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Chapter 24
Dayton was dressed in a shirt and trousers tailored perfectly to his body.
Because of that, the lines of his physique were clearly visible, making him look lean despite having plenty of muscle.
His sword was still strapped to his waist.
In the end, even last night, though he hadn’t slept with it in his arms, he only managed to fall asleep after placing it beside his bed.
“Why are you looking at me like that again?”
“Like what?”
When I smiled mischievously, Dayton narrowed his eyes even further.
“Dayton.”
“Even if you call me that, the answer is still no.”
Even though he didn’t know what I was talking about.
He firmly turned his head away, only to look back at me at my next words.
“First, take it off.”
His eyes widened in shock.
Dayton looked down at the clothes he was wearing.
“Did Your Highness just tell me to take my clothes off?”
he asked, unable to hide his disbelief.
“That’s right.”
“Here?”
“You usually take them off easily enough.”
“When have I ever undressed in front of Your Highness— Haa…”
His indignant protest ended in a sigh.
After staring at me silently for a moment, Dayton popped open the first button.
Though he obediently followed my instructions, his piercing gaze practically dripped with dissatisfaction.
His protesting expression was so adorable that I almost laughed.
If I actually laughed now, his prideful personality would probably sulk for quite a while.
For someone who always claimed to dislike things, he was remarkably obedient.
He still had a wild side, but he felt like a well-trained wolf.
No, at this point, wasn’t he basically a house dog?
While I entertained thoughts that would make Dayton faint if he ever heard them, the buttons continued to come undone.
Two.
Three.
Four.
One by one.
Eventually, the shirt opened completely, revealing his firm chest.
Dayton slowly removed the shirt and casually tossed it onto the floor.
Is it because the original story was 2D?
A genuine sigh of admiration escaped me.
People always said reality could never surpass drawings.
Looking at Dayton, that didn’t seem true at all.
It was the first time I had ever felt the beauty that came from pure masculinity.
Even David’s statue probably didn’t have proportions this perfect.
Broad shoulders.
Muscles sculpted like artwork.
And below them, elegant collarbones stretching outward—
Sensing my obvious stare, Dayton spoke abruptly.
“Do you have no sense of shame, Your Highness?”
“You’re the one taking your clothes off. Why should I be embarrassed?”
“…”
“If you’re that embarrassed, you can turn around.”
I was trying to be considerate.
So why did he look even more annoyed?
Click.
Even so, his hands kept moving as he undid his belt buckle.
“You’re taking off that too?”
At my question, Dayton froze halfway through removing his trousers.
“Your Highness is the one who told me to undress.”
“If you insist on taking off your pants too, I won’t stop you…”
Insist?
I gestured toward the direction where loud training shouts could be heard.
Following my gaze, Dayton turned toward the window.
Then he stopped moving entirely, like a puppet whose strings had been cut.
“Do you hate even looking at it?”
Still half-turned toward the window, listening to the knights’ training cries, Dayton silently rubbed his face.
“Of course not. It’s not that I hate it…”
“Then what is it?”
After a brief hesitation, he answered in a voice filled with reluctance.
“I’m simply being cautious.”
Because he might remember the comrades who once fought beside him.
The comrades whose backs he had trusted on the battlefield.
The sparring sessions they shared.
The swords they crossed.
And the emotions tied to those memories.
Though he didn’t say it aloud, every bit of it was written across his face.
That’s exactly the problem.
What was he, some sort of masochist who enjoyed suffering?
If he couldn’t overcome it, he should at least avoid it.
I clicked my tongue at his stubborn determination to endure everything alone.
“Then move your office somewhere else. Or at least close the curtains. You can still hear the training grounds perfectly.”
“How did you…? Haa… Never mind.”
I pointed at the unusually thick curtains.
“You make it this obvious and still expect nobody to notice?”
“…No one except Your Highness did.”
The people in the mansion probably hadn’t noticed simply because the thought never occurred to them.
Their proud lord was suffering from the aftereffects of war.
“More importantly, what does taking off my shirt have to do with the training grounds?”
“You can’t even raise your arms properly in that shirt.”
I pointed at the shirt lying on the rug.
It fit him so tightly that if he moved too aggressively, the seams would almost certainly rip apart.
Besides, in the original story, Dayton had a habit of throwing off his upper clothing during intense sparring matches.
Something about hating the feeling of sweat-soaked fabric clinging to his body.
It happened when he sparred with one of the heroine’s companions.
A faint wrinkle appeared between Dayton’s brows as he let out a sigh.
“Could you please stop leaving out half the explanation?”
“By now you should understand with just a hint.”
“…”
“What? Were you expecting something else?”
