Chapter 29

All work inevitably comes with follow-up tasks.

Even though morning had come fresh and clear, Rodella’s duties didn’t pause—not even in the face of the disaster named “handcuffs” that had struck the Azure Knights.

Right. Nothing’s changed from yesterday, except this guy had to be sitting or standing to her left at all times now?

“You might as well help with the paperwork.”

Since Aivert was ambidextrous, doing paperwork wouldn’t be too much of a hassle for him. And yet, he was firm.

“No, I’ll just watch.”

He hated looking at a single sheet of paper more than swinging a sword a thousand times. So, he claimed a seat right next to Rodella.

And then—

“……”

He started dozing off.

His work ethic was truly astounding.

“Did you not sleep well?”

He’d always been someone who slept lightly when others were nearby. On top of that, Aivert was the kind of person who flinched like he’d break if someone even brushed against him.

“Well, I guess last night must’ve been tough for you.”

She said it while looking at Aivert with his eyes closed.

Even though he told her not to worry, really.

Watching him sleep sitting up stirred a twinge of sympathy, but it wasn’t like they could move to a bed to work, so she let him be.

“Sleep well.”

He was sleeping surprisingly comfortably, as if he’d mastered the art of sleeping while sitting up. Touching him might just tire him more.

So, Rodella decided to finish the paperwork as quickly as possible.

She’d fallen asleep immediately the night before out of exhaustion—but still, it was the first time she’d ever fallen asleep with someone else, especially a boy, lying beside her.

“……”

Ugh. She scratched her cheek.

The memory was funny in hindsight. They used to roll around and play together as kids.

Of course, Aivert used to recoil every time they touched—but it wasn’t for that kind of reason.

He once said her touch felt like the whole world would shatter, like he was holding a glass sculpture.

“Then I’ll just have to touch you more!”

Young Rodella would tease him, tickling him until he squirmed. That was back before they were even ten.

For some reason, that memory felt strangely poignant now.

Aivert had once told her that it was around that time he’d learned to control his strength and energy.

Last night was probably easier on him than back then.

She’d heard he didn’t break beds in his sleep anymore.

Rodella shook her head and focused back on her paperwork.

[Report on the Arrest of “Thousand Faces”]

Of course, the report conveniently left out the fact that the two of them had been handcuffed together.

“…That part wasn’t crucial to the case, anyway.”

Rodella rationalized it as she finished up.

That afternoon, news reached both families—that due to the handcuffs, the two had ended up unintentionally sharing a bed for the night.

Both the Royden and Syveric families, naturally, responded the same way.

“WHAT??”

Chaos erupted.

* * *

Count Raimund Syveric, Rodella’s father, was a conservative man.  

He firmly believed that men and women should never share a bed before marriage.  

However—  

“If Rodella chose him, then I should respect that.”  

—he was a doting father first and foremost.  

“Of course, if that brat Aivert laid a single finger on Rodella without permission…”  

“Dear, did you just call the Duke a brat?”  

Regardless of their private relationship, Aivert Royden was still a Duke of the Empire.  

“Oh.”  

Only then did Raimund snap back to his senses.  

Even so, he didn’t retract the word “brat.”  

Surely… he wouldn’t have done anything indecent?  

If he had, Raimund didn’t care if the boy was a genius swordsman born of the famed Royden family, known throughout the Empire for their mastery of the blade—  

He would break that neck with his own hands.  

And Rodella’s mother—his wife—  

“Oh, why the scary face? They’ll be married soon anyway.”  

—was humming a tune.  

“I’ll just ask her later what happened.”  

Her heart fluttered with curiosity.  

What could’ve happened? A sweet, heart-thumping tale of young love, perhaps?  

They had shared a bed for the first time, after all!  

Meanwhile, at the Royden estate, the moment Duchess Royden heard the news, she gasped.  

“What? Goodness gracious!”  

A short cry escaped her lips as she covered her mouth with a hand—though only for a moment.  

“Then…!”  

There was much to say, but she seemed to be carefully choosing her words as she closed her eyes.  

She had always been a prudent woman, even when she ruled high society as the Duchess Royden.  

Because she rarely spoke recklessly, her words carried great weight—especially in her youth.  

Had the nobles who remembered that era seen her now, they would have held their breath.  

Unfortunately, the one witnessing this scene was merely a senior knight of the Azure Order.  

The matter of the handcuffs was supposed to be strictly confidential.  

But even the knight was tense, not knowing how to respond as the Duchess stood with her eyes closed, silently simmering.  

And then—when she opened her eyes,  

Clap!  

She struck her palms together, her face flushed bright red.  

“This is the perfect chance to have them move in together!”  

“Pardon? I believe the handcuffs can be removed quite easily—”  

“Still, might as well let them settle in!”  

“Excuse me??”  

The knight had no way of knowing that the Duchess had once been known as an incredibly decisive woman in her youth.  

Behind the flustered knight, the Royden household staff bowed their heads.  

“We shall carry out your orders immediately.”  

At that sight, the senior knight quietly stepped back.  

‘Why does this noble family feel more militant than the actual knight order…?’

* * *

Whether it was a blessing or a curse, the two of them didn’t have to leave the Azure Knights’ headquarters for a while.

However, since strength control training still had to be conducted, the two excused themselves under the pretense of handling paperwork, and the other senior knights took over leading the training.

“Gentler! Think of it like you’re holding a baby! If that’s too hard, start with handling wood first!”

One of the senior knights shouted exactly what Rodella used to say.

The knights standing before him weren’t the ones Rodella had trained personally—they were from other branches of the Azure Knights.

Officers from different regional branches and the headquarters are rotated regularly—not all at once, but gradually in small numbers.  

In short, there would always come a time when new knights arrived who hadn’t undergone the infamous “egg training.”

So it was only natural that the training would need to be led again.

In the midst of this, as knights came and went, Latine made sure to minimize Aivert and Rodella’s exposure—lest any “unnecessary rumors” start spreading.

—Crunch!

Still, at least there had been some progress.  

Even the knights who used to crush eggs just by touching them were slowly improving their control under the senior knights’ guidance.  

Not quite to the level of those trained directly by Rodella, but progress nonetheless.

As for senior knights from other branches who had to meet with the two—  

Latine “persuaded” them:

“If the Red Knights catch wind of this, we’ll be the laughingstock of the Empire. The commander’s counting on you guys.”

…Why that actually worked was a mystery, but the Azure Knights’ grudge against the Red Knights ran deep.  

So for now, it seemed no one was going to talk.

Of course, no secret lasts forever.

Just in case, they needed a solid excuse prepared for the handcuffs situation.  

The best option, naturally, was for Felix at the branch to finish the key as soon as possible and unlock them before any incident occurred.

In the meantime, while both families continued preparing a residence for the two, Rodella remained focused on her duties.

Change began to blow through the Azure Knights.

Previous quartermasters had all stuck to saying things like “try not to break too much”—in the most elegant words possible.

But Rodella? She presented far more practical solutions.

“Control your strength to minimize damage—but if you think you won’t be able to save someone because of it, then don’t bother controlling it.”

In other words: if it’s a choice between breaking everything or failing to save someone—break it all.

She was clearly different from her predecessors, who had cared only about minimizing costs to an extreme.

The fact that she taught them how to control their strength, too?

The Azure Knights all thought the same thing: Even if she weren’t the Vice Commander’s fiancée, there’d be no way they could let this quartermaster go.

‘We’ve got to show her some real change. Make her want to stay!’

Their efforts?

Soon began to show up—clearly and measurably—in the numbers.