Chapter 13

She thought he might be joking, but she looked serious. The place she led him to was a forest path on a deserted hill. The slope, which at first seemed only slightly steep, became more precipitous with each step. Rocks and thick undergrowth made it barely resemble a path at all.

Regardless, she quickly guided the way past the rocks. Even in a dress, her nimbleness remained unchanged. It was a path that would have exhausted and collapsed anyone else long ago, but Rihirt followed silently without showing the slightest sign of fatigue.

The hike continued for another full hour. The red-burning sunset had disappeared, and a quiet darkness had settled. Anasha, who had been climbing the massive rocks almost like crawling, paused briefly.

Finally reaching what seemed to be their destination, she stopped in front of a flat rock presumed to be the summit. She first made herself comfortable and then offered him the spot beside her.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?”

The moment he sat beside her, Rihirt could understand why she had wanted to bring him here.

The wide-open view was filled with the beautiful night scenery of the capital. Centered around the imperial palace occupying the middle of the capital, small lights were clustered like fireflies. The river reflecting the palace lights, the vast sky full of stars, and between them, a small hand extended.

“Look. The sky is beautiful too.”

Even Rihirt, who had thought the sky looked the same from anywhere, was momentarily entranced. Stars untouched by artificial light shone like dawn dew. Countless and endless.

“This is my most treasured place in the capital. Though I was gifted it myself.”

Anasha, who had been looking down at the capital with a satisfied face, turned her head.

“I wanted to give it to you as a gift to commemorate you becoming my new commander. I hope you’ll always see good things like this scenery!”

“……”

“The commander looks very stern, but I think you’re really a good person. At first, I thought you’d be extremely strict because you’re a high noble, but you’re not like that at all. So I’m happy. That you came as our new commander.”

He was indeed a stern person by nature. Anasha, who approached and spoke to him so comfortably, was rather the special one.

“I’m also happy to have met you.”

And for the first time, Rihirt expressed his feelings to someone. He who had never considered himself greatly happy, or who would have ignored even small feelings of joy, for the first time recognized and acknowledged that emotion.

Unaware of what a storm of change this would bring to him, Anasha simply smiled brightly.

⁕⁕⁕

Rihirt always held honesty as an important value in his life. It was also his father’s teaching.

Therefore, he could not tolerate hiding sins, whether his own or others’. In his territory, he was so intolerant of those who weren’t honest that he personally took charge of torturing criminals who refused to respond to interrogation.

And now, there was someone blatantly lying in front of him.

“I didn’t forget.”

“I prefer honest speaking.”

“Really! I definitely memorized it. It’s just… when I tried to recall it suddenly, I got flustered.”

She didn’t seem to realize that this meant the same thing as forgetting. Rihirt finally understood the disappointment shown by noble ladies when he couldn’t remember their names. He felt the same way now.

“Just a moment! Ugh, just now! I just remembered.”

“……”

“Rihirot…? Is it Rihirot? No! Rihirit, it’s Rihirit, right?”

“Sir Asha, I understand. You can stop if it’s difficult.”

Rihirt spoke with a face that showed no disappointment and in a monotone voice. His platinum blonde hair, neatly slicked back with pomade, didn’t have a single strand out of place, and his posture showed no signs of dishevelment compared to four hours ago. His figure, returning to reviewing documents, was like a statue.

Seeing that he looked like he would never speak again, Anasha had to quickly open her lips.

“That makes you look even more hurt!”

“I’m not hurt.”

“What? You totally have a hurt face! You’re so hurt that you’re suddenly trying to look at documents……”

“I was looking at them from the beginning. Specifically, until you came out and spoke to me, Sir Asha.”

“You definitely just started looking! This makes me feel even more uncomfortable… Commander.”

Anasha stood up from where she was sitting and peered around the work desk.

“Is there anything you want me to do for you?”

“It’s fine.”

“Or if you suddenly crave something. I could get it for you.”

“If you mean getting it while coming and going through the ceiling, I’m sorry, but I’ll have to decline.”

“No. I’ll go outside properly!”

Seeing her pat her chest firmly as if making a promise, Rihirt pointed with his eyes at a nearby kettle in a businesslike manner.

“Then, since I’m thirsty, would you fill that kettle with water?”

“Yes!”

