EEA Chapter 12

Returning to the outer castle after two years, Clint habitually headed to the study first. Feeling something was off, he pulled out several books. All his favorite books had been repaired with high-quality leather and well-twisted thread. It was premium leather that wouldn't catch fire.

The only outsider who could have entered this house was Ailea. Had she returned safely to the imperial palace? Why was the wedding postponed again?

Unknowingly frowning, Clint took out a book he always carried from his luggage. Ailea's letter was tucked between the pages. He opened his storage box in the study with a key and put it inside. To him, Ailea's letter was a symbol of victory.

After looking around the study, Clint came out and opened every door to check. Except for the rooms where loud snoring could be heard from the doorway—obviously where the knight order guys were sleeping.

When Clint opened just one room's door, a pleasant fragrance wafted out. As Clint approached quietly, he found Ailea, whom he had hoped had returned to the imperial palace, sleeping on the bed. Clint frowned.

He had hoped it wouldn't be so. She was still here.

Waking up from a deep sleep, Ailea was startled awake and got up from her spot. She had claimed to be a maid but had slept more deeply than usual.

Hurriedly organizing her bedding and running outside, Ailea tied her long blonde hair firmly with a hair tie and said, "I'll make you something to eat right away..."

Ailea blinked in surprise mid-sentence.

The castle was empty. Only the rich foot odor remained, proving that yesterday's events weren't a dream.

"Where is everyone..."

Without time to ponder, shouts came from outside. When Ailea rushed to the door, she saw the knight order training in front of the castle. Ailea stared blankly at the grueling training that made her shrink just watching, then spotted Clint standing at the front.

Ailea gazed at him as if mesmerized. Black hair cut short as if annoyed, and dark golden eyes. His sharp, masculine face with tightly pressed lips looked fierce and strong.

Having rolled around battlefields for two years, Clint was no longer the light-hearted playboy she had known.

She wanted to ask him in detail about the recapture of Excalize Castle, but he looked so intimidating that she wondered if she could even speak to him. Two years ago he had seemed more approachable...

Under Clint's gaze, the knights couldn't take their eyes off their training for even a moment and were rolling around everywhere.

After pondering, Ailea headed to the kitchen.

She thought about pretending to be a maid for a while and looking for a chance to borrow a horse and escape. Actually, even that wasn't a clear plan.

...Since she didn't know how to ride a horse anyway.

With this sudden unplanned event, she was flustered. She only clearly understood that the crown prince didn't know the knight order was stationed at the outer castle.

Since Ailea had lived alone, there weren't many ingredients in the castle. Still, she had recently bought salted meat, so she took it out, minced it well to make meatballs, and boiled tomatoes hot to make sauce.

Since there were about twenty men, and large-built men at that, much bigger than average, she couldn't know how much they would eat, so she dug up all the remaining potatoes from the garden and boiled them.

As good smells began to waft through the castle, the knights who had been sprawled out after dawn training started getting up, sniffing.

The first to rush to the kitchen was Shante. Suffering from hunger while thinking he had to go eat at the mansion the crown prince had prepared, he rushed to Ailea who was reducing the tomato sauce.

"Ailea, when can we eat?"

"You can eat right now."

When she tried to lift the pot to move the sauce, Shante pushed Ailea aside and said, "You focus on other things. There are twenty men here."

He carried out the sauce and shouted, "Let's eat!"

Then the hungry knight order rushed over in an instant and took the food Ailea had made to the dining table. Most were probably born into noble families, but having experienced extreme situations from a young age, they naturally did their part.

The men who rushed to the dining table set plates among themselves and distributed potatoes, meatballs, and tomato sauce. Having eaten only roughly grilled, burnt and undercooked meat over fires, they marveled at this simple meal as if it were a feast, but not a single person ate before Clint took his seat. It was a relationship that seemed loose yet strangely tense.

Shortly after, Clint entered the castle and sat at the head of the long table. Looking at the meal set on the table, he asked,

"Where did this come from?"

"The maid made it."

"Where is she?"

When Clint asked, Kaiton headed toward the kitchen, calling for her.

"Ailea, the captain is looking for... Huh? Where did she go?"

The kitchen was empty. Kaiton tilted his head and said to Clint, "She must have gone to the garden. Should I go find her?"

"Never mind, let's eat first. But the maid's name is Ailea?"

"Ah, Captain, are you showing interest because she's a woman again? You've claimed every woman you meet!"

"I didn't claim them—they came looking for me."

When Clint answered cheekily, the knight order jeered. Though the atmosphere was soft, etiquette was strict, so the other knights only began eating after Clint started his meal.

Ailea, who had escaped to the garden, took a deep breath. During this time, she had only become certain that Roylin was a man she could never have.

Come to think of it, that man was also eternally unrelated to her.

So she didn't want to know more about him.

For the next few days, the knight order was busy repeating morning training followed by imperial palace duty.

While other knights took shifts at the imperial palace, Clint, called by Roylin, met with him and walked slowly through the imperial palace garden together.

Roylin continued, "So you still don't have anyone you're seriously seeing?"

