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Chapter 3
Silence fell.
Rosalyn glanced down at her seized wrist, then up at the expressionless face before her.
“Ah, you caught me.”
She quickly withdrew her hand.
“It wouldn’t be this easy, right?”
With a breezy grumble, Rosalyn slouched back into her seat.
A quick look at Cassis showed that despite her casual attitude, his expression hadn’t changed one bit.
So this is the man who’s said to be a rigid, by-the-book purist…
For someone with such a reputation, he was showing her more leniency than expected.
How far will he let me go?
Straightening her posture, Rosalyn leaned forward.
“How did you know I was looking for the key?”
She hadn’t expected him to answer.
“The woman with the tongue of a devil. The heretic who climbed above the heads of nobles.”
His voice was flat, stripped of any feeling, reciting like scripture.
“Before Guildmaster Hyde, everything must be questioned.”
His blue eyes turned, cool and detached, toward her.
“And above all else, why would I ever lower my guard in front of my surveillance target?”
“Ohh.”
So that’s why he’s the great Knight Commander.
Still, that’s surprising. Who would’ve thought he knew all the rumors swirling behind my back?
He looked like the kind of man who’d stay far away from idle gossip, lest it sully his ears.
“And? Any more?”
When she asked, curiosity plain, Cassis’ gaze shifted back to the front.
“I have no use for meaningless chatter.”
“Why not! We’ll be seeing each other often from now on, so wouldn’t it be good to get to know one another? Don’t you agree?”
Her cheeky words were ignored, but Rosalyn only smiled sweetly.
“That community service order? Protective custody? You have to supervise me for that, right?”
She tossed the words out while carefully studying his reaction.
The system existed on Earth too, but she wasn’t sure if it worked the same way here.
She vaguely recalled reading something about it in the law codes… but for now, her only option was to probe Cassis.
Perhaps because it was related to her sentence, Cassis finally spoke.
“The community service will be decided in a few days. Since there’s no precedent, the court is still interpreting how to apply it to the knight order. You’ll be notified once a decision is made.”
Rosalyn seized the opening.
“Well, if no one knows how it should be done, why not just let it slide? No need for such busy knights to waste their precious time on me…”
His expression froze over at once.
“As for protective custody, that too is still under review. Since I, the appointed supervisor, cannot easily leave the order, the usual interpretation is that you would remain at headquarters.”
Even in that cold voice, he gave her a thorough answer. How perfectly rigid.
Rosalyn’s crimson eyes glittered.
“So what you’re saying is… everything is still under interpretation?”
“Yes,” Cassis replied plainly.
Got it.
Rosalyn nearly shouted Eureka! inside her head.
“So I’m not technically imprisoned right now, am I? Community service, protective custody—none of that requires confinement.”
Imprisonment meant the forced restriction of one’s freedom. This was critical.
Her bait had been swallowed cleanly.
“Since no confinement order has been issued, you’re correct.”
And there it was—the fatal flaw of a man obsessed with principle.
“The rules must always come first!”
Rosalyn straightened her back and declared confidently:
“Perfect. Then I’ll be going home today.”
Cassis’ brow twitched, but she rushed to add:
“Of course, once the interpretation is finalized, I’ll obey without complaint. Until then, I’ll stay at home and wait. You’re a busy man, Sir Cassis. Isn’t that the reasonable thing to do?”
Her radiant smile all but blinded the room.
Which meant she didn’t have to go to headquarters—at least not right away!
To Rosalyn, her guild was her home.
She had to return, instruct her guild members to find a way to overturn this ridiculous community service sentence…
…and while they’re at it, dig up this man’s weaknesses.
It was an additional task she was more than happy to assign.
If her guild managed to nullify the sentence before the Black Iron Knights finished their legal interpretations, all the better.
And if not? Well, leverage his weaknesses and slip free. Easy.
She’d never once seen Cassis with any exploitable flaws, but…
There’s no such thing as a person without skeletons in their closet. You just have to dig deep enough.
At least, that’s what Rosalyn believed—without a shred of doubt.
[Hyde Guild]
Standing before the signboard, Rosalyn nearly teared up.
My sweet home!
Escaping before they reached Black Iron Headquarters? Success.
