Chapter 07
The question the knights had just asked was a matter of survival for them.
If they wanted to avoid repeating the hellish physical training from that morning, this was the only option left.
“Our duke? O-of course he’s a good man.”
Under the knights’ intense pressure, Ruelia finally managed to speak.
But that answer didn’t seem good enough for them.
“In what way is he good? Please be specific.”
“He gives clear instructions, never makes unreasonable demands, and he praises people properly.”
Especially with money.
He knew how to reward his subordinates.
“Is that all?”
“More than anything, despite how he looks, he’s a righteous person who truly cares about the people of his territory.”
“What do you mean by ‘despite how he looks’?”
“That can’t be right. When our duke goes to banquets, men and women alike stare at him because of his face. And his body? Both surface muscles and deep muscles are packed tight. He’s like a dragon.”
The knights nodded in unison.
The strongest swordsman.
Unlike the weak civil officials who couldn’t endure Kylas and ran away, this was why the knights had stayed with House Aber for so long.
Sometimes, the joint training sessions squeezed sweat out of their bodies like wringing laundry, leaving them half-dead. Still, they wanted to learn the sword from Kylas.
To be acknowledged by him was to become a true knight of the Empire.
Of course, his bad temper could be troublesome at times. Even so, ever since that aide arrived, hadn’t things become easier for the knights as well?
When previous aides failed to handle their work properly and the duke became overworked, every day felt like a crisis. He vented his frustration and exhaustion through brutal training.
But this morning felt like those days again.
Hell.
There was no better word for it.
“Our aide might not like muscular men…”
“That would be a problem.”
The knights were facing the greatest crisis of their lives.
They couldn’t forget the look on the duke’s face when he read the resignation letter.
If the aide in front of them disappeared, the hell from two years ago would return before their eyes.
So no matter what, they had to keep this aide bound to the duke’s side.
“Muscles…?”
Ruelia’s face turned bright red.
Raw images from that morning flashed through her mind. Especially the duke’s muscles, which had stood out far too clearly.
“I—I—I’ve never seen them, so…”
She quickly denied it, worried she might get caught peeking earlier.
Admitting she’d seen the duke’s muscles would also mean admitting she’d seen the knights half-naked while training.
“What a shame. Once you see them, you’ll never escape.”
The knights exchanged glances.
No one said anything, but their eyes clearly asked, What do we do now?
Then one of them stepped forward.
“We hope you’ll work here with the duke for the rest of your life.”
The sudden statement shocked everyone. The others jabbed the reckless knight in the side.
“Pardon?”
At this point, there was no turning back.
“You’re so good at your job that things have become easier for us, too.”
“That’s right! Since you came, our welfare has improved. The budget increased, and even our meals got better.”
“The new knight uniforms you designed look great. And they’re incredibly comfortable.”
Praise poured out from all directions.
None of them dared to ask directly if she was really quitting.
If she found out they’d discovered and destroyed her resignation letter, she might write another one immediately.
First, they had to change her mind.
“Thank you for the compliments. I also hope I can continue working for the duke.”
Ruelia’s answer was vague.
Wasn’t that the kind of thing people said when they were thinking about quitting?
It didn’t sound like she was quitting immediately, but…
“We’ll treat you even better from now on, so if things ever get hard, please tell us.”
“We’re serious. Whatever it is, we’ll handle it.”
“That’s right! Anyone who targets you, we’ll take care of them like we always—”
Honestly, these men really were all muscle and no brain.
One of them misspoke. Ruelia had never known she was being protected.
“Take care of… who?”
“Th-That is—”
“It’s the duke’s order.”
At that moment, Billein stepped forward.
He understood his comrades’ desire to keep Ruelia, so he’d stayed quiet until now. But if this idle chatter continued, disaster was inevitable.
—Never speak about your lord when he isn’t present. Especially not alone with Ruelia.—
Even if there were several people here, the result would be the same. The topic was still the duke.
They needed to end the conversation quickly and disperse.
But Ruelia’s eyes trembled.
“Ah… that makes sense. I overlooked it. There must be people who target aides to gather information about the ducal house or blackmail them.”
Her face darkened noticeably.
She looked frightened. She probably wanted to run away from House Aber immediately.
The knights glared at Billein in blame.
What if she wrote another resignation letter and ran straight to the duke?
“A-Um… then, sirs.”
“Please don’t worry. We protected you secretly until now because we thought you might be startled if you knew.”
“Thank you. But I’m worried that people with bad intentions might target my sister as well. So… could you protect her too? If you do, I think I can keep working at the ducal house with peace of mind.”
At her last words, the knights looked at each other.
No one spoke, but their eyes communicated clearly.
One of them stepped forward and asked,
“If we solve just that issue, will you continue working here at the ducal house? Without moving to some other safe place?”
“Will you stay with our duke for your entire life?”
All eyes turned to Ruelia.
They sparkled so brightly it was almost overwhelming.
If she said no here, she felt like she might actually die.
“Of course.”
One thousand five hundred gold. Her future weekly pay had already decided her answer.
“I like this ducal house the most. If possible, I’d like to work here for the rest of my life.”
At her sincere words, the knights clenched their fists in triumph.
We did it!
We’ll protect it at all costs!
Our peaceful knightly lives!
“Of course! Then we’ll make sure you can stay here with the duke forever.”
“F-Forever?”
Just a moment ago it was a lifetime, and now it was forever?
Maybe it was because they were knights, but their choice of words was extremely intense.
“Yes, thank you, Aide!”
One by one, the knights grabbed her hands and thanked her, leaving her no time to recover.
Why were they acting like this?
Shouldn’t the gratitude come from Ruelia and her sister, who were now under the protection of the Empire’s strongest knights?
She looked at them with confusion.
But since they seemed happy… maybe it was fine?
Their joy spread to Ruelia as well.
***
Kylas looked at the crowd of knights with a strange expression.
“So she said she wants to live here with me for the rest of her life?”
“Yes, my lord! We stopped the aide and asked her several things.”
Standing among them, Billein glared at his comrades resentfully.
Idiots.
What if they revealed that the duke had been casually chatting with Ruelia?
He’d already explained why he’d been scolded yesterday, but it clearly hadn’t sunk in.
“What exactly did you ask?”
“We asked how she feels about you, my lord.”
They were practically confessing to private conversations in real time.
“I apologize, my lord. I will personally discipline them—”
“What did she say?”
Kylas cut him off.
If these fools blurted everything out, it would be over.
What awaited them would be worse than that morning’s training. Some of them might not be able to walk.
“She said she likes you very much, my lord.”
“She also said it’s a shame she’s never seen your muscles.”
They even twisted the story.
“And she said that if her sister is protected as well, she wants to stay by your side for her entire life.”
The corners of the duke’s mouth stretched stiffly outward.
Seeing that, Billein urgently tried to stop them and push them out.
“So she doesn’t plan to quit.”
Kylas smiled warmly.
It was rare enough to see the duke smile at all, let alone speak in such a gentle tone.
It seemed like a good thing.
So why was it terrifying?
Silence fell for a moment, as if everyone shared the same thought. Then someone laughed awkwardly and spoke casually.
“Yes! That’s right! So please treat her even better, so she’ll stay at the ducal house forever.”
“That’s right!”
“Yes… I suppose I should.”
Kylas’s long fingers tapped lightly against the desk.
The sound was lively, almost like music.
