Chapter 12

Hugo was already backing away while whining. Rudy immediately took out two 500 dong coins and put them in Hugo’s pocket.

“Hugo and Derek, go eat a lot outside. I’ll handle this well.”

“Thank you.”

“Thank you, Miss!”

“Please bring two more chairs.”

Rudbeckia scratched between her eyebrows as she heard both the knights’ thanks and Irene’s request for chairs simultaneously.

And so they joined the meal with Benedict, Aaron, and Idris, the three of them. The sight of imperial and noble heirs gathered with two plates of food each in a corner of the travelers’ village was quite peculiar indeed.

Aaron, who had ordered lamb and grilled sea bass, naturally shared some of his sea bass with Rudbeckia.

“Brother.”

Irene called out to Benedict with a rising tone. Benedict, anticipating what Irene would say, cut her off.

“Rin, you and I ordered the same food.”

“Tch.”

“Always so eager to tease someone.”

Idris playfully scolded Irene who was clicking her tongue in disappointment. Then Irene, switching her target from Benedict to Idris, raised one corner of her mouth.

“Idris, you shouldn’t say such things to me on this journey, though?”

“W-what?”

“Whatever happens, it’s better if I’m here to keep things from getting awkward between you two, right?”

Irene gestured toward Rudy with her eyes.

Idris quickly put down his knife and shook his head. As soon as he finished shaking his head, his eyes met Rudbeckia’s.

These two who had pretended to smile naturally while on horseback now fell silent because of merely crossed glances. At that awkward atmosphere, Aaron’s brow openly furrowed.

“Why are you both acting like this when neither of you did anything wrong? Just be like before. You used to be close.”

Aaron continued cutting with his knife, seemingly thinking they were making a fuss over something long past.

Despite others trying to simplify it, Idris kept stumbling like something broken.

Rudbeckia also wanted to just eat the sea bass Aaron had shared with her now. But this time she ended up making eye contact with Benedict.

She felt flustered. Benedict was looking between Idris and her with a crooked expression. Rudbeckia tried lowering her eyes, but feeling Benedict’s persistent gaze, she had no choice but to raise her head again.

‘How long are you going to keep staring?’

She wanted to ask that but couldn’t bring herself to speak. Moreover, his persistent gaze wasn’t directed only at her.

“Um, Commander.”

Idris, who was uncomfortable in a different way, called out to Benedict. However, he too couldn’t bring himself to ask why Benedict was staring.

“No. It’s nothing. Please eat.”

Idris hastily concluded his words while fidgeting.

The dining atmosphere was awkward. She could only envy Aaron and Irene who were eating their portions naturally.

“Rudy, want a drink?”

At that moment, Irene, who had been sensing her friend’s discomfort, made an enticing suggestion. Rudy nodded without further thought.

“Idris, menu please.”

When Irene pointed to a piece of paper tucked beside Idris, he handed over the menu as she gestured.

“Wine should be good. Okay?”

“Yes.”

A server who made eye contact with Irene approached their table, which was partially hidden by a makeshift partition.

The shopkeepers and the knights who went on expeditions were not uncomfortable with the life of ordinary imperial citizens. Rather, the server found their accent, which was subtly different even from the people of the capital, awkward.

“Two bottles of wine here please! Five glasses!”

Though Irene arbitrarily stated the number of glasses, no one objected.

The server hurried to the counter while observing their extraordinary appearance. Soon two bottles of cheap wine and wine glasses were placed on the table.

Idris naturally picked up the bottle and filled the glasses, while Aaron gave a long lecture to Rudy about moderating herself since they had plans tomorrow.

“Sir Aaron.”

Just then, Idris offered a glass to Aaron. Finally Aaron’s nagging stopped, making both Idris and Rudy chuckle simultaneously.

“Commander, please take some. Rin, you too.”

“It’s been so long since we drank together.”

“You’re right.”

After graduating from Imperial School, they held separate parties with some close classmates. Now they only saw each other at imperial banquets, like with Idris and the others.

“Rudy.”

“Thanks, Idris.”

Idris smiled softly while looking at Rudbeckia.

The drinking session began with Irene taking the first sip of wine. Occasionally Idris and Irene would bicker, and Rudbeckia would laugh lightly at the sound.

Aaron quietly emptied one glass and refilled it himself while alternately watching his sister and Idris sitting on either side of him.

“Just like old times.”

“Yes.”

Since their families interacted, Idris had been acquainted with Aaron even before joining the knights. That’s why Rudbeckia also knew Elena.

When Rudbeckia inadvertently thought of Elena at the mention of ‘old times,’ her eyes met Benedict’s as she raised her wine glass.

