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Chapter : 34
At the same time, all the men bent their waists.
“Thank you, my lady.”
“Thanks to you, we survived.”
Siena’s eyes, which had narrowed, returned to their original size.
‘…They survived because of me?’
What on earth was going on?
She stared blankly at the men and asked softly,
“Uh… yes? What do you mean…?”
The captain gestured toward the hawk.
“This hawk that your ladyship cared for is one of the fifty hawks under our management. By its registration number, it’s called No. 38.”
“…”
“But it disappeared without a trace recently… and we’ve been struggling to find it.”
“…”
“Hawks are officially the property of the imperial family, after all.”
The captain, whose eyebrows had been furrowed, now softened his expression.
Despite his fierce first impression, a gentle look settled on his face.
“However, your merciful ladyship took care of No. 38 and even escorted it back to our base.”
“…”
“Truly, we don’t know how to repay your kindness.”
The captain bowed once more.
Siena gazed at his graying crown of hair.
‘So… they were just the hawk handlers?’
Not members of some organization infiltrating the palace…?
Unfortunately, her suspicions hadn’t entirely vanished yet.
Soon, the captain raised his eyebrows.
It seemed he finally noticed that Siena was still tense.
“Ah, my lady. Please don’t be nervous.”
He placed a hand over his chest in greeting.
“I apologize for the late introduction. We are knights belonging to the Imperial Palace Knights.”
“Knights…?”
Siena’s eyes widened like a startled rabbit.
The captain nodded.
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“If you wish, we can show you our membership badges.”
Another knight standing beside him added this.
The others nodded subtly, as if asking her to trust them.
The captain continued.
“It seems our attire gave the impression of a threat, since we weren’t wearing uniforms that would prove our identity.”
“…”
“We are knights, but we belong to the hawk management division. So we are different from the regular knights you might be familiar with.”
Suddenly, the captain brought a hand to his mouth and whispered.
“Actually… we were demoted due to age. The hawk management division doesn’t participate in knight training, you see. Ha ha!”
He laughed heartily.
Siena looked at him, dumbfounded.
“So we always stay in this part of the palace grounds. That’s why we rarely encounter outsiders.”
“…”
“Thus, there’s no real need for us to wear formal uniforms.”
Siena finally relaxed.
‘So they really were knights.’
That explained why they looked suspiciously muscular and had scars on their faces.
She had worried about whether she’d make it home safely today, but it was all needless concern.
‘Of course.’
In this patchwork world, there couldn’t be rogue scoundrels threatening her life…
Still, she didn’t say a word.
The knights assumed she was still frightened.
“What should we do? She’s still scared.”
“Well, we’ve never spoken to a noble lady before…”
“Hmm, she came all the way out here. We should at least offer her something.”
“That’s a good idea. But what should we give her…?”
“What do young ladies usually drink?”
After some discussion, the knights rifled through the cabinet and found cocoa powder.
The man who had brought Siena here handed her a mug.
“I’m sorry, my lady. This is all we have to offer.”
“Ah… it’s okay. Thank you.”
The mug, which had looked small in the knight’s hand, seemed enormous to Siena.
The amount of cocoa inside was overwhelming.
‘Is this a mug or a washbasin?’
Did I look that hungry…?
She took the cocoa and began to drink.
Meanwhile, the knights observed her carefully.
Actually, it was more like they were watching her.
“My lady, is it to your liking?”
“Yes, of course.”
“How does it taste?”
“Uh… it’s… delicious.”
“Phew…”
Only then did the knights visibly relax.
‘It feels… a little like I’m being raised.’
‘Like they see me as a fragile chick that could be broken with a single hit.’
She wasn’t actually a chick, but if she were struck by the knights, her bones might break.
‘And warm cocoa in this summer…’
Clearly, they had lived in this remote area for a long time and hadn’t had much contact with outsiders.
That’s why they served cocoa without knowing the season, and looked at strangers with such curiosity.
‘They’re really just innocent, kind people.’
She felt guilty for being scared just by looking at them at first.
‘I’m sorry for mistaking you for a human trafficking gang…’
Siena drank her cocoa quietly for a while.
The knights discussed the hawk.
“It’s a relief. No. 38 returned unharmed, so we can report it tomorrow.”
“Yes, I was worried we might never find it…”
“But,” the captain suddenly changed the topic,
“It’s quite unexpected that No. 38 would intrude into your residence, my lady.”
The man who had brought Siena nodded in agreement.
“Yes, indeed. At first, I thought…”
He whispered something to the captain, glancing at Siena intermittently.
‘What…?’
His gaze swept over her hair.
‘Is there something wrong with my hair…?’
She lightly touched it.
It was the same gray as always.
She finally spoke.
“Um…”
“Yes, my lady?”
“May I… if it’s not rude, ask what this is about? I also… care for No. 38.”
“…”
“Ah, I mean, I want to know why No. 38 suddenly came to our house.”
The captain blinked before answering.
“That… is something we also find puzzling.”
“…”
“The hawks under our management act only with a purpose. They are trained to focus solely on completing missions, not to act individually.”
“…”
“No. 38 is especially intelligent compared to the others. It has never acted independently before, and we thought it never would.”
“…”
“And yet No. 38 intruded into your residence. Why… we have no idea.”
Siena, thinking deeply, slowly asked,
“Could it have seen something at our house?”
“We considered that possibility, but deemed it impossible.”
“…”
“No. 38’s purpose is solely to find that person…”
The captain, speaking monotonously, suddenly stopped mid-sentence.
The knights’ expressions stiffened immediately.
Siena tilted her head.
‘That person?’
The captain added a few words after a pause.
“Either way… it’s a matter for us to handle.”
“…”
“Please rest comfortably, my lady.”
Siena just nodded.
For some reason, she felt she shouldn’t ask any more questions.
“No. 38’s purpose is solely to find that person…”
What did that mean?
‘The captain said No. 38’s purpose was to find “that person.”’
It seemed the hawks, like No. 38, were trained to locate someone.
Yet the more she thought about it, the stranger it seemed.
“Don’t ever release this hawk.”
“…Yes?”
“No matter what happens.”
Rian had warned her like this when he saw No. 38.
As if there was some problem with the hawk.
‘At the time I didn’t know anything and let it slide, but after hearing the captain, it’s completely different.’
No. 38 was simply a hawk trained to find someone.
‘Then… what is going on…?’
Siena forgot to drink her cocoa, lost in deep thought.
Then, suddenly, she parted her lips.
“…Ah?”
She realized why Rian had reacted so sensitively to the hawk.
