Episode 38. Appeared Again
Delphine clasped her trembling hands behind her back, trying to hide her anxiety.
The knight looked her up and down with greedy eyes and finally said—
“Hm. Alright. You may pass.”
At last, permission was granted.
When Delphine cautiously lifted her gaze, the man she made eye contact with smirked.
It was an oddly unpleasant smile.
“Yes, then…”
Imitating a maid’s tone and trailing off, Delphine hurried through the castle gates.
Once she entered the barrier, the stench that had filled the street vanished completely.
But even in that brief time, it felt as though the smell had clung to her body.
The throbbing headache hadn’t gone away.
And on top of that, the flood of information that had suddenly poured in left her mind spinning.
Phosium, black crystals.
The barrier.
And Ioan…
Urgh.
Her stomach, which had been churning from the stench, finally gave way.
Clutching her mouth, Delphine rushed into an alley and bent over the sewer grate.
A moan escaped her lips as her stomach twisted in agony.
How long had she spent emptying herself like that?
Barely managing to straighten her back, Delphine leaned against the wall, panting.
Cold sweat dripped down her back.
‘How much time has passed?’
She needed to return before evening, before Anna started to suspect something.
Ioan, that man, was busy again after his fit of madness had passed—so she wasn’t worried about him…
But what was it that kept him so busy?
Again, her stomach twisted violently, and Delphine bent over once more, but this time only clear bile came out.
“Hey, maid girl. You alright? Want a hand?”
A cocky voice called out from beyond the alley just then.
Despite the pain, Delphine hastily reached up to feel around her head.
Her handkerchief, which had been covering her face, had fallen far away on the ground.
Clenching her teeth, Delphine raised her head.
“You okay? Huh? Want me to pat your back?”
It was the same knight who had checked her ID at the gate, walking toward her with a sleazy grin.
“I don’t need any help.”
“Oh, yeah?”
As soon as she snapped at him, the man’s smile vanished completely.
“…But I think I might need your help right now.”
He licked his upper lip with a filthy tongue.
Delphine forced down the rising nausea and muttered through clenched teeth.
“…I’m a maid from a noble household. If you lay a finger on me, you’ll regret it.”
“Sure, sure. Then go tell your little noble lord.”
The man slowly approached her, chuckling unpleasantly.
“Of course, that’s only if you can still use that pretty tongue after today.”
“……”
Delphine didn’t scream or struggle, knowing it would only provoke him. Instead, she quietly scanned her surroundings.
In this filthy back alley, there were plenty of sharp-looking stones and broken bottles lying around.
The man misunderstood her silence and began panting heavily, eyes gleaming.
“Good. That’s right. Just stay still…”
The moment his rough hand grabbed her wrist—
Delphine spun behind him in one swift motion, using his momentum against him.
“Argh!”
The man screamed in pain as his arm was twisted behind his back.
Without hesitation, Delphine grabbed a shard of a broken bottle from the ground and drove it into his thigh.
The man howled in agony, rolling on the ground.
Huff, huff…
Still gripping the jagged bottleneck, Delphine panted heavily.
Then she muttered in a dazed voice,
“I… I did it…”
She didn’t know why, but her mother had taught her swordsmanship and self-defense since she was a child.
It seemed those lessons had stuck in her body like muscle memory—like riding a horse, once learned and never forgotten.
It was her first time trying it in real combat, though.
Maybe all that training had been for a moment like this.
‘Mother. I did it!’
Delphine flushed with pride—until—
“Hey, Harley. What was that noise just now?”
“You were supposed to be on lookout—what the hell… Harley!”
Three more armored men rushed into the alley from the shadows.
Her moment of triumph was short-lived.
Still holding the bottle shard, Delphine bit her lip.
“Harley! Damn it, what the hell happened to you!”
“Was this your doing, you wench?”
All three men were large and heavily built, proper knights with swords at their waists.
She’d only succeeded earlier because she had the element of surprise. There was no way she’d be so lucky again.
