Episode 28

Episode 28. Someone I Can’t Take My Eyes Off

Training grounds of the 2nd Imperial Knights Division.

Conrad approached Leonard and asked:

“Where on earth have you been?”

“Why do you want to know that?”

Leonard replied, sounding annoyed.

But Conrad only grew more persistent.

“Because ever since you joined the Order, you haven’t taken a single day off. Then suddenly you disappear for two whole days? Of course I’m curious.”

We’re all dying to know!

Other knights nearby chimed in with eager agreement.

“Wait… did you go to see Her Majesty the Empress?”

Conrad asked sharply.

“And if I did?”

Leonard responded calmly.

“Oh, come on. You’re saying you really did?”

Conrad looked genuinely shocked.

He hadn’t truly expected it. And yet, somehow…

“If I could turn back time, I’d go shut my own mouth for saying something so ridiculous.”

“Ridiculous?”

Leonard tilted his head slightly.

Conrad sighed heavily.

“It’s my fault this all happened. I told you that under normal circumstances, there’d be no way to be assigned as Her Majesty’s escort.”

“Ah. I forgot to thank you for that.”

“…Sorry, what?”

“You were a great help.”

“Wait, don’t tell me you’re referring to that bizarre ‘lover’ declaration at the banquet?”

“Of course I am.”

“Captain!”

Conrad looked like he wanted to faint.

Leonard, meanwhile, wore a look that said, What’s the problem?

“You’re not seriously telling me you meant that? It wasn’t a joke?”

“Naturally, I was serious.”

“Unbelievable.”

“Is that really so surprising?”

“Of course it is! You called yourself Her Majesty’s lover! Even if you wanted to become her escort, that’s just too extreme!”

“Because I didn’t just need to be her escort.”

“That’s even worse! What on earth could you possibly be lacking to do something like this? This is a joke, right? Please tell me this is a joke!”

Just then—

“I’ve come to see Sir Leonard.”

A warm voice called out from across the field.

Leonard’s head turned instinctively.

His eyes widened slightly in surprise.

“Your Majesty…?”

It was just before noon when I left the Empress’s Palace.

I was on my way to find Leonard.

“He’s at the training grounds, right?”

“Yes, Madam. Guard Alphonse passed along the message earlier.”

Guard Alphonse?

It seemed he was one of the informants who once worked under me.

I’d told them they didn’t need to continue working for me, but apparently they were still waiting on my orders.

It was a bit overwhelming—but admittedly convenient.

The imperial palace was unnecessarily vast.

Just to reach the knights’ quarters from the Empress’s Palace, I had to take a carriage.

Still… was an eight-horse carriage really necessary?

It felt like calling a luxury limo just to visit the restroom.

Ridiculous—but kind of thrilling too, since I’d never experienced such extravagance in my previous life.

The training grounds, when I arrived by carriage, were a wide-open space filled with over a hundred knights in the middle of their drills.

The moment I arrived with my ladies-in-waiting, every eye turned toward us.

“Her Majesty the Empress?”

“I’ve come to see Sir Leonard.”

“Y-You mean the captain? Please wait here for a moment—”

“No need. I see him already. No need to trouble yourselves.”

I turned down the knight’s offer to escort me and began walking across the field with my ladies trailing behind.

“Who’s that?”

“Her Majesty?”

“What brings Her Majesty to the training grounds?”

“Haven’t you heard the rumor?”

“No way… she’s here to see the captain?!”

The knights were brimming with curiosity as they watched me approach.

If I’d known I’d attract this much attention, I would have just called for Leonard instead.

It was too late to regret it now.

About halfway across the grounds, Leonard came running.

“Your Majesty.”

He must have rushed over the moment he heard—he hadn’t even had time to change.

“……!”

Seeing him run toward me shirtless, my eyes widened in surprise.

His body, hardened from years of training, looked like a sculpture carved from gemstone.

His broad shoulders moved with every breath, tapering down into a trim, solid waist.

His entire upper body was finely toned, lined with lean, defined muscle.

Sweat from his workout traced the ridges of his torso as it rolled down his skin.

No. Focus.

Stay calm.

“I—I must’ve come at a bad time. I’ll come back later…”

Flustered, I turned quickly.

I just wanted to escape the awkwardness.

“It’s not a bad time. Not at all.”

Leonard’s steps only grew faster.

“No, really, I’ll return another—”

But when I looked up, I found myself face-to-face with his bare chest.

“If you leave like this, I doubt you’ll ever come back.”

Oh no.

It felt like he’d just read my mind.

Why was he so sharp at times like this?

Leonard chuckled softly as he caught my expression.

That smile—its impact was truly something.

“The captain’s… smiling?”

“Is that really him? The man known for being all blood and no tears?”

