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Chapter: 50
His crimson eyes burned with hatred, though even he didn’t know at whom it was directed.
“And the order I gave before… consider it revoked.”
But to Raphel’s eyes, it was unmistakable. That command was meant for himself.
“Your Highness… what nonsense are you spouting… h.”
Raphel had intended to speak casually to the crown prince, as he usually did, but the presence of Sienna made him stop mid-sentence.
The prince’s voice shifted back into its usual calm, measured tone.
“As I told you before, don’t let yourself weaken.”
‘If Your Highness continues to dawdle like this, I’ll handle it myself. By any means necessary.’
That was the true meaning behind his words.
“And, as this request came to me in my capacity as commander, it is within my jurisdiction to handle it. I merely intended to inform Your Highness.”
“Your jurisdiction? Have you forgotten that the crown prince ranks above the commander?”
“I am aware. The Imperial Knights belong to the royal family. If you are dissatisfied with me handling it independently, shall I leave it to His Majesty, the supreme ruler, instead?”
“Sir Isden!”
The prince’s voice dripped with mockery, mocking the fact that he did not wield the ultimate power.
Even as a prisoner, the crown prince’s pride bristled at such a display in front of foreign royalty.
He stole a glance at Sienna, hoping for some reaction—but she seemed completely indifferent, diligently wiping the table herself with a sterilized cloth.
“You will regret treating me this way. I’ll give you one last chance. Accept my demand.”
“You, Your Highness, will be the one regretting ignoring my counsel. And as I mentioned earlier, it is not for Your Highness to decide whether to accept the demand—unless it were His Majesty the Emperor.”
“So, you’re determined to push me to the edge of my temper until the very end. Fine. Let’s see how far you can flaunt forgetting I am royalty. Now leave.”
“I have never… forgotten—”
“Out.”
Raphel smiled wryly, raised both hands in mock surrender, and stepped outside.
The commander of the knights, before a foreign royal, had just done something that would have humiliated his own royal family. And yet, despite knowing his shortcomings outside of skill, he had still been promoted to his post. To turn so suddenly and forget his gratitude…
No, Raphel had always been obstinate when displeased, but to behave like this in front of foreign royalty crossed a line.
At least, by sending him out, he avoided seeing him make an even greater spectacle of himself.
I don’t want to become like Raphel—someone blind to gratitude.
No matter what I feel, whether I like it or not, favors must be repaid. At least once, I must protect the one who has helped me.
“Your Highness.”
Sienna’s voice pulled the crown prince back from his resolve. She observed him with a hint of curiosity in her gaze.
“I’ve heard of a knight named Irilin Heder. I heard he became a knight as punishment for a crime.”
The prince, who had been thinking about her moments ago, froze in surprise.
“So… what of it?” he asked, staring into Sienna’s jet-black eyes.
Finally, her expression shifted from neutral to a sly, almost playful smile.
“I’d like to meet him.”
The brief leave ended, and the three of us returned to the knights’ headquarters.
Upon our return, news reached us immediately.
Nyx Hayman and Kelly Hunt had broken off their engagement.
Apparently, with the Dukes of Ortega abandoning the Hunt family, Nyx no longer held any business value.
Nyx himself, with a face full of abasement, had personally informed me.
With no one to lean on, it seemed he had switched strategies to gain my favor again. And, as I expected, any requests regarding personal protection had been sharply refused.
I expected disappointment, but strangely, Vin seemed indifferent when he heard the news.
…Rather, he smiled, almost reluctantly hiding his amusement.
“Well, I guess there’s no choice. I’ll just have to protect him myself.”
I wondered why he sought approval for something he knew would be refused… perhaps he intended it from the start.
“Your hair is tied back. Feels like it’s been a while.”
Vin whispered, pretending to notice my posture.
Usually, I wore my hair high for convenience during activities, but while staying at the Marquis’ residence, I either let it down or tied it half-up.
“It looks nice. Though, of course, it also looked nice when it was down.”
