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Chapter 17
“You’re talking about Marquis Broke, right?”
Marquis Broke referred to Tane.
The Broke family was a prestigious magical bloodline—founders of the Academy and the cradle of countless archmages.
But that reputation plummeted when the previous marquis died in an accident and the idle Tane inherited the title.
Though the family still commanded considerable power thanks to its prideful legacy, its image had fallen beyond repair.
“I heard he started whining like a child when his argument with the young lady didn’t go his way.”
“I heard he was so scared, he fainted!”
“Didn’t he challenge her to a duel right then and there—and lose?”
A duel…? With swords? How far had the party incident been twisted?
For an ordinary noblewoman, such talk of swordplay would have been preposterous. But thanks to Lilith’s reputation, people seemed to accept it quite readily.
After all, she was known for drawing her blade without hesitation if anything displeased her. So it wasn’t too surprising that the rumors had taken this turn.
“I heard she won in just a single exchange?”
“They said it was such a clean win, you’d only see something like it once in a hundred years.”
“Oh my, is that true, my lady?”
As soon as Lady Hyacinth finished speaking, everyone turned their attention to me. Their eyes sparkled with curiosity, hoping for confirmation.
My fingers trembled slightly as I held my teacup, listening to tall tales about myself I’d never heard before.
“It was nothing, really.”
I gave them the kind of answer they were expecting. Delighted, they eagerly continued their gossip.
“Did you know he came back downstairs by himself, still fuming, only to be thrown out?”
“Yes! I wish everyone could’ve seen how he was practically dragged away.”
“At every party, he would cling to me so persistently that I couldn’t even reject him outright.”
“And he acted that way even with my father standing right beside me.”
“My goodness, what a dangerous man.”
Everyone had something to add about him—as if they’d all been victims of his indecency. Apparently, he hadn’t just been that way with Olivia.
“I really hope he comes to his senses after this, thanks to you stepping in, my lady.”
“Do you think he even knows how terrible his reputation is?”
“Of course not.”
Their sneering laughter spread across the table. From their reactions, it seemed Tane had long been a laughingstock among the nobility.
“Calyx did call him a grade-A scumbag.”
Now I understood why.
“Weren’t you scared, my lady? I mean… even so, a marquis is still a strong man.”
“That’s right.”
One of the ladies looked at me with concern. The others, realizing belatedly, joined in her sentiment.
Would showing strength help me build a better image here—or would vulnerability be more effective?
After a short pause, I decided I needed to dial down my excessive energy for once.
“Well, to be honest…”
I trailed off weakly.
“…I tried to act strong, but I was really afraid he might retaliate. I still can’t forget the way he looked at me, like he wanted to kill me.”
What I’d actually seen was his pitiful expression—but a little white lie never hurt anyone at times like this.
“Oh no…”
The ladies let out sympathetic sighs. I lowered my gaze and thought of the saddest memory I could. When my eyes welled up with tears, I pretended to wipe them, watching their reactions.
“Please don’t worry, my lady.”
“That man will get what he deserves someday!”
Their fierce glares—like they were ready to tear Tane apart—told me they were now firmly on my side.
“It’s been a while, my lady.”
“It has, Lord Lake…”
Today, as soon as the carriage door opened, Lake was standing there. I took his hand as I stepped down.
“I regret we didn’t get to talk much that day. I hadn’t expected Olivia to act that way.”
“You seem close with your sister.”
“Did it seem that way?”
We chatted lightly as we walked. I wondered why he’d come all the way to the front to greet me, but then I realized he was leading me toward the temple, not the orphanage.
“Are we going to the temple?”
“Yes. Today is one of the quarterly Days of Erik.”
Day of Erik. I remembered brushing over that while researching the temple. Something like a day for aiding the poor?
“I thought the temple always did charity work?”
“True, but today is on a much larger scale.”
That didn’t quite register at first—but the moment I stepped inside the temple, all doubts vanished.
