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chapter 25
Redford urged her with his eyes. It was a look she couldn’t possibly ignore.
“Ugh… Didi. Actually, the truth is…”
In the end, Tessia confessed everything to Redford. Louwenhart had told her not to tell anyone yet, but she couldn’t bring herself to hide it from Redford. After all, Redford was her closest friend. When he heard that Tessia had proposed a contract engagement with Louwenhart to escape Helios’s marriage pressure, Redford murmured quietly.
“I see.”
So that sly prince had used a trick to lure Tessia. Of course, the fact that she had suggested a contract engagement to the prince and not to him stung deeply.
“You must have had a hard time, Tessia. But do you still have to keep going on dates? How many do you have left?”
“Um… after you, there’s one more person. And then finally, Hart. Ugh. I just have to endure, keeping my eyes on that last one. It’ll all be over soon.”
“Stay strong, Tessia. If you ever need help, just say the word.”
“Didi… you really are the best!”
Tessia said with a touched expression. Truly, only her ride-or-die friend stood by her. Redford thought the same as he piled Tessia’s plate high with meat. He couldn’t just sit still like this.
Whether it was good or bad luck, Tessia sat staring at the report before her with a complicated expression. Her time with Redford had been pleasant. Unlike the other candidates, he never forced anything on her or expected anything. But just as she returned from that enjoyable outing, unexpected news arrived.
“A rookie knight has gone missing?”
“Yes, Captain.”
Alex calmly laid out the situation. A new recruit hadn’t shown up for training for a week. Since being absent without notice for over a week meant expulsion from the Order, they went to his dormitory—only to learn he hadn’t returned at all. They even contacted his hometown, but he hadn’t gone there either. He was a strong knight, so it seemed unlikely that anything could have happened to him… and yet they couldn’t dismiss it.
Ironically, this incident brought Tessia’s remaining two dates to an end. With such a problem occurring in the Valkyrie Order, Helios wasn’t about to force her to continue dating.
‘What curious timing.’
Tessia tilted her head, carefully reading the report.
“His dormitory was messy, as if he meant to come right back. There were no signs he intended to leave.”
“Hm. How long has he been missing?”
“Today makes eight days, Captain. Should we file this as a missing persons case and begin an investigation?”
One of the Valkyrie Order’s duties was solving criminal cases within the Empire. The Estonian Empire was vast, and the capital’s garrison couldn’t possibly handle all cases alone—so whenever the Valkyries were in the capital, they assisted. And this time, the missing person was one of their own rookies.
“That would be best. Also, check whether any recruits from other Orders have gone missing.”
Tessia herself had overseen the new recruits’ training. From her direct impression, they weren’t the sort to abandon their dreams and vanish irresponsibly. Something had clearly gone wrong.
‘So someone dared to touch a Valkyrie recruit.’
Tessia raised her brows. Anyone who joined the Order was under her responsibility.
“I’ll solve this under the name of Tessia Chloris. Gather volunteers from the knights currently on rest and begin the search.”
“Yes, Captain!”
The Valkyrie Order was known for their strong bonds, so almost everyone was certain to volunteer.
“But Captain, shouldn’t we also recruit new members?”
“Already?”
“Yes. We never know when we might be deployed to the battlefield, so we can’t leave positions empty.”
“…There’s no helping it. Once Kroil is found, we’ll add an extra position.”
“…You knew his name, Captain?”
“Of course. Do you think I wouldn’t know the names of those under me?”
Tessia muttered gruffly and stood.
“Where are you going, Captain?”
“I’ll ask Camilla if she knows anything.”
“Yes, Captain. Safe travels!”
With Alex seeing her off, Tessia left her office. She hoped the missing recruit would just come back safely on his own, but she had a bad feeling about this case. And more often than not, her instincts proved correct.
“Haa…”
She had wished someone would rein in Helios’s recklessness, but not like this. Scratching her cheek, Tessia quickened her pace.
There was already another guest at Camilla’s pub. It was too early for someone to be drinking, so it seemed they had come for the same reason Tessia had. A person with striking crimson hair. Tessia sat a seat away at the bar. Camilla had stepped out, leaving only the guest inside.
‘Hmm.’
On the surface, Camilla ran the pub. In reality, she was an information broker. She dealt in high-level intel, and the Valkyrie Order often made use of her. Tessia folded her arms and pretended to scan the pub, sneaking glances at the woman beside her.
‘She looks familiar…’
Tilting her head, Tessia’s eyes widened.
“Ah!”
