The question posed to the knights had, for them, become a matter of survival.
If they didn’t want to endure another hellish morning training session like today, this was the only path left.
“D-Duke? O-of course he’s a good person.”
Luellia finally managed to answer under their relentless questioning.
But to the knights, it didn’t seem enough.
“How is he good? Please be specific.”
“His instructions are clean, he doesn’t make unreasonable demands, and he gives praise when it’s due.”
Especially rewards in gold.
He was someone who knew how to value his subordinates.
“That’s all?”
“More importantly, isn’t he a righteous person who cares about the territory’s people despite how he looks?”
“Are you saying his appearance is bad?”
“Of course not! Our Duke is someone both men and women stare at when he attends banquets because of his face. And his body? He’s like a dragon—packed with both outer and inner muscle.”
The knights nodded in unison.
The strongest swordsman.
Unlike the weak bureaucrats who couldn’t endure Kailles and fled, the knights stayed in the Duke’s household for that very reason.
Even though his training sessions squeezed every drop of sweat from their bodies like wringing laundry dry, they still wanted to learn swordsmanship from Kailles.
To be acknowledged by him meant being a true imperial knight.
Of course, his personality was difficult at times. But ever since that aide arrived, life for the knights had actually become easier.
Before, when the previous aides failed their duties and the Duke was overworked, every day had been an emergency. He would relieve his stress and exhaustion through brutal training sessions.
But today felt like those old days had returned.
Hell.
There was no better word for it.
“Our Boardman might dislike muscular men…”
“Then that would be a problem.”
For the knights, this was the greatest crisis of their lives.
They could not forget the expression Kailles had made when he saw the resignation letter.
If the aide in front of them disappeared, the hell of two years ago would return.
So they had to keep her here at all costs.
“Muscles…?”
Luellia’s face turned bright red.
She recalled the raw, unfiltered scene from the morning. Especially the Duke’s particularly striking physique that had floated vividly in her mind.
“I-I’ve… never seen them…”
She quickly denied it, afraid they might find out she had seen anything.
Admitting she saw his muscles would also mean admitting she had witnessed the knights training half-naked.
“What a shame. Once you see it, you can never forget it.”
The knights exchanged looks.
Without saying it, their eyes asked: What do we do now?
Then one stepped forward.
“We would like you to stay here and work with our Duke for life.”
It was sudden. The others elbowed him immediately.
“W-What?”
At this point, there was no turning back.
“You do your job well, and thanks to you, our lives have become easier.”
“That’s right! Since you arrived, our benefits improved, and even our meals got better—probably because the budget increased.”
“The new knight uniforms you designed are comfortable and stylish. You have no idea how convenient they are.”
One by one, praise poured out toward Luellia.
None of them dared to directly ask if she planned to quit.
If she found out they had burned her resignation letter, she might immediately go write another one.
So persuading her was the priority.
“T-Thank you for the compliments. I also hope I can continue working for the Duke.”
Her answer was ambiguous.
Wasn’t this what people said when they were thinking about quitting?
It didn’t sound like she was leaving immediately… but it didn’t sound secure either.
“If you ever struggle, please tell us. We’ll help you.”
“We mean it. Anything you ask, we’ll handle it.”
“Right! Anyone targeting the Boardman, we’ll eliminate—”
Honestly, these muscle-brained fools.
One of them slipped up and said too much. Luellia had no idea she was being protected this whole time.
“Eliminate who?”
“Th-That is…”
“The Duke’s orders.”
At that moment, Bileen stepped forward.
He had been silent out of consideration for his comrades’ desire to keep Luellia from leaving, but this could not continue.
- Do not discuss the Duke when the Duke is not present. Especially alone with Luellia. –
Even if there were many people, the result would be the same. The topic was still the Duke.
It was time to end this.
But Luellia’s eyes trembled.
“Ah… I see. That makes sense. I didn’t consider that. People might target the Boardman to extract information about the Duke.”
Her expression darkened considerably.
She looked frightened. As if she might run away from the Duke’s household at any moment.
The knights shot Bileen resentful looks.
If she wrote another resignation letter and ran to the Duke, what would they do?
“Um… then, knights.”
“Don’t worry. We’ve been protecting you quietly so you wouldn’t be startled.”
“Thank you. But I’m worried my sister might also be targeted. Could you protect her too? Then I’ll feel safe continuing to work here.”
At Luellia’s words, the knights exchanged glances.
The meaning was clear.
“If we solve that… you’ll stay at the Duke’s house?”
“For life?”
Their eyes turned to her, shining intensely.
If she said no, she might die here.
“Of course.”
1,500 gold. Her upcoming salary had already decided her answer.
“I like working here the most. If possible, I want to stay here forever.”
At her sincere answer, the knights clenched their fists.
Good!
We’ll protect this!
Our peaceful knight life!
“Of course! Then we will make sure you can stay with the Duke forever.”
“F-forever?”
From “for life” to “forever”? These knights were far too extreme with words.
“Y-Yes! Thank you, Boardman!”
One by one, the knights grabbed her hand and thanked her so enthusiastically that she had no chance to respond.
Why were they thanking her like this?
Wasn’t she supposed to be the one thanking them for protecting her and her sister?
She looked at them, completely bewildered.
Still… if the knights were happy, maybe that was fine?
Their joy gradually spread to Luellia as well.
Kailles looked at the group of knights who had returned with a strange expression.
“So you said you want to live here forever with me?”
“Yes, my lord! We asked the Boardman many things.”
Bileen, caught in the middle, shot his comrades a resentful glare.
Idiots.
If the Duke found out about their casual conversation with Luellia, it was over.
He had tried to warn them, but they hadn’t listened.
“What did you ask her?”
“How she feels about you, my lord.”
They were confessing it all in real time.
“Sorry, my lord. I tried to discipline them—”
“And?”
Kailles cut Bileen off.
If these fools kept talking, everything would be exposed.
And then today’s training would seem gentle in comparison. The knights might not be able to walk tomorrow.
“She said she likes the Duke very much.”
“She said she regrets not seeing his muscles.”
They were even distorting things now.
“And she said if her sister is protected properly, she wants to stay by your side forever.”
Kailles’s lips stiffened slightly, stretching unnaturally.
Bileen quickly tried to stop the knights, but—
“So she has no intention of leaving.”
Kailles smiled.
It was rare to see the Duke smile, and even rarer for his voice to sound so soft.
It should have been a good thing.
So why was it terrifying?
Silence fell.
Then one knight awkwardly laughed.
“Haha… yes! So you should treat her even better, my lord. So she stays in the Duke’s house forever.”
“Exactly!”
“That would be right.”
Kailles tapped his long fingers on the desk.
Tap. Tap.
Like music.
