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Chapter: 26
Because the change felt a little awkward, I answered in a daze.
“Uh… yeah. I’m fine.”
“If I hadn’t happened to pass by here by coincidence, things could’ve gotten bad.”
Emphasizing the word “coincidence,” Bin made a strange expression.
He puffed out his chest slightly, his eyes shining oddly… like he was feeling proud of himself or something.
What on earth is he acting like that for?
“Why are you making that face?”
“What face?”
“Why do you look so pleased with yourself?”
“…Because I’m happy.”
“About what?”
“Because my romantic ideal was fulfilled.”
Romantic ideal?
What kind of romantic fantasy could he possibly have satisfied in that situation?
As I stared at him suspiciously, Bin hesitated before awkwardly adding an explanation.
“…The kind where you want to protect someone.”
“Aren’t you a knight? You’ve probably protected tons of people already. Why are you suddenly making a big deal out of it now?”
“That’s different from this.”
“How is it different?”
“The person.”
“The person?”
“Yeah. I protected you.”
He said it shyly, scratching his cheek—totally unlike him.
It was kind of cute… but at the same time, I felt oddly unimpressed.
Because honestly, I’d never even been in danger. The idea that he’d decided on his own that he’d “protected” me was ridiculous.
“Protected me? I wasn’t in danger to begin with. And even if I had been, do you really think I couldn’t have handled it?”
“…No.”
“Alright, let’s be honest. Did you really protect me?”
“No….”
Bin deflated, shrinking back and muttering gloomily.
His shoulders sagged, and he let out a tired sigh.
“Why are you so strong…? I want to protect you, but I can’t. Who do I think I am, anyway.”
“Then why do you want to protect me specifically? There are plenty of other people.”
“Flower Dormitory No. 101 is that way.”
“…There you go changing the subject again.”
This time, I didn’t let it slide like usual and called him out on it.
Bin twisted his body away, then turned back toward me—but only briefly. Soon, he turned away again and muttered like he was making excuses.
“Seven years ago, I couldn’t protect you. You were so cornered that you chose to run away.”
“….”
“I didn’t even know what you were struggling with. I was just busy pestering you to spar.”
Does he think I ran away because of him?
I only ran to survive…
Is this what people call an overactive imagination?
“But now, I’m not the kid I was seven years ago. I won’t corner you again asking why you ran away, or forcing you into sparring.”
“But didn’t you already say all that when we first met again?”
“…Sorry. I wasn’t thinking straight back then.”
“So you can lose your reason too, huh.”
“Of course. I’m not who I was seven years ago anymore.”
A sly, villain-like smile spread across Bin’s face.
I never thought a look like that would suit him—but seeing it in person, it was actually… pretty.
I guess they’re right when they say looks complete a person. As long as you’re handsome, whether you’re an angel turned demon or a prince turned beggar, it all works.
“Please forget who I used to be.”
If that sounded strangely heartfelt… it must’ve just been my imagination.
I nodded blankly, and Bin pointed again in the direction he’d indicated earlier.
I thanked him and headed that way—but then…
“Why are you following me?”
“I’ve got business there too.”
“The Flower Dormitory is women-only. What business could you possibly have there?”
“It hasn’t been used in a long time. Since the captain is away, I—as vice-captain—need to personally check whether the facilities have deteriorated.”
“The captain doesn’t stay in the Flower Dormitory?”
“The captain and vice-captain have separate private quarters.”
“Oh… um. But do you really have to inspect it yourself?”
“Yeah.”
“…Alright. If you find anything that needs repairs or replacement, please abuse your authority a little.”
“Sure.”
Bin smiled, narrowing his eyes slightly.
That smile didn’t fade as we passed through the central corridor toward the Flower Dormitory.
“Why are you smiling like that?”
I asked nervously, worried the Crown Prince might see us like this.
But Bin just kept grinning, offering no answer.
What a weird guy.
Eventually, we arrived at the Flower Dormitory.
I stepped into a random room—and couldn’t help but gasp.
The tacky pink floor, the faded yellow polka-dot wallpaper straight out of an outdated trend… it made me want to grab the interior designer by the collar and shake them.
Meanwhile, the wardrobe and vanity were unnecessarily luxurious and huge, making the already cramped room feel even more suffocating.
“Vice-captain. I’m really sorry to say this, but if you’ve got budget to spare, could you please do something about the interior?”
“…We don’t exactly have money to spare, but I agree. I’ll figure something out.”
“Thanks. Um, my room is…”
I glanced at the assignment sheet I’d received earlier.
“It’s the room right next door. Want to check mine too?”
“…Uh, um. That means we’d be going into the same room, right?”