“The same guy who makes you run laps just for glancing the wrong way… is smiling?”

At Leonard’s smile, the knights went from shocked to outright appalled.

Their stunned reactions made me tilt my head in confusion.

Is his smiling that strange?

He had been a bit stiff when we first met, but since then, he’d smiled at me fairly often.

Were they teasing me?

Well, to be fair, I had barged in with ladies-in-waiting in tow…

Maybe I was being a bit thoughtless.

Still, in the middle of all that confusion, my eyes kept wandering.

No matter how much I tried to will them away, they kept drifting toward… that.

Stay calm. It’s just a body.

No—it’s just a sculpture. That’s it. A sculpture. Who walks around looking like that in real life? That kind of physique belongs in a museum. If it moves and talks, that’s basically illegal!

I was doing my best to regain composure when—

“Your wrist…”

Leonard was looking at it.

“Oh! Cedric treated it. Looks good as new, right?”

“…Cedric?”

Leonard tilted his head.

“The mage. The one who helped us that time…”

“Ah.”

He nodded, recognition dawning on his face.

“The one who saved us that day. I remember being surprised—he used all sorts of magic without even chanting. I didn’t realize he could heal as well.”

“I know, right? I thought he was just obsessed with flowers, but turns out he’s actually incredibly skilled.”

“Flowers…?”

“Long story.”

“…I see.”

Leonard’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“I was worried it might scar. Glad to see it didn’t.”

“It wasn’t that serious, yet everyone seems weirdly obsessed with my wrist.”

“Who else… showed interest in it?”

“His Majesty. He actually came to see me early this morning, out of nowhere.”

The moment I said it, Leonard’s gaze darkened.

“His Majesty visited you?”

“Out of the blue. But all he did was talk nonsense.”

“…I see.”

“……?”

His expression shifted again.

But the change vanished in an instant, leaving me wondering if I imagined it.

Was I seeing things?

“So what brings Your Majesty here?”

“We haven’t seen each other since that day.”

Leonard’s lips curved into a soft smile.

“You were worried about me.”

“Well, yes, but—it’s not what you think! I just really wanted to thank you, that’s all.”

Even with my firm denial, his smile didn’t fade.

“I won’t misunderstand, Your Majesty.”

That face. That’s definitely the face of someone misunderstanding.

“Here. Take this.”

I handed him a small pouch.

“May I ask what it is?”

“In case you were hurt anywhere. The maids packed it full of medicinal herbs and remedies.”

I pulled out each item and began explaining.

“This one’s for scrapes, this helps with fever and pain, that hard-looking thing’s apparently good for sleep—they said to use just a fingernail-sized amount. And that over there’s for colds…”

Leonard’s expression twisted into something between a laugh and a grimace.

“That’s… quite a lot.”

“You never know what you’ll need. But really—are you feeling alright?”

He raised both arms.

“Perfectly fine.”

And it was true—his body showed no sign of injury.

Still uneasy, I circled around him, scanning every inch.

“You took so many poisoned darts—I can’t believe you came out unscathed.”

His neck and shoulders were fine.

Chest looked good too, and even the hard-to-see spots on his back appeared uninjured.

“There’s a small scar on your waist. Looks old…”

“Yes.”

Leonard’s expression turned distant.

“A scar from my childhood. Honestly, I don’t even remember how I got it.”

“If you ever have time, come to the Empress’s Palace. Cedric might even be able to erase old scars.”

“…Understood.”

“Arms look fine, legs don’t seem injured either…”

“Um… Your Majesty?”

“Yes?”

“…Perhaps it would be better to conduct such a detailed examination somewhere… more private?”

“Examination?”

I looked up—and saw Leonard wearing an awkward expression.

“Ah!”

Only then did I realize what I’d been doing.

Good heavens.

I’d been scrutinizing his shirtless body in front of an entire audience!

My face flushed hot.

“W-Well, you seem to be in good condition, thankfully. I’ll be going now.”

I stammered, turned around, and fled.

I couldn’t even tell what I was doing—I just knew I had to move, fast.

What am I doing?!

I screamed internally.

I wanted to disappear into a hole somewhere.

“Your Majesty.”

Please don’t call me that.

I’m not here.

In fact, I’ll just become cosmic dust.

Goodbye, everyone.

The troublesome villainess shall now dissolve into stardust and vanish.

Please forget me.

“I-I’ll see you again lat—whoa!”

I’d been walking too fast—and stumbled.

A sharp pain shot through my leg as I collapsed.

“Ah!”

I braced for impact, shutting my eyes tight.

But the pain never came.

Instead of a cold, hard floor, I felt strong, warm arms catch me.

And above my head, a low voice murmured—

“Truly… you’re someone I just can’t take my eyes off of.”