You should’ve just said so.
Ever since the day he’d nearly sliced the butler in half, Dayton had come to my bedroom every night.
Bound tightly before sleeping, he always lay at the very edge of the bed, afraid he might accidentally touch me in his sleep.
Whenever I tried pulling him closer so he wouldn’t fall off, he’d react as if struck by lightning.
So I stopped trying.
“Come here, then! Give me a hug!”
I spread my arms wide toward him.
Dayton immediately recoiled with a horrified expression.
As I marched toward him with my arms still open, he retreated with equally large steps.
“Oh? You dare retreat?”
At my ridiculous line, Dayton let out a short laugh before refusing firmly.
“I don’t know what Your Highness is planning at the training grounds, but no.”
“You sound like you already know.”
“I don’t.”
Then why are you biting your lip?
“Have you sparred with the knights recently?”
“…No.”
“Because you didn’t want to?”
“I’ve been busy lately.”
“Perfect. Then let’s go today.”
“…”
Dayton simply looked at me while taking a slow breath.
Even when I flashed a grin at him, he didn’t answer immediately.
After returning from the war, he’d continued his personal training.
But he had deliberately avoided sparring.
Which was why, later in the original story, when he was provoked by the heroine and challenged to a duel—
He was completely crushed.
How could someone perform well after avoiding sparring for years?
In that match, Dayton couldn’t even display a quarter of his true ability.
Instead of answering, he started walking toward the office door.
“…How do you always know?”
Letting out a long breath, Dayton clenched his fists tightly, clearly nervous.
“Aren’t you coming with me?”
“Of course I am.”
He waited for me to leave the office before leading me toward the training grounds.
Though he wore an irritated expression, his feet faithfully carried him there anyway.
His pace was noticeably slower than usual, as if reflecting exactly how much he didn’t want to go.
He’s cute.
As we descended the stairs and stepped outside, flowering trees carefully tended by the gardeners swayed gently in the breeze.
Summer was approaching, but the wind was still pleasantly cool.
The soft breeze stirred Dayton’s black hair.
At a corner leading toward the outdoor training grounds, he paused briefly before continuing.
Soon, the knights spotted him.
They immediately stopped what they were doing.
“Commander?”
“Why aren’t you wearing a shirt…?”
“My goodness, it’s been ages since you’ve come to the training grounds! Everyone, get over here! The Commander is here!”
“What? The Commander?”
Knights leapt up from a bench on one side of the field.
Others burst out from a nearby storage building where training equipment was kept.
“Commander!”
“It’s been a while.”
Dayton offered an awkward smile.
Then the knights noticed me standing behind him and hurriedly bowed.
“Greetings, Your Highness.”
Their booming voices echoed across the training grounds.
Then they cautiously glanced between Dayton and me.
“…What brings Your Highness here?”
“Grand Duke Colin is going to demonstrate some sparring.”
“Ooooooh!”
The knights erupted into cheers.
They genuinely seemed delighted.
“We’ve all been waiting for this, Commander!”
“How many years has it been?”
“Ever since you became head of the family, you’ve never come here anymore.”
“…It’s been a long time.”
A mixture of nostalgia and nervousness appeared on Dayton’s face.
“Of course it has. The lord is busy. How could he come here all the time like before?”
One knight said, only for another beside him to scold him.
Meanwhile, Dayton merely forced an awkward smile.
Their excitement was understandable.
Before the war, Dayton had practically lived at the training grounds, spending most of his time training with the knights.
After the war, however, he had all but disappeared.
“I’ll do it! Let me spar with him!”
“Hey, Nick! Her Highness would rather see me. My fundamentals are better.”
“I can do it too! I’m only unconventional when fighting you guys—”
“Move aside, both of you. I’ve sparred with the Commander more than anyone.”
“That was ages ago. I’m clearly the strongest now.”
Once the greetings ended, a fierce competition broke out over who would get to spar with Dayton.
The training grounds became noisy as everyone volunteered.
Watching quietly, Dayton pointed at one of the knights.
The one who had claimed to have sparred with him the most.
“Then Danny and I—”
“Today, Grand Duke Colin will cross swords with every knight who wishes to spar. So don’t worry.”
“Really, Commander?”
“There are quite a lot of us…”
There were seven knights in total.
A little more than expected.
But honestly, it was the perfect number to help Dayton relax.
Apparently Dayton disagreed.
His face immediately darkened as he called out to me.
“Your Highness!”
“Hm? Is there a problem?”
“…”
Seeing the knights’ excitement, he couldn’t bring himself to complain.
“…No. It’s fine.”
“Waaaaah!”
An even louder cheer erupted from the knights than before.
