Chapter : 88
‘Well, he must be doing fine. At least he doesn’t have to bother with guard duty anymore.’
Judging by the fact that he hadn’t contacted me for a week…
Still…
‘…I hope he feels a little bored now that he has no one to tease.’
I was curious about how he was doing and what he was up to now that he wasn’t on guard duty, but I didn’t have any excuse to reach out.
Yet somehow, contacting him for no reason at all felt… embarrassing.
At that moment, as I was feeling a bit down thinking about Sir Rahedis, Linzy suddenly seemed to have an idea.
“How about asking the knights to help with your practice? Most of them are nobles and physically capable, so they’d make perfect sparring partners.”
Hearing that, I suddenly remembered something and jumped up.
“Yes! Why didn’t I think of that before?”
“Ah… Miss?”
I brushed past Linzy, who looked startled at my sudden change in mood, and headed for the drawer.
Hehe.
A smile I couldn’t hide spread across my face as I pulled out some stationery.
“Would you like a newspaper?”
As we left the alley where the antique shop was and stepped onto the main street, a boy selling newspapers approached Rahedis, shaking one at him.
Just as he was about to refuse, he caught sight of a large headline on the front page. Changing his mind, he quietly handed over a silver coin.
“Thank you.”
The boy, beaming at the coin, walked away. Rahedis looked at the headline:
“Legendary Hero Dane Lowswade Survives!
His Daughter Also Revealed as Hero Who Saved Nobles at the Hunting Festival…”
It had already been a week since Dane returned to the Imperial Knights.
Every newspaper in the empire was abuzz about the hero who miraculously survived after twenty years.
Most articles celebrated Dane’s return, though a few were critical. Eventually, even news about Vivian started appearing.
Perceptions about mixed-bloods were slowly changing.
‘If it’s what Vivian wanted, then that’s good…’
But Rahedis’s expression wasn’t entirely cheerful.
‘If Vivian is the daughter of the Demon Lord, then the person Sir Lowswade loved must have been the Demon Lord. In that case, Orphen was the enemy who killed the one he loved.’
‘And yet he returned to the Imperial Knights… What on earth is he thinking?’
Dane must have entered the Hunting Festival intending to kill the emperor.
Then, unexpectedly encountering Vivian must have disrupted his plan.
‘So did he change his mind after seeing Vivian?’
But could one really live while ignoring the enemy who killed the person they loved?
Just imagining it made my blood run cold.
I didn’t know what he was thinking, but one thing was certain:
‘He would never do anything to put Vivian in danger.’
Yet judging from the Hunting Festival incident, his own safety probably isn’t a priority for him.
And that mindset might inadvertently hurt Vivian again.
‘I need to visit her as soon as I finish gathering evidence about the Hunting Festival.’
It had already been a week since Vivian went to the Marquess’s mansion.
A week without seeing her.
I knew roughly how she was doing and what she was up to…
‘…But that’s only what Rahel knows.’
I hadn’t contacted Rahedis even once. Meanwhile, I contacted Rahel every night via magical means.
‘Still, I thought she’d be a little conscious of me by now.’
Perhaps I was just being arrogant.
As I chided myself for feeling jealous, we arrived at the Marquess’s mansion.
As always, Owen greeted us.
“Welcome back, Lord Rahedis.”
Before Rahedis could ask if anything had happened, Owen handed him a letter.
Puzzled, Rahedis’s eyes flickered as he took it.
The letter bore the crest of the Lowswade Marquess family.
Perhaps because late autumn made the sun set earlier, there was no one on the clock tower despite it not being very late.
Everyone else had gone home, and the autumn wind swirled in the darkness, leaving only one person behind.
Rahedis, staring at the cityscape with dry eyes, sensed someone approaching and tensed.
Stealthy footsteps.
Though trying to hide it, the subtle sound gave them away.
He let out a slight smile as he looked down, pretending not to notice.
Finally, the presence reached his back, and a light tap hit his shoulder.
“Yikes!”
“So scary.”
Despite saying “scary,” when he turned calmly, Vivian’s face—full of expectation—was replaced by sudden disappointment.
“Ugh, boring.”
Even after a week, Vivian remained the same: eager to tease him, dressed in a simple dress as always, despite never having succeeded before.
“Now that you’re the Marquess’s daughter, I thought you’d come as an elegant, refined noblewoman.”
“Disappointed it’s not so?”
“No. That’s why I like it.”
Vivian flinched at his casual words and averted her eyes.
‘He probably just meant it’s nice that nothing’s changed…’
The word ‘like’ alone made me uneasy, and I couldn’t help but feel frustrated at my own reaction.
“So, what brings you here? I thought you’d forgotten me now that you’re a noblewoman.”
Rahedis spoke carelessly but then realized something and stopped mid-sentence.
It was his unintentional annoyance at Vivian never having contacted him.
‘How childish of me.’
He tensed, worried that Vivian might notice, but fortunately—or unfortunately—she didn’t, answering obediently.
“Do you know how to dance?”
“…Dance?”
“I heard nobles are taught from a young age? It’s considered basic education.”
“Well… a little.”
“Then will you be my practice partner? I’m going to perform a debut dance at the upcoming royal banquet.”
“But Sir Lowswade is there, and there are other knights at the Marquess’s mansion. Why me?”
Her tone sounded curt, but there was a subtle hope in her words.
Rahedis self-deprecated, wondering what she could possibly be expecting.
“…My father’s busy, and the other knights are still awkward.”
Seeing Vivian’s earnest eyes, he finally nodded in surrender.
Vivian, having received the answer she’d been waiting for, smiled slyly.
She stepped forward and stopped at a distance.
“Then, let’s start with a proper greeting.”
Facing Rahedis, she bowed politely as taught.
He smirked and bowed politely in return.
Thus, an impromptu autumn night dance began atop the clock tower.
Vivian lightly placed her hand on his, and Rahedis skillfully wrapped his hand around hers, taking a proper stance.
Vivian flinched.
She had held his hand before, but always in urgent situations, leaving no time to focus on the physical contact itself.
‘His hand… it’s huge.’
Not only that, but his height, the solid frame felt through his other hand on her shoulder…
It made her realize anew that he was a man, and her heart began to race.
As always when facing him, it felt perfectly natural now.
Their hands touched, his fingers brushing hers on his shoulder, sending tingles through her.
Each cell of her body, conscious of him, froze in place.
A familiar, deep voice settled above her.
“When we begin—”
His hand lifted gently under her chin, and their eyes met.
“Looking at your partner is proper etiquette.”
The playful glint she knew was gone; seriousness remained.
The familiar gaze felt unfamiliar for a moment.
“If you’re ready, you must give a signal.”
