Chapter 20
Despite Ivelin’s timid attempt to object, it accomplished absolutely nothing.
“B-But… isn’t it strange to suddenly become lovers with someone you barely know?”
“Barely know?” Kite replied calmly. “Didn’t Baron Frilly bring us together? We may have corresponded only through letters, but they were more than enough to learn each other’s charms.”
This is bad.
Ivelin squeezed her eyes shut before slowly opening them again. It felt as though she had taken a step straight into hell—but there was nowhere left to run.
“I-I’ll… take a short break and come back.”
“Of course, my love.”
Kite chuckled lightly at her utterly deflated voice.
Ivelin, however, couldn’t find anything amusing.
She shuffled stiffly out of the room, and the instant the door clicked shut behind her, she collapsed onto the floor in the hallway.
She pressed a hand against her burning cheeks.
“…This can’t be happening.”
She had never foreseen a future like this.
The reality that had descended upon her so suddenly refused to sink in.
Gripping handfuls of her hair in frustration, Ivelin eventually loosened her fingers with a long sigh.
It’s only until the Emperor’s birthday.
Once the celebration was over and she’d confirmed Kite’s safety, she would leave the capital.
I just have to endure until then.
His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Leonhardt El von Pavern, soon to celebrate his fourteenth birthday, sensed that something was wrong.
By now, his uncle Kite should have come to see him.
Yet there hadn’t been so much as a single message.
It wasn’t that Leonhardt lacked company.
If anything, that only made matters worse.
“Your Majesty. Are you feeling unwell?”
The voice belonged to a black-haired man standing nearby.
He was undeniably handsome, but the dark shadows beneath his eyes lent him a perpetually sinister air.
And, truthfully…
His personality wasn’t much different.
It was Draven von Barkel, head of House Barkel—one of only two ducal houses in the Empire—and Leonhardt’s maternal uncle.
“I’m fine.”
Before her passing, Leonhardt’s mother had trusted her elder brother completely.
She had often told Leonhardt that if he was ever troubled, he should ask Draven for help.
But Leonhardt had never wanted to.
Because he knew exactly what Draven desired.
He wants to restore his family’s former glory.
Back when Kite had spent his days fighting on the northern front and his mother was still alive, House Barkel had wielded tremendous influence throughout the Empire.
Even now, being one of only two ducal houses meant their prestige remained immense.
But Draven wanted more.
He wanted to place the young Emperor firmly in the palm of his hand and rule through him.
Leonhardt understood that all too well.
That was why he always maintained a careful distance.
Whenever Draven appeared, Kite would inevitably intervene, making it easy enough to avoid him.
“I’m relieved to hear that,” Draven said with a gentle smile. “Still, Your Majesty must take proper care of your health if you are to govern the Empire.”
“Thank you for your concern.”
“Speaking of which… I’ve heard an interesting rumor.”
“What rumor would that be?”
One of Leonhardt’s eyebrows rose ever so slightly.
It was an unconscious habit he had picked up from Kite.
A tiny gesture that made him resemble his uncle.
Seeing it, Draven discreetly lifted a hand to cover his mouth, hiding the irritation flickering across his expression.
“They say Sir Kite hasn’t been seen recently. Apparently his subordinates have been searching everywhere for him.”
“You’re mistaken.”
Leonhardt answered without hesitation, turning his gaze away.
“Even so… it’s rather peculiar for one of the Empire’s greatest knights to disappear at such an important time. I can’t help but worry.”
“Your concern is unnecessary. He simply has business to attend to.”
“Is that so? I do wonder what business could be so important.”
Even after that, Draven lingered by Leonhardt’s side for quite some time.
The young Emperor wanted nothing more than to send him away, but doing so wasn’t easy.
He sighed inwardly.
I wish Uncle would come back soon.
If circumstances had been different, Leonhardt would have gladly lent Seren additional troops.
Unfortunately…
The timing couldn’t have been worse.
With his birthday celebration just around the corner, important figures from every neighboring nation were flooding into the capital.
Such a move simply wasn’t possible.
To Leonhardt, Kite was his beloved uncle.
To foreign powers…
He was the Empire’s Sword.
A figure they feared.
If they realized he wasn’t present in the capital, there was no telling how they might react.
For now…
All Leonhardt could do was trust Seren and wait.
Ivelin barely slept that night.
She tossed and turned for hours before finally giving up.
Instead, she went to the kitchen and prepared breakfast ahead of time.
Even then, her restless heart refused to settle.