“Yeah. Why? You said you needed to inspect the facilities.”
Bin fidgeted awkwardly, backing away like he might bolt at any moment.
Is it really okay for a vice-captain who’s spent seven years on the battlefield to act like that?
Especially in front of a rookie knight who just joined?
Well, whatever the reason, it was obvious he didn’t want to go inside.
I didn’t push him and waved my hand instead.
“Alright then, never mind. I need to unpack anyway. See you tomorr—um, take care, Vice-Captain.”
I almost said “See you tomorrow,” but corrected myself, remembering I needed to keep some distance.
We’d see each other every day anyway, so it probably didn’t mean much…
Damn it. What am I supposed to do?
If the vice-captain is in charge of rookies, doesn’t that mean I’ll be sticking closer to him than even the Crown Prince?
This is practically begging the Crown Prince to kill me…
“Ah, screw it. I’ll think about it later.”
I rushed into my room, slammed the door shut, and muttered to myself.
I joined as punishment anyway—I can’t just quit whenever I want…
They say if you can’t avoid it, you should enjoy it. Maybe tomorrow I’ll see another way out…
For now, I should unpack and go to bed early for tomorrow.
* * *
“Vice-Captain, why are you coming from the Flower Dormitory side?”
Bin’s aide, Adrian Schultz, stared wide-eyed at his superior approaching from that direction, his face oddly flushed.
Since the Raphel Easton incident, no female knights had applied, leaving the Flower Dormitory unused for years.
Aside from Raphel herself, no knight ever set foot in that corridor.
In fact, even Raphel—who once lived there—had ordered it sealed off entirely, saying the hideous design made her sick.
So seeing the noble and dignified vice-captain walking out of that place was nothing short of ironic.
“As vice-captain, I was inspecting whether an unused building had fallen into disrepair.”
“…Yet you’ve never even glanced at the Iron Dormitory since becoming vice-captain.”
A glare far colder than anything he’d shown Irlin stabbed straight into Schultz.
Sensing another hysterical episode coming, Schultz hurriedly backed down.
“A-ah, well! The Iron Dormitory is always occupied, so you know it’s well maintained! Haha…!”
“Adrian.”
“Y-yes, sir!”
Bin’s blue eyes shifted to the stack of documents clutched in Schultz’s arms.
It was a silent command: Write this down.
And an unspoken threat if he didn’t comply.
“We will proceed with a complete overhaul of the Flower Dormitory’s interior.”
“…Do we even have the budget for that?”
“If we don’t, sell the tiles from the Iron Dormitory and make one.”
“That’s completely absur—”
“Adrian. The Iron Dormitory has proper interiors, heating magic, and functional showers—things the Flower Dormitory hasn’t had for decades. Isn’t that the real absurdity?”
“Even so, how can you just rip out parts of an existing building and sell them?! What about the innocent knights living there?”
“So it’d be fine if they weren’t innocent?”
Schultz swallowed the urge to shout, Why is this suddenly going there, you deranged man?!
Blaming the power-obsessed society instead, he asked politely,
“What does guilt have to do with this…? It’s not like we can strip a guilty knight’s room and install it in the Flower Dormitory.”
“That’s exactly it. For once, you’ve said something smart, Adrian.”
“E-excuse me…? Vice-Captain… Surely my feeble intellect has misunderstood your intentions. Please tell me that’s the case…”
“If your intellect is so feeble, why do you understand perfectly and still question me? I mean exactly what you think. Now hurry up and write it down. Go to that knight’s room immediately and strip out all facilities. The knight’s name is—”
Wondering what kind of madness this was, yet fearing another outburst if he didn’t comply, Adrian moved his pen with tears welling in his eyes.
Which poor knight had caught the vice-captain’s attention?
Adrian waited for Bin’s lips to part.
“Nix Heyman.”
The name spread with a vile, villain-like smile.
Adrian silently prayed for the soul of the unfortunate rookie knight.
“Um, Vice-Captain?”
“What.”
“Are you… allowed to decide this on your own?”
Even if the captain was absent and the vice-captain acting in her place, major matters like dormitory renovations required approval.
Bin, however, looked unconcerned.
“Relax. She’ll approve it anyway. Because when the captain returns, there’ll be a bottle of the finest Serom Mountain wine sitting on her desk.”
“Ah… then of course she’ll approve.”
Everyone in the Order knew Raphel Easton adored red wine as crimson as her hair.
Originally, Bin had bought it to win favor while drinking with Irlin—but using it to ensure her comfortable living seemed better.
Making her happy.
That was the greatest priority in Bin’s decision to act according to his desires.
