PDHTFV 34

~Chapter 34~

In the end, I ended up riding on the same horse with Aydin to our destination.

His firm, warm chest kept pressing against my back, so I leaned forward on purpose to avoid it.

But each time, Aydin would grab my shoulders and pull me back, saying I might fall off if I leaned forward.

‘Does he think I don’t know that already?!’

I wanted to shout, but I just bit my lip and held it in. If I complained, Aydin would just ask me why, with that innocent look, and I absolutely could not answer that question.

So Aydin and I rode on for a long while without saying a word.

Suddenly, I wondered—where exactly were we heading?

Since I was in a rush because I was late, I hadn’t heard a proper explanation, so of course I didn’t know.

I was about to ask Aydin—

‘What should I call him, anyway?’

Just like I called Yushen “Captain,” Aydin must have some title too.

“But, um…”

“Hm? Are you uncomfortable?”

“No! That’s not it. I just have something I’m curious about.”

“Ah, feel free to ask.”

I paused and looked around. Luckily, nobody was close enough to overhear. All the knights were riding behind Aydin.

“I’m not sure what I should call you from now on…”

Everyone else seemed to use something obvious, but I felt awkward adding “Sir” when talking to Aydin. It just seemed too formal.

I gathered my courage and asked.

…Actually, why am I embarrassed? There’s nothing wrong with asking when you don’t know!

I straightened my shoulders, but when I heard a soft laugh behind me, my confidence dropped again.

“It’s not that hard,” Aydin said.

“Is that so…?”

“Yeah. Just call me by my name.”

“Huh?”

I was so surprised my voice cracked. I quickly cleared my throat.

A million thoughts rushed through my head.

What did he mean by that? Call him by name? Was he trying to get me in trouble with the others?

…No way. That’s not like Aydin.

“Why are you so shocked?”

“…No one else calls you that.”

“Oh, actually, others do call me by my name.”

Wow, he really startled me! I thought he was only asking me to do it.

But something still bothered me. He said “they do call me by my name,” but it sounded like there was something attached at the end.

Probably “Sir” or something like that, but maybe Aydin didn’t want me to add anything.

“Usually people say ‘Sir Aydin,’ but I don’t really like it.”

“Isn’t that the rule?”

“Hmm, not really?”

Even he didn’t sound sure.

“I’ll just call you the same as everyone else.”

“I’d rather you didn’t.”

“Why?”

“Um…”

Aydin looked like he was actually thinking it over, then answered quickly.

“Because you’re special?”

…He really thinks that’s a good reason?

I guess I am special to him, since he’s my sponsor. I know he probably worries more about me because of the fake family story I told him.

But I still wanted to follow the rules and be treated like everyone else.

Aydin seemed a bit disappointed when I didn’t answer.

“Is it uncomfortable for you?”

“…Yes.”

“Then… let’s just call each other by name.”

“….”

Somehow, our conversation kept missing the mark.

I looked back at Aydin, frowning a little.

He blinked, then asked,

“That’s not good either?”

“No.”

I answered firmly.

I was okay with him calling me by my name, but me calling him that felt too awkward!

“Doesn’t it feel friendly?”

…Did Aydin want to get closer to me?

I carefully explained why I wanted to be more formal.

“First of all, you’re my superior, and besides, people are already watching us closely.”

“Hmm, in Luche, except for the Captain and Vice-Captain, people don’t really care about rank.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. So you don’t have to worry—just use my name.”

He shut down my arguments so quickly, I found myself just going along with it.

‘Oh well, let’s just do it. I’ve acted bold until now, so why stop?’

After all, if anyone complains, I have an excuse.

Now I could ask what I really wanted to know.

“So, what kind of mission are we on right now?”

“Oh, I forgot to explain while we were moving. We’re going to the royal palace.”

Right as he finished, our horse started slowing down. Before long, a grand golden palace appeared before us.

“The Day of Prayer is coming up, so we need to coordinate with the royal knights.”

That’s right, the Day of Prayer was coming up in a few weeks.

It was a yearly event held at the central temple, one of the few times everyone from the pope to the emperor would gather.

To celebrate peace and prosperity, the whole empire joined in.

It was a peaceful event for most, but the security got a lot tighter, since anyone could enter the temple and the most important people were there.

Aydin seemed used to being in charge of this event every year.

‘Wait! We’re meeting the royal knights?’

I’d forgotten in all the talk about the Day of Prayer. We were here to see the royal knights.

They wouldn’t let just anyone handle the emperor’s security, so that must mean…

“…Are we meeting the leader of the Saint Knights?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Oh wow. I’m meeting the second male lead before I even meet the heroine!

The original sub-male lead, Henry Westmore, is the leader of the royal Saint Knights—the very person Aydin and I are about to meet.

He’s as skilled as Yushen, a top swordsman in the empire.

But despite his looks and talent, Henry is actually rotten on the inside.

‘He’s known as one of the main reasons the original story got so dark.’

He gaslit the heroine, treated her badly, and always demanded what he wanted.

‘But he was popular because the author wrote him as so charming, even though he was trash.’

I really thought he was the main male lead until the story shifted back to Yushen.

Anyway, I didn’t plan to meet the second male lead before the heroine, but it wasn’t a bad thing—I could learn what he looks like in advance.

When we arrived at the palace, I craned my neck to look up at it.

“Wow…”

Even from far away, I thought it looked amazing, but up close, I was speechless.

It was bigger, shinier, and more magnificent than anything I’d imagined from the novel.

Aydin chuckled when he saw my face and told me to finish sightseeing after work.

We walked through the grand lobby, which made even the central temple look plain, and headed to the side palace where the Saint Knights had their own building.

Just before entering, all the knights except Aydin stopped at the entrance.

I was about to follow Aydin in, but hesitated and asked the nearest knight,

“…Aren’t you coming in?”

“Oh, it’s an unspoken rule that only the person in charge enters another knight order’s building.”

So that’s why everyone just waited here. I almost broke the rule without knowing.

‘So… where should I stand?’

Everyone was lined up like they had assigned spots, so I felt lost.

Just as I was about to stand at the end, Aydin called my name from inside.

He’d gone in but came right back out.

He waved at me to come over.

“What are you doing, just standing there?”

“Um, I heard we weren’t supposed to go in…”

“Who said so?”

“Oh… No one, I just saw everyone stop.”

“You go everywhere with me. Just follow me, always.”

…Did he hire me as his secretary or something? Maybe to keep me out of trouble?

If so, that would make sense—he just wanted to give me special treatment.

“Did my job change to being Aydin’s secretary?”