She eventually took out her pistol and carefully cleaned every component, almost absentmindedly.
By the time she finished…
Morning had arrived.
“I wish everything that happened last night had just been a dream.”
Dragging herself along like a zombie, Ivelin finished preparing breakfast before heading downstairs.
“Ivelin.”
The moment she opened the reinforced door, a sweet, familiar voice greeted her.
She froze.
Then immediately shut the door again.
“That’s rather cruel.”
No.
The cruel one is him.
Taking several deep breaths, she gathered her courage and opened the door once more.
“Now then…” Kite said with a playful smile. “Let’s see what my beloved prepared for breakfast.”
“…Do you really have to say things like that?”
“I told you. It’s better if you get used to it now.”
“I understand that, but… do real couples actually talk like this?”
Growing up, Ivelin had spent almost all her time roaming mountains and forests with her grandfather whenever they weren’t at the estate.
During breaks, he’d told her countless stories.
Stories about military campaigns.
Stories about hunting.
Stories about firearms.
But never…
Not once…
Had he taught her anything about romance.
Her innocent question left Kite silent for a moment.
He enjoyed teasing her because of how dramatically she reacted.
The truth, however…
Was that he knew almost nothing about romance himself.
As a child, he’d lived on battlefields.
As an adult, he’d devoted his life to protecting his nephew from political enemies.
“…Isn’t that how lovers behave?” he answered at last, sounding far less confident than usual.
Ivelin narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
“Sir Kite…”
“…You don’t actually know anything about romance either, do you?”
“Ahem. ‘Know nothing’ is rather harsh. Back in high society…”
Before his reputation had become infamous, countless noble ladies had approached him based on appearance alone.
Unfortunately…
Most lost interest long before anything could happen, frightened away by the chaos Kite invariably caused.
“In high society?”
“I was fairly popular.”
“Oh… I see.”
“Popular.”
Her expression made it painfully obvious she didn’t believe a word.
“Well…”
“I suppose that’s possible.”
“It’s true.”
“In that case,” Ivelin declared seriously, “we’ll need to redefine what it actually means to be lovers.”
Kite’s protests went in one ear and out the other.
She slid breakfast in front of him before making up her mind.
“I’m going to buy some books about romance.”
“You intend to trust books written by who knows whom?”
“Whoever wrote them probably knows more about romance than either of us.”
“Why are you grouping me together with you?”
“Well…”
She smiled innocently.
“After thinking about it, I doubt many noble ladies would admire someone who’s constantly featured on the front page of the newspapers.”
Especially when those headlines were never flattering.
Kite frowned but couldn’t argue.
After all…
Ever since newspapers had started reporting on him regularly, the love letters arriving at his estate had practically disappeared overnight.
“For that reason…”
Ivelin spun toward the door with renewed determination.
“I’m heading out!”
Kite’s argument had made an uncomfortable amount of sense.
If they truly wanted anyone watching them to believe they were lovers…
They needed to act the part more convincingly.
And for that—
Research was essential.
The streets buzzed with excitement in anticipation of the Emperor’s birthday.
Imperial flags fluttered proudly overhead.
Foreign visitors, once a rare sight, now filled the capital’s avenues.
Naturally, security had become stricter than ever.
Which raised a troubling question.
Who would dare attack the man known as the Empire’s Sword under circumstances like these?
There were simply…
Too many possible enemies.
“…Just how many grudges has he accumulated?”
Ivelin sighed as she walked.
Ideally, she would have visited an information broker.
But every intelligence network in the capital had undoubtedly been thrown into chaos searching for Kite.
That left only one safe option.
The bookstore.
“Books about love?” the shopkeeper repeated with a warm smile. “We’ve got plenty.”
Finding books on romance proved surprisingly easy.
Some were novels.
Others were collections of essays filled with firsthand experiences.
Among the titles she selected were:
Love Hurts Because It’s Love
The Countess of Rosemand’s Romance
Stay Beside Me, My Love
Each title made her cheeks itch with embarrassment.
After purchasing an entire stack of expensive books, the bookstore owner beamed at her.
“Excellent choices, miss. Would you like them delivered?”
“No, thank you.”
She smiled politely.
“I can carry these myself.”
“That’s quite a load.”
I’ve climbed mountains carrying full military packs before.
Compared to that…
This was nothing.
More importantly, now wasn’t the time to let strangers come anywhere near her house.
What if someone lingered outside long enough…
To discover Kite’s existence?
