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Chapter 8
Harris quietly moved his feet, his eyes following Isel’s retreating figure.
If it had been Alec—simple and oblivious—he would have waited at the mansion for hours, even days. But Harris was different.
It wasn’t the first time he had tailed Isel, so it wasn’t difficult.
Even so, a vague sense of unease kept rising within him. The look on Isel’s face when she had asked him for a favor back at the mansion had been far too dark.
Isel soon arrived in front of the atelier. After hesitating briefly, she opened the wooden door and stepped inside. The hem of her hood disappeared completely beyond the door.
After confirming this, Harris glanced around.
He couldn’t follow her inside, but he intended to stand guard nearby so that not even a rat could enter the atelier.
Leaning against the outer wall of a nearby building, Harris carefully observed the passersby.
“Sir Harris?”
Startled, Harris quickly turned his head toward the voice that called his name.
Two men in knight uniforms stood there. The emblem of the Grand Duke of Kanox was embroidered on their arms.
The one who had called him was someone Harris recognized.
“…Sir Millen?”
It was Millen Morrison, a knight he had fought alongside half a year ago in the Battle of Terbe. They had built a certain camaraderie while struggling together on that chaotic battlefield.
A look of delight spread across Millen’s face.
With a smile, he asked Harris,
“What are you doing here?”
Harris glanced briefly toward the atelier door before answering,
“I was escorting the young lady of the count’s family.”
“Haven’t you heard about the mobilization order?”
Harris’s brow twitched. The knight standing beside Millen was scanning the surroundings with a hardened expression.
He looked as if he were on guard against something. Harris tried to follow his gaze but answered belatedly instead.
“I have. However, I remained at the estate as part of the minimum escort required to protect the young lady…”
“Ah, I see. Then—”
Before Millen could finish, the knight beside him cut in.
“Were you not informed that His Grace the Grand Duke has dispatched one knight to each estate to take over escort duties?”
The stiff tone sounded almost like an interrogation. Having heard nothing of the sort, Harris raised an eyebrow and asked back,
“What do you mean by that?”
“Exactly what I said. Where is the young lady?”
Their gazes collided. The air between the three men instantly turned sharp.
Millen, glancing between Harris and his fellow knight, stepped in.
“Sir Harris, I don’t wish to do this either, but… His Grace has ordered that all knights gather at the imperial palace. I’m afraid you’ll have to come with us.”
Though his voice was calm, the forceful intent behind it was unmistakable.
Harris frowned and tried to protest.
“But—!”
“It is the Grand Duke’s command.”
The Grand Duke’s command?
That alone didn’t make sense. Why would the Grand Duke be so obsessed with gathering everyone?
Normally, even when a mobilization order was issued, a few knights would remain to guard the estates.
But no matter how unreasonable it seemed, Harris could not defy the order.
To refuse here would be tantamount to challenging the authority of the Grand Duke of Kanox.
Harris was a knight of the Count Blisha family, and his every action was directly tied to the family’s honor.
Thinking that the Grand Duke must be insane, Harris cast an uneasy glance toward the atelier.
Noticing his gaze, Millen added,
“I will take responsibility for escorting the young lady, so please don’t worry.”
“….”
“Sir Zigrit will guide you to the palace.”
After staring at him for a long moment, Harris reluctantly nodded.
He wanted to see Isel and explain the situation himself. He knew she feared unfamiliar men.
But the knight looked ready to drag him away by force at any moment.
“…Then I leave the young lady in your care, Sir Millen.”
Millen patted Harris on the shoulder reassuringly.
Even as he followed behind Zigrit toward the palace, Harris turned back several times.
“Whew…”
As soon as the two knights disappeared behind the alley, Millen Morrison let out a quiet sigh.
Then he began walking toward the direction from which he had been feeling an intense gaze.
It was a bench beside a small fountain and flowerbed. Though it was crowded due to the weekend market, that particular spot was strangely empty.
A tall man with black hair sat alone on the long wooden bench.
As Millen approached, he swallowed nervously before speaking.
“What should we do now, Your Grace?”
The man addressed as “Your Grace” lifted his head.
