Chapter 42
Brahman cast a glance at Zeon, who sat quietly listening to him, his expression unreadable.
Well, considering the complicated history and entanglements between him and Anette, it wasn’t exactly strange that Zeon wasn’t actively defending her.
“If anything… she’s the daughter of a sworn enemy. No, an archenemy.”
And yet, Brahman never doubted Zeon’s loyalty to Anette, nor his respect for her as their commander.
After all these years, Zeon had never once expressed open hostility toward her. As her subordinate and vice-captain, he had faithfully followed her orders.
Even after an official decree was issued naming him the new commander, Zeon showed no discomfort at continuing to be addressed as vice-captain.
When that order first arrived and caused an uproar in the order of knights, it was Zeon who calmed everyone and urged them to proceed with the subjugation mission.
If they truly respected their commander, then they should go on the mission without delay, he said. It was better to show what kind of result the current decision would bring.
Thanks to that, they overcame their fear of going without Anette and the anxiety of having their true abilities exposed, and the Royal Knights set out.
And yet, despite all the extra effort, they only managed to capture one-fifth the number of monsters they usually would. It was a dismal result.
Soon, the truth about their actual capabilities would be laid bare.
But it didn’t matter.
They had a goal.
“They’ll probably run straight to the commander, won’t they?”
The moment the news of her injury spread, the king and queen—and the nobles too—would likely be frantically wringing their hands, begging her to return to her post.
Just imagining it filled Brahman with a sense of vindicated satisfaction.
As Brahman laughed with delight, Zeon murmured with a strange look on his face.
“…Who knows.”
“Well, yeah. The Commander wouldn’t wait to be asked. She’d return the moment she received a royal command.”
Clicking his tongue as if disappointed, Brahman still hadn’t given up hope.
Everyone knew how deeply Anette cared for the Royal Knights, even if she never said it aloud.
Her sudden departure without even holding a formal retirement ceremony—acting as if she felt no lingering attachment—was now thought by all the knights to have been a kind of extreme last resort. A bitter pill, perhaps, meant to expose just how dependent they were on her.
Still, Zeon’s silence began to make Brahman uneasy.
“You don’t think she’ll come back right away… do you, Vice-Captain?”
Zeon answered slowly.
“…She was injured, after all.”
“Oh, that’s all?” Brahman laughed, finally relaxing as if the tension had been released.
“Do you know who our commander is? As if she’d be taken down by just an injury.”
Even though her tendons and muscles had been torn—an injury far too serious to be called “just”—the Royal Knights, including Brahman, had all witnessed the almost supernatural strength and resilience Anette possessed.
“I’m sure she’ll recover quickly and wield her sword again. And even if not, she can still lead a monster subjugation as well as she always has.”
“Don’t you think so?”
At Brahman’s voice, full of absolute confidence, Zeon—his eyes fixed on the stars as if they might fall at any moment—replied.
“…Yeah.”
He answered, not knowing that the one they had left the seat open for was already gone.
It was a calm night, just before the storm would strike.
The following afternoon.
During the journey to the Grand Duchy, Anette had spent almost every waking moment in the same carriage as Cardin—except when sleeping. And through this time, she had come to a startling realization.
Her fiancé, Grand Duke Harzent, was… incredibly persuasive.
She had never once considered herself weak-willed or easily swayed. And yet…
Though he seemed to comply with her wishes, saying things like, “If that’s what my princess wants,” he always managed to subtly redirect the course of action to his own preference.
More than once, Anette caught herself giving in to his suggestions—fully convinced they were her own idea.
Just last night was a perfect example.
When the knights pleaded with her to eat the roasted meat they had hunted and cooked themselves, and when Cardin warned that she’d wake up starving if she skipped dinner, she eventually caved and opened the carriage door.
She hadn’t minded—at least she could eat in peace, free from their sidelong glances.
But what happened next was the real issue.
“Wow, our princess brushes her teeth so well! Truly admirable.”
Was she delirious from eating too much? Or had she truly become addicted to sweet praise and honeyed words?
