IVCH 04

Chapter : 4

The next day, I went to the training grounds with a body even more exhausted because I hadn’t slept properly. I was somewhere around my two-thousandth sideways cut when Sir Hugo called me.

“Chloe Evergreen!”

In just a week, I had become so used to being called Chloe Evergreen that I immediately responded.

“Yes! I’m here!”

Out of habit, I almost shot my right hand up, but I quickly dropped the wooden sword and only raised my hand instead.

Something about the way I was being called felt… serious.

Sir Hugo approached me with a face like he’d seen a ghost in his dreams.

Then he slapped my back hard.

“Agh!”

His hand stung so much tears welled up in my eyes.

“W-why are you doing this?!”

I shouted in frustration.

“Why, you ask?”

Sir Hugo glanced around and motioned for me to follow him outside.

I quietly followed him—and of course, I was right.

“Hey, you parachute brat. I thought you’d finally come to your senses, but what the hell is wrong with you? Do you know how embarrassed I was in front of Sir Catherine?”

Sir Catherine seemed like the type who didn’t delay anything.

It looked like Sir Hugo already knew I’d caused trouble.

“If you wanted to fight that badly, you should’ve just become a mercenary!”

I silently resolved never to be so easily provoked again and listened to Sir Hugo’s scolding.

After venting his frustration for a while, Sir Hugo finally sighed, as if calming down.

“What are you going to do now? The commander has already heard about this.”

I briefly felt relieved, thinking it was over—but then froze when I heard Elias also knew.

“Elias… the commander too?”

“Yeah. Sir Catherine only meant to report it to the senior knights, but…”

I could guess the rest of the sentence.

Elias must have overheard it by chance while passing by.

“So, the commander wants to see you.”

After Sir Hugo came Elias.

“…Yes.”

I replied with a gloomy face.

In my mind, Elias had two clear images.

‘A cold-faced older brother’s friend who looks like he’d hate kids, but is surprisingly kind, and an extreme rule-stickler.’

In my entire life, I had almost never been scolded by anyone.

‘Yesterday, Elias was really harsh.’

I hoped he was just in a bad mood that day as I headed to the commander’s office, fully tense.

I prayed I would never reach the commander’s office, walking with creaking steps—but unfortunately, the training grounds and the office were very close.

After knocking, I opened the door at the command to enter—and immediately made eye contact with Elias, who had clearly been waiting.

“Sir Chloe Evergreen.”

Elias called me with a troubled frown.

He had instantly recognized Chloe Evergreen from yesterday.

Of course, not in a good way for me.

“Yes, Commander.”

I lowered my eyes respectfully.

After yesterday’s incident, I had decided to take my knight training seriously for my family’s sake. I was now fully the trainee knight Chloe Evergreen.

Seeing my obedient posture, Elias let out a sigh.

“What exactly were you thinking…?”

No wonder the commander had a headache—one of his knights had caused trouble right after being assigned.

“Sir Chloe, are you a mercenary?”

That line again. It must be standard procedure in the knight order.

I pouted slightly without Elias noticing and strongly denied it.

“No, sir!”

If I had been a mercenary, I could’ve just avoided duties and survived doing nothing for a year.

Not sensing any remorse from me, Elias continued sternly.

“Then do you think military discipline is a joke?”

His voice, unlike before, was cold like a raging blizzard.

“No, sir!”

I snapped to attention and denied it.

“I was short-sighted.”

My desperate act of repentance finally softened the frost in Elias’s voice.

“I’m glad you understand. Since it has reached my ears, you must be prepared.”

I’m not prepared at all.

But the answer was already decided.

“…Yes. I am prepared.”

Only then did Elias look away from me.

I quietly sighed in relief.

Elias frowned slightly, thinking about appropriate punishment.

I carefully observed him.

‘All that for one fight.’

I learned that causing trouble is instant—but dealing with it takes forever.

Now it was time for punishment.

After a moment of thought, Elias spoke.

“For the next month, after evening training, you will come to my office and assist with administrative tasks.”

My free time would be drastically reduced, but it was much lighter than I expected.

“Yes, understood, Commander!”

I answered quickly before he could change his mind. Elias lowered his voice.

“This will be the last time I let it slide. If you cause trouble again, I will dismiss you using the authority of the commander.”

It sounded like a warning, but I didn’t find it particularly frightening.

His words were harsh, but from his expression earlier, I could tell Elias had been seriously considering an appropriate punishment—like a kid carefully pouring milk into a toy teacup during play.

‘And I’ll probably finish the year before I cause more trouble anyway.’

I also had quite a bit of confidence in myself.

“Yes sir, got it!”

I answered brightly, forgetting my earlier gloomy act.

The month Elias mentioned started that very day.

After training ended, I returned to the commander’s office, where Elias was reading handover documents.

With platinum-blond hair and blue eyes, and neat facial features, he looked like the young heir of a noble house.

I quietly waited so as not to interrupt his focus.

A few seconds later, Elias noticed me and immediately gave instructions.

“Organize the documents on that desk.”

The desk he pointed to was usually used by the commander’s adjutant.

But right now, it was completely empty.

As I walked over, I suddenly felt a bad premonition and asked cautiously.

“Commander, when will the adjutant start reporting for duty?”

But there was no answer.

It wasn’t that he hadn’t heard me.

His lips moved slightly in that way people do when there is no proper answer.

‘Don’t tell me… there is no adjutant?’

No, that couldn’t be right.

“You have someone chosen for the adjutant position, right? The transfer process just isn’t finished yet, correct?”

I stared at him insistently.

After a pause, Elias replied in a reluctant voice.

“…Not really.”

As absurd as it sounded, it was also very much an Elias-style answer.

Usually, a commander selects an adjutant they already know and trust.

But Elias had been promoted extremely quickly, so it would’ve been difficult to appoint someone from his close circle.

The knight order had strict hierarchy, so he couldn’t assign someone more senior than him. And if he chose someone his age, they’d also be an extremely fast-rising talent, which would create imbalance.

‘So he just doesn’t have one?’

Maybe Elias, who disliked disorder, decided to suffer alone for now rather than cause confusion.

‘But there’s no way he can do everything alone.’

Even my siblings had more than ten aides.

And they were always busy.

Even if knight order administrative work wasn’t overwhelming, it would still be hard without an adjutant.

‘He’s making life harder for himself.’

For a moment, I looked at Elias like he was hopeless.

His brows furrowed.

‘Oops, I’m not a princess anymore.’

I quickly corrected my disrespectful expression and smiled.

But Elias’s frown didn’t ease.

‘That smile used to work on my family… maybe my face is just different now.’

While I was awkwardly recovering, Elias finally spoke.

“I plan to find a suitable candidate slowly.”

He looked slightly unsure why he was even telling me this.

I wanted to say, ‘You don’t have time to take it slow,’ but I was just Chloe Evergreen.

“Yes, sir!”

‘Don’t forget.’

Instead of giving advice, I decided to help with the overflowing work.

The documents on the desk looked like completed handover papers Elias had already reviewed.

I began organizing the stacks of documents.