Chapter 10
The Duke of Roeln was someone who would take action after seeing Lady Julia Nine hurt by rumors.
“From what those ladies were saying earlier, it sounds like he’ll be getting married soon. If a scandal spreads, he definitely won’t leave me alone…”
Of course, she wouldn’t be invited to the wedding. And if that happened, she would never get to taste the Duke’s family food for the rest of her life. They might even request that another Magic Tower member be sent to the Knight Order instead. Then she would never get to eat the Duke’s desserts again either…?
“No!”
“I’ll stop it somehow. I can’t lose the Duke’s food like this!”
Ivenne, who had already decided she was invited to a wedding that didn’t even exist, made up her mind as she watched Hayden coming out of the Knight Order entrance. He had already changed clothes—his training uniform was now replaced with the Knight Order uniform, and he was holding a paper bag in his left hand.
“Let’s go.”
Hayden spoke casually as he looked at Ivenne, then started walking toward the palace gate.
Ivenne quickly pulled her hooded cloak over her head and followed him, keeping about three steps behind.
The whole way, there was silence between them. It wasn’t like they were close enough to chat warmly, but more than that, Ivenne was too busy looking around in every direction, worried someone might see them and spread rumors.
Luckily, she didn’t run into anyone while following Hayden, and soon they reached the palace exit.
“That’s one hurdle passed.”
Phew. To Ivenne, those 10 minutes felt like 10 hours. Just getting a little farther from possible rumors made her feel relieved. She only needed the rumor of being a “debt-ridden luxury woman”—anything more than that, she didn’t want.
“Could you wait here for a moment?”
While she was enjoying her small victory, Hayden spoke.
“I need to bring a horse.”
“Yes, understood.”
Ivenne nodded.
After about five minutes, Hayden returned, holding the reins of a horse.
“Let’s go.”
At his words, Ivenne followed again, keeping her three-step distance.
“Maintain safe distance. Maintain safe distance. Make it look like we’re not together.”
She repeated it in her mind like a spell. Soon, they reached the palace checkpoint.
“Are you leaving work, Commander?”
At the staff member’s question, Hayden gave a small nod.
“And the person behind you…?”
The staff member looked suspiciously at Ivenne, who stood a little behind Hayden with her hood pulled low.
“Damn. Is this guy going to check me for 30 minutes again?”
Every time she passed through, this staff member would thoroughly inspect her. She grew nervous.
“Should I take off my hood?”
No. It didn’t matter. Hood or not, it always took 30 minutes.
“What should I do? I can’t make the Commander wait for 30 minutes…”
Ivenne nervously tapped her thumb against her lips and shook her leg.
Meanwhile, Hayden calmly answered, as if it were obvious.
“She’s with me.”
“Ah! I see!”
The staff member immediately smiled brightly—a smile Ivenne had never seen before—and shouted, “Pass!”
“Pass? PASS?! PASS?!”
Ivenne froze. Her thumb stopped mid-air, and her shaking leg became still.
Just one sentence—“she’s with me”—and something that took 30 minutes now took 3 seconds. They didn’t even ask who she was, even though she looked suspicious with her hood on!
“For me, 30 minutes to enter, 30 minutes to leave—1 hour total. For him, 3 seconds? Ha!”
“I won’t let you off for this.”
Grinding her teeth, Ivenne walked forward, burning with anger.
Then suddenly, a rough, calloused hand appeared in her view.
“I’ll help you onto the horse.”
Ivenne looked up sharply.
A cold-looking, handsome man sat on the horse, reaching out his hand.
Instead of being impressed like in a fairytale scene, Ivenne panicked inside.
“What? No! I can just rent a carriage and go!”
She shook her head and waved her hands, refusing strongly.
Hayden frowned, not understanding.
“Is there a need to make things complicated? It’s better if we go together and finish quickly. So ride with me.”
Still holding out his hand, he looked exactly like the ideal knight women dreamed of.
But Ivenne couldn’t smile.
This place was the palace entrance—the busiest area. And it was the perfect time in the evening.
“Everyone is looking…!”
People weren’t just glancing—they were stopping to stare openly.
Ivenne decided it was better to leave quickly rather than argue.
“Then… excuse me.”
Hesitating, she placed her hand on his rough, calloused one.
Hayden grabbed her small hand, gently held her waist with his other hand, and lifted her up, placing her in front of him on the horse.
As she got on, it felt like the whispering around them grew louder.
“As long as I keep my hood on, they won’t know who I am…”
She looked down at her expensive cloak—carefully embroidered in beige and gold—and tried to stay positive.
“And I’m wearing pants… maybe I’ll look like a boy?”
She quickly fluttered her cloak to hide her figure.
“Now they definitely won’t know.”
“Excuse me. You might fall.”
Suddenly, a strong arm wrapped around her waist.
Ivenne stiffened.
Hayden, as if it were nothing, held her waist and started riding. She was pulled right into his arms.
Thump—thump—
She could hear his steady heartbeat.
Because of that sound surrounding her, she couldn’t think about rumors anymore.
All she could feel was his heartbeat… and a strange tingling sensation deep inside her.
“What is this? Why do I feel like this? Am I… hungry?”
Flustered, she dismissed the unfamiliar feeling as hunger.
She just wanted to reach the Magic Tower quickly and get rid of this strange feeling.
She gripped the saddle tightly, staring only at the black horse’s mane.
Otherwise, it felt like this feeling would swallow her whole.
Ivenne didn’t even remember how they arrived at the Magic Tower.
“Instead of worrying about my cloak, I just stared at the horse’s mane…”
Even now—
“Excuse me.”
Hayden got off first and, before she could respond, held her waist and carefully lifted her down.
She was startled again, but her feet were already on the ground, and his warm hand had already moved away.
“Thank you.”
She thanked him awkwardly.
Even though his hand was gone, she still felt that strange sensation lingering.
Ignoring it, she quickly placed the “Absolute Ring of the Magic Tower” against the security device at the outer gate—the same ring Dan had thought was just an ordinary gem.
A blue light appeared, and the tightly closed gate slowly opened.
Ivenne took off her hood and gestured.
“Let’s go, Commander.”
Hayden led the horse inside. Then, as if planning to tie it near the entrance, he pointed at a tree.
“I’ll wait there.”
“W-wait! Commander!”
Ivenne quickly called out.
He stopped and looked back.
“What is it?”
“Please… wait a moment. Could you stay here for a bit?”
Hayden didn’t question her and simply stood there holding the reins.
Ivenne looked at him seriously, then at the tree with a horrified expression, then back at him again.
“I can guess why he wants to wait there…”
She had planned to make him wait outside anyway, since entering the main Magic Tower required strict procedures.
“But how can I let him wait there?!”
The problem was that the tree was full of bugs.
If it were that annoying administrative officer, she would’ve made him stand in an even worse place.
But this was Commander Roeln. That wouldn’t do.
“Not there. Somewhere else!”
She quickly scanned the area.
Trees full of bugs, grass full of bugs, corners full of stones—everything looked terrible.
“Has our outer area always been this poorly maintained?”
She was shocked to realize this after 20 years.
But it made sense. Only the inner tower was actually used.
“Still… the entry rules are way too strict!”
To enter the main tower, you needed a special pass with detailed information and signatures from at least three members. That was why she had to run errands to the Knight Order.
“…And I patiently endured one hour of inspection at the palace because of that…”
Thinking about the checkpoint again, her anger returned.
“I thought it was normal… but they were just treating people differently.”
“Hmph. If it were someone else, I would’ve ignored it. But they treated me like that?”
“I’ll make them regret it.”