…Usually, people say the opposite: “It looked nice down, but it also looks nice tied.”
Vin seemed to prefer my hair tied. So, even if cumbersome, I’d make sure to keep it tied more often.
“Will you have dinner with me tonight?”
I wanted to grant only this request and dismiss him before he added more, yet his earnest tone made it feel like a final plea.
‘Do you want me to tell you why Vin can’t be pushed away no matter what?’
‘What is it?’
‘Because you don’t want to push him away.’
‘Even though you tell him to go with your words, your eyes plead for him to stay, right?’
‘…’
‘You secretly enjoy having him hold you, don’t you?’
I reminded myself of my sister’s words and gripped my resolve firmly.
“Ahn…”
“Your Highness, the Crown Prince!”
The loud greetings from all directions drowned out my reply. But seeing Vin’s expression drop, I realized he must have caught my answer from the first syllable.
Feeling guilty, I deliberately ignored him and finally noticed the crown prince visiting the rookie knights’ training ground.
Beside him stood a young, unfamiliar girl.
The crown prince introduced her:
“She is a princess of the Serom Kingdom.”
At this point, any princess of Serom in the Empire must be Sienna, held as a prisoner.
Whispers arose: “Can a prisoner roam around like this?”
Of course, she could. A prisoner isn’t a criminal locked in a cell. Yet the new knights, unaware of royal affairs, assumed she had been confined all this time.
Sienna, standing silently, gave no greeting. The crown prince’s introduction left her unflinching.
After a moment, she finally spoke, her voice soft and delicate:
“Please take care of me.”
By coincidence, our eyes met.
It had to be coincidence. Sienna had no connection to Irilin.
“Becoming a knight as punishment caught my interest. I wanted to meet the person behind the rumors.”
During a brief break, Sienna approached me unexpectedly.
…Perhaps our earlier eye contact was not a coincidence.
Not surprising, really. All knights had stared at me in wonder when they first joined.
Still, was it that unusual for someone who rarely ventured out to move their body just to see me?
“Well… that wasn’t the only reason.”
Huh? There was another reason? I widened my eyes, waiting for her explanation.
“In Serom, female knights are extremely rare. Meeting one was even more intriguing. Of course, Abert is rare too, but we have even fewer. In this era, perhaps only one exists.”
She genuinely found female knights fascinating.
Yet, she could have met another female knight closer by—Raphel, whose quarters were nearer the princess’ residence.
“That other female knight, Commander Raphel, is closer to the palace where you are staying.”
“I was more curious about the one from the rumors.”
“Haha… you were really that fascinated, huh?”
I scratched my head awkwardly, embarrassed.
Sienna nodded slightly, leaning close to whisper in my ear:
“Actually… I dream of becoming a knight too. I heard that your skills were honed in Serom, and it gave me an idea.”
“What idea?”
“That I’d like to become close to you.”
Sienna smiled shyly, bowing her head slightly.
Cute, yes… but for some reason, it felt rehearsed.
Yet surely it’s just my imagination. Sienna isn’t the type to feign affection.
“If it’s alright with you, would you consider having dinner with me after work?”
Though it was a dinner invitation from another woman, I noticed a ripple of tension.
“Would it be all right for me to join you, Princess? It just so happens I had planned to have dinner as well.”
Vin, my ‘dinner monster 1,’ casually draped his hand over my shoulder, intruding.
When did I ever agree to dinner with you? And the crown prince is watching—stop this!
Vin stared at me as if ready to strike… though surprisingly, the prince seemed calm.
“…Did I interrupt something?”
Sienna glanced at Vin’s hand on my shoulder. I shook it off and replied firmly:
“No. Sir Ortega seems to have misunderstood… due to scheduling, I’m afraid I cannot join both of you for dinner.”
After dispatching the so-called dinner monsters, I arrived at Raphel’s office, accompanied by my older sister who had also finished work.
Tonight, we were going to do ‘that.’