Whatever the reason, Anette found herself, as if possessed, holding Cardin’s hand as they walked to the lakeside—where she then proceeded to brush her teeth with ridiculous fervor.
From the back to the front, left to right, top and bottom! Strong strokes for the teeth, gentle on the gums! Not a single tooth missed!
She rinsed thoroughly, swirling the water in her mouth before spitting it out with a satisfied sigh—only to freeze on the spot when she heard Cardin clapping and praising her like a proud parent.
“What in the world have I just done…?”
Her mind came rushing back to her, and a mortifying realization struck.
She had always thought herself immune to mockery or contempt… but this was a whole new kind of humiliation.
What woman would want to let her fiancé witness her brushing her teeth? None!
Face burning with shame and fury, Anette spent half the night kicking furiously inside the tent.
She simply couldn’t understand. Why would the Grand Duke think a grown woman like her disliked brushing her teeth?
…Okay, maybe she did like to delay it as much as possible, but still!
That intense memory made one thing very clear—Cardin didn’t just treat her like a child… he seemed to think he was her guardian, even her caretaker.
“Good grief, my fiancé is trying to raise me!”
Maybe that’s why a dull headache was starting to form.
But now more than ever, she reminded herself to stay calm, mature, and poised.
“I’m an adult. And I’m older than that man.”
Resolutely reaffirming her identity, Anette crossed her legs, rested her elbow on the windowsill, and turned to meet Cardin’s gaze—who hadn’t stopped looking at her once.
The moment their eyes met, his expression softened into a gentle smile.
Anette immediately furrowed her brow.
That smile. That infuriatingly charming smile was the problem.
Every time he smiled like that, with his eyes crinkling at the corners, her thoughts scattered.
Gritting her teeth, she clenched her fist and glared at Cardin, refusing to back down, even as she inwardly cursed the bewitching charm of his blue eyes.
“Aww, don’t stare like that. You’re making me blush,” he teased.
And now, those wicked lips hidden behind his mask were moving again.
“Are you doing it on purpose, Princess? Trying to make my heart race?”
How could someone say something like that and still claim to be shy?
Anette no longer believed for a second that he was bashful. Warm and gentle, sure—but shy? Absolutely not.
Just thinking back to when she told Charlotte and Serena he was shy made her face flush with embarrassment.
This is all the fault of that sly liar of a Grand Duke!
Her eyes narrowed with frustration as she glared at him again.
Cardin only chuckled as if even her anger was adorable.
Choosing to ignore him, Anette turned her head toward the slightly open window and let the cool breeze wash over her face.
Although it was still late summer in the capital, the northern air was already quite brisk.
The familiar chill helped settle her thoughts.
“Princess, we’ll be arriving at the Grand Duchy soon,” Cardin said.
Anette nodded, having already heard the expected arrival time that morning.
She had assumed they would arrive by late the next morning, given that Cardin had frequently stopped the carriage to ensure her comfort.
But their arrival was much earlier than expected.
Seeing her surprise, Cardin explained that the imperial mage accompanying them, Martin, had cast acceleration magic on the horses to shorten their travel time.
She wondered silently whether Cardin had used the same method when he traveled to the capital—but shook her head.
Unlike this moderate use of acceleration magic, Cardin had arrived in less than a day. It must have been something far more advanced, like teleportation magic.
Still, she didn’t ask.
It would sound too much like, “Were you really that eager to see me?”—a question too smug to ask aloud.
And if she did ask, he’d undoubtedly put on that bashful act and say, “How did you know? I couldn’t wait to see you, Princess.”
The mere thought made her face burn.
So, Anette silently congratulated herself for not asking, for giving him no chance to tease her.
She had no idea, of course, that if she had asked, it might have been the first time she saw him flustered.
“Haa…”
Even though she’d prepared herself for this moment, hearing that they were close made her nerves spike.
As she took a deep breath to calm herself, she blinked.
Hadn’t she wanted to appear mature in front of Cardin?
Honestly, with her body in this state, she hadn’t been sure what to do—but now, a good idea had come to her.
