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Chapter 68
“Already? Do you think the end comes with a warning beforehand?”
Karia replied in a dry, emotionless tone as she carefully folded the Flag of Marquis Balta. Alcard, seeing the black flag, made a face like he had bitten into a bug—as though he had unconsciously imagined the kind of situation it would be hung in.
But of course, he stopped Aquil from carrying the box and willingly took up his younger sister’s two flags himself. Unlike Robert, he didn’t consider Aquil lowborn just because he came from mercenary roots.
It was simply that, for something like this, he wanted no one else but himself to be at her side. Because he was her family.
On the way back, thanks to the escort of the Imperial Knight Commander—someone so well-known that not a single person in the capital didn’t recognize him—no one dared approach them with unnecessary chatter.
“You’re really moving in.”
“Then what, should I move in pretend?”
Late in the afternoon, Noah showed up with luggage slung over one shoulder. Shagal let out a sigh loud enough to be heard. The commander who used to shut himself away in a darkened room, snarling like a beast if anyone so much as spoke to him—acting as if life itself were over—had suddenly changed overnight after making up with Karia.
Shagal felt hollow. It was as though all his efforts so far had been nothing but wasted.
“This is why they say raising kids is pointless.”
“…What was that?”
“No, nothing at all. If the Commander is happy, then of course we’re happy too. Naturally.”
Shagal stuck his lips out in a pout but clenched his teeth and endured—because this was his commander, his lord. Complaining aloud was one thing, but teasing a little? That should be fine.
He turned a sly voice on Noah, who was stiffly dressed in a choking formal suit he clearly hated.
“But isn’t this a bit fast? The two of you have barely seen each other, and already you’re moving in together. My lady hasn’t even fully finalized her last marriage yet.”
“Her heart’s been settled for a long time—it’s only the paperwork that’s late. What does it matter now? The Duke moved faster.”
“I wonder… does my lady feel the same way? To me, she doesn’t look nearly as rushed as you, Commander.”
Noah instinctively kicked Shagal in the shin but couldn’t deny the words. Their relationship was indeed lopsided. Whenever he was with Karia, he lost his composure, while she always remained calm and collected.
When she was angry, she furrowed her brows. When happy, she curved her lips slightly. But a flustered, helpless Karia? He could hardly imagine such a sight.
“Isn’t that right? My lady already has two children, a proper title, immense wealth… she’s in no hurry at all. But you? Aside from a decent frame, what do you have to show? Half your life is a secret.”
“….”
“Not to mention you confessed, ran away, and vanished! Shouldn’t you be nervous, instead of skipping in here with your bags?”
Shagal clutched his throbbing shin, hopping up and down, but his mouth never stopped. To never yield to injustice—that was his knightly code. And even if it was filthy and petty, it was the reason he stuck with Noah.
And since Noah knew Shagal wasn’t wrong, he wore an annoyed look but began to seriously consider it.
“What kind of men do women usually prefer?”
“Well… handsome ones?”
“Skip that.”
“You’re skipping it?”
“Hah. There’s no one in the world who could complain about this face.”
Noah’s razor-sharp declaration made Shagal scrunch his brows, though he still nodded. That overconfidence in his looks was the biggest reason his subordinates respected him less—but infuriatingly, it was true. Even Karia had admitted bluntly, almost flustered, that his looks were striking. So, no—appearance wasn’t the problem.
“Then… maybe ability?”
“Ability, huh. I’m not exactly poor…”
“My lady has plenty of wealth herself. She’s a direct royal with a marquisate—her influence is immense. As for your strengths? Information and combat. But those are things she’s already buying with money. So what’s left… personality?”
As soon as Shagal said it, he looked Noah up and down. Then silently shook his head.
“That’s the problem.”
When commanding his men, Noah could be lethargic one moment, then suddenly sharp enough to make their hearts stop.
From the moment he descended into this world, he carried an unquestionable kingly authority and charisma. This man will, of course, reclaim what’s his someday—that certainty kept his followers at his side for over a decade.