His eyes, devoid of any emotion, fixed on Millen. A chill ran down Millen’s spine, and he lowered his gaze.
Ignoring him, the Grand Duke stood up.
“You can go now.”
His cold voice pierced Millen’s ears. Blinking in confusion, Millen looked up again.
“…Pardon? But the escort—”
Before he could finish, their eyes met.
Millen gasped.
A chilling pressure radiated from the shadowed golden eyes.
He had known for a long time—there was no one in the world who could make this man take back his words.
The memory of knights who had nearly “met the god Enix” for questioning him flashed through Millen’s mind.
“Didn’t you hear me? I said go.”
Millen swallowed hard and quickly bowed.
“Yes, understood.”
Placing a hand over his chest, he hurried away.
Only after turning the corner did he finally release the breath he had been holding.
Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, he muttered,
“For a moment, I really thought I’d be executed on the spot…”
The Grand Duke had seemed in a better mood lately, but—
It was the Grand Duke of Kanox himself who had summoned Millen and Zigrit and ordered them to drag Harris to the palace.
Since arriving in the capital, his actions—including the mobilization order—had been impossible to understand.
Even the knights of the Grand Duke’s household were bewildered by the sudden order.
And yet, after gathering all the capital’s knights, the Grand Duke was casually sitting in a shopping district.
Just what was going on…?
Millen felt guilty toward Harris, who had trusted him and gone along.
After all, what Zigrit had said earlier was a lie.
Sending knights to each estate for escort duties? Someone like the Grand Duke would never show such kindness.
“What is he planning…?”
There had to be some hidden motive.
“Does he hold a grudge against the Count’s daughter or something?”
Muttering under his breath, Millen shuddered and shook his head.
He had practically uttered a curse about someone he didn’t even know.
Quickening his pace, he decided it was best to get as far away from that devil as possible.
With the familiar chime of a bell, Isel entered the atelier.
Ceres, who had been inspecting brushes, lifted his head.
“Isel?”
His eyes widened slightly as her pale face came into view.
“Um… Master.”
Isel opened her lips, then closed them again.
The conversation she had overheard outside her father’s study the night before kept echoing in her mind.
The Blisha count family had long been known for producing outstanding warriors.
They were loyal to the emperor—so much so they were called the “shield of the imperial family”—and had never been wealthy.
If her father and brother were that shaken, then the sum demanded by Duke Lesian’s family must be enormous.
From what she had heard, they were even considering selling their mansion in the capital and liquidating their territory.
Isel had stayed up all night thinking.
If they didn’t meet the demands, the family would surely face bankruptcy.
The image of Caesar Lesian smiling leisurely flashed through her mind.
On her way to the atelier, she had resolved to sell her sculptures and gather money.
To avoid marrying the duke’s son—and to prevent her family’s ruin.
But she knew.
No matter how many sculptures she sold, it wouldn’t be enough.
Whenever her works were put up for auction, her master always said they sold for high prices—but it was likely just to encourage her.
Even after calling for him, she couldn’t bring herself to speak.
With a single sentence, she could put all the sculptures in her arms up for auction.
She knew that.
And yet…
She didn’t sculpt for money.
To her, sculpting was a sanctuary.
Carving and shaping stone and wood into new “beings” brought her joy and release.
As she worked, the complicated thoughts in her mind—and the painful memories she didn’t want to recall—would sink away.
If she sold them… it felt like something precious would collapse.
A nameless emotion surged in her chest.
Clutching her sculptures, she felt miserable—unable to move forward or back.
“….”
“Master,” she began, but could only stare at the ground.
Ceres raised an eyebrow and glanced at the basket she was holding.
They weren’t newly made—these were likely works she had never shown him before.
But more than that, something was clearly wrong.
The Isel who usually lit up with excitement in the atelier was gone.
Instead, she stood there pale and anxious.
Just as he was about to call her again—
The door burst open with a clear chime.
Both their heads turned.
“…!”
A tall man stepped inside.
Upon spotting Isel, his golden eyes curved into a gentle smile.
“It’s good to see you again, Isel.”