"No, I don't."

Clint had never seriously thought about settling down with one woman. It wasn't that he disliked marriage—he simply had never thought about it. Clint was suddenly annoyed that this man was so interested in his love life and replied,

"How could any woman who marries me be happy? I'd be out and about all the time."

At Clint's words, Roylin's expression soured. The man who used to be unable to move at his single word had now risen to a position where he could show such irritation. Roylin forced a smile.

"That's true."

Clint thought the crown prince resembled a snake. His outer appearance was nothing but an empty shell—the real creature always lurked hidden beneath the surface.

Just as Emperor Murray had driven Ron, who might threaten his royal authority, into dangerous battles and ultimately caused his death in battle, Roylin was also constantly wary of Clint, who could become the greatest threat to his royal power. 

Roylin asked, "How's the mansion I prepared for you?"

"It's good, but why did you spend extra money?"

"Ah, the outer castle is being used briefly by the woman I'm engaged to."

Briefly. Clint thought of Ailea. If he was going to see her again anyway, making that final goodbye had made things awkwardly unpleasant. That woman was still safe, pretending to be a maid.

Clint couldn't understand this situation, but it was difficult to ask the crown prince about his woman, and Ailea desperately avoided Clint.

Then Clint saw where Roylin's gaze was directed.

Among the noble daughters walking to socialize with the empress was Rita Brea.

"Lady Brea is beautiful."

As Clint casually mentioned this, Roylin glared at him. Should he call them snake eyes? Or artificial glass beads? In his incredibly beautiful appearance, only those eyes gave off a particularly eerie feeling.

He had suspected that Roylin's postponement of marriage wasn't only due to concern for Ailea's health, but only now did he understand the reason.

The corner of Clint's mouth slightly rose.

"With a woman like Lady Rita nearby, no one else would catch your eye, certainly."

"..."

"Should I go talk to her?"

The moment Clint teasingly probed, Roylin, who had been reluctant about Ailea until then, made up his mind. 

He couldn't let this playboy touch Rita. Roylin said, "In terms of beauty, my fiancée Ailea is no less."

"Pardon?"

"You know, don't you? Ailea Elgar Yuliana. The daughter of Ron Elgar Yuliana, whom you respect."

"I see."

It was really the first time he had ever described his fiancée. Roylin continued,

"She's very beautiful. Not comparable to Rita."

She wasn't that pretty though. What's this about? Is he really worried about Ailea's health and that's why she's at the outer castle? Which is it? Pick one, you snake-like bastard...

As Clint felt troubled, Roylin said, "His Majesty the Emperor is wondering how to honor your great achievements."

"I see."

"He even told me to give you my woman."

At his words, Clint, who hadn't been serious, frowned.

"What kind of joke is that?"

"We can't find another woman as wonderful as her in the world. Besides, Clint, you have something to repay to former knight captain Ron."

"..."

"Since you guys ran away from the battlefield by yourselves."

At those words, Clint's expression hardened and he said nothing more. Roylin continued leisurely like a beast with sharp teeth.

"Well, someone as worn out as you wouldn't be picky. She's never had relations with me. She's a virtuous woman who refused to have relations until our wedding night."

It was amazing how he could speak about a woman who had been his fiancée for seven years with absolutely no affection.

"How about it, doesn't she tempt you? She's more beautiful than Rita and the daughter of a man you respect."

"His Majesty wants to match her with me?"

"That's right. If it's His Majesty's will, I can't help it either."

A forced marriage.

Like his father, his son was the same. When he became emperor, he was wary of strong nobles who might threaten him, and after using them sufficiently, he tried to dispose of them somehow.

Clint thought of the nobles who had died at the front lines of war. Just as Murray had pushed Ailea's father into battle, Roylin was also trying to crush Clint.

That's why former knight captain Ron had warned Clint several times.

'If you return to the imperial palace alive, don't catch the crown prince's eye. Pretend to be dead until you're older.'

In return for desperately expanding the borders for two years, he would give him the woman who had broken off their engagement.

No, rather, he was better off because he had seen the crown prince act like this many times. But what about Ailea, who had lived only looking at the crown prince?

To Roylin, she was nothing more or less than an object put away in a drawer and forgotten. It would be tiresome that this object was alive and moving around. So he was trying to handle it in the most convenient way.

Clint actually thought it didn't matter much which woman in the world he married. Since he definitely wouldn't be a faithful husband, he thought it would be better to marry strategically with a woman who didn't expect love and let each live their own life.

What if it were Ailea...

Since Clint surprisingly wasn't showing much anger, Roylin asked anxiously, "So, how about it?"

"How about what—if you tell me to do it, I have to. Isn't it His Majesty the Emperor's command?"

"That's true, but don't you have a woman you like?"

"No. Honestly, it would probably be the same with any woman."

At those words, Roylin smiled slightly and continued.

"That's good. Ah, but before we break off the engagement, you absolutely cannot go near that girl. She's still my woman. She's staying at the outer castle where you used to live, so I'd appreciate it if you didn't go there."

What a piece of work.

Clint thought.