PDHTFV 35

~Chapter 35~

“Secretary?”

Aydin repeated my question, looking at me like I had said something completely ridiculous.

Did I get it wrong?

“…Am I not?”

“Of course not. Miss Letitia, your original department is the medical team. To put it simply, you’re just on a temporary assignment as our group’s healer.”

Oh, is that so? If he had just explained that to me earlier, there wouldn’t have been any misunderstanding.

Well, I guess he didn’t really have time to explain it to me. He’s busy, so he can’t just focus on me.

Maybe soon he’ll assign me a senior mentor like Taila. Even if my real department is the medical team, it’s important to know what kind of work I’m supposed to do in the new place.

“So, since I’m a healer, it’s okay for me to go in here?”

“Ah, that’s right.”

Huh? “That’s right”?

It really seemed like Aydin meant what he said—he wanted me to go everywhere with him, no matter the place.

Even when I was little, my parents never overprotected me like this.

Seeing my confused face, Aydin added,

“More than anything, this place is too dangerous. There are many people here who dislike Luche, so you never know what might happen.”

“Ah…”

“And if something happens to you, Miss Montrose, I feel better handling it myself.”

The reasons Aydin gave didn’t really convince me.

Still, he’s my superior, so I should just do as I’m told. It’s not like I’m the one who has to take responsibility.

“People who dislike Luche”… He must mean the Imperial Guard.

It’s so famous that even children know the Imperial Guard and the Saint Knights don’t get along.

“Let’s go. It’s almost time for our appointment.”

“Yes.”

So, I became the only regular Luche member to see the inside of the Saint Knights’ building.

We climbed the stairs, walked through maze-like hallways, and finally reached the reception room.

“Aydin, I’m going in with you, right?”

“Yes. It’s even more dangerous inside.”

Alright, you’re the one who brought me to this dangerous place, so please take responsibility.

Aydin knocked and entered the reception room. As soon as the door opened, I thought I smelled a forest—inside, the place was decorated like a woods.

The ceiling was high, and there were tall trees everywhere. In between, white tables and chairs were set.

Of course, sitting there was the person Aydin came to meet, Henry, the leader of the Saint Knights.

His red hair and amber eyes, gazing at the trees, sparkled like jewels in the sunlight from the ceiling.

Because the image from the novel was so strong, I expected him to seem rude, but the first impression wasn’t so bad. He actually looked much more normal than I expected.

“It’s been a while, Captain Henry.”

“Oh, Aydin, it’s been a while.”

But the moment he spoke in that disrespectful, rough voice, I realized I’d been mistaken.

Even if he was the captain here and Aydin was only acting captain, shouldn’t they still be polite in a formal setting?

“Have a seat. We’ll talk… hmm?”

Henry spoke without even looking at Aydin.

That annoyed me, so I made a little noise to get his attention. He quickly turned his head my way.

He must have thought only Aydin came. When he saw me, Henry’s eyes got big.

“Who’s this?”

“She’s our group’s healer.”

“Why is a healer here?”

His eyes, which had been interested, turned cold at the word “healer.”

What, did he think I was someone important? I never liked his character, so everything he did annoyed me.

So what if he’s handsome? His personality is trash!

“There’s a reason.”

“What is it?”

“It’s an internal matter, so it’s hard to explain.”

“Ah, I see.”

Then Henry got up. For some reason, I felt like he was coming toward me. I hoped I was wrong, but sadly, I was right.

Henry came close. I stepped back before I realized it, but then I decided not to look scared and took the step forward again.

Henry raised an eyebrow at that.

Up close, the way his eyes slanted up looked sharp—not a gentle face at all.

“Your name?”

Not sure what to do, I glanced at Aydin. He gave a tiny nod.

“…Letitia Montrose.”

“Montrose?”

Henry mumbled, like he’d heard it somewhere before.

Could he know Leana’s full name? Most people just know “Leana” or “the witch.” It’s rare for anyone to know the full name…

Yushen knows, so someone at Henry’s level might too.

If my true identity gets out here, I’m doomed. Even Yushen isn’t here to cover for me. I can’t let anyone find out here.