Anasha, who answered brightly, silently jumped out through the open window. Though it was the second floor, there was no sound, suggesting she had landed well.

Anasha came down the rough tree trunk surface as if sliding. Then she quickly climbed over the window of the kitchen in the knight order branch.

“Oh my goodness!”

A middle-aged woman who was carrying dry plates in the kitchen was startled by the sudden appearance of a black figure and dropped a plate.

Before the plate could loudly hit the floor, Anasha’s hand snatched it first. Then with a light tap sound, she landed and presented the intact plate to the middle-aged woman.

“I’m sorry! Did I startle you?”

“…Ah, it’s okay.”

The middle-aged woman’s expression softened a bit as she realized that the person in black clothes was a small-framed woman.

After handing over the plate, Anasha looked around while holding a water kettle.

“If you’re looking for drinking water, it’s over there. I’ll bring it for you.”

“Really? Thank you!”

“Not at all. I should be thanking you. By the way, are you perhaps an assassin or something…?”

“What?! No, no, I’m a knight here. As you can see, I’m dressed like this… Haha. It’s understandable that you’d be surprised.”

“Ah, I’m sorry for not knowing! So knights these days wear such secretive attire. I haven’t been working here long, hoho.”

The middle-aged woman laughed good-naturedly, saying she had misunderstood, and she and Anasha quickly introduced themselves on the spot. Starting from how she had begun working in the kitchen three months ago, all sorts of stories were exchanged while the existence of the water kettle was completely forgotten.

“By the way, have you heard? About the Duke who newly joined the knight order. I hear he’s really handsome. Hoho, I haven’t seen him yet, but from what I hear, he’s extremely handsome. The rumors have already spread even outside the capital!”

“That’s right, he’s incredibly handsome!”

“Oh my, really? What does he look like? I see you knights already know!”

“He has snow-white blonde hair and blue eyes. I guarantee he’s the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen!”

“And they say he’s not married yet? Noble young ladies are in an uproar. They’re all competing to have dresses made for the upcoming banquet, to the point where they can’t be sold because there aren’t enough.”

“Really? Because of the commander?!”

Anasha exclaimed with her mouth wide open. She hadn’t realized his existence was this significant, but it made her think that indeed, a high noble among nobles was different.

“By the way… aren’t you preparing anything separately?”

“What? Me?”

“Yes, you’re a pretty young lady too. You never know, you might capture the Duke’s heart.”

“No, no. The commander is just the commander to me!”

Anasha waved her hands vigorously as she spoke. Then, belatedly realizing that he might be thirsty, she hurriedly moved her feet.

“Oh, I need to bring the water! I’ll be going now.”

She climbed over the window and quickly started running toward the commander’s office. Upon returning to the office, she met his deep blue eyes and gave an awkward smile.

“I’m sorry, are you very thirsty? I met a lady in the kitchen and ended up chatting with her.”

“It’s fine.”

“But do you know? That you’re currently the most popular person in the capital? Noble young ladies are all competing to buy new dresses to impress you!”

As soon as she put down the water kettle in its original place, Anasha imitated the lady from earlier and joked around. But he showed little reaction.

“Why aren’t you reacting? Don’t you like it? I was amazed as soon as I heard it.”

“Am I supposed to like it?”

“Perhaps… it’s so obvious that you’re not even surprised……”

“I simply have no thoughts about it.”

At his indifferent voice, Anasha fell into thought for a moment. His reaction was, how to put it, too deflated. She thought it impossible to have such a near-non-reaction when all the beautiful noble ladies in the capital were eagerly adorning themselves for him.

Anasha considered three possibilities: either he was truly uninterested, or he was pleased only inwardly, or he already had a lover.

“Commander, do you have a lover?”

“…Why do you suddenly ask that?”

“Just, you know?”

“I don’t.”

For someone who had asked in confusion why she was asking, his answer was clean and sharp.

With suspicion that it couldn’t possibly be true, she examined his face from various angles, but he didn’t even blink. Well, thinking that he wouldn’t lie about something like this, Anasha was about to turn around when:

“…Does Sir Asha have a lover?”

“Me?”

Anasha looked at him with a surprised face, not expecting him to ask a question. For some unknown reason, he was staring at her with a somewhat anxious expression. Anasha burst into laughter, almost to the point of being frivolous.