Chapter 25
At Reina’s request, Kaiden frowned as if to say, what kind of obvious nonsense was that?
“Did you think I’d leave you alone on your birthday?”
“Well… because you’re busy….”
Reina hesitated, fidgeting with her hands.
She was afraid of the upcoming birthday.
Before her regression, after enduring a fever all alone, the world had been shrouded in darkness.
And then she had seen her first prophecy.
Knowing how that prophecy had sent her life plummeting into the abyss made her even more terrified.
So, she had mustered up her courage to say it, but seeing him harden his expression made her prematurely frightened.
“I’m fine. I can be alone.”
Reina quickly changed her words and focused on her food, as if burying her nose in the plate.
Seeing her subdued appearance, Kaiden ruffled the back of his hair and replied.
“I’ve felt this for a while now, but you seem to see me as too much of a scoundrel.”
“Huh?”
“What kind of man leaves his wife alone on her birthday?”
“……?”
“I won’t leave you alone, so stop making that face.”
Reina’s lips parted in surprise.
She stared blankly at Kaiden, who lightly swore and gulped down water.
Who knew that the words “I won’t leave you alone” could sound so sweet.
She was clearly being scolded, yet laughter kept bubbling up.
“Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me for every little obvious thing.”
“But I’m still grateful.”
As Reina smiled bashfully, Kaiden let out a scoff.
Her bright smile, as if she’d never been downcast, looked as innocent as a child’s.
“If there’s someplace you want to go on the day, tell me.”
Knowing she wouldn’t be able to go anywhere because of the fever anyway, Reina replied lightly.
“I’ll think about it.”
* * *
Reina received the list of Dalia’s previous teachers from the butler, Dive.
As Kaiden had said, most of them had been dismissed for unsavory reasons.
While carefully examining the list, Reina discovered something strange.
In every case, the accuser was Mrs. Mary, and the matters had been handled based solely on her testimony, without any clear physical evidence.
Reina called Lily aside and sent a letter to Baron Clam, the most recently dismissed history teacher.
And the reply she received was surprising.
[I never expected the Duchess to send me a letter personally.
I was already quite frustrated about that incident. I’d like to discuss the details quietly in person.
If you let me know a possible time, I’ll arrange a quiet meeting place.]
As Reina prepared to meet Baron Clam, Lily asked in a tone mixed with concern.
“Are you really going to meet him?”
“I have to. I haven’t heard both sides of the story yet.”
“But I’m worried. What if Baron Clam harbors a grudge and has set a trap? He might try to kidnap you and make a big score out of it.”
“That seems a bit overboard….”
“You don’t know, madam. There are quite a few people in the north targeting you. How about just telling the Duke? Ask him to increase your escort.”
“Hmm.”
Reina hesitated, unable to refuse the repeated pleas.
Just because she suspected Mrs. Mary didn’t guarantee that Baron Clam was innocent.
In the end, she headed to the training ground to request an escort from Kaiden.
Upon arriving at the training ground, loud cheers rang out along with the sound of clashing iron.
The training ground, where military drills were in full swing, was thick with tension.
“It looks like a joint training session.”
As Reina hesitated to enter recklessly, Lily whispered and prepared a seat for her.
Reina obediently sat down and looked toward Kaiden.
His effortless handling of the knights charging at him with fierce momentum exuded complete composure.
She was watching in admiration as he dispatched the knights with clean, precise movements.
That was when a knight’s thrown spear happened to veer toward Reina.
Lily, who had been complacent thinking it surely wouldn’t reach this far, screamed upon seeing the spear hurtling toward them with deadly speed.
“Madam!”
Hearing the cry, Kaiden, who had only just noticed the two of them, swiftly threw the sword he was holding in one fluid motion.
Clang-!
With the sound of metal clashing, the spear’s fierce trajectory was deflected.
Crash-!
As the spear embedded itself not far from where Reina sat, Lily’s face turned ashen.
In contrast, Reina remained remarkably calm. She even soothed the startled Lily.
“I’m fine. You must have been really scared, huh?”
“M-Madam! A-Are you really alright? That was seriously dangerous just now.”
“Yes, I’m okay.”
Reina shrugged nonchalantly.
She had frozen in surprise when the spear first aimed her way, but then she caught sight of Kaiden’s actions.
She trusted that Kaiden wouldn’t make a mistake.
If anything, she felt sorry for interrupting the training.
By then, Kaiden had approached and grasped Reina’s shoulders.
“Are you alright?”
“Thanks to you, I survived.”
As Reina offered a faint smile, Kaiden swallowed a hollow breath.
She was far too composed for someone who had nearly died.
If anyone was shocked, it was Kaiden.
If he had been even a moment slower, Reina could have been gravely injured.
His heart was pounding uncontrollably.
As Kaiden steadied his breathing, the knight who had thrown the spear approached, stammering apologetically.
“I’m sorry, Your Grace! I got carried away and misaimed the spear without realizing. I had no idea the Duchess was in that direction. I’ve committed a capital offense!”
Seeing the knight bow his head deeply in apology, Kaiden muttered icily, his tone sharp as a blade.
“I said that in spear techniques, you throw only when you have a clear target secured. I repeatedly warned that a mistake could lead to a counterattack.”
“……”
“If this had been real combat, you wouldn’t just have injured an innocent person—you’d have lost your own life too.”
“……I’m sorry, Your Grace.”
The knight, who had no excuse even if he had two mouths, groaned deeply at his own blunder.
As the atmosphere grew heavy, Reina tugged at Kaiden’s sleeve.
“I’m really fine.”
“Fine? What do you mean, fine……!”
Kaiden, his anger surging at her laid-back response, raised his voice in frustration.
That was when Reina spoke in a gentle, soothing tone.
“Of course it was a dangerous situation, but I felt reassured when I saw you. Because I knew you’d save me.”
“……What?”
“In the end, thanks to you, I don’t have a single scratch. The knight seems to be reflecting enough, so don’t push him too hard.”
At Reina’s words, Kaiden wore a dumbfounded expression.
Strangely, that single remark quelled his rising anger in an astonishing way.
“You felt reassured just from that?”
“There isn’t a knight in the empire as skilled as you.”
Her words carried not a shred of doubt.
It was like a magical phrase that remarkably eased the tense atmosphere that had been strung tight until moments ago.
“You’re saying the strangest things.”
The knight, seeing Kaiden let out a wry chuckle, was stunned.
He had fully expected a sharp reprimand followed by severe punishment.
Duke Crencia was an even more ruthless presence during training.
Especially, no one had ever been able to stop Duke Crencia when he was angry.
Even his aide, Ben, would keep his distance.
Yet the Duchess, who had only recently arrived in the north, was effortlessly calming his fury.
The quick-witted knight grasped the situation in an instant.
Contrary to the rumors, the Duke and Duchess of Crencia seemed to get along quite well.
In fact, she might even have him wrapped around her finger.
As the knight looked up at Reina with reverence for saving him from hell.
“Pull out the spear and get back.”
At Kaiden’s low murmur, he quickly responded, grabbed the spear, and vanished.
Kaiden, who had been watching him with a pitiful gaze, turned to Reina and asked.
“So, why did you come here without a word?”
“Ah, I’m planning to go out, and I need an escort.”
“I see.”
Kaiden shouted to the knights in the training ground.
“Handle the remaining training on your own.”
“Yes, Your Grace!”
The knights responded in unison and reformed their ranks.
After glancing lightly at them, the duke sheathed his sword and said.
“Let’s go.”
“Huh?”
“You said you need an escort.”
