Chapter 21
With even the nearby attendants dismissed, the two were left alone. Aileen muttered quietly.
“Your Majesty, what exactly is the meaning of this? Isn’t this far too sudden and one-sided?”
Edys, as if he had fully anticipated her reaction, responded smugly instead.
“I’m the Emperor of this country. Why should that matter?”
“……”
She was momentarily speechless. Technically, he wasn’t wrong.
“I’m giving you an opportunity.”
“What kind of opportunity?”
“A chance to beat up Carlisle—legally.”
It was something she hadn’t even considered, completely unexpected. Aileen’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“Since duels between knights from different orders are forbidden, you haven’t been able to lay a hand on him, even if you wanted to. So I’m giving you this chance. Go all out.”
Edys puffed out his chest proudly as he said it, clearly pleased with himself. Aileen couldn’t help but laugh under her breath.
The truth was, she had never actually wanted to hit Carlisle. If anything, she hadn’t even wanted to cross swords with him. Her determination to one day defeat him was entirely separate.
Still, no matter how close she and Edys had once been, she didn’t want to reveal any more of her inner thoughts to him.
She replied in a purposely blunt tone.
“Even so, I’ve never once beaten Carlisle. How am I supposed to win?”
“Who knows? If you train hard enough, you might break through to the next level and take down someone like him without a problem.”
“I’d be lucky to even get close to the next level in less than a year.”
“Ha! Since when did Dame Aileen start talking like this? The Aileen I knew used to beat up fellow knights every day and still hold her head high.”
Edys sighed dramatically and chuckled.
How long was he going to keep bringing up those reckless academy days? And for the record, she had never ‘beaten up’ anyone. Every fight had been a proper sparring match.
Whether her brow furrowed or not, Edys continued talking.
“You were a bit scary, but I liked the old Aileen more.”
“……”
His expression shifted slightly, as though he were lost in memory.
Aileen found herself reminiscing too. Back then, most of the fights she got into with classmates or fellow knights were somehow tied to Carlisle.
—Aileen, did you beat someone up again?
Edys, wearing the same expression as now, had asked her that once while his gaze rested on a few pink strands of her hair stuck to her cheek. His tone had been gentle, but the concern on his face showed he was genuinely worried about whoever it was.
—Beat them up? They got what they deserved.
—What happened this time?
—Some pathetic jerks pulled a dirty stunt.
—Let me guess… they were harassing Carlisle again?
—No comment from here on.
Edys had shot her a look full of disappointment, but Aileen remained unmoved.
—That mouth of yours is too tight-lipped.
—Isn’t that a perfect trait for someone who’ll serve Your Highness one day?
—Touché.
Edys had agreed easily. Aileen had dropped down next to him, the two of them waiting for Carlisle together.
There had always been people who were jealous of Carlisle. Some even took their imagined slights and acted on them. Most of the time, they got away with it. There was no evidence.
But this time, Aileen was lucky. She’d passed by just in time to overhear a group whispering—ones who deserved more than a scolding.
And what they were planning couldn’t be brushed off. They meant to steal and dispose of Carlisle’s sword. As fellow knights, it was disgraceful.
She had immediately followed them and caught them in the act, right before they could do it.
They had sobbed and begged for forgiveness, saying they were sorry with clasped hands. That such cowards dared to bother Carlisle for such reasons made her heart go cold.
—So harsh. Seriously.
Seeing Aileen’s expression turn icier, Edys had gently shaken his head.
But Aileen pressed her lips together and stayed silent. She was just glad Carlisle never found out. If he had, it would’ve hurt him—even if he wouldn’t show it.
The way he kept his emotions hidden only made her heart ache more.
At least, that’s how it used to be. Now… she wasn’t sure.
Just as she was slipping into the past, Edys snapped her out of it with a bright and arrogant tone.
“Anyway, it’s been a while since we last met. Don’t you have anything you want to ask me? I’ll even answer personally.”
Aileen had already heard most of the important news from Duke Revart or Ashite, so she didn’t have much she wanted to ask. Still, no matter how casual Edys appeared, he was the Emperor.
There was no doubt he had a purpose behind this conversation. Ignoring the Emperor’s words without response would be disrespectful, so Aileen brought up a topic.
