Chapter 27

Latine pointed a trembling finger back and forth between the two of them.

“Not even once in all that time? I mean, you’ve known each other since you were kids—no, wait, knowing someone since childhood doesn’t automatically mean you sleep together, I—”

Clearly flustered, he abruptly changed course.

“I mean just… sleeping! The actual sleeping kind! Not the, uh, other kind—!”

Latine was practically flailing.

Rodella’s face was red as a beet.

Felix, now fully understanding what the Vice-Commander had done for his sake, was all the more determined to remove the cuffs.

In the midst of all this chaos, the only one who seemed remotely composed was Aivert.

“I didn’t say anything, Commander.”

That shameless remark turned even Latine’s face bright red.

The man… unfortunately, had spent his prime years on the battlefield, never once holding a woman’s hand—unless it was part of an escort mission.

He was utterly unprepared to handle this kind of situation.

Panicking, he waved his hands.

“A-Anyway! This whole thing is to be kept absolutely silent. No—even within the Azure Knights! Mouths shut, understood? Especially—!”

He clenched his fist.

“Do not let the Red Knights find out!”

It would be the most humiliating scandal imaginable!

Everyone in the room nodded in fierce agreement.

Not the Red Knights! Anything but them!

Only a handful of senior knights—those close to Latine and trusted with the squad’s internal matters—were told the truth:  

The Vice-Commander and Quartermaster had… allegedly fallen so madly in love that they cuffed their wrists together.

Since the fewer people who knew, the easier the secret was to keep.

And the reaction from those senior knights?

“You two really couldn’t stand being apart that much?”

“No, it was an accident—”

To which everyone immediately replied: “Wait, do the Red Knights know about this?!”

…At least everyone thought the same way, which made it easier to maintain the cover story.

From now on, the two of them would simply be seen walking around together. There were no cuffs on their wrists. None whatsoever.

Luckily, the upgraded magical cuffs only became visible when the pair moved far enough apart to fully stretch the connecting chain—otherwise, they remained hidden.

So they weren’t in immediate danger of being exposed.

Granted, a highly skilled knight—like Latine—could probably pick up on the strange magical signature if he watched closely.  

Had he not been so busy enthusiastically welcoming them back, he might have noticed something was off.

“What if one of the Red Knights notice something?” one of the knights asked.

Latine waved it off.

“If anyone over there was that skilled, they wouldn’t be stuck polishing other people’s boots to survive.”

In other words, the Red Knights were more about connections than competence.

“Yes, sir!”

Reassured, the knights dispersed.

Only those who had to keep an eye on Rodella and Aivert for practical reasons were told the truth. Even so, Latine looked as though he’d just survived a war.

Seeing that, Rodella offered a small consolation.

“But at least the damage was kept to a minimum.”

Even the very expensive guardhouse—its first floor and below had survived just fine.

So yes. Technically, they had reduced the damage.

Latine gave her a sorrowful look.

“I was hoping you’d give it your all… but I didn’t mean you had to literally sacrifice your whole body doing it…”

His expression twisted between laughter and tears—it was almost eerie.

And that’s how their uncomfortable cohabitation began.

* * *

Rodella was a member of the Administration Division.  

Which meant that from time to time, she had to go back there to give reports.

Sure, if things got busy she could just submit a written report… but Rodella never liked to do things that way.  

This time, though, she had no choice.

If they didn’t want to get caught, it was best to stay out of public view until they got used to living like this.  

—Clink! 

Which made sense, considering the two of them couldn’t even walk around a pillar without getting their steps tangled.

With their wrists practically joined, it was only natural to get caught on things like pillars and large obstacles in the middle of the path.

“From now on, let’s always turn left around obstacles.”

So they started making these little agreements.

While they were busy establishing rules like that, they were also assigned something like a… personal assistant.  

Normally, a Quartermaster wouldn’t get paired with a knightly aide, but since Aivert couldn’t act alone, someone needed to support them both—handling messages, carrying documents, and managing things when they went outside.

