Chapter 20 

“What exactly happened earlier? No matter how close an aide you are, for His Grace to humiliate you like that… Ahem, my apologies. I simply don’t understand why he would do such a thing.”

Marquis Masen didn’t bother hiding his curiosity as he questioned her, mainly because she looked like the sort of person who would give a foolish answer to anything.

“Oh, that? It was nothing serious. The commander was angry because I skipped training to attend the ball, that’s all.”

“Even so…”

Masen’s eyes lingered on Elena as she sipped her tea. No matter how hard she tried to act unfazed, her stiff expression betrayed a lingering fury. Masen, having encountered countless people, easily picked up on that.

“It’s nothing out of the ordinary. Besides, I’ve grown more comfortable with training than with events like this.”

Her smile trembled ever so slightly at the corners of her lips.

Masen chuckled deeply at the sight. Thankfully, she was no genius, but neither was she a complete fool who blindly obeyed.

* * *

Elena had done her best to appear indecisive and naïve in front of Masen, just useful enough to be worth keeping around. And her act had paid off. 

Relaxing just a bit, she walked toward the main gate of the Pirard estate accompanied by the aide assigned by the Marquis.

“Is that her? The one who kneeled during the ball?”

“I heard she bowed her head and begged too. Must’ve done something terrible in the Order.”

“Honestly, what’s the use of being a Ridwan knight? How shameful, to lack even an ounce of pride.”

Voices from the surrounding nobles grew louder and more vicious, gossiping about Elena as she passed. But it wasn’t these sneering remarks that truly struck her, it was Van’s words that had cut deeper. Compared to that, this was nothing. She easily brushed them off.

“I’m fine now. The carriage… I’ll take the one I prepared earlier.”

She had arranged a carriage for the return to Anhal ahead of time, but for some reason, the Marquis had gone out of his way to provide another one. Startled by the unfamiliar carriage parked prominently at the gate, Elena turned to the aide from the Marquis’s side.

“It’s the Marquis’s order.”

“…Understood.”

Realizing the aide had no intention of stepping back, Elena had no choice but to board the Marquis’s carriage.

Perhaps it was because of the exhausting day, but she ended up dozing off on the ride back to Anhal. So much had happened in just a single day that she’d been mentally foggy for what felt like several. The ride back seemed to fly by.

When would all of this finally end so that she could die in peace?

If Tyrtan were to ask her to stay by his side, maybe she’d consider it. But he hadn’t even shown his face to her.

Even so, the thought remained unchanged: when everything was over, dying alone would be the best ending.

* * *

As soon as she returned to the dormitory, Enoch and Marlene rushed over. It seemed they’d already heard what had happened at the ball.

“What on earth happened? Why did the commander act like that?”

“Elena, I mean, come on. Isn’t this going way too far?”

Elena hesitated, unsure of how to explain what had happened. She glanced at the two worried faces before finally speaking.

“It was my fault. I was standing in for Dame Quirea, and I left my post for too long. That was the problem.”

It was a partial truth. Van had scolded her for that reason. Given his personality, he’d likely been furious that someone he already considered a thorn in his side had lied and attended the Marquis’s ball.

“But… that was something important. Even if we’re knights, it’s not like this is all we’ll ever do.”

“I’m fine.”

Elena shook her head slightly, as if to reassure Enoch after his sullen remark.

“But the commander went too far. That wasn’t necessary at all!”

If these two had heard about it, then the rumors must have already spread throughout all of Anhal. Even so, Elena was ready to brush it off. She had no desire to make a name for herself in society, nor was she planning to meet anyone. It was nothing she couldn’t endure.

“And that’s not all…”

“Yeah.”

At Marlene’s murmured words, Enoch nodded as well. Not all? Was there something more she didn’t know?

“What do you mean?”

Elena turned to Enoch, unable to understand why their faces looked so grim.

“While you were away, the vice-captain gave a special order.”

It was Marlene who finally answered, voice heavy.

“You’re to be excluded from all future training.”

Elena clenched both fists tightly at the news.

It couldn’t be helped. She had lied to a superior she was meant to follow into battle. Considering the nature of the knight order, she had no grounds to object to the decision.

“Did he say how long?”

“No. But… aren’t you taking this too lightly?”

“He didn’t kick me out of the Order.”

“But still…”

Enoch and Marlene were the ones shocked by her calm response.

