Chapter 9
A carriage approached the Grand Duke’s estate from afar. Judging by the flag, it belonged to the Grand Duke. Douglas, vice-captain of the Dierik Knights, immediately descended the steps.
Each step he took was filled with anger.
Seeing that the carriage which had left early in the morning had returned in less than two hours, Douglas’s fury boiled over.
As Axyon stepped down from the carriage, Douglas blocked his path.
“Were you rejected again, my lord?”
“…Yes.”
“What the hell is the problem? Things seemed to be going well lately!”
“Is that what you stopped me to say?”
Though Douglas twisted his large frame to let Axyon pass, he didn’t leave his side, trailing behind him closely.
Things had been strange lately.
It was as if the Regent had eaten something off. Because of that, his lord had been smiling nonstop. Others might not have noticed, but Douglas could see it clearly.
Though his lord’s body was in the Dierik estate, his heart was with the Regent.
That much was certain!
Yet that woman had once again rejected his request for an audience like flipping the palm of her hand.
He was so furious he could hardly contain it.
“There’s definitely something going on here! You know it too, my lord! This is exactly how things blew up last time. Don’t you remember…!”
“She’s just not feeling well.”
“It’s already spring.”
The weather had warmed up almost overnight. Even a glance around showed several knights training shirtless in the courtyard.
“……”
“She’s lying! Anyone can see it’s just an excuse!”
Axyon stayed silent the entire time Douglas grumbled beside him.
“I’ll go right now and get to the bottom of what she’s—”
Axyon suddenly stopped walking. Douglas, caught up in his anger, shut his mouth immediately.
He had crossed a line in his excitement. Cold sweat trickled down his forehead.
Axyon turned around slowly. He said nothing, but the atmosphere shifted. Douglas couldn’t shake the feeling that he had become a squeaking, helpless little creature.
Axyon’s rough hand landed on his shoulder with a heavy thud. He patted him twice.
“Watch your mouth, Doug.”
“…Yes, my lord.”
No matter how many times he heard that cold, cutting voice, he could never get used to it. As Axyon walked into the study, Douglas struggled to catch his breath.
He knew his lord was sensitive when it came to the Regent—he shouldn’t have said what he did.
Still, he couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling in his gut. He couldn’t understand how his master had fallen for a woman like her. He had a bad feeling blood would be spilled soon, but he shrugged it off.
He almost wished the Regent would keep rejecting the audience requests until the engagement was called off. But that was just his wishful thinking.
And the next day, just as he feared, disaster rolled into the Grand Duke’s estate.
Unlike other noble households where the day began around noon, the Grand Duke’s estate had long started its days at dawn.
The loud shouts from the training ground echoed through the estate, though the sun had not yet risen.
Soon after, as the sun crested the horizon and the knights paused to wipe off their sweat, a carriage was seen approaching the estate from afar.
Even though the sun was up, it was still earlier than typical active hours. The knights turned to look.
“What kind of carriage comes at this hour?”
“No idea… Wait, isn’t that a royal carriage?”
At those words, silence fell. Everyone squinted, trying to confirm whether it really was.
Upon seeing a purple flag with a four-antlered stag raising its front legs, they were sure—it was indeed a royal carriage.
“It is! Why would a royal carriage come here, though…?”
Just then, Vice-Captain Douglas entered the training ground, having just finished his personal drills.
Intending to scold the knights for resting too long, he turned his head in the same direction as the others.
“Vice-Captain! Isn’t that a royal carriage?”
Douglas was silent for a moment, then muttered a curse.
“Damn it. I knew it.”
“What’s wrong, sir?”
The knights began standing up one by one at his words.
A royal carriage visiting a noble estate was no ordinary event.
There were only two reasons for such a visit:
First, to formally escort someone from the household to the palace.
Second, to arrest someone—albeit politely.
“The Regent must be here to arrest our lord.”
At Douglas’s firm voice, commotion erupted.
“Where’s our lord now?”
“Ab-about thirty minutes ago, he was in the study…”
“Everyone, stand by.”
