Chapter : 3 – This Can’t Be Happening
Cielie wanted to scream the moment she arrived at the Commander’s office.
All the stress she had been accumulating—and the Commander’s uncooperative attitude—made her feel like she was developing an actual illness.
She stared blankly out the window at the moving people below. But every time she saw the empty seat beside her, irritation surged again.
She waited for hours.
Finally, Leonard appeared.
He sat down without any apology and casually flipped through documents, as if nothing mattered. Just watching him made her want to sigh, but she forced it down and greeted him briefly before sitting at her desk.
Leonard also responded casually, then pretended to work.
Not actually working—just acting like he was.
At least that’s how it looked to Cielie. But since he was her superior, she couldn’t say anything and just did her own work in silence.
‘No, this isn’t just about work…’
Even while working, she kept thinking about how to escape this situation. Her head hurt from it all.
She rubbed her forehead with one hand.
Leonard quietly watched her.
But Cielie didn’t notice his dark gaze.
She continued working, holding back another sigh by biting her lip.
Then Leonard spoke.
“Knight, I can’t work because I don’t have a pen.”
“Again? You can’t work because of a pen?”
“Yes.”
Cielie thought it wouldn’t be a problem even if she punched him in the face right now—but she held herself back.
“Use this, then.”
She took a pen from her pocket and handed it over.
But Leonard didn’t take it. Instead, he just stared at her.
‘What?’
When he still didn’t move to take it, she awkwardly tried to pull her hand back—
“Thank you.”
He suddenly took the pen almost like he snatched it and began signing documents without hesitation.
At least he seemed to be reading them properly.
As he flipped pages and signed, Cielie turned her gaze to the window.
Her fellow knights were moving around the palace in organized patterns, not randomly, but in clear formations.
‘They’re working hard.’
Unlike her, who usually just wandered around lazily, Galael and Lante looked focused and active.
As she leaned against the window, she suddenly felt a presence beside her.
She turned.
‘Whoa!’
Leonard was right next to her, looking down outside.
“Are you close with them?”
“Of course we are…”
She turned to answer—but stopped.
Leonard had turned his face toward her too.
Their faces were so close that she instinctively stepped back.
“Close with them?”
“Well… they’re my colleagues.”
“Then what about me?”
At his sudden question, Cielie blinked in confusion.
She had barely even talked properly with this man, so she didn’t know how to respond.
‘What is he, a duke or something?’
Trying to stay calm because he was both the Commander and the Emperor’s brother, she answered carefully.
“You’re the Commander.”
“That’s it?”
“Pardon?”
“That’s all?”
‘What is wrong with this guy?’
She was genuinely confused.
First he didn’t introduce himself properly, then he frowned when she called him Commander.
Leonard suddenly stepped even closer.
Before she could move away, a warm hand touched her waist.
“C-Commander?”
‘Is this what harassment is?!’
Magic flared in Cielie’s hand as she summoned her bow—
Then Leonard whispered:
“There’s a spider.”
“KYAA!”
Of all things in the world, there was one thing Cielie feared.
Anything with more than eight legs.
Spiders, monsters—anything like that made her panic.
She immediately froze and clung to him.
Leonard pulled her closer and glanced at Lante outside the office.
He kept watching until Lante left.
Only then did he release her.
Cielie immediately stepped back, summoning her bow again and aiming everywhere.
“Where?! Where is it?!”
“It went out the window.”
“Ha…”
Leonard calmly dusted off his hands as if nothing had happened.
But Cielie was too busy scanning the room.
“Ha… I’m crazy, aren’t I?”
Cielie cursed herself repeatedly.
She kept remembering it.
The feeling of being pulled against his chest.
The warmth of his arm around her waist.
It wouldn’t leave her mind.
It was different from normal sparring with other knights.
She had been close to men before, but this felt… different.
Maybe it was because his muscles were more defined than the others?
“Just go away already!”
She shook her head violently.
She told herself it was just because she hadn’t trained properly lately due to work.
Being an aide was exactly what it sounded like—assisting the Commander.
Some people apparently ran ridiculous errands, but Leonard was surprisingly clean in his work.
Except for constantly complaining that he didn’t want to work.
The real problem was her—she hated staying in one place for long.
‘I’m tired.’
Completely drained, she walked like a dead person.
As she entered the building, Saha looked at her with annoyance.
“What is this rude knight doing…”
“Saha.”
“Wow, you look exhausted.”
“I am.”
“Well, it’s harder than patrol duty, right? You hate staying in one place.”
“Yeah.”
Especially indoors.
If the window hadn’t been open, she would’ve suffocated.
But she was proud she endured it.
It wasn’t always like this.
Something from her past in the Arius Duke Family had become a trauma, and she quickly changed the topic before thinking too much about it.
“Where’s Galael?”
“He already went to the drinking place. When has he ever been late?”
“And the others?”
“They went too.”
“And you?”
“Me? I was waiting for you.”
At that, Cielie smiled slightly.
“Oh? Acting like you don’t care, but you missed me, huh?”
“Miss you? Please. You’re still far from being a ‘big sister’. You’re underdeveloped.”
“You bastard—!”
She summoned her bow again and shot a real magic arrow at him.
“Wait—are you serious?!”
Saha quickly blocked it with his sword, shocked.
But Cielie just fired another one.
“Hey!”
“Die, you idiot.”
Saha ran away immediately.
Watching him flee, Cielie felt slightly refreshed.
“Thanks.”
She felt just a tiny bit grateful to him.
Very tiny.
“You’re late! I’m leaving you behind!”
“I’m coming!”
Leaving the Arius Duke Family had been a good choice.
She had friends like Saha now.
As she smiled brighter, the past felt a little farther away.
When they arrived at the tavern “Dawn Where the Dragon Rested,” it was already lively with alcohol.
Galael, drunk, pointed at her.
“Oh! Our aide is here! Over here!”
Cielie frowned.
“Why is he like that?”
“He had three drinks.”
Lante answered politely as always.
Cielie sat down, Saha immediately taking the seat beside her.
Lante handed her a cup, and Saha filled it with alcohol.
They clinked glasses and drank in one go.
“This is why I love the knight order.”
“Exactly!”
After about five drinks, Saha asked:
“So, how’s your life as an aide?”
“That’s not the problem.”
“Then what is?”
“Nothing.”
Cielie sighed and drank again.
‘Ha…’
Then she remembered it again—the spider incident and how she had clung to Leonard.
Her face turned red instantly.
Saha narrowed his eyes.
And after another drink…
She blacked out.
“Ah… what is this?”
Cielie hated the cold.
She always slept covered up to her neck.
But now, her blanket kept moving away.
She grabbed it—but it felt strange.
‘Why is it so hard…?’
Something hard was under her hand.
She shot up immediately.
When she opened her eyes—
Leonard was there.
Half-naked.
Their eyes met.
And he slowly sat up.
Wow that was fast