She was troubled by her unconscious action. She had been his wife before dying, yet here she was concerning herself with an ex-husband who remembered nothing.

Rudbeckia turned her head and drank the wine. As soon as Rudy’s empty glass was set on the table, Benedict picked up the bottle as if he had been waiting and personally filled her glass.

The red liquid poured down with a sound that seemed very loud to her ears. Perhaps because he was looking at her while pouring the wine.

“Thank you.”

Rudbeckia pulled her glass closer after giving thanks in a tight voice.

They weren’t doing anything special. They weren’t even exchanging subtle words. If anything, they were dry and stiff.

But it was strange. Despite their emotionless actions, there was an ironic tension in their gazes toward each other.

In a table of just five people, it was impossible not to notice the subtle air between the two.

“Commander.”

Such looks from Rudy made Idris slightly annoyed.

“How was my sister? I’m worried if she observed proper etiquette before Her Majesty the Empress.”

Elena von Hagen. At the mention of that young lady, Rudbeckia lowered her head.

It wasn’t jealousy. Just… her heart had dropped without having done anything wrong, and she quietly avoided Benedict’s gaze, unsure what expression she might make.

“Idris.”

Benedict shifted his gaze from her fluttering eyelashes.

“Her etiquette was flawless.”

He answered slowly and carefully. It was because he didn’t remember well.

Though it was the first time the Emperor had arranged such a thing, he hadn’t felt much about it and soon forgot. Women were nothing special whether seen at banquets or on the street.

“She resembled you.”

“Pfft!”

Irene almost spat out her wine, and Aaron let out a big fake cough. Idris suddenly went blank and stared at Benedict, while even Rudbeckia’s lips parted.

Thanks to the reactions around him, Benedict realized his answer had been wrong, but not knowing what exactly was wrong, he brazenly pretended not to notice. This much was nothing to him.

“Was that answer sufficient?”

“……Yes, Commander. It seems to have been an answer one way or another.”

Benedict and Idris drank their wine simultaneously. Meanwhile, Irene struggled to hold back her laughter.

 * * *

 Rudy left the restaurant with just the right amount of pleasant tipsiness. Looking up at the blue sky after sunset, countless stars were already twinkling.

“Beautiful.”

“It really is.”

Not realizing her hood had fallen off from tilting her head back, Rudy stood with her friend gazing absently at the night sky. Aaron, who had just finished paying, discovered this sight.

“Always so careless.”

“It’s dark anyway. Might as well leave it.”

Idris quietly discouraged Aaron who was about to nag right away.

Though the surroundings had darkened, her hair stood out even more. Idris thought that unless the night sky dyed her hair, that light would be hard to conceal.

“Leave it, right.”

Of course, being her brother, Aaron knew nothing of such sentiments and approached his sister directly. However, someone else reached out to her first.

“Pardon me for a moment.”

Benedict briefly turned Rudbeckia’s attention to himself and personally put her hood on.

Her peripheral vision was blocked. She could only see Benedict who stood before her.

“You should wear your hood even at night.”

Was it because she had been drinking?

She quickly bit her lip while facing Benedict, who dominated all her senses — sight, hearing, and smell.

“We’re not far from the capital yet. Even if it’s hot, a little……”

Her confused face was illuminated by the restaurant lights that hadn’t yet gone out. Benedict’s eyebrows slowly drew together.

“Why are you like this?”

“……It’s nothing.”

She shook her head as if to shake off her thoughts.

She was very startled when his confessing voice from when her body had frozen came to mind.

She didn’t realize she had stepped back two steps, nor did she notice his forehead wrinkling at the same time.

“Sir Aaron.”

Just then, Irene called out to Aaron. His steps toward his sister were caught by Irene.

“How much was it?”

“It’s fine.”

“No, I ordered alcohol on my own. Idris, do you remember how much it was?”

Idris also followed when called by Irene.

The two men who couldn’t ignore her words had to follow alongside her and engage in conversation as she walked.

The distance between Irene and Rudbeckia grew slightly.

Benedict briefly smoothed his eyebrows. It was because he hadn’t managed his expression perfectly since Rudbeckia started backing away.

He calmly spoke again.

“Shall we move as well?”

“What? Oh, yes.”

Rudy pulled her hood down deeper. The more she felt her face reddening, the more her head lowered.

Benedict kept watching her. He wondered if she had suddenly become uncomfortable, but there hadn’t been any such incident or conversation.

The surroundings were noisy with the sounds of people moving and talking after having drinks. With many people passing by, her distance from Irene had grown even wider.