Chapter 11
The southern campaign wrapped up more quickly than expected. The knights who had already been pushed back from the west were unlikely to find new strength in the south.
Kyler returned to the estate with his knights and now stood face to face with Dylan in front of the mansion’s main gate.
“You’ve done well, my lord. I thought it would take at least a month, but I’m glad it ended in just two weeks.”
Dylan spoke as he welcomed Kyler at the entrance. It had taken only half the expected time, yet neither of them showed signs of exhaustion as they calmly finished their conversation.
“It’s thanks to the knights and their efforts.”
Kyler, though a blunt man, was generous when it came to acknowledging the hard work of his knights.
“And make sure Notian reflects on his mistakes and improves. We were lucky this time, but there might not be a next.”
He was strict when it came to errors. His tone and expression barely changed, but Dylan, who had worked with him for a long time, understood the subtle difference in his demeanor.
“I will make sure of it. Please go inside and get some rest.”
Dylan gave a polite bow. Only after Kyler gave a small nod did Dylan turn around and head toward the knights’ quarters located behind the main building. The estate was large, and because of Kyler’s position, the knight order had their own sizable facilities.
As Kyler reached for the door to enter the mansion, he sensed a stir of movement from within.
When he stepped inside, he saw that the staff, who had been busy working in various parts of the house throughout the day, had all gathered to greet him. At the front stood Pavon, who bowed respectfully.
“Welcome back, sir. Shall I prepare your bath right away?”
Normally, Kyler would have nodded silently and headed straight up to the third floor. But this time, he stood still and said nothing. The staff, who had been bowing, cautiously looked up to read their master’s mood.
Kyler quietly scanned the room. It was subtle, but it felt like he was searching for someone.
“Is there something, or someone, you’re looking for?”
Pavon, who had an uncanny sense for Kyler’s moods, asked carefully. Kyler’s sharp blue eyes turned toward him. Pavon met his gaze without flinching, though some of the staff around him visibly tensed.
“Where… is Sasha?”
His voice was low, but the question made Pavon’s eyes flicker slightly. Kyler raised an eyebrow as he noticed the change.
“She should be in her room.”
“Yes… she is in her room.”
Kyler and Sasha used separate rooms. Even when he returned to the estate, she would usually be in her own room until nighttime, when she would come over to his.
“The bath first.”
“Of course, my lord. It will be ready in twenty minutes.”
Pavon bowed and remained still until Kyler passed.
As Kyler walked past, his cape swept the air behind him. It felt like a chill had come with it.
After removing his armor and changing into comfortable clothes, he headed for the bath. The moment he stepped inside the estate, preparations had already begun. The steam from the large bath had filled the room with a hazy warmth.
Even while relaxing in the bath, Kyler could hear the constant murmur of noise around him.
There were more problems than just the rebels. Recently, the growing issue was the surge of magical creatures. The threats to the empire came in many forms. Even if one problem was handled, peace never lasted for long.
Natural disasters were the most unpredictable of all. The sound they brought was different, but still overwhelming. There was no way to know what kind of disaster would strike next.
And so… he had wanted to return quickly.
It had only been three nights apart, repeated just three times, but he never expected to feel this much longing.
“Please… please take me with you, Duke…”
He had first met her when he stopped by the Marquis of Ivern’s estate to oversee the supply of equipment for monster hunting near the northwestern mountains.
It was a dark night. The magical creatures were close, and the painful sounds in Kyler’s ears had sharpened his senses to the edge. He couldn’t sleep. Hoping to clear his mind, he went out for a walk, and that was when he met her.
At the time, she had been living in the attic. He had already seen the supposed daughter of the Marquis of Ivern earlier that day, so when he saw her, he assumed she was just a maid. But even in her messy state, her blonde hair and facial features resembled the young lady from earlier. It didn’t take long for him to realize something was strange.
She had been trying to sneak out of the attic when she suddenly ran into Kyler. The moment he caught her as she stumbled, the piercing noise in his ears disappeared completely.
That silence was a shock.
He wasn’t someone who suffered from the noise every second of the day. When there was no danger nearby, his hearing returned to normal, and he could listen like anyone else.
