Chapter 8
“The lady is already resting inside.”
Baroness Robert, whom Kaon encountered in the hallway, delivered the news and then withdrew. Her face suggested she already knew what Kaon had heard.
It was ridiculous to think about it again—how Kaon was the only one who hadn’t known what everyone else did.
Even Joseph knew! Kaon was reminded once again that there was no one in this world he could trust.
Kaon let out a deep sigh as he stared at the closed door. He couldn’t just stand there forever—he needed to go in eventually. But it was hard to summon the courage to face the lady.
He reached for the doorknob but stopped himself and turned to look out the window instead, hoping to buy just a few more moments of time. However, there was another reason he couldn’t take his eyes off the window: his reflection.
“What’s with my hair?”
Just a moment ago, his hair had been tidy, but now it looked like a bird’s nest. It seemed his habit of ruffling his hair when things didn’t go his way had kicked in again.
Looking like a nest where a couple of magpies might happily live, Kaon quickly began tidying his hair.
Clack.
It was then that the sound of the doorknob turning echoed. Reflexively turning, Kaon saw the lady peeking her head out through a slightly opened door.
“……”
“……”
A short silence passed between them. Kaon had been fixing his hair using his fingers and the window as a mirror. It was too late to pretend he was just looking outside, as his fingers were still tangled in his hair.
Feeling awkward, Kaon slowly lowered his hand. He never liked being seen while fixing his appearance, especially not by the lady.
It wouldn’t look good for a knight to care too much about his looks. Worse, it might seem like he was overly conscious of her—which he wasn’t. But if the lady misunderstood, it could be a big problem.
“This door opens too. I came in from the other side,” she said.
Once again, it was the lady who spoke first. With a bright smile, she pointed to the left-hand door a bit farther away.
Since the room had originally been two separate rooms that were later combined into one, it made sense that there were two doors. The lady, unaware of that history, found it fascinating.
Whether it was intentional or not, she always seemed to steer the conversation at just the right moment, which Kaon found incredibly helpful.
She didn’t stop there. She fully opened the door, and with a welcoming gesture, palm up, she spoke to the still-standing Kaon.
“Come in. We’re sharing this room, after all.”
She brought up the topic Kaon had been agonizing over so easily. There wasn’t even a hint of displeasure or surprise. On the contrary, she looked so calm that Kaon, who had been tense the entire time, now felt foolish.
“I suppose this is your side of the room. I’m sorry I looked around without asking. I was curious if both sides were the same. I’ve never seen a room like this before.”
“It’s a perfectly natural curiosity. Please don’t worry about it.”
The two of them entered the room together. The door led into Kaon’s side. The room itself was splendid, and Kaon had clearly paid extra attention since it was a shared space. Thankfully, the bathroom and beds were separate on each side.
Kaon was casually looking around the room when he paused at one point.
“The curtain is cute, isn’t it?”
“…I’ll make sure it’s replaced immediately.”
A sheer lace curtain hung in the connecting passage between the two rooms. But it was so thin that you could clearly see the silhouette on the other side—not even worthy of being called a “minimal partition.”
It would have been better if it weren’t there at all. Its presence just made the atmosphere of the room feel oddly awkward.
“My lady.”
Determined to get rid of it no matter what, Kaon cautiously addressed the lady.
He meant to apologize for making her share a room, acknowledge the inconvenience, and tell her to use the space as she pleased. He had another room across the hall and would use that instead.
He had to say it—not as the son of Ferdinand, but at least as her fiancé. Kaon believed it was the right thing to do.
“Sir Kaon, Sir Ferdinand, Kaon Ferdinand.”
“……?”
“Kaon.”
But the lady’s next words completely disarmed Kaon. She playfully called his name in various forms, then tilted her head and looked at him.
“Shouldn’t we start calling each other more casually? I mean, we are engaged, after all.”
“……”
Her crimson eyes blinked slowly as if waiting for a response. Kaon knew he had to say something, but he couldn’t open his mouth easily.
Kaon, Kaon…
The way Alesia said his name echoed in his head. A name he had heard all his life suddenly felt unfamiliar.
Has my name always sounded so soft? So ticklish? No one had ever called his name like it was made of feathers.
“If I was being rude, I’m sorry. I just… wanted to be closer to you.”
While Kaon was still caught in confusion, the lady misinterpreted his silence and bit her lip apologetically. Her anxious expression showed her discomfort clearly.
“No, not at all. You weren’t rude. I’ll call you Alesia as well—so let’s speak comfortably.”
Kaon, who had been blankly staring at her long white lashes drooping sadly, quickly waved his hands and reassured her.
