Chapter 70
How About Me as Your Partner?
It was a question about whether it would matter if my partner after I closed all the cracks and retired wasn’t necessarily a knight.
I paused for a moment and answered Frit.
“I haven’t really thought that far… but yes, I think it would be fine. After retirement, I’ll be safe too. I wouldn’t feel like I’m doing something wrong even if I paired up with someone who isn’t a knight.”
After retirement, at least I wouldn’t be constantly at risk of losing my life, so meeting a civilian seemed acceptable.
Of course, if my relationship with the Commander remained the same until then, I would end up marrying him without any need for that.
By the way, if I married the Commander, who should I tell our child’s heroic tales about first?
Both of us had endless stories from fighting on the frontlines as knights.
I suppose it would be best to tell my tales first, right?
I was lost in these trivial thoughts when Frit’s voice suddenly pulled me back to reality.
“So, once all the cracks are closed, will I have a chance?”
“…A chance? What kind of chance are you talking about?”
I was so distracted that it was hard to understand what he meant.
Frit gave me an even brighter smile than before when I looked at him, confused.
“You said that once you closed the cracks and retired, you’d consider finding a partner even among ordinary people, didn’t you?”
“Oh, I prefer natural encounters, so I wasn’t really planning on actively searching—”
“In any case, you said it would be fine if the partner wasn’t a knight, right?”
Since I had indeed said that, I nodded, and he pointed at himself with his fingertip.
The question that followed… hit me like a punch to the back of my head.
“How about me as your partner?”
I didn’t drop my teacup—but only because it was already resting on the table.
If I had been holding it, I surely would have dropped it this time.
The question Frit suddenly threw at me was that shocking.
“You mean… would you consider me, as your partner?”
Even hearing it directly, I couldn’t believe it, so I repeated the question.
Unlike my surprise, Frit answered me calmly.
“Yes, didn’t I tell you before? That I adore you.”
“I thought that just meant you care for me a lot—”
“So, what about me? Do I seem like a man worthy of being your partner?”
“Ah… well…”
I froze in embarrassment, trying to form an answer, but he spoke first.
“Of course, I don’t intend to rush your answer right now. You said you would only meet knights until all the cracks are closed.”
“….”
“But once all the cracks are closed, wouldn’t I be eligible then?”
After saying that, he rested his elbow on the table and propped his chin.
Looking at his kind, handsome face like that, I felt my heart calm a little.
He calmed me and then asked seriously:
“I won’t rush any other answers, so just tell me this one thing. When the age of peace comes… would I also have the right to be Yulia’s partner?”
His gaze was too fervent to just brush off.
It seemed he would ask the same question over and over until I gave a proper answer.
So I forced myself to speak.
“Of course, Your Highness, you are more than worthy—truly magnificent. You wouldn’t need to wait for someone like me to be your partner.”
“No, don’t speak as if you’re lowering yourself. Someone like you…”
He reached out his hand.
Carefully… very carefully, he placed his hand over mine on the table.
“You are my savior. I spent my whole life tormented by the guilt of predicting the world’s destruction, and thanks to you, I am saved.”
“….”
“So when I said I adore you, it wasn’t just that I care for you.”
To think that he truly meant “adore.”
I tried to calm my flustered heart by picking up my teacup.
Unfortunately, it was empty.
I had been sipping on it for thirst earlier and apparently had finished it all.
So I put down the empty cup and spoke to him with dry lips.
“If you truly mean it, I hope you’ll wait. Until the age of peace comes. By then, I’ll be able to meet anyone.”
For now, that would suffice.
Even though I had said I might look for a partner among civilians after the cracks were closed, I couldn’t tell him “you can’t” now.
He wasn’t a low-ranking noble—he was one of the three pillars supporting the empire.
If someone like him approached so humbly, rejecting him might be taken as an insult.
Yes, I would just let him wait. He wouldn’t actually wait until I closed all the cracks anyway. He’d probably marry someone else before then.
That was how I eased my guilt.
In the meantime, he expressed his gratitude.
With a smile so bright it almost made me sad.
“Thank you so much, Yulia. I will wait until the day the last crack of the empire is closed, no matter how long it takes.”
After our tea time conversation, Frit didn’t call me for a while.
I heard he became unusually busy because of something happening in the nearby territory.
Anyway, since I promised to deliver the letters to the Commander personally, I could focus on resting.
After a solid three days of rest, I finally felt fully recovered and thought it was time to do something, and the opportunity arrived at the right moment.
“So, you’ve been busy recently because of the cracks?”
He had called me out to eat together, explaining why he’d been so busy—it was because of the cracks.
When I asked, he nodded immediately.
“Yes, all because of the cracks. Suddenly, corrosion occurred, and the villagers rushed to the main temple… I didn’t even have time to eat properly while taking care of them.”
“Oh… no wonder you looked so busy. I had no idea.”
“You haven’t allowed the evacuees into the main building where you’re staying. They are now in the annex. Since many patients were affected by the cracks’ poison, the annex’s treatment rooms are completely full.”
The situation seemed worse than I thought.
But there was no need to despair.
I had been itching for some action, and now the work literally came to me.
“I’ll close it.”
“Excuse me?”
“The crack that’s causing corrosion. I’ll close it. That way, the villagers can return home, and you’ll be able to take a breather.”
Frit seemed surprised that I would take this initiative.
Instead of immediately smiling with joy as I expected, he expressed concern.
“Alone, you say?”
“Yes, of course, just me. I can’t call the Silver Knights for this.”
“In that case, I can’t let you go. Isn’t it too dangerous?”
He had always been devoted enough to fetch stars from the sky for me, but now he was firmly refusing.
I gave him a reassuring smile.
“I’ve already closed so many cracks alone that I can’t even count them on my fingers. The Silver Knights are always short-staffed. I’ve often tackled them alone.”
“….”
“Don’t worry. I have enough experience. I’ll close it safely.”
Honestly, I was a master at closing cracks alone.
My abilities were specialized for combat—attack, defense, and restraint—so once I knew the Queen’s position, the operation was easy.
Confidently, I waited for his approval, but he suddenly sighed.
“However, Yulia… I think you’ve forgotten one thing.”
“Yes?”
“That your abilities are sealed.”
“…!?”
I had completely forgotten since I’d been idling and hadn’t needed to use them.
Right, my powers were currently sealed.
I awkwardly scratched my cheek and smiled.
“Now that you mention it… yes, my abilities are sealed. Hasn’t the awakener who will free me arrived yet?”
“I received a letter saying they’ll arrive tomorrow. But—”
He hesitated mid-sentence and then looked at me sharply before continuing.
“I’m worried about whether I should even unseal them. Once unsealed, I fear you’ll insist on closing that crack yourself.”
