EEA Chapter 14

The next day, the knight order departed for the imperial palace. It was to prepare for the victory celebration.

Kaiton, who had become particularly close to Ailea since they were only a year apart in age, said, "Ailea, we'll be back." 

"Yes." 

"I'm going to look for a bride." Kaiton said with a spirited voice.

After all the carriages carrying the knight order had departed, Ailea picked up Blue. "Should we have our own party?" She joked and returned inside the outer castle.

Thinking that they wouldn't return tonight, Ailea felt somewhat lonely. She had lived alone for so long, yet it seemed she had come to depend on them in just a short time. For some reason, the word "bride" kept coming to mind. Over and over...

The imperial palace was an enormously vast palace. The inside of the imperial palace was no different from a town. The mansion that Roylin had prepared for Clint was also within the boundaries of that imperial palace.

Having partied late into the night at the imperial palace, Clint was so tired he thought he might never come to the capital again.

The difference in excitement between the party from two years ago, where he had enjoyed himself carefreely without the emperor's concern, and now sitting properly like an adult was too great.

The emperor, who was a heavy drinker, persistently made Clint drink. When Clint looked around for Roylin with resentful eyes, wondering where he had left his son to torment him like this, he was already with Rita.

She was a breathtakingly beautiful woman no matter when you looked at her. Her hair ornament was modest—just a single small pin, and her shining golden hair was braided to one side. With such a dazzling smile, it was understandable that Ailea wouldn't catch his eye.

The other knights of the Tiliph order seemed happy, taking advantage of this rare opportunity at the banquet to pursue romantic chances. Teniac had long been famous for its free approach to romance between men and women. Some people called it promiscuous, while others called it the land of opportunity.

Both men and women were eager to strike up conversations with Clint. Especially to the young ladies from prestigious families, Clint was both the star of this banquet and the most appetizing prey.

Clint skillfully escaped from the party based on his past experience with socializing.

As he went outside to get his carriage, Rita, who had been strolling briefly in the garden, spotted him and approached. Even in a simple-looking dress, she was the most striking woman in this imperial palace. Clint, who knew well about women's clothing, was aware that despite her dress looking simple, it was certainly not low-priced. Rita asked with wide eyes, "Are you leaving already?" 

"Yes. Do you find that disappointing?" Clint said casually with a smile, then cursed himself inwardly. ‘It's because I say things like this so easily that Ailea calls me a playboy.’

Perhaps because of his thoughts about needing to marry, Clint found himself occasionally thinking about Ailea. Rita smiled brightly. 

"The other young ladies will surely be disappointed." 

"Is that so?"

Even with such a beautiful woman in front of him, the fact that he wanted to go home showed he must really be tired. Moreover, he no longer wanted to get involved with the crown prince's woman.

Clint smiled apologetically and said, "I'll be going now. I don't want to be misunderstood by having a conversation with someone His Highness Roylin cherishes." 

"Everyone's talking about that today." She said, twirling her wavy hair around her finger. 

"I just happened to catch His Highness's eye." 

"......" 

"I still don't really know what love is......" She said with a pitiful smile. 

"I suppose there's no chance now."

Pitiful... is she?

Clint looked at Rita impassively.

Her pitiful-seeming behavior, her modest-looking dress—to Clint's eyes, it all somehow appeared calculated. He said, "You should return to His Highness the Crown Prince. I'm tired." 

"But you're the guest of honor......" 

"I'll see you at the title ceremony."

At Clint's smile and the casual way he patted her shoulder with his warm hand, Rita's face flushed red. He wore an approachable expression and spoke with an affectionate tone. However, there was somehow a strange killing intent in the eyes of the man who had achieved tremendous accomplishments on the battlefield for two years.

Clint immediately took a carriage and returned to the outer castle. Getting off the carriage and entering the outer castle, he saw Ailea in the distance, carrying carrots and heading toward the stable.

Clint considered calling out to Ailea, but not wanting her to realize that she was alone with a drunk man in this outer castle, he headed straight to his bedroom. Then, hearing a scream from outside, he rushed back out.

The sound had come from the stable. When he hurriedly went to the stable, he found Ailea, who had been trying to feed the horses, stepping back in surprise.

What a woman, startling people for no reason. He was about to turn back in annoyance when he heard Ailea's voice. "I was just trying to practice... Let's be friends, okay?" She was talking to the horse.

Clint looked at Ailea in the stable again. She seemed to be trying hard to befriend the horse.

Tonight's party had gathered the finest women of this country's high society, those qualified to enter and leave the imperial palace.

As the daughter of a hero and a woman engaged to the crown prince, Ailea should have commanded tremendous presence just by appearing at that party.

But now she was here in this outer castle, wearing a plain maid's outfit, trying to befriend someone else's horse while calling it by the wrong name. If she were actually a maid, at least she could go around and have fun with her fellow maids. But this woman was living alone in a state that was neither here nor there.

Ever since hearing about marriage from Roylin, Clint had been constantly thinking about Ailea. He was a drifter and a libertine by nature, not a man who could be faithful to home and family. Whoever became his wife would surely be hurt.

‘But wouldn't it be better to play the role of mistress of my house than to be abandoned alone in a place where no one exists?’ 

