Chapter 18

 

She wondered if it was her imagination—but that piercing blue gaze was too clear to miss.

It felt like a childish boast, as if he were proudly asking, Did you see that?

Like a kid bragging about winning something.

‘No way he’s actually asking me that.’

But somehow, that ridiculous idea popped into her head anyway.

The silver-haired man’s gaze followed the Grand Duke’s… and briefly brushed against her, too.

Then, the moment their eyes met, he sharply turned his head away and glared at the Grand Duke.

‘Just like my first impression—what an unpleasant guy. So it’s true what they say—skill doesn’t always come with personality.’

The Grand Duke must’ve felt the burning glare too. He turned his head and looked the silver-haired man straight in the eye.

“Well fought,” he said.

The silver-haired man replied, his voice still burning with heat.

“That was cheating.”

His tone was tense, breathless, full of lingering anger.

For some reason, the Grand Duke found that amusing. A smile played at his lips—like a father indulgently watching a son throw a tantrum.

With a lighthearted air, he ignored the silver-haired man and turned to face the assembled knights.

“There’s no such thing as cheating on the battlefield. There is only life and death.”

The knights repeated his words in perfect unison.

Their thunderous voices echoed through the air as the Grand Duke looked on with a dry, indifferent gaze.

“You all died today.”

He dropped that bombshell into the room like it was nothing.

‘You really think you can protect your comrade’s back with that level of skill?’

As the knights hung their heads in something like reflection, a cruel smile crept across the Grand Duke’s face.

“I’ll at least acknowledge your courage in thinking yourselves the pride of the North.”

“…”

“In that spirit, twenty more laps around the training grounds.”

Twenty laps… around this massive field?

It was a shocking command—yet the knights responded like they were used to it, shouting in unison:

“Thank you, Your Grace!”

They quickly formed ranks and began running past her, starting their laps around the grounds.

Their steps were full of life, brimming with energy—like freshly blossomed flowers.

A short distance behind them stood the silver-haired man.

She couldn’t shake the feeling that he was glaring at her.
Maybe she was just imagining it… but he wasn’t avoiding her gaze either. That much was certain.

When she gave him a look as if to ask Why are you looking at me like that? he said nothing. He simply tightened the knot on his uniform and briskly walked past her.

Completely ignoring her.

She could tell, clearly, that there was nothing pleasant in the way he’d looked at her just now.

‘What… was that all about?’

As she turned and watched his retreating back, a sudden thought crossed her mind.

‘Thank goodness that knight’s hair is silver.’

‘If someone like that were my brother… No. That’s impossible. I won’t even entertain the thought, not even in my imagination.’

The brother in her dreams had been so cute and sweet.

‘There’s no way he grew up into that.’

From far across the training field, the knights shouted in unison once again.

That same grand sound she had earlier said she liked.

For some reason, the Grand Duke frowned and said something to the man who appeared to be the captain of the knights.
After that, the shouts stopped completely.

Now the knights ran in silence, over and over again, without a word.

‘Does he hate loud noise or something?’

Surely sounds like that weren’t new in the Grand Duke’s estate…
But for him to suddenly react that way now—well, people’s moods change daily. There’s no point trying to make sense of it.

Still, standing there alone in the silence, one thing became very clear to her.

‘That man completely ruined my plan.’

She had wanted to find out whether the “angel knight” with black hair and red eyes was really her brother…

But by now, they were already running far off across the training ground.

She could wait until they finished their twenty laps, but if she lingered here any longer, she’d look suspicious.

‘There’ll be another chance anyway, so I should just go back for today.’

She told herself not to expect too much—but her heart was already stirring.

Her mind was off running wild, imagining that knight really was her brother, and if so—she’d have to go buy steak tomorrow.

There were probably others out there with black hair and red eyes.
Chances were, it was just a coincidence.

She knew that in her head… but her heart refused to agree.

And truthfully, her plan had fallen apart before it had even begun.

‘What must everyone think of me now?’

Right after she appeared, the Grand Duke had shown up too. People probably weren’t looking at her kindly anymore.

Every word from the Grand Duke had carried a sharp edge, and somehow, it all felt like it was aimed at her.

He had treated her like a foreign substance—as if even her presence in the training grounds offended him.

The man who had stolen her plan now approached, his face as expressionless as ever, like someone who had simply finished his task.

She hated those calm, confident steps.

But she couldn’t ignore him. After all, he was the one holding her leash right now.

Swallowing her pride, she bowed in silence. Still, the fact that she only bent at a 45-degree angle gave her tattered dignity a small sense of satisfaction.

As she straightened up, his gaze landed directly on her.

A piercing stare, like he could see right through her, made her breath catch.

