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Chapter 22
‘Nice timing!’
The reason Rosaline had stalled for time was simple—she had been waiting for Erich to arrive.
When she received word that Hugh would be coming, Rosaline immediately sent a message to Erich through their secret communication channel:
[Leo is waiting for his sister!]
That was their code for come at once.
Conversely, whenever Erich needed Rosaline, the message would be:
[Luna is waiting for her brother.]
That was their promise to each other.
‘You sure took your time.’
She didn’t know since when “immediately” had come to mean “an hour later.”
‘Well, since the timing worked out, I’ll let it slide.’
Rosaline took Erich’s hand as though they were strangers meeting for the first time.
“Thank you, Sir Knight.”
“Not at all. It is only natural for a knight to help a lady in distress.”
Erich smiled, looking every bit the storybook knight, which drew murmurs from the surrounding ladies.
“Who is that gentleman?”
“That’s the White Knights’ uniform, isn’t it?”
“He’s so handsome…”
Amid the flutter of hearts, Rosaline and Erich’s eyes met for a split second.
‘Not bad at acting, are you?’
‘Look who’s talking.’
Their silent exchange ended, and they carried on their charade, stepping neatly into the roles of a valiant knight and the lady he had rescued.
“Why is the Vice Commander of the Black Iron Knights assaulting a lady in the street?”
His tone was mild, but the pressure it carried was unmistakable.
Cassis exuded the kind of instinctive dread born from the battlefield, but Erich’s presence pressed down with the weight of nobility itself.
“Sir Erich, I—I only meant…”
Hugh stammered, trying to explain, but his excuse was drowned out by the excited shrieks of the crowd.
“Kyaa! Sir Erich!”
“He’s the Captain of the White Knights!”
At the mere mention of his name, the reaction was explosive.
Erich was as famous as Cassis—one of the Empire’s most renowned knights. The only reason many had failed to recognize him was because he rarely left the Imperial Palace.
‘Fame-wise, he’s no less than Cassis.’
Rosaline knew it, but seeing the faint twitch of Erich’s lips made her oddly annoyed.
‘You love the attention, don’t you? Trying to act like you don’t—must be exhausting.’
Cassis, in contrast, wouldn’t have cared even if the whole world were cheering around him. At most, he might worry about the safety of the people in the commotion.
‘That uptight personality of his—so like him.’
The sudden shift in atmosphere only made Hugh falter more.
“I only wished to teach this woman a lesson for daring to wag her tongue against—”
“Mm?” Erich cut in smoothly. “That’s strange. The knightly code I know says: ‘Protect the weak.’”
Hugh’s jaw snapped shut. Erich was right—the code of chivalry explicitly stated that knights must defend the weak. And as Captain of the White Knights, ranked first among all imperial knights, Erich’s word was absolute.
Hugh could neither agree nor refute him.
While Hugh hesitated, Rosaline deftly interjected:
“Please don’t scold him too much, Sir Knight. With Sir Cassis, Captain of the Black Iron Knights, absent, he was merely trying to ‘act as Captain’ in his stead by teaching me, his aide, a lesson.”
Her words were clear enough for the gathering crowd to hear.
“Oh? Cassis? Him I know well. After all, we’re both captains.”
The crowd erupted again at Cassis’s name.
Erich raised his voice slightly so all could hear:
“The Cassis I know would never use violence to teach his subordinates. Would you say otherwise, Vice Commander Hugh?”
All eyes fell on Hugh.
The statement was true, but if he agreed, he admitted fault. If he denied it, he directly contradicted Erich. And no knight dared oppose the Captain of the White Knights.
Finally, Hugh muttered, “…As you say.”
“That’s all right. It’s natural. The duties of a vice commander and a commander differ greatly. Of course there will be things you don’t yet know.”
Erich’s words were magnanimous, but his lips curved slyly as he turned back to Rosaline.
“Still, it is a knight’s duty to aid those in distress. Allow me, then, to assist you personally.”
“…What?” Rosaline blinked.
“Since you are acting as ‘Captain’s aide,’ I shall personally teach you how such duties should be carried out.”
“…Excuse me?!”
Rosaline’s jaw dropped.
‘I called him just to drive Hugh away! What does he mean, teach me personally?!’
Ignoring the daggers Rosaline shot him with her eyes, Erich pressed on.
“Do you still have business here, Vice Commander Hugh? If not, I’ll be escorting the lady.”
“No, sir. Please proceed.”
Head bowed, Hugh dared not utter another word.
“Well then. Good day.”
With practiced grace, Erich escorted Rosaline away.
The crowd craned their necks to see where the famous Captain of the White Knights was headed—only to gape when he slipped into a narrow alley.
He navigated the twisting, maze-like streets with practiced ease until at last a plain, unmarked carriage awaited.
“Get in.”
“Where are we even going?”
“I told you—I’m giving you a ‘lesson.’ From now on, you’ll be sticking with me.”
His playful smile made Rosaline scowl.
“That’s ridiculous—ah!”
She clapped her hands together as a thought struck.
“Fine. Since you’re here anyway, help me with something else first!”
“Oh? Another outrageous idea of yours?” Erich’s eyes gleamed with interest.
Rosaline had already climbed into the carriage, beckoning him impatiently.
“Hurry up.”
“As you command. A knight must always obey a lady’s order.”
He stepped inside and shut the door with a click. Rosaline wasted no time.
“Let’s go find Cassis.”
Even as she said it, she felt conflicted.
‘Why am I doing this? The last time we met, I told him to go fend for himself.’
But the unease gnawed at her.
‘No. Something feels wrong. Very, very wrong.’
It was like a thorn stuck in her throat—impossible to ignore.
Her sudden declaration made Erich tilt his head.
“Hm?”
Rosaline’s expression hardened.
“Yesterday, the Duke of Aindert summoned Cassis to the capital. But ever since then—there’s been no word from him.”
At that, a knowing look flickered across Erich’s face.
