Ludger Kassen, known for rarely showing his emotions in public, reportedly lost his temper over the lax security and the slow pace of the cleanup. I hadn’t realized it at the time, as I was unconscious, but apparently, they were also quite slow in calling for a healer.
Normally, Ludger is the type to stay late at the scene to help resolve things (like the last time with the attempted terrorist attack), but this time, he took me with him and left early.
‘I didn’t know since he never mentioned it… Well, he also kept the fact that he looked after me, as a secret.’
“… So it’s no wonder people are misunderstanding your relationship.”
“Umm… yeah.”
“And even if it’s just a debtor-creditor relationship like you said, isn’t Duke Kassen’s reaction a bit excessive?”
“….”
“Are you really sure he isn’t into you?”
“Speak consciously… you might as well go and read a romance novel or something.”
I sighed deeply.
The real reason Ludger was upset was because of the trauma of his dead parents… But how would people who weren’t aware of the full story understand that? They just found an excuse to spread gossip.
The situation had spiraled out of control.
“It’s just complicated… nothing like that is happening between us.”
“……”
“Besides, after dealing with Gustav, I’m sick of men… You know that. It’s exhausting to get involved in anything like that.”
“I know.”
Lionel reached over and roughly ruffled my hair.
“Hey! Don’t mess my hair!”
“You’re always such a mess; you never even brush your hair properly.”
“This brat…!”
I retaliated by messing up Lionel’s carefully styled hair. Normally, he would’ve hated it, but today he just laughed and went along with it.
Afterward, Lionel looked at me seriously.
“Nevertheless, if you need help with anything, just let me know.”
“….”
“I only just found out that you owe something to Duke Kassen. If I’d known earlier, I might have been able to help you out somehow.”
“Well… I couldn’t really explain the details easily. Sorry about that.”
“But I’m your friend. I would’ve liked to know. It’s a little disappointing.”
Lionel lightly pinched my cheek.
“What makes you think you can pinch your sister’s cheek so easily?”
Of course, I immediately retaliated. Lionel’s face turned red from receiving back a heartfelt pinch from me.
“Ow! Fine! I’ll shut up and eat my sandwich. Happy?”
“Lionel, stop messing with your sister. Understood?”
I chuckled, patted Lionel on the shoulder, and ate the rest of my sandwich. I knew he was just trying to keep things light, so it wouldn’t feel awkward or too serious after what we just discussed.
That’s how Lionel always has been.
Not much good happened after being kicked out of the Diamonds Knights and being downgraded to the Ruby Knights, but meeting Lionel in the new order could definitely be considered a ‘good thing.’
‘Yeah, let’s do my best.’
Lionel and the rest of my subordinates, they’re like my family. I had to do my utmost to take care of them.
Therefore, to avoid drawing too much attention from higher-ups, I’d try to live a steady, quiet life while still achieving decent results.
‘I should probably mention what’s going on with Ludger the next time we meet.’
Ludger was keeping me under surveillance, and I needed to stay aware of his movements too. But I had to make sure we didn’t fuel any unnecessary rumors in the meantime. Attending the gathering as his partner last time was already a bit too much.
‘Is he truly interested in me?’
As an ordinary human, I sometimes entertained such fleeting thoughts, just for a moment, when Ludger’s behavior seemed overly kind or when his subtle manipulation came into play.
But that couldn’t be it. It shouldn’t be.
Even without his reminders, Ludger and I came from entirely different worlds.
Our entanglement was just a coincidence, and it would inevitably unravel once the main story reached its conclusion.
I knew this objectively, but the thought left me feeling strangely hollow. I pushed that aside and bit into my sandwich.
I didn’t have time for pointless sentimentality. I needed to eat and get back to work.
***
In the meantime, I sent a notice to Heilbronner, hoping he would create another havoc and I could come up with an excuse like, “Oh, I’m terribly sorry, but I need to catch Heilbronner, so I can’t make it to the tea party.” Of course, that didn’t happen. The man was truly useless when you needed him most.