Only then did Alesia place her hands over her chest and let out a soft sigh of relief.
If it had been anyone else, Kaon might have thought they were being overly dramatic, but it suited Alesia perfectly—as if she was born to be that way. Be it person or animal, cuteness softened judgment.
What am I saying? It’s like I’m calling the lady cute!
There was no one around to hear, yet Kaon hastily denied his own thoughts. Not quite like that, but sort of… maybe… he corrected himself silently.
Then, as she had once before, Alesia reached her hand out to him. Their eyes met, and she smiled softly.
“I’m looking forward to life here. Please take care of me, Kaon.”
“I hope you enjoy your time in Ferdinand.”
Alesia.
When he added her name softly, her eyes curved beautifully in response. Her blooming smile lingered in Kaon’s mind.
Dinner was held in a quiet atmosphere.
Polite questions and answers were exchanged: whether the trip had been pleasant, whether the room was to her liking, if she needed anything else, and so on.
Leonidas, never a man of many words, ended the evening with a simple, “I hope you live here without discomfort.”
“The cooks at Ferdinand are excellent. The roast turkey was divine! And that cream sauce—so smooth! I was surprised it wasn’t heavy at all!”
Climbing the stairs after dinner, Alesia excitedly talked about how good the food was.
Her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes sparkled brightly. It was the happiest Kaon had seen her since they met.
She looked like someone who wouldn’t eat much, he thought.
She was thin and small, so he assumed she was picky, but Alesia actually ate very well. It was refreshing to Kaon and made her feel more approachable, less like someone from another world.
“Oh, and the dessert was amazing! What was that pink cream made from?”
“I believe the color comes from powdered strawberries.”
“Oh my! Really? Who would think of such a thing? That’s amazing!”
When Kaon shared what the chef had proudly boasted once, Alesia gasped with genuine surprise.
Does Engelos not have dessert? Kaon wondered.
The colorful, sweet dessert craze had spread from the capital’s social circles to all corners of the kingdom years ago. Nobles would spend lavishly on chefs just to showcase their wealth through gourmet treats.
In Ferdinand’s case, their chef had heard the trend and wanted to improve his own skills—no one had stopped him.
Engelos wasn’t some no-name house either. It was a proper duchy.
Still, they probably couldn’t afford to spend on dessert when money was so tight that they had to rely on former enemies.
“In Engelos, we don’t place much value on gourmet food.”
Alesia’s timely comment clarified things. She disliked light and warmth, didn’t care for food… Were all mages just vampires in disguise?
Kaon held his tongue. He was more intrigued by something else now.
Is she just really perceptive?
What he once thought was coincidence now seemed like sharp intuition. Even without a word, Alesia often caught on to the mood right away.
Compared to other mages who seemed to have sold their awareness in bulk, this was an extraordinary trait.
As they chatted, they reached the second floor quickly. Stopping in front of Alesia’s room, Kaon took a breath.
“Alesia. I’ll sleep in my own room. You’ll be more comfortable on your own, so please don’t feel pressured.”
He finally delivered the message he’d prepared over dinner.
“But Kaon, wasn’t this arranged so we could stay together? Is it really okay?”
Alesia blinked in surprise and asked in a cautious tone.
“You don’t need to worry about that. You’ll need time to adjust to this unfamiliar place, so your comfort matters to me too.”
Kaon responded firmly, nodding as if to say it was no trouble at all.
He might get scolded by Leonidas, or nagged by Baroness Robert, but he could deal with that.
He already expected a future of cold stares and chilly treatment—he didn’t need to add himself to the list of discomforts.
“Thank you, Kaon. I truly appreciate your thoughtfulness.”
“It’s only natural. From the beginning…”
Kaon stopped himself.
He was about to say “From the beginning, it was ridiculous to be told to share a room out of nowhere,” but he didn’t want to speak ill of Leonidas’s decision.
Instead, he said simply, “Then I’ll see you tomorrow, Alesia. Have a good night.”
Turning away, Kaon walked toward his own room across the hall, feeling unexpectedly proud. He thought he handled it well—like a true knight who never abandons a comrade. Alesia was his fiancée, and that made them comrades in fate.
Just as he reached his door and placed his hand on the knob…
Clack, clack.
“……?”
The door didn’t open. An ominous sound echoed through the quiet corridor.
Clack, clack.
Clack clack clack, thump thump, clack clack clack clack.
No matter how much he turned or knocked, the door wouldn’t budge.
A cold dread washed over Kaon. He quickly began checking the rest of the rooms on the second floor.
His worst fears came true. None of the doors opened.