Above all, Clint was worried about her life. ‘If I desperately oppose this and even I don't take her in, what will happen to this woman?’

While he was having such thoughts, Ailea called the horse's name. 

"Velvet, okay?" 

"It's Julian."

Clint unconsciously corrected the name Ailea was arbitrarily using. Having drunk what the emperor forced on him, Clint swayed slightly. Discovering him, Ailea was startled and didn't know what to do. She thought no one would come in today, so why is he here...

Clint headed toward the haystack. Then he flopped down on it and gestured to Ailea. 

"Come here." 

"That's rude." 

"Please come here, Lady Ailea."

When he corrected himself with a mischievous smile, Ailea finally approached Clint. As she came closer, Clint grabbed her wrist and pulled her toward the hay. Thanks to that, Ailea's body also tumbled onto the haystack.

"Did you drink a lot?" Ailea asked him without seeming particularly surprised. Normally, when a woman is dragged by a drunk man to lie beside him in a place where no one else is around, she would be at least a little frightened.

Clint asked, "What are you going to do by befriending the horse?" 

"What? Oh..." 

"Steal it?" 

"Th-that's..."

I guessed right. Seeing her eyes waver, was she really planning to steal it and run away? To think of stealing the knight order's horse—she has quite the nerve.

Moreover, with that frail body, how far could she go riding a horse? Yuliana Castle was very far from here. Even the most skilled knights riding their horses day and night would need two to three days. The road was dangerous even for a man, and there was no telling what might happen to a woman traveling alone. Did she not know how scary the world was, or had she forgotten that she was a woman?

Clint asked with a frown, "Do you know what happens when you steal a knight's property?" 

"What happens?" 

"You have to pay back thirty times the value of what you stole. If you don't have money, you have to work for the knight order." 

"Th-thirty..." 

"Most die from beatings before that, as an outlet for anger." 

"...I'm sorry." 

"And if it's a woman."

Clint didn't continue and closed his mouth. 

Ailea asked with wide eyes, "If it's a woman?"

Clint turned his head as if to say let's not talk about it. He didn't want to frighten her with unnecessary words when it was just the two of them.

Come to think of it...

It really is just the two of us.

"Are we the only ones in the castle right now?" 

"Oh, yes."

Ailea nodded as if it were obvious. At those words, Clint sighed and asked, "Aren't you scared to be alone with a drunk man?" 

"Should I be scared?"

Ailea's eyes were innocent, as if asking what he could possibly mean. She had an assessment of herself as a woman so disgusting that no one could possibly embrace her. Just as Roylin had said.

So even if Clint were a very bad person, she thought he would never covet her body.

Not knowing Ailea's thoughts, to Clint she simply seemed dangerous.

He said reproachfully, "You're making unnecessarily pretty expressions." 

"There you go again, you playboy..."

You're about to marry that playboy, young lady. Clint clicked his tongue as he looked at Ailea looking at him.

Looking at Ailea's face, Clint said, "I have something to tell you. Let's go inside." 

"What is it?" 

"I'll tell you inside."

Whether from drinking or his true nature gradually showing, Clint seemed somewhat cold, but still maintained some gentleness since his companion was a woman.

Walking into the outer castle, Clint said, "The horse you were trying to steal won't work." 

"Julian?" 

"Yeah. It's Shante's horse. It's only used to running with heavy loads, so if the rider is too light, it'll throw you off." 

"Ah... Then whose horse is Velvet?" 

"Mine. The one in the innermost stall." 

"I see... That one looked too strong..." 

"It actually is a strong one."

Ailea watched the back of Clint as he walked ahead of her. His lustrous black hair and broad shoulders, the way he strolled with his hands casually tucked into the pockets of his tuxedo jacket—worn purely for appearance—his entire silhouette was insufferably cocky.

His horse, Velvet, was far too fine a mount for such an owner. The stallion stood rigidly upright, as if completely uninterested in anyone entering the stable who wasn't its master.

Ailea said from behind, "I can't see the moon." 

"Hm?" 

When Clint turned around and asked, Ailea said, "You're so tall that I can't see the moon. You're blocking it." 

"What a silly thing to say." 

"But it's true." 

"If you want to see the moon, should I give you a piggyback ride?" 

"You're swaying, so it would be scary."

When Ailea spoke honestly, Clint chuckled. The two entered the empty castle. 

Heading to his office, Clint said, "Bring me some mint tea." 

"Huh? I'm not really a maid, you know?" 

"The other guys bring it for me." 

"Well, that's because..."

When Ailea protested, Clint said as if recalling something from the distant past, "You seemed like you were trying to steal something earlier." 

"I'll bring it right away."

Ailea hurried off to get tea. Clint smiled slightly at her cute way of running off in surprise, but when she was no longer visible, his expression became blank.

A short while later, when Ailea opened the door, she saw Clint sitting in his chair, lost in thought. That man seemed to be born with various talents, but the one he was most gifted with was his face. He had lived on the battlefield for two years, yet even his skin was good.

Only when he heard the sound of Ailea setting down the tea did Clint emerge from his thoughts and take a sip of the appropriately warm tea. Now his head felt somewhat clearer.

"What did you want to tell me?"