Instead, I sent a letter to Ludger, informing him that I was (forcibly) attending the Second Prince’s tea party, and he replied that he would attend too.
‘He warned me not to meet Prince Alphonse or Lady Serphenne but now he’s meeting them himself! Please, at least try to avoid them…’
Therefore, on a pleasant weekend afternoon, I found myself heading to the palace, feeling like a cow being led to slaughter.
For the occasion, I was dragged to Ludger’s mansion to change and wore the fine work attire and cloak he had given me. The whole thing felt more like work than attending a tea party leisurely, like I was about to hop on a horse and start my weekend shift…
But since this wasn’t an official duty, I had to bite my tongue and keep my complaints to myself.
If both a horse and a knight got injured at the same time, which one should you save first?
The correct answer: the horse.
A horse’s value and maintenance costs far surpass those of a knight, who can be replaced easily enough. This is just common sense.
Even as I amused myself with this little comedy in my head, my mood didn’t improve.
Holding back tears, I got into the carriage. Shouldn’t I at least be reimbursed for travel expenses, like an appearance fee? I’ll definitely be submitting that claim to the Second Prince’s palace. Well… maybe not.
I muttered mindlessly to myself, and before I knew it, I arrived at the palace. Following a servant’s guidance towards the Second Prince’s Palace, while passing by the knights working even on weekends, I arrived there in no time.
In the plot of the original novel, the Second Prince had been treated poorly in the past, but his situation had recently improved, and he’d been moved to a better palace, thanks to the female lead’s influence.
Since it had been a while since I attended a tea party, I decided to clear my head and enjoy myself as much as possible. That was the plan, at least, until I saw someone I really didn’t want to meet.
The sight of brown hair was enough to drive me mad.
‘Are the Sapphire Knights in charge of the Second Prince’s Palace today?’
Why weren’t the Diamond Knights on duty?
‘Oh, right. They said they were busy reorganizing… Haa…’
The Sapphire Knights seemed to be using the opportunity to grab important posts. They were even tasked with overseeing security at the upcoming Spring Festival. Of course, with the Second Prince’s rising popularity, Gustav wouldn’t miss this chance to impress him.
Gustav was giving orders to his subordinates, so he hadn’t seen me yet. I wanted to slip by, by being as unnoticeable as possible. However, since I had to pass through the entrance, there was no avoiding him.
‘Why do I have to deal with this? There’s no one to blame but Prince Alphonse…’
Instead of a formal congratulations, I’d much prefer if he sent me a golden calf. I could sell it and buy myself a nice meal.
With bleary eyes, I approached the entrance, hoping to escape reality.
“Our esteemed Captain Clara Weyburn has arrived.”
The servant announced, closing off my sneaking exit strategy.
Gustav turned at the sound of my name.
The moment I saw his face, I froze.
‘Why does he look so miserable?’
For some reason, he appeared haggard. Not that it was any of my business. It was better than his usual smug expression.
I half-expected Gustav to try to engage me in conversation.
But instead…
“Yes, I’ve confirmed it. You may enter.”
He said, offering a simple nod of acknowledgment.
“Pleasure to meet you, Captain Clara.”
“… Pleasure to meet you as well, Vice-Captain Gustav.”
Without another word, he turned back to his men.
‘What just happened?’
I was surprised. Based on our past encounters, I had expected something more from him. Had his pride been so thoroughly crushed after the Heilbronner incident? I could only hope so.
Of course, one of my goals is to retire after finally slapping him across the face, but for now, the best thing would be if he just ignored me.
Feeling much lighter now that Gustav seemed uninterested, I proceeded to the tea party in better spirits.
I entered the garden of the Second Prince’s Palace, where the tea party was being held. Although the weather was still chilly, the sun was warm, which likely explained the outdoor setting. Luckily, I had brought my thick cloak.
And as expected, there was a certain guest, a thief who’s never helpful when I need him.