“I heard Your Majesty entrusted the vineyard fire case to the Marquess of Hessiden. I was told he accepted it. Has anything happened since?”
Edys smiled as if he had been waiting for her to ask and nodded right away.
“I was starting to wonder why you hadn’t brought that up yet.”
“……”
“What you heard is correct. The Marquess agreed to take the loss, and we decided to let it go for this year. In return, it seems he’s been desperately searching for a new distributor for the grapes.”
“I see.”
“And from the looks of it, the losses must be more severe than expected. Even worse than I’d predicted.”
“Well, it’s the Marquess of Hessiden we’re talking about. He’ll manage.”
At Aileen’s nonchalant reply, Edys casually agreed.
“That’s true, I suppose. In any case…”
“……”
“They say the Marquess raised his voice at his second daughter for the first time. I’d say that’s quite the achievement, wouldn’t you?”
“I suppose it is.”
She had already heard about that as well. Her flat response made Edys chuckle and shift the subject.
“Well, that matter’s settled. I’m currently debating what to pursue next. Since I was the one who drew first blood in what had always been a quietly tense relationship.”
“I’m grateful for that. Of course, I’ll be the one making the sacrifice.”
“Which brings me to what I wanted to say.”
The Emperor paused and took a soft breath. Aileen, already guessing what he was going to say, answered before he could continue.
“There’s no need to worry. The Revart family becoming the Emperor’s sword is already a known truth. That resolve won’t change.”
Edys blinked, then suddenly laughed out loud. He looked genuinely pleased.
“I must be doing something right then, huh?”
“Not bad at all. Personally, I think things would be even better if Your Majesty were just a little kinder.”
“There you go again… Anyway, I’m still considering my next move. Right now, I’m thinking of founding an orphanage in honor of my late brother.”
“To use that as a pretext to collect funds, I assume.”
“Exactly. Just need a decent reason to justify it.”
Edys let out a small sigh, almost a groan.
The “late brother” he referred to was none other than his half-brother—the one originally expected to become Crown Prince and eventually Emperor.
The current Marquess of Hessiden’s sister had married the former Emperor and become the Empress. The son she bore had volunteered to prove himself in a war against the northern tribes—and returned as an unrecognizable corpse.
After that, the throne passed to a child born of another woman—Edys.
Edys himself had no ill will toward the Hessiden family. But they couldn’t say the same. Having once been so close to becoming the imperial in-laws, only to lose everything in an instant, they began constantly watching Edys with suspicion and resentment.
Though Edys had maintained a tense balance with them over the years, this time, he had used Aileen’s misfortune as an opportunity to take the upper hand.
“Well, that covers everything I came here to say today. May I take my leave?”
“I’m not sure why Your Majesty is asking me for permission, but…”
“Oh dear. I must still be affected by the way you used to scold me back in our academy days.”
“What did I even do to you…”
“Well then, I’ll be going.”
As if caught red-handed, Edys quickly cut her off and made his exit.
Aileen let out a long sigh, feeling as though a storm had just passed, and shook her head as she headed back to the training grounds.
Instead of focusing on their training, the knights had been buzzing with chatter, restlessly waiting for her return. The moment she stepped into the arena, they all rushed toward her in a group.
Surrounded by dozens of brawny men, Aileen blinked in slight surprise and asked what was going on. The replies came one after another:
“Please spar with us!”
“We need your help!”
“We can’t let those Khan Knights beat us!”
“It’s the first official tournament! Khan’s pride is on the line!”
She quickly grasped the situation and let out a breath of amusement.
Among the three Imperial Knight Orders, the Sel Order was usually considered above rivalry. But the remaining two—Khan and Lil—had long been at odds. Though no one had ever officially pitted them against each other, the rivalry had sparked naturally and endured over the years.
This upcoming tournament was the first official knight-versus-knight competition. The Khan Knights, who had always seen the Lil Order as a thorn in their side, had sworn not to lose—this time, for the sake of their honor.
Aileen felt the same. So, she accepted their request without hesitation. Before long, the training grounds of the Khan Order echoed with the thunderous shouts of knights preparing for battle.