“It’s an honor to meet you, Captain Henry!”

I bowed quickly, trying to distract him from his thoughts.

Henry looked puzzled, like he was wondering what I meant by acting so polite.

No matter what he thought, I kept going my own way.

“Your face doesn’t look honored at all.”

Of course, the master of suspicion didn’t believe my words so easily. I never expected him to.

But… I didn’t like the way he looked down on me.

Thinking about it, I got annoyed at the way he treated Aydin, too.

Time to teach him a little lesson about “putting yourself in someone else’s shoes,” as Korean ancestors would say.

“How could that be? I look very honored right now! I learned that rumors are just rumors.”

“Rumors?”

“Yes. There are a lot of rumors that you’re a womanizer, but you look really thrifty to me!”

Henry immediately straightened up and looked down at me with a stiff face.

Meanwhile, I saw Aydin’s face turn white. He must have realized what I meant, too.

‘Hey, I was trying to stay out of trouble, but he was rude first!’

Aydin was signaling with his hands and face muscles, telling me not to provoke Henry.

I know, Aydin. Henry has a nasty temper.

‘But Aydin, there’s something you don’t know.’

I can be just as nasty as anyone else.

Henry’s yellow eyes scanned me from head to toe, openly.

So I copied him and looked him over from head to toe, adding a sarcastic smile.

“Ha!”

Henry let out a laugh, put his hands on his hips, and looked away with a dumbfounded face.

You’re not the only one who thinks this is ridiculous. I do too. I’ve never met anyone this rude on a first meeting.

I hope you’ll reflect on your behavior after meeting me.

“Aydin, you brought an interesting subordinate.”

Surprisingly, Henry gave up quickly. I thought he’d argue more, but he didn’t. That was suspicious.

Aydin seemed to be thinking the same thing.

Henry went back to his seat and pointed with his chin at the chair opposite.

Aydin met my eyes and went to sit down. I didn’t join them. Instead, I looked around the forest-like reception room until they finished talking.

The topic must have been sensitive, so I expected the negotiations to last over an hour.

But less than thirty minutes later, it was done.

Henry left the room like a gust of wind. I guess I really annoyed him.

As soon as I stood next to Aydin, waiting by the door, I bowed deeply.

“I’m sorry. Did I cause you trouble?”

It was an apology for not holding back against Henry’s rude attitude.

Even though Aydin was only acting captain, there was still a rank difference, and my actions could cause problems.

And I’d just made things harder for him.

I looked up to check Aydin’s mood, but his face wasn’t dark at all. In fact, he looked relieved.

Huh? Why?

“Thanks to you, things went smoothly.”

“What?”

“Captain Henry is really stubborn, but today he agreed to everything we suggested, so we finished quickly.”

So, Aydin thought things ended quickly because I ruffled Henry’s feathers?

If that’s true, I’m happy. It’s the first time I’ve helped Aydin.

Aydin and I retraced our steps and rode our horses back toward the central temple.

As we left the palace and the area grew quiet, Aydin spoke softly.

“Letitia.”

“Yes?”

“Have you seen anything recently?”

“Huh? What do you mean…?”

Did he mean, “Have I seen something?” It was so vague I couldn’t understand.

Suddenly, I felt Aydin press closer to my back. I felt his breath near my ear.

I straightened up without thinking. Then I heard his low voice.

“I was wondering if you’ve had any visions of the future lately.”

“Oh.”

I had almost forgotten about my foresight ability. So many things had happened lately that I’d been busy just learning and dealing with them.

A little embarrassed, I picked an answer I’d prepared just in case.

“That ability can be controlled, so if I don’t try, I don’t see anything.”

“Ah, I see.”

“Why? Is there something you want to know about the future?”

“There are things I want to know… but I’m more worried.”

Worried… Has Aydin always cared so much about the future of the empire?

Maybe I misunderstood his character, or maybe there’s something in the story I didn’t know.

“You must care a lot about the empire.”

“Huh?”

“Huh?”

I turned to look at Aydin. His green eyes were full of confusion.

I guess we had some kind of miscommunication.

“…What are you worried about?”

“…The upcoming Day of Prayer.”