Chapter 8 

“Come in.”

Elena assumed it would be Enoch or Marlene again, but when the door opened without a reply, she was sure it wasn’t either of them.

“Ms. Quirea?”

The one who stepped in was Quirea Einhell, Van’s aide whom Elena had seen at the Adventurer’s Guild. Startled by her unexpected appearance, Elena spoke her name without thinking.

“His Grace the Grand Duke requests the presence of Dame Vened.”

What now? Was he summoning her just to torment her again? Already filled with unease, Elena barely held back the sigh that threatened to escape.

“Please give me a moment to change.”

“…Very well.”

At Elena’s words, Quirea’s brown eyes narrowed as she slowly looked her over. Her sharp gaze, as if sizing up an enemy, was uncomfortably intense.

Elena tried to gauge Van’s true intentions through this silent message. Why would Van go so far as to send his aide to call upon a mere knight like her again?

“Thank you for waiting.”

After changing clothes with a tangled heart, Elena opened the door and bowed politely to Quirea, who had waited for her. 

Clad in exotic clothing uncommon in Valra, Quirea once again swept her with that same cold, piercing stare. It was almost irritating now, but Elena held her ground.

“I hope you’ll refrain from doing anything that might harm His Grace.”

With a flat, emotionless tone, Quirea turned away. As she picked up her pace, Elena opened her mouth to respond, then shut it again and followed silently behind.

By now, the sky had turned pitch black, with stardust scattered across it. Moonlight poured through the windows, breaking into shards across the corridor.

Perhaps it was the glow of the moon, but the hallways looked vastly different from before, no longer cloaked in darkness. Elena trailed closely behind Quirea’s shadow, quietly observing the scenery.

Soon, the two arrived at the Commander’s Office.

“Your Grace, Dame Vened has arrived.”

“Come in.”

At Van’s voice, Quirea opened the door and gestured for Elena to enter.

The office was unchanged from before, dim lighting casting shadows over dark furniture, heavy curtains concealing somber paintings. Seated with his back to the large window, Van was busily moving his quill across parchment.

“I heard you summoned me, Commander.”

“Sit.”

Without lifting his head, Van issued the command. Elena followed it and sat on the sofa across from him.

“You seem to be making good use of your leave.”

An awkward silence fell between them. Elena sat up straight, unflinching, her gaze fixed forward.

“…Yes.”

Uncertain whether to respond to the mumbled remark or remain silent, she hesitated before finally speaking.

That was all. Van said nothing more, letting the uncomfortable silence drag on. Elena endured it in silence, staring straight ahead.

“I was looking for a temporary replacement while Quirea is away. You came to mind, Vened.”

Just as she was wondering whether to ask why she’d been summoned, Van got to the point.

Quirea’s temporary replacement? Why was he telling her this?

“You’ll take the position.”

“…You mean me?”

That position? What kind of new torment was this? It was impossible not to question the absurdity of the command.

She was a knight of the Ridwan Order. Quirea was Van’s aide, handling his schedule and various affairs. They held different responsibilities and roles. How could he expect her to fill in?

“I’m a knight, Your Grace,” Elena said carefully.

She’d heard Quirea Einhell had always stayed at Van’s side. To be by his side at all hours. If such an opportunity arose, she’d do anything to seize it, but of all people, he was the one offering it.

And worse, Van seemed fully aware of her inner conflict. To remain by the side of someone like that felt like walking into enemy territory. So Elena disobeyed her superior’s command for the first time and protested.

“Yes, you are a knight. But a knight who can’t take care of her own body is useless. I gave you leave so you could recover, and instead, you’ve been sneaking off everywhere…”

His words, sharp and deliberate, cut into her. Her heart twisted.

Her injury had been because of Van. If he hadn’t ‘accidentally’ let the wyvern escape, none of this would’ve happened.

“And to be a knight who lets her guard down at a critical moment, Ridwan has no use for someone like that.”

