyes still on the documents in front of him.
Defeated. The officers’ shoulders slumped at once.
All color drained from their faces, yet the one who should have been the most exhausted—the newlywed himself—looked perfectly fine.
‘Working non-stop all year is one thing, but ten-plus hours of meetings the day after your wedding? Is he even human?’
Seven years had passed since the end of the Unification War. Though the country had stabilized after that chaotic period, the Bayern Knights had never once lowered their guard since Cassel became Commander-in-Chief.
There were still neighboring states constantly watching for an opening. But the shrewd Emperor, reading the global tides, kept the situation stable through brilliant diplomacy. Internally, he strengthened unity by promoting policies close to the temple.
Thanks to this, temples rose everywhere, from large cities to the smallest villages. Built in the most visible spots, they spread the message of peace and harmony to the people of the Bayern Empire.
Some said the age of peace had finally arrived. But for the knights, it felt like time moved just a bit slower.
“Don’t you still need to go on your honeymoon? I’ve seen couples who kept putting it off and then never went at all.”
“Yeah, same here. I ended up going right before my wife gave birth—and believe me, she never let me hear the end of it.”
“Isn’t newlywed life when every minute feels too precious to waste?”
Another officer joined in the teasing, and soon everyone was chiming in.
“Come on. Don’t ignore us men just trying to look out for a newlywed.”
Edwin clapped Cassel on the shoulder jokingly.
“You and I need to have a word later.”
Cassel turned to him with an oddly cold look in his eyes.
“Me? What did I do?”
The chill down Edwin’s spine made him shiver all over. He was still protesting his innocence when—
Knock knock.
Someone knocked on the meeting room door. The only person who would still be in the Imperial Palace at this hour was obvious.
“Commander, His Majesty requests your presence.”
Cassel lifted his eyes from the documents. The Emperor’s chief chamberlain stood there waiting.
Cassel’s expression darkened slightly.
＊＊＊
All morning, Blair had endured a storm of etiquette lessons before finally stepping out of her room in casual clothes.
“This is the room, madam.”
The maid who had hurried along behind Blair pushed open a large door adorned with an elegant pattern.
“Thank you.”
Creaaak. The door swung open. Inside, priceless artworks owned by the marquis’ estate were displayed in all their glory.
‘In art, one glimpse teaches more than a hundred words, madam. Start by appreciating the pieces here in the marquis’ home.’
She could practically hear Laine’s voice—her special tutor brought in just for her. Apparently, developing an aesthetic eye for art was essential if she wanted to hold her own in noble conversations.
“I thought nobles just sat around eating and drinking all day. How annoying.”
From posture and walking, to table manners and parties—nothing was simple. Even eating required so much to think about.
It was far from the carefree noble life she’d imagined. But who cared? A warm house, good food, and a job that required barely lifting a finger made it worth it.
“Compared to working late every night like before, I’d do this a hundred times over. And the boss is pretty lenient, too.”
Though that very lenient employer—where had he run off to, anyway?
‘You really don’t remember anything?’
‘Since you’ve forgotten, it’s probably best you don’t remember.’
His words flashed through her mind again. It had been three days since Cassel disappeared after dropping those cryptic remarks.
He had said he’d be in meetings until late, but he hadn’t said he’d be gone for days.
When she asked Henrik, the head butler, he simply said Cassel was away on external business for a few days.
“Why say something so weird and then leave? It’s just making me curious and uneasy. Nothing bad happened, right?”
Blair stuck out her lower lip, then shook her head to clear her thoughts and started striding around the spacious room—completely ignoring all the elegant walking lessons Laine had drilled into her.
She began admiring the sculptures one by one.
“So these are all carved from stone? Look how real the folds in the clothes are.”
“Wow… and this woman’s figure—amazing.”
“This statue’s nose is so sharp—he’s handsome, too.”
She stopped in front of a male statue and reached out her hand.
‘Wow, so handsome.’
‘Seriously, he’s like a statue—oh, wait. He is a statue.’
“Huh? What’s this…?”
Just as Cassel had said, it probably would have been better if those useless memories had stayed forgotten—because they suddenly flooded back into Blair’s mind.