This person needed to be competent, quick-witted, and nimble—a knight who wasn’t clueless about paperwork.

After some thought, Latine assigned someone they’d already met during the Beruba incident: senior knight Lorenz.

“Hello! Good to see you again!”

The knight, who had always given off more of a mercenary vibe than a knightly one, said he had some experience with paperwork.

“I’ll be helping with everything from reports to menial errands!”

Rodella waved her hand politely.

“That won’t be necessary.”

Aivert, however, didn’t bother with pleasantries. The moment he saw Lorenz’s face, he said: “Get someone else.”

…A rejection. Right to his face?

Rodella looked at him in surprise. Was there a reason for that?

Just then, Lorenz chimed in: “Direct orders from the Commander.”

Aivert pressed his hand to his forehead.

“…Fine.”

Despite appearances, he was oddly obedient when it came to direct orders from his superior.

Rodella stared at him—this unfamiliar side of him—then asked: “Why?”

She kept her voice quiet, but Aivert made no effort to lower his.

“Lorenz knows too many things you shouldn’t know.”

“Hmm?”

What kind of statement was that?

Anywhere else, a line like “He knows too much…” would come with a dark glare and ominous music.

But here, the subject was all wrong.

It wasn’t that she knew too much—it was that Lorenz knew too many things she shouldn’t find out.

So basically…

“…Are you saying there are more secrets like that liquor stash?”

To that, Lorenz replied with pride: “Plenty! Looking forward to working with you!”

Don’t say that so proudly!!

Rodella ended up pressing her forehead too.

* * *

The small yet significant problems that came with being handcuffed together started with the basics—like changing clothes and bathing.

Thankfully, the chain connecting their cuffs was made of magic. It only activated when pulled, which meant it stayed dormant otherwise.  

Because of that, they could change clothes while sticking close together… but—

The problem was, the chain wasn’t *that* long.

Which meant that right before bath time, things always came down to: “Let’s just… agree not to look at each other. Like decent people.”

They had to rely on firm mutual self-control to get through it.

But the real problem came after the bath.

“Okay but… how are we actually supposed to sleep?”

Changing clothes? Doable. Bathing? Barely. But sleep?

Aivert and Rodella’s rooms were side by side.  

But since their wrists were literally chained together, and the chain obviously couldn’t pass through a wall, they’d have to sleep in the same room.

As Rodella mulled it over, Aivert said flatly:

”Let’s just knock the wall down.”

“…What?”

He meant the wall between their rooms. Just tear it out and make it one big room.

It might’ve sounded like a solution if she’d been half-delirious, but unfortunately (for him), Rodella was perfectly lucid.

“Would that solve anything? Are we supposed to sit on the floor on opposite sides and sleep that way?”

Or maybe… drag the beds close enough to lie down with one arm awkwardly stretched out?

That might… might work, if they were fine with their backs aching for days.

Shaking off that idiotic idea, Rodella waved a hand.

“Never mind. Let’s just sleep. It’s not a big deal.”

“…What?”

This time, it was Aivert whose eyes widened.

Rodella gestured casually toward her room.

“If your room’s uncomfortable, you can sleep in mine.”

That made him pause.

“If you don’t like that, we can use your room. Though—ah, mine is smaller, huh?”

She then casually threw open his door.

“Pardon the intrusion.”

She was definitely going to keep intruding for a while, but she figured she’d say it anyway.

Aivert followed her in, his face unreadable.  

His hand—the one chained to hers—was awkwardly extended forward to avoid pulling her arm.

“If you wake up in the middle of the night, just wake me up. But honestly, neither of us really stirs in our sleep. I don’t think it’ll be a problem.”

She waved a hand again.

There’s no way he’d do anything weird. They were engaged. No one was going to think anything of it.  

Now that she thought about it… this really wasn’t something worth stressing over.

Rodella turned to face him.

“There’s just one thing you’ll need to be okay with.”

“What is it?”

Aivert was already bracing himself for the worst, when her next words dropped like a stone on his head.