Fury rose in her chest. She wanted to speak up.

Let her guard down? She hadn’t. Even if she’d joined Ridwan with ulterior motives, she had done her best with every assigned task. And now he twisted the situation to blame her?

“No matter what caused the incident, Vened, the fact remains that you failed to stop a single wyvern. I’m giving you this time to reflect on your failure.”

Resting his chin on the back of his hand, Van tilted his head and gently closed his eyes, smiling.

They said such a divine face was a blessing to behold. To her, he looked like a devil in disguise, a tormentor, a tempter.

“…I wish to resume training as soon as possible.”

“Denied.”

With just one word, Van shattered Elena’s fragile composure.

“If standard training is too much, I can still handle magic drills.”

“Also denied.”

He wasn’t even considering her opinion. His indifference was maddening. She wanted to claw at that smirking mouth of his, but instead, she bit her lower lip hard.

Right now, she had to be a soldier who obeyed. So Elena steadied her pounding heart and held her tongue. Her restrained rebellion had gone far enough, perhaps even too far. Any more would be dangerous.

“Vened, I thought you wanted to be near me?”

As she inhaled to suppress her growing irritation, Van flashed her a smirk and spoke again. Elena stared at him, trying to read his intention.

“I came across some very interesting information, you see.”

He smiled like a friendly man, which only made it more unnerving, and tapped a note on his desk.

“I didn’t realize you were so passionately in love with me.”

Seeing Elena freeze, he held out the note to her. With a stiff expression, she rose and cautiously took it from his hand. What was written on it left her speechless. 

「Mythical Dragon Mates」

「The Kingdom of Valra: The Chosen Companions of the Dragons」

「How to Form a Bond with a Dragon」

How on earth did he know about this?

It was from a list of books she’d borrowed from the library today. After much hesitation, she had taken it on Cilia’s suggestion. There was no way he could’ve known, unless someone had been spying on her.

No, even calling it ‘intel’ felt ridiculous. It was just a book title.

“Affection is best kept private, wouldn’t you agree? It’s rather unbecoming to be so obvious.”

“It’s… a misunderstanding.”

Her throat caught on the words. It was beyond embarrassing.

Affection? His mocking tone, laced with amusement, reignited her anger. He definitely had someone watching her. He likely even knew what she really wanted.

She should’ve kept her cool, but it was impossible. She wanted to shred the note and throw the pieces in his smug face.

“A misunderstanding? Who protects the dragons of Valra?”

“…You do, Commander.”

“Exactly.”

His soft chuckle grated on her ears. The way he twisted the conversation made her face burn red, not just from anger, but from shame.

“You seem curious how I found out… I suppose I could show you what you signed upon joining.”

She suddenly remembered.

When she first enlisted, she’d signed a form entrusting all personal matters to the order, part of the dormitory orientation. But she hadn’t thought it extended to things like library borrowings.

Even if it did, surely the Grand Duke himself wouldn’t stoop to care about such trivial details.

“It’s just for a few months. And you’re not thinking of defying my order, are you, Vened?”

Once again, he returned to the topic of replacing Quirea.

A few months?

She’d have to spend all that time at his side, constantly on edge, not even knowing how much he already knew about her. One mistake, and she could lose her chance to discover his weaknesses, or worse, be charged with treason.

“No, sir.”

But Elena’s lips, loyal to hierarchy, spoke the words of compliance. She couldn’t overturn the power dynamic between them.

“Adjust your schedule and participate in training as needed.”

“…Thank you.”

She didn’t know what she was thanking him for, but bowed anyway. She felt pathetic for doing so, but had no other choice.

“Vened, wouldn’t you rather be by my side? Oh, of course, I’d rather not. But since there’s no one else, I suppose even a stray mutt like you will do.”

A stray mutt.

If that’s how he saw her, she wished he’d treat her like one: unseen, untethered, free to roam wherever she pleased.