Chapter 24

 

Her tone was laced with defiance, edged sharp like a blade.

Their eyes met midair.

The surrounding knights, ready to misinterpret every word, let out another loud oooh.

While the knights slipped into spectator mode, the weirdo stared directly at her.

His sharpened gaze pierced through her—just like the day he’d crossed swords with the Grand Duke in that sparring match.

A fleeting moment stretched endlessly.

And when he finally opened his mouth, what came out was downright rude.

“You’re not my type.”

“Did I do something to offend you?”

The weirdo let out another snort of laughter.

“You don’t have to go this far with me.”

“Sitting here handing out pastries like this won’t make His Grace the Grand Duke like you any more.”

“So you think I’m doing all this just to get on His Grace’s good side?”

“That’s something you would know better than me.”

So, in this weirdo’s eyes, she was using him—and the rest of the knight order—to get close to the Grand Duke.

Well… she supposed that’s how it could look.

A woman brought in as the Grand Duke’s healer suddenly offering a heart-shaped pastry to a knight she supposedly had no connection with.

Especially when their eye contact had always been strained. He must have felt it just as much as she did.

Still, that didn’t mean he wasn’t a weirdo.

What kind of person says something like that in front of everyone? Did he not realize what kind of mood it would create?

The weirdo, after saying exactly what he wanted to say, turned on his heel and walked off without hesitation, taking a seat under the tree trunk again.

The sudden chill in the air was left behind for everyone else to deal with.
It was downright absurd.

The knights, who had so enthusiastically sided with her despite knowing so little about her, looked at one another in stunned confusion.

In the midst of the awkward silence, the friendly captain approached her with a warm smile.

“He’s always like that. Don’t pay him any mind.”

He’s always like that… — it seemed even among the knight order, his reputation wasn’t exactly glowing.

Well, it was kind of expected ever since that previous duel when he randomly stormed off at the end.

Still, judging by the way he handled his sword back then, he did seem to know what he was doing. But what did that matter?
With an attitude like that, all skill was wasted.

Her pride flared up, but she had no intention of ruining the mood here.

What had the other knights done wrong? She forced a smile onto her face and looked at them.

“Thank you, everyone.”

“We didn’t do anything,” they replied, ears flushed all the way to their tips.

It was a charming sight. But before more misunderstandings could build, she decided to steer the conversation toward her true purpose.

“We didn’t even introduce ourselves. I’m Sylvia. I… have a question.”

“Please, ask anything you’d like.”

Their kind and attentive gazes gave her the courage to continue.

“Do you know when Sir Netir might return?”

The knights exchanged glances, seemingly not expecting that name to come up.

Eventually, the captain stepped forward to respond.

“Ah, well… since the mission involves subjugating monsters, it might take some time.”

“If it’s going to take some time… how long are we talking?”

“If it’s quick… about a month, maybe.”

A month—at best.

“Isn’t monster hunting extremely dangerous?”

That bastard Grand Duke really sent my brother off to die.

Even if the only basis she had for assuming they were siblings was their matching hair and eye color, there was no one else as close to a brother as Netir, the Angel Knight.

And the moment she convinced herself of that, her heart began to burn with anxiety.

One of the knights casually patted her shoulder with a bright smile.

“Yes, it’s dangerous… but not that dangerous.”

Dangerous but not dangerous?
She stared at him in disbelief, wondering what kind of nonsense that was, when he continued:

“I mean, who are we? We’re the pride of the North…”

That was when it happened.
The announcement of the Grand Duke’s arrival rang out, and the knights immediately scrambled into perfect lines.

Even the weirdo let out a scoff and passed her by, lining up at the end of the row.

And from the center, the Grand Duke slowly emerged.

The very person she had tried so hard to avoid had appeared before her once again.

Well, really, it was a foolish plan from the start.

Avoiding that man’s gaze in his own estate—was that even possible?

She was the guest, and he was the master.

A tightness squeezed her throat, as if all the air had vanished from her lungs.

What was he going to say this time?

The memory of the cold, merciless presence he exuded the last time he stood here made her knees weak.

He usually only visits the training grounds in the morning—why today…

She wanted to believe he wouldn’t throw her out on the same day they signed the contract over something like this…
But in the end, she knew he was absolutely the kind of person who could.

Long, elegant legs approached her like those of a dignified crane.

His movements were slow, yet fast. It was contradictory, but evoked a similar feeling to the weirdo earlier.

The difference between the two was that while the weirdo’s steps were wild and free, the Grand Duke’s were restrained and deliberate.

There was a sense of noble refinement that set him apart from ordinary aristocrats.

In the reflection of his distorted blue eyes, she saw herself—and it felt like it pinned her in place.

If he told her to leave now, she already had her words prepared.

Back then, she hadn’t just sat around doing nothing.

Like his attitude implied, it’s the thirsty who must dig the well—that was her role.

She’d run through simulations in her mind over and over again, but they were all proving useless now.
It was always like that in front of this man.

At least she was good at hiding her nerves.

While she kept up an outer calm, he came to a halt in front of her.

“Since when has trailing after knights become a hobby of yours?”

Visiting the training ground twice now was apparently enough to be labeled a hobby.

She felt a twinge of unfairness rise in her chest, but one look at his formidable presence told her this was not the time to protest.

She forced a bright smile to her lips, but he merely looked down at her in silence.

As if waiting for her to come up with some excuse.

“A hobby? No, I just wanted to prepare a small token of appreciation for the knights who protect the Grand Duchy.”

“A small. Token.”

His tone had a sharp edge to it.

Every word came clipped and cold—he almost sounded angry.

His jaw looked tight, as though his molars were clenched.

Surely it was just her imagination.

Really, what was so wrong about giving a simple gift to the knights?

According to them, he was supposed to be a kind person.

And based on their conversation in the carriage, he had seemed… like someone decent— Never mind. Forget that.

“For a small token, you made quite the mess.”

He nodded slightly toward the box of financiers.

When she instinctively moved to hide it behind her, his eyes narrowed sharply.

Was he upset she used the kitchen? That didn’t seem right.

She tried to read his mood, but there was really only one thing she could say.

“I’m sorry.”

With an intimidating presence, he slipped on his gauntlet and asked:

“Why were you avoiding me yesterday?”

The wind caught his silver hair, making it shimmer blue in the light. His striking blue eyes glinted mysteriously, adding to his ethereal aura.

No matter how many times she saw him, she still wasn’t used to that face. Her response came a beat too late.

“…Pardon?”

Something in his strange gaze triggered a memory from last night.

She had nearly run into him while carrying the bread and ducked quickly behind the end of the corridor.

They might have made eye contact, but when he kept walking, she was sure he hadn’t seen her.

Well, even if he had, she hadn’t thought it would be a big deal.

It was just her own guilty conscience.

“I just got startled when we nearly crossed paths, that’s all.”

“You’re not even trying to deny that you were avoiding me. You’re saying it right to my face.”

There was a sharpness in his tone that carried a dangerous edge.

The intensity of his presence made her explanation slip out without thinking.

“That’s not what I meant… I just didn’t want to disturb you, so I came to the training ground when I thought you wouldn’t be here.”

“Right. Because if I were here, I’d get in the way of your confession.”

“Confession?”