“Yes, sir!”
With those words, Douglas ran straight into the mansion. His order to “stand by” meant only one thing: prepare to draw swords at any moment.
That morning, which had begun like any other at the estate, suddenly turned into a state of emergency.
The palace had sent a carriage, but Axyon showed no particular reaction. He remained composed, as though he had expected it.
“My lord!”
“Don’t worry, Doug.”
“How could I not worry?! I absolutely object to you going alone! You must take knights with you!”
Douglas was adamant. He had insisted for several minutes that Axyon should bring at least five knights.
Looking out the window, they could see someone from the royal carriage speaking with the estate’s butler.
There wasn’t much time left.
“Why are you taking this so calmly?”
“It’s just not that surprising.”
Axyon had anticipated something like this. Lately, Jeneia had been avoiding him again, just like before.
He started to believe that the kindness she had shown him recently was simply out of guilt for her past behavior.
He tried not to expect too much—but his heart still ached. No matter what he did, he couldn’t seem to earn her love.
He even began to wonder if her recent kindness had all been a setup for today… but he didn’t say it aloud.
He didn’t want to taint the memories of the past few days.
“My lord!!”
“Enough. If anything happens to me, send Cheryl to the territory immediately.”
He didn’t truly believe Jeneia would harm Cheryl—but it was better to be cautious. He couldn’t allow the girl to be hurt because of his love.
Signaling that he would no longer entertain objections, Axyon started walking away.
It was a complete bolt from the blue.
“I’m so nervous, Mileta.”
“There’s no need to worry. Everything is perfectly prepared.”
True to her confident tone, Mileta stood tall with her shoulders squared. I nodded at her words.
Sunflowers bloomed in every corner, and sunlight glinted off the dazzling jewels hanging from the ceiling. The mix of crystals and emeralds was breathtaking.
The centerpiece was a stained-glass panel placed where sunlight poured in directly. For a decoration meant to last just one day, it was extravagant—a one-meter-square window etched with busts of Axyon and me.
‘Maybe it’s too much…?’
But there was no going back now.
It was about time for the carriage I had sent to the Grand Duke’s estate to return.
The carriage slowed, then stopped. Inside were Axyon and a single attendant. The poor man was drenched in cold sweat just from being in the same carriage as the infamous Grand Duke Dierik.
The door opened, and the attendant stepped down first, waiting for Axyon.
As Axyon stepped out, he realized they were at the main palace, not the northern tower as he had assumed. This was where Jeneia’s quarters were.
Still, Axyon thought of this place as just a stop along the way.
If he could see Jeneia one last time, that would be enough.
“Um… Grand Duke, the Regent said to… to give you this…”
The attendant held out a piece of black silk, hands trembling.
“What am I supposed to do with this?”
“W-well… you’re to, um, c-cover your eyes…”
Barely managing to understand the stammering man, Axyon looked at the cloth for a moment, then tied it around his eyes himself.
“Is this good enough?”
“She said… it must completely block your vision…”
Axyon reached behind his head and tightened it further.
“Please place your hand on my shoulder.”
“No need. Lead the way.”
The attendant dared not argue and did exactly as told. After all, he hadn’t been instructed to make the Grand Duke hold onto him.
They walked through a long corridor—how far, Axyon couldn’t tell. But eventually, he sensed the man stop.
And he noticed something odd.
There was only one presence.
‘Is this a trap?’
The thought made Axyon instinctively reach for the hilt at his waist. He was ready to draw his sword at any moment.
“I’ll remove the blindfold now.”
The attendant lifted the cloth. As the fabric brushed his face, light poured in, revealing a blurry figure.
Axyon instinctively gripped the hilt.
“Happy birthday!”
Confetti and glitter rained down over Axyon’s head as he stood there, stunned.
He nearly drew his sword on Jeneia, but caught himself just in time. Still, he couldn’t make sense of what he was seeing.
She repeated herself for the still-silent Axyon.
“H-happy birthday, Sion!”
