AOL 05

Episode 5

Harris hurried over to Isel.

“Who was it? Don’t tell me it was that person?!”

His voice rose.

Harris was known as the calmest and most cold-headed knight of the count’s family, but right now his face was stiff with anger. It looked like he might draw the sword at his waist at any moment.

“Huh? That person?”

“I mean the owner of the studio who teaches you sculpture. She… to you…!”

Isel was more surprised that Harris knew about the studio than about the bruise on her wrist. Her lips parted slightly.

“How do you know about that?”

At her question, Harris’s eyebrows twitched. He looked like he had made a mistake. But he quickly hid it and shook his head.

“That’s not important right now. I’ll call a maid. We need to treat your injury—”

Isel grabbed the hem of his clothes as he turned to call a servant.

“It is important to me. How do you know?”

Her eyes were clear as she looked up at him.

Realizing she wouldn’t back down, Harris let out a small sigh and spoke.

“…I followed you once before.”

Isel froze in surprise.

Harris gave a faint smile and added,

“I haven’t reported it to the Count yet. I judged that it wasn’t something harmful to you. But…”

As he said but, his expression turned cold. His eyes were fixed on the bruise on her wrist.

Isel blinked, then quickly said,

“Master has nothing to do with this. I got into trouble on the way to the studio.”

Harris frowned slightly.

“Trouble? What exactly—”

“It’s already handled. You don’t need to worry.”

Rather than handled, it would be more accurate to say it was handled.

A man’s face suddenly appeared in her mind—smiling gently with golden eyes.

“If we meet again, I’ll tell you my name then, Isel.”

She couldn’t understand what he meant.

They hadn’t even promised to meet again, but his voice had been filled with strange confidence.

As Isel fell into thought, Harris looked down at her and sighed again.

“I wasn’t worried.”

His tone was blunt, but his eyes were full of concern.

Even if he acted cold, Harris was still a member of the Blisha Count family.

Compared to others, he just didn’t show it dramatically. But to him as well, the most important person was Isel Blisha.

Isel smiled softly up at him.

His eyes widened slightly.

“….”

Saying he would bring bandages and ointment, Harris quickly turned away. The tips of his ears were slightly red.

***

The imperial palace of the Ekar Empire had many gardens.

Among them, the most beautiful was said to be the garden in Neryef Palace, where the Emperor resided.

A huge almond tree stood there, and along the clear pond bloomed countless daffodils in full beauty.

Not far from the garden, a carefully prepared tea table was set on the terrace.

But the two people sitting there hadn’t touched their tea or snacks at all.

Terban de Ekar, the Emperor of the Empire, stared at the person across from him with an annoyed expression.

This was not a suitable companion for a peaceful afternoon tea.

“How is life in the capital?”

“It’s not bad.”

The dry answer, without any politeness, made Terban frown.

The man sitting before him was Rahan El Kanox.

They were uncle and nephew by blood, but because Rahan always went to the battlefield whenever war broke out, they rarely saw each other.

People treated him like a demon who roamed the battlefield.

But Rahan himself didn’t seem to care about such rumors at all.

When he was a baby, he used to laugh and look cute—but now he had grown taller than the Emperor himself and had become rather unpleasant to deal with.

His nephew always wore a sly expression. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking.

“I thought I’d only see your face at banquets. What’s this sudden change? Asking me to drink tea—tomorrow the sun might rise from the west.”

It sounded like a light scolding.

Rahan smiled meaningfully.

“I came to ask for a favor related to the banquet.”

At his words, the Emperor raised his eyebrows.

***

One day, an invitation arrived for Isel.

It was common for Count Blisha or Leo Blisha to receive invitations, but it had been a long time since one addressed directly to Isel had come.

The golden-edged invitation stated that Lady Isel Blisha was invited to a banquet at the imperial palace on the first day of next month.

At the bottom of the fine parchment was the Emperor’s official seal.

Isel blinked as she looked at it.

Alec, standing beside her, asked with excitement,

“Did His Majesty personally invite you?”

“…It seems so.”

Isel had never attended a banquet before.

There had been many opportunities. Curious nobles constantly sent invitations to the estate, wanting to meet the mysterious daughter of the Blisha family.

But those invitations never reached her—they were thrown away before she could even see them.

Her father and brother had blocked them all.

Isel knew this, but she had never complained or asked to go.

She had no interest in banquets or high society anyway.

But this invitation was different.

Even her father and brother couldn’t block an order from the Emperor.

No matter how much they loved her, they couldn’t refuse their ruler.

Isel stared at the invitation, wondering what to do.

Normally, she would politely decline—but this time, she had no choice.

“It seems there will be a big banquet at the palace next week.”

Alec and Harris exchanged glances.

“If it’s next week, then…”

“It must be the victory celebration.”

Victory?

That was unfamiliar to Isel, who rarely left the estate.

Harris added with a rare frown,

“It’s to celebrate the victory of the Duke of Kanox… in the war against Terbe.”

The Duke of Kanox was the head of his house and a war hero who ended the ten-year war.

It was said that the lands he had secured for the Empire were larger than the capital itself.

But despite his achievements, he carried many bad rumors.

Isel knew almost nothing about the nobles—but the Duke of Kanox was an exception.

For six months, Alec and other knights who fought in the war had constantly spoken badly about him.

Whenever they talked about him, they became emotional.

“He must be a demon sent by God to ruin this world.”

“I’d rather sell my soul to an actual demon than stay with that madman!”

But Isel always listened casually.

So such a person exists, she thought.

To her, he was just a stranger she had never seen.

Since she rarely left the estate, there was no chance she would meet him.

The Duke had recently returned to the capital after ending the war.

Her father had said the Imperial Knights would soon be reorganized.

“So that’s what it meant,” Isel murmured.

“Miss! Are you really going to the banquet?!” Alec asked.

“I don’t really want to…”

Alec’s face brightened—but quickly fell at her next words.

“But I think I have to. The Emperor invited me.”

He covered his face in despair.

“No, Miss!”

“…Why?”

“It’s dangerous!”

“Dangerous? Why?”

This was the imperial palace—the safest place.

But Alec turned pale.

“It’s full of people with dark hearts!”

“What?”

“If someone as pure as you goes there, then surely—!”

“Alec…”

He was being overly dramatic again.

He even pulled out a handkerchief and pretended to cry.

“Miss… if you go first, then I…!”

“I’m not dying, so calm down—”

“Miss! I’ll give my life for you instead!”

Isel looked at Harris for help.

But instead of stopping Alec, Harris spoke seriously,

“Miss, you must not ignore this.”

“…What?”

“Refuse any young men who ask you to dance. Do not speak carelessly to ladies who approach you with smiles. Some may drop fans to provoke you…”

His expression was so serious it was as if she were going to a battlefield.

Alec was crying loudly beside them, and even Harris was like this.

Isel sighed and rubbed her forehead.

Harris lowered his voice further.

“Especially… do not exchange a single word with the Duke of Kanox.”