But for the sound to vanish so instantly, during a time of such intense chaos, had never happened before. Neither the situation nor the person who caused it had ever existed in his life.
Not even his parents had ever been able to do something like that.
“What are you?”
He asked the question with a frown. She flinched and tried to escape. She struggled to pull away, but he didn’t let go of her arm, so all she could do was squirm in his grip.
Even for a typical noble lady, it would have been difficult to break free. But she was especially thin and weak. Her skin was dry, and her body looked undernourished, like someone who hadn’t even been eating properly, let alone receiving care.
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I won’t come down again. I promise, I won’t…”
She started to cry. Trembling and frightened, she apologized over and over, as if she believed being caught outside the attic would bring her punishment. Watching her like that made something inside him ache.
“That’s enough. I won’t say anything. No one will know you were here tonight.”
Kyler said it calmly. He knew she needed to be comforted first. Normally, his cold voice would make people freeze, but as soon as he spoke, he felt her body relax in his grasp.
That meant she believed him. She trusted him enough to let go of her fear.
In a weak, exhausted voice, she gave him her name and told him that she was the first daughter of the Marquis of Ivern, abandoned and left to live in the attic.
Of course he had doubted her at first. But her appearance gave more than enough proof to support her words.
Now, soaking in the hot bath, Kyler closed his eyes. The girl he met that night and the woman she had become were like two different people. Her face was fuller, her skin healthier, and she had grown into her beauty. That change in appearance was the clearest sign of how far she had come. And it wasn’t just her looks. She truly seemed like a new person.
“I’m sorry… but are you, Duke Ignote?”
Once she had calmed down that night, she had asked that question. Though her body was limp with exhaustion, her eyes were bright. The fear and confusion had cleared, and her gaze had become steady and composed, just like a noble lady’s.
When he nodded, she bit her lip. Her lips were so dry that they cracked and started to bleed.
Then, without any hesitation, she had grabbed the front of his clothes and begged him to take her with him.
Kyler had looked down at her as she clung to him. Then, without a word, he stepped back two paces.
He had felt calm while standing close to her. But the moment he created distance, the painful noise returned. It slammed into him like a sharp cry, almost like the scream of a magical beast.
She must have thought he was leaving her behind. She stood there, frozen, her face filled with despair. Her messy hair fell over her face like a curtain, matching the way she looked lost and worn out.
Kyler took two steps forward again. As her lowered head reached his chest, the noise vanished completely, almost like a ghost disappearing.
It was not a coincidence. She was the reason.
Kyler narrowed his eyes and looked down at her. He could feel the tremble of her body through the space between them.
Maybe it had been an impulsive decision.
But that was the moment he made up his mind. He would take her with him.
The emperor had already given him an order to marry. Kyler had never paid much attention to it. But suddenly, the pieces all seemed to fall into place. Everything lined up so clearly that he felt no need to hesitate. It felt like this was the path he was meant to take.
Water splashed loudly as Kyler stood up from the bath.
His tall body was soaked, and the water ran down his skin like a waterfall. The steam quickly rose around him, hiding him from view, but he stepped out of the bath without slowing down.
The last time he saw her, she had seemed full of energy and determination.
She had taken initiative, even picking up a cloth to clean the estate herself. She had suggested inviting the Ivern family to the duchy.
That second idea had seemed so strange that he found it suspicious at first. But no matter what, it had shown a new side of her. She had changed from the girl who once begged to be saved into someone who was trying to take action on her own.
It had felt like a good change.
And so he was curious. While he had been away, the people from the Marquis’s house had visited. He wanted to know what they had done while they were here.
He had known the day of their visit and could not bring himself to focus on anything else. There was no way to predict what would happen.
Judging by the Sasha he knew, he could easily imagine how things had gone. The way they would act in the duchy without him present, and how they would treat Sasha, felt far too easy to guess.
“If she made it through without anyone pulling her hair out, I would call that a miracle.”
And the only person who could tell him the truth was her.
Wearing a thin nightshirt under a robe, Kyler stepped out of the bathroom.