That cold, unwavering look from above radiated authority and detachment.

‘What’s he going to pick on me for this time? I should really just avoid him and go.’

She quickly turned to leave, avoiding his gaze.

She could feel his eyes following her the whole time, relentless—but she made herself keep walking, refusing to look back.

Since that day, the woman had barely appeared before his eyes.

Her shadow flickered somewhere beyond, deliberately staying just out of sight.

She was playing a childish game of hide and seek, avoiding his gaze.

‘If she wants to play, she might as well do it properly so I can at least keep rhythm.’

“Didn’t you say Miss Sylvia’s been loitering behind the knights’ training grounds lately?”

“I did.”

“Seems like she’s trying to meet with Knight Netir.”

Thud—the document in Kallain’s hand dropped onto the desk.

He leaned back lazily in his chair, tapping the table with his fingers.

Even when he didn’t want to hear it, Jayden made sure to recite reports about that woman every morning without fail.

“It’s obvious Netir’s giving her the time of day. Back in my day, we’d be collapsing from exhaustion after training. Times sure have changed.”

Jayden’s complaints continued from there.

He launched into a long-winded recollection of the single month he’d served with the knight order long ago, told in far too many words.

Any story that started with “Back in my day—” never seemed to end.

His voice was charged with emotion the whole time.

Kallain was certain the old man had been watching the woman for quite some time now, even if he didn’t say it aloud.

After snuffing out his cigar, Kallain turned his head.

He sat staring at the heap of blackened ashes, and the absurdity of the situation struck him.

‘Why does it even matter what she does?’

‘Anyone watching would think I’m some lovesick fool.’

All they had between them was a contractual relationship—employer and employee—and even that felt ridiculous now.

No. He was the employer, so he could do whatever he wanted.

“Looks like discipline’s been slipping lately, don’t you think?”

“I—I didn’t exactly mean it like that…”

Jayden, locking eyes with Kallain, quickly backtracked.

“But it does seem that way, doesn’t it?”

Jayden recalled how Kallain had once made the entire knight order run dozens of laps around the training grounds.

Even so, the idea that this might’ve happened because he tattled…

“How about we send them down south for a field training assignment? It’s been a while.”

“That’s not training, that’s torture.”

“Then…”

“The monster subjugation team for Mount Detroit—you said they haven’t finished selecting the roster yet?”

The Northern Territory had become known as Detroit only after countless monster exterminations.

Yet, dangerous creatures still lurked there.

Some were truly horrifying, requiring the knight order to be dispatched regularly to patrol the perimeter walls.

The northern border was eerie enough to seem haunted, and it was bitterly cold in the dead of winter—no one volunteered to go there.

“But Netir just came back from there a month ago.”

“Then we’ll send him again. Right in time with the discipline breakdown cycle.”

Kallain said it casually, reclining again with ease, while Jayden looked on in stunned disbelief.

“You really like Miss Sylvia, don’t you?”

Kallain’s eyes drifted slowly toward the window.

The woman who had caused all this mess was now peacefully wandering the flower garden again, glancing toward the training grounds.

Still standing there with that frail frame, as though she hadn’t eaten a thing.

“Does she not eat or something?”

“You really do like her.”

“Concluding that I like her just because I worry about her meals—isn’t that a bit lacking in human decency, Sir Jayden?”

“It always starts like that—wondering if they’ve eaten, then wanting to see them, then confessing, getting engaged, married, having kids…”

“At this rate, I’ll be meeting my grandchildren soon.”

“No need to worry. I’ve already got names picked out for all your grandchildren, Your Grace.”

What nonsense.

Kallain let out a soft chuckle and swept a hand through his hair.

Sunlight broke over him, scattering into silver that shimmered softly.

Silence settled over the room.

In that quiet, just like always, Jayden opened the charts and began reporting the day’s schedule.

The chart began with the usual business: an inspection of the Grand Duchy, a hunting session, meetings with the merchant guild—then moved on to the following day.

“Three days from now is Her Majesty the Empress’s memorial day. Preparations for your journey to the southern Kaphran Territory are complete. The only issue is the healer.”

Jayden glanced quietly at his silent master and continued.

“Miss Lilyrose has yet to arrive, so we’re not sure how to proceed.”

Lilyrose, from Blossom Agriche, was a renowned healer known for her exceptional skill.

Of course, it seemed she had never once actually been of much use to the Grand Duke.

Jayden stole a glance at Kallain’s expression.

Even so, when it came to emergency care and general medical support, there was no one more capable than Lady Lilyrose.

It hadn’t been long since the last incident of rampage, and while it was unlikely to happen again so soon…
Jayden felt uneasy at the idea of traveling that far without a proper Purifier.