But the moment he stood before Karia, he turned into a belly-up puppy. After years of hiding, waiting, and lowering himself for the right opportunity, he was now serving her as an employer, guarding her, pouring every ounce of his carefully built intelligence network into her benefit without hesitation.
Love wasn’t the problem. But a commander this besotted with his first love was unbearable.
“…What’s with that look? Do you have a problem with my personality?”
“Ha, hahaha… a problem? Of course not. Ah—Bix! Commander, look, Bix is coming!”
“Oh, Commander!”
Caught in a corner by the sharp question, Shagal’s eyes darted about desperately for an escape—and just then, he spotted Bix in the distance, arms full of parcels, mumbling to himself as he walked. Shagal waved frantically. Bix noticed and hurried over.
“Commander, you’re back! So you made up with my lady!”
“Yeah, we reconciled.”
“Oh, thank goodness!”
Bix’s relief was plain. Having spent his shifts guarding Karia and suffering her teasing (which was really vented frustration), he had been waiting more desperately than anyone for Noah’s return. Seeing his honest reaction, Noah let out a quiet chuckle like air deflating.
Bix was the youngest of the squad, everyone’s cherished junior. He’d been only nine when they first met, wearing tiny armor that everyone remembered fondly.
He no longer looked the part of an “adorable child,” but everyone still treated him like a little brother.
Because Noah had such a soft spot for him, Shagal seized the chance to drag Bix into this mess, hoping to escape another shin-kick.
“Bix, you said you’ve got five older sisters, right? Then you must know what kind of men ladies usually like!”
“Uh… my sisters never let me in on those conversations.”
Bix shuddered at the thought, making it clear he had no interest either. But Shagal jabbed his side, urging him to say something.
Bix couldn’t fathom why Shagal was asking this, but he racked his brain anyway.
“Oh! Maybe not my sisters’ tastes, but there’s that thing, right? The popular serialized novels noblewomen like to read! There’s always a certain type of male lead.”
“The male lead of a serialized novel?”
“Yes! The current hit is… let’s see… ah, the ‘Grand Duke of the North’!”
Noah tilted his head at the strange term, hand stroking his chin. A grand duke was usually a title for an emperor’s brother or a vassal king. Respected as royalty, equal in rank to a crown prince, but lower in succession.
But suddenly, a ‘Grand Duke of the North’? And why specify the North?
He thought for a moment, hummed through his nose, then shook his head.
“We’ve already covered status. I asked about personality.”
“No, Commander, you don’t get it. The ‘Grand Duke of the North’ isn’t just a title—it’s an archetype.”
Bix shoved the snacks in Shagal’s arms and dusted off his hands.
He had never told anyone, but he loved romances full of dreams and hope. Operas, plays, novels—if it ended happily, he didn’t care about the form. Especially novels, which he could enjoy anywhere during tedious, grueling missions. They were his secret energy source.
And if it was about this hobby he had always indulged in alone, he could talk all night.
“The Grand Duke grows up with a harsh childhood, becoming cold and distant. Pushed aside by the emperor’s suspicion, he rules the frigid, barren North. He doesn’t believe in love, and lets no one close except a few trusted subordinates. Anyone who approaches for his looks or status? He cuts them off with an icy rejection.”
“…Hmm.”
“But then he meets the heroine, a girl who grew up loved by all, like sunshine itself. His walls begin to crumble. He knows that if he opens his heart only to be betrayed, it’ll destroy him forever. But his feelings, once tipped, can’t be controlled. And so he tells her this—”
Bix strode right up to Noah, wrapped a thick arm around his waist, lifted his chin with the other hand, and gazed at him with soulful eyes.
“It doesn’t matter anymore. Even if I fall to the very depths of hell, it’s fine—so long as it’s with you.”
“…Bix.”
“If I can be with you, then I don’t care what comes.”
Noah’s face twisted with genuine disgust. Shagal, watching, stifled his laughter until he shook.
With a heavy sigh, Noah shoved Bix away and stomped hard on Shagal’s foot. Shagal yelped, protesting loudly—“Why take it out on me?!”—but one sharp glare made him instantly shrink back in silence.