Aside from a single narrow path for people to walk through, the entire space was packed with people. They weren’t priests or worshippers—they were here for aid on the Day of Erik.
It looked like a bustling marketplace, thanks to the huge number of volunteers. Even the temple had pulled in extra staff; I saw many unfamiliar faces.
“Normally, people wait all day just to be turned away—because resources are limited. Some come for healing, others for food,” Lake explained as he led me by the hand.
“But today, the temple’s goal is for no one to leave hungry or hurting.”
Eventually, we arrived at a makeshift changing area behind the temple. An apron over my dress wasn’t going to cut it today.
‘Guess I’ll be sore tomorrow.’
There were too many eyes on me—I couldn’t dump this on Lake and rest. The day hadn’t even begun and I was already overwhelmed.
The work itself was simple: carrying holy water to the priests, bringing food to the hungry, cleaning the floors, getting shuffled around where help was needed…
“Hey! You can’t eat that!”
I rushed over just in time to stop a child from biting into a bar of soap. Just ten seconds ago I was scrubbing the floor, but multitasking was a must.
There were plenty of volunteers, but still not enough hands for the sheer number of tasks. Lake, though officially here to guard me, couldn’t avoid working either.
When we finally reunited, he too looked exhausted.
“Are you all right?”
“Yes, well… I think it’s more rewarding than farming duty, at least.”
We’d managed to slip out through the back door and collapsed on the grass.
“And you, my lord? Are you okay?”
“This much is nothing.”
“You say that, but you look totally drained.”
“Haha…”
Lake gave a dry laugh. He seemed genuinely tired.
A cool spring breeze brushed across my forehead. I wiped the sweat from my nose and leaned back against the wall. When I looked up, the sky was dazzlingly clear.
A pastel sky with clouds like tufts of cotton. Birdsong and the faint scent of earth drifted under it all.
As I soaked in the quiet peace, my gaze drifted to Lake.
My eyes landed on his firm forearms, revealed by rolled-up sleeves. Then I saw his lazy smile—and quickly turned away as my ears reddened.
‘I really am a sucker for good looks.’
I slapped both cheeks lightly, scolding myself for thoughts I’d had before.
Even from the start, Lake had been too kind. With those looks and that sweet nature, who wouldn’t be drawn to him?
‘But I can’t let myself get the wrong idea.’
He was kind to everyone. His gentle charm wasn’t exclusive—it was just part of the green-eyed knight archetype.
Which meant I couldn’t go mistaking his kindness for something special.
“So, why did you become a holy knight, my lord?”
Still, if I kept looking at him like that, I’d get the wrong idea—so I steered the conversation elsewhere.
“Most nobles aim for the Royal Guard, don’t they?”
Holy knights were prestigious within the temple. But since commoners could also be appointed, nobles usually preferred the elite Royal Guard.
“The Royal Guard is certainly a worthy path,” he answered, this time without smiling.
“But I’ve always enjoyed helping others.”
His voice, gentle like the spring breeze, continued softly.
“When I was a child, I wanted to be a priest. Later, I dreamed of becoming a soldier protecting the front lines.”
His warm gaze landed on me.
“But as the heir to my house, neither option was possible. So I chose the next best thing—volunteering for the Holy Order.”
His values were clearly different from most people’s.
I waited quietly for more, but the story ended there. He didn’t seem unwilling to talk—just as if he were choosing his words.
“Still, I guess it wasn’t such a foolish choice after all.”
After a long pause, Lake stood up, leaving me blinking up at him.
It felt like he’d skipped a whole section and suddenly leapt to the conclusion.
“If I’d become a priest, I wouldn’t be able to do things like this.”
As I sat there confused, he looked down at me and smiled.
Things like this? What—sneaking off for a break during volunteer work? Doing my chores for me? Huh?
“Come now. If we stay here any longer, the priests might scold us.”
His gentle urging cut off my thoughts. I obediently took his offered hand and stood up.
It was time to return.