Delphine trembled but managed to speak.
“…Yeah. I aimed for the center, but I missed. If you don’t get him treated soon, he’ll limp for life.”
Maybe their sense of camaraderie would kick in and they’d take the injured man to a doctor, leaving her behind.
It was a foolish hope.
“A sassy little maid dares give orders to knights!”
“Whew. Poor Harley, but damn… she’s a beauty.”
Their eyes were already glazed over with desire.
They approached like they were under a spell.
Three large men in a narrow alley—there was no escape this time.
‘I need to wait… wait until they get just a little closer…’
Delphine watched anxiously for an opening and then lunged between their arms.
“Ugh…!”
But this time, she was blocked immediately.
“Where do you think you’re going!”
One of the men slammed her into the wall.
Her back hit the rough brick hard, and she collapsed to the ground.
“Agh…!”
She barely stifled a groan from the jolt to her spine.
“Hey, don’t damage that pretty face.”
“Relax. Just gonna rough her up a bit.”
One man grabbed her hair and smirked viciously.
“They say red-haired women are stubborn, after all.”
A spark lit up in Delphine’s eyes.
“How dare you…!”
“Argh!”
Just then—
The man who had grabbed her hair screamed and dropped to his knees.
“What the…?”
But I didn’t do anything?
Delphine blinked in shock and looked at the man on the ground.
A small dagger was lodged in the center of his calf.
Who…?
She looked up in confusion.
From the far end of the alley, a towering figure emerged from the shadows.
A man in white uniform, radiating overwhelming presence.
It was Ioan.
The moment she saw him, all the tension in her shoulders melted away.
She was safe.
Relief flooded her—then confusion.
When did his presence start to bring me peace?
I don’t even fully know who he is yet…
“You’ve got guts,”
With just a few strides, he closed the distance and spoke in a voice as cold and elegant as ice.
“Or perhaps you’re just ignorant and out of the loop.”
The once-arrogant men were now visibly terrified.
“S-Sir Pride…?”
“What brings you all the way to the gates… huh!”
Before the man could finish, a massive blue sword was at his throat.
No one had seen when Ioan even drew it.
“S-Sir… If it’s about leaving our post, we’ll take our punishment…”
Still trembling, the man tried to explain.
But Ioan, holding the enormous sword effortlessly in one hand, replied in a calm yet chilling tone.
“Red hair and emerald eyes.”
“…Pardon?”
The knight flinched at the cryptic words.
“Didn’t you hear? Lady Pembroke is now the Marchioness of House Pride.”
“Gasp. Then that woman is…”
“I—I had no idea! I swear! We’d never dare if we’d known—!”
“Yes! She didn’t look the part…!”
At those words, Ioan finally turned his gaze to the shadowed corner where Delphine sat collapsed.
His eyes scanned her face, then slowly lowered.
And for the first time, the ever-composed Ioan’s expression broke.
He murmured like a groan.
“Delphine. What… what happened…?”
Following his gaze, Delphine finally realized how she looked.
Her black dress had ridden up past her thigh from falling, and her white stockings were torn.
Through the ripped fabric, her pale, untouched skin was exposed.
She quickly yanked down her skirt to cover herself.
But when she looked back up, the light of reason was already gone from Ioan’s eyes.
Seeing that savage expression, goosebumps erupted all over her body.
If even she felt that way, the men facing him must’ve been petrified with fear.
‘Is he going to kill them?’
She suddenly wondered.
She still remembered the day that same sword severed her father’s head in one swing.
The nightmares had only just stopped not long ago.
But to her surprise, Ioan didn’t swing his sword.
Like a vicious wolf baring his teeth, he glared at the men and then glanced at Delphine.
Then he barked,
“…Go to the guard post at the gate and await your punishment. I’ve memorized your faces—don’t try anything foolish.”
Without a word, the men slung their unconscious comrade over their shoulders and fled the alley.
Ioan didn’t even look at them.
His gaze remained fixed on the collapsed Delphine.