She was one of the people who had been with Louwenhart at the Academy. Back then, her crimson hair glinting under the sunlight had caught Tessia’s attention. Even in this dim place, it stood out. Yet the woman made no move to acknowledge Tessia—clearly wanting no interaction. Tessia wasn’t about to force greetings on someone who disliked her, so she leaned back, arms still crossed.
Luckily, Camilla soon emerged.
“Oh my, the Captain herself. But first, the earlier customer. Here’s what you wanted.”
She handed a thick envelope of documents to the woman, who tucked it close and handed over a pouch of gold. Without any small talk, the woman left. Tessia glanced after her, then turned back to Camilla.
“She’s an Academy student, isn’t she?”
“You know I only share information for a price. Unless you pay…”
“…You won’t tell me anything, right?”
Tessia retorted, placing five gold coins on the counter.
“She’s an Academy student, isn’t she?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Tessia lowered her gaze. She couldn’t help but wonder about the information that woman had bought, but Camilla would never sell information she had already given someone else—that would destroy her credibility. Tessia knew Camilla walked a fine line between legality and illegality. Still, Tessia tolerated her because Camilla had never crossed that line and because the Order benefited from her.
‘Forget it. Not my business.’
Shaking her head, Tessia placed a pouch of coins on the counter.
“Alright. A Valkyrie recruit has gone missing. Name’s Kroil. Do you know anything?”
“Not yet. But if you come again next time, I’ll have something.”
“Fine.”
Rising from her seat, Tessia left the pub. Staying longer wasn’t going to yield more.
Louwenhart heard that his turn on the schedule had been canceled. The Order was in trouble, though since he hadn’t joined them yet, he didn’t know what was going on. Tossing the one-sided imperial notice into the trash, he returned to his research. Just then—
“Louwenhart.”
“Ah, Marcia. You’ve been out?”
“Mm. Went to buy something I needed.”
Marcia put the envelope she carried into her locker and locked it. Louwenhart glanced at it briefly, then looked away. But Marcia had news sure to capture his attention.
“Louwenhart.”
“Yes?”
“I met Princess Tessia.”
“You met the Princess?”
Marcia scrunched her nose. She disliked how this subject instantly piqued his interest. She had never understood why he was so fixated on Tessia. Tessia had no dresses, wore uniforms day and night, kept her hair tied up or messy, always wore boots—there wasn’t a trace of feminine charm. So why? True, she wielded power that might interest him… but was that really all?
“Where did you see her? She should’ve been on duty.”
One look at his eyes told her otherwise. Louwenhart clearly harbored some form of affection for Tessia—romantic, most likely. He might not realize it himself, but to anyone watching, it was obvious. Biting her lip, Marcia turned away. Better to bring it up herself than risk Tessia mentioning their encounter first.
“You know I’ve been searching for my younger sister, right?”
“Ah, the sister you lost. You went out about that again?”
“Yes. I might finally be able to find Yurina. I heard of people who saw her, so I went to buy the information. And Princess Tessia happened to be there.”
“Hm.”
Louwenhart straightened completely. Marcia felt it instantly, fiddling with her hair as she coiled it around a finger. Then, in a soft, coaxing voice:
“Are you thinking of going to the Order?”
“I was already considering it, since I heard there was a problem. Marcia, can you finish the research for me?”
“Sorry, that won’t work. You know I’m hopeless with magical formulas. If anything, I should be asking you for help.”
Putting on a troubled expression, she turned her head sadly. She didn’t want him going to the Order now. She needed more time with him, to let her own chance come.
“Ah, that’s true.”
Louwenhart sat back down. Marcia quickly followed up.
“I’ll help with what you’re doing now, so let’s finish it together.”
“Alright, thanks.”
She circled the desk to sit beside him, leaning close enough for him to catch her scent, speaking softly.
“It’s probably nothing serious. If it were, the Academy would’ve been notified officially.”
She wasn’t wrong. And even if there was trouble, what help could he really provide? Most likely, Tessia was fine. Who would dare harm the Emperor’s cherished princess, surrounded by those ferocious knights? And Tessia was a Sword Master—hardly someone in need of protection.
Even so, her face lingered in his mind. He could bully her all he wanted—but he didn’t like the thought of anyone else doing so. Somehow, that’s how he felt. Even though he himself was using her… perhaps it was really him being swayed instead. After all, he was sitting here thinking only of her.
“How ridiculous.”
“Hm?”
“Nothing, Marcia.”
A self-mocking smile flickered across Louwenhart’s face, then vanished.