Cassis had actually agreed to her outrageous proposal.
“Really? I can go home just like this?”
“Logically, you’re not wrong.”
Principled men do come in handy sometimes.
Rosalyn pushed open the guild doors with full confidence.
Ding-a-ling!
With the chime of bells, she cried out:
“I’m home, everyone!”
“Guildmaster!”
“We thought the Crows had taken you away—”
Rosalyn quickly cut a sharp glance at the speaker.
“Crows” was the mocking nickname for the Black Iron Knights.
And then—
“Gasp.”
“….”
Crash!
The sharp sound of a cup shattering rang through the lobby, swallowed by stunned silence.
“G-guildmaster… b-behind you…”
The guild’s resident troublemaker, Tom—the same fool who’d dared utter “Crow”—pointed a trembling finger behind her.
Don’t look at me, I’m innocent.
Yep. She was marked already.
Rosalyn sighed deeply, plastered on her brightest smile, and stepped aside.
“Everyone, allow me to introduce: the illustrious Knight Commander of the Black Iron Order, Sir Cassis.”
“….”
Even her cheery announcement couldn’t thaw the suffocating silence.
Not only the guild members, but Cassis himself stood still as a statue behind her.
…I’m screwed.
Even toddlers stopped crying when they heard the name “Black Iron Knights.”
And now the commander himself had appeared at their doorstep. Small wonder the guild members looked ready to faint.
Desperate to break the ice, Rosalyn grabbed Cassis by the arm and tried to tug him forward.
“No need to stand around on sore legs, Sir Cassis. Let me escort you to our finest reception room!”
But he didn’t budge an inch. His arm, solid as iron, resisted every pull.
Come on! Work with me here! You followed me all the way, now at least cooperate!
He’d insisted, as her supervisor, on seeing where she lived. She hadn’t dared refuse.
But now that they were here, couldn’t he at least play along?
“Sir Cassis, please—let’s go inside and rest?”
The words were barely through gritted teeth when Cassis suddenly turned sharply on his heel.
And then—he walked out.
Not a single glance backward.
“Wha…?”
Rosalyn stood dumbstruck, watching him climb into his carriage.
The horses snorted, tossing their heads. With a sharp flick of the reins, the carriage rolled away. The knights who had been guarding the perimeter followed swiftly after.
A gust of wind whistled through the suddenly empty street in front of the guild.
…What the hell was that?
Rosalyn had no idea what to make of it.
Beside her, Tom sidled up hesitantly.
“Guildmaster… should I pack our things?”
Rosalyn slowly turned her head toward him.
His freckled face was solemn, as though he were preparing for a covert mission.
Her lips curved into a sly smile.
“You mean run away?”
“Isn’t it obvious? You’re already on their blacklist. Better to vanish before the knights crush the guild—”
“Ugh, I must’ve been out of my mind putting you in charge of reception! With so little sense, how on earth were you dealing with clients?”
She smacked him across the back, hard enough to make him yelp and scramble away.
“Ow, ow, ow! Guildmaster! Use your words, not your fists!”
“I am using my words right now!”
“Violence is wrong! Violence is wrong!”
As Tom fled, another voice, smooth as silk, called out.
“Rosalyn, stop bullying the poor boy. What’s going on?”
She spun toward the familiar sound.
“Shion!”
The man with hair like burnished wheat smiled warmly.
Shion—the vice-guildmaster, trusted and admired by all.
Rosalyn ran to him and threw her arms around his neck.
“Do you know what happened?”
At her tearful face, Shion’s smile turned gentler still.
“I heard that you vanished from the courthouse in the knights’ carriage. That much reached us.”
His voice was soft, almost coaxing.
“But I never expected you’d walk back here with their commander in tow.”
Rosalyn quickly released him, stepping back.
…That’s his angry voice.
Shion, with his angelic looks, always grew more gentle the angrier he became.
Which means he’s furious right now.
She edged back cautiously.
Shion’s smile never wavered.
“You always said the guild would never fall—except by your own hand.”
His tone was as sweet as honey, but his words were razor-sharp.
“So tell me, Guildmaster. Should we shut down operations, or disappear into the wind?”
Cold sweat trickled down Rosalyn’s spine.