“If it were just the incident at the ball or just being pulled from training, I could let it slide. But this? I don’t get it, Elena.”

Enoch sighed, lifting his shoulders in exasperation, but Elena gave no reply.

At least she was still part of the order, that was a relief. She understood their concern. Kneeling at a noble’s ball and then receiving a punishment akin to suspension, anyone would think it was too much.

“I’m really fine. I’m sure the vice-captain will call for me soon. I’ll ask him then how long this will last.”

“…If you say you’re fine, I guess that’s that.”

“But Sir Enoch, this really is too much.”

“I know. But what can we do? It’s the commander’s orders.”

“Well, yes, but still…”

As the two voiced their complaints, with Elena sitting quietly between them,

Elena began to coolly consider how to make the most of her unexpected free time. Van’s orders had already been given, and there was no way for her to contest them. That left her with only one option: use this sudden time off to the fullest.

“I’m really okay.”

Still unable to leave the room, she offered a faint smile to the two who kept looking at her with sympathy. Her face said otherwise, but since Elena insisted she was fine, the two reluctantly stepped away.

* * *

As she had predicted, Pantherman summoned her separately. Elena climbed to the vice-captain’s office in the building used exclusively by the 7th Division.

“Vice-Captain, I’m here.”

“Ah, yes.”

Pantherman was seated at his neat desk, sorting the division’s schedule, but his expression was grim. He usually obeyed Van’s orders without question, but this time seemed different. Elena immediately sensed the worry in his eyes.

“I heard from Sir Rianthorne and Dame Finsel.”

“…I see. It’s the commander’s order. You’re suspended from training for the next six months.”

Pantherman’s black eyes twisted slightly.

“Understood.”

“But he said you’re to continue your duties as aide.”

“…I see.”

When she had gone to Van to request leave, he had said that she would need to work even harder as his aide to make up for the time off. The fact that she was banned from training but expected to continue her aide duties struck her as strange, but there was no room for objection.

“Vice-Captain, may I ask you something?”

“Go ahead.”

She couldn’t ask Van directly, so she asked Pantherman instead, with a sliver of hope.

“When I took the entrance exam… did the commander say anything about me?”

Elena chose her words carefully.

Pantherman furrowed his brows slightly, not quite understanding her intent. To him, it almost sounded like she was questioning a superior’s motives, which made him uneasy. Still, he couldn’t bring himself to scold her, not after what he’d heard had happened at the ball.

“He said your skills were excellent. The commander had no objections.”

“…Is that so?”

“Yes. I can vouch for your abilities too. There’s no need to worry about being expelled permanently.”

Pantherman interpreted her question to mean she feared being dismissed entirely from duty. Elena was the most dedicated trainee in the 7th Division, and he had no desire to lose such a competent knight.

“Thank you.”

Whatever Pantherman thought she meant, Elena was still puzzled that Van hadn’t opposed her joining the order. It was as if he had some unknown reason for keeping her close.

Her thoughts growing heavier, Elena gave a polite bow and quickly left the building. She loosened the collar of her uniform slightly and took a deep breath of the cold air. The chill cleared her mind. Only after exhaling did she begin to move again.

There was so much she had to do. So much she needed to find out. 

* * *

As Quirea’s proxy, Elena sorted through the letters addressed to Van and entered the study where he was.

“These are the letters that arrived between last night and this morning, sir. Most were sent by the Anhal council leaders.”

“Alright.”

For some reason, Van was sprawled on the sofa reading, rather than sitting at his desk handling paperwork as usual. Even the atmosphere in the room was different. It was as if a storm was about to break. The silence hung so thick it was suffocating.

“I’ll return in an hour to escort you. A new ogre nest was discovered…”

Elena placed the stack of letters on the desk and began her report, summarizing what she had learned from the vice-captain, the tactical council, and the guilds.

Van watched her over the top of his book, gaze fixed on the woman delivering the report with her eyes lowered to the floor. He had so many things he wanted to ask her.

“Vened, there’s something I want to ask.”

He had hesitated for a long time. But now, the image of her standing at the Pirard ball, so out of place, rose in his mind. And with it, a bitter wave of betrayal surged up.

“…Why did you choose the Marquis?”

He didn’t even know if the word ‘betrayal’ was appropriate for someone who loathed him so deeply.