He turned to look at her leisurely, as expected.

But when Jade opened her mouth, a breathless sound came out instead of a polite greeting.

“Uh, huk…”

“Lady Jade? Are you alright?”

Grace Tanner raised her voice, sounding bewildered.

But the gray eyes that she had to crane her neck to meet were calmly waiting for her. Though it might be her imagination, they even seemed to hold a hint of expectation.

Jade took a long time to catch her breath before speaking.

“I apologize for my rudeness. I have a question to ask.”

“What is it?”

Jade felt a cool sensation spreading from where they touched. He was still cooler than her. Even in this, she could know and feel him.

“You said your name was Leon Vaintz. Leon, Vaintz. Is that correct?”

“It is.”

“I see. Have we perhaps met before?”

Yes, in fact, Axel could have been an alias. Leon might be his real name used outside. She wouldn’t be upset, since she herself had hidden her surname Broen. He must have his reasons.

If so, just give a small signal. Even a look or gesture would be fine.

With just that much, she felt she could patiently wait for him to explain. After all, we shared that time in the forest.

But Lord Leon stared at her for a moment before slightly curving his lips.

“Isn’t that a rather cliché approach?”

“Pardon?”

He jerked his chin as if telling her to look around.

Everyone walking in the corridor was staring at Jade and Axel. Their faces were full of interest, looking extremely amused as if they had found something entertaining to watch.

What’s going on?

As Jade made a bewildered face, Axel leaned in close. She tried to step back reflexively, but his lips were already near her ear.

A low voice whispered gently. His breath seemed to cling stickily to her ear…

“Asking if we’ve met before, your pickup line is too cliché. I’d like to see you come up with a better method.”

Jade was appalled.

“That’s not what I meant!”

“Jade Broen.”

The man who put particular emphasis on ‘Broen’ straightened up and politely removed her hand. Jade felt a chill run through her.

“Have a good night.”

The man left those words before striding away.

Grace Tanner blinked a few times before moving to follow him, and even the people who had been watching with interest slowly dispersed, leaving the corridor deserted.

Someone approached Jade as she stood dazed with her mouth half open.

“Well, he tends to have very little interest in women.”

A kind voice consoled her. Her face flushed hot. At the same time, the embarrassment faded, replaced by anger.

Jade gritted her teeth.

“I’m fi-ine.”

“Don’t be too sad. You’ll probably forget all about it by tomorrow. He’s the type to strictly separate public and private matters.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. Lord Ives, have a good night as well!”

She felt foolish for expecting even a small clue. He had been consistent from the moment they met.

Right, he had decided to pretend not to know her.

Stomping her feet on the floor, Jade headed for her assigned room.

Good night indeed, it was set to be an irritating and infuriating night.

She had been wanting to see Axel and then met Axel, but Axel said he wasn’t Axel.

Not once had she imagined such a reunion.

Having barely slept, Jade crawled out of her room with dark circles under her eyes. Knowing she would have to sleep in barracks or run-down farmhouses on future expeditions, she felt gloomy and regretful. It should have been her last night in a space with a proper ceiling.

Her face reflected in the water, with dark circles under her eyes, looked terrible even to herself, but she encountered trouble as soon as she emerged. It was because she ran into Rigel in the corridor.

“What’s wrong with your face? It’s all puffy and looks awful.”

“Did you contribute to it?”

Growling in response to his initial attack, Rigel glared at her instead. It was slightly intriguing, as it was the first time he had taken off his mask and shown such an expression.

“With a face like that, shameless in the corridor.”

“What are you talking about?”

“So Lady Jade had a thing for knights after all? Well, all mages pretend otherwise but they’re all the same. Obsessed with that strange custom!”

As the exchange moved increasingly towards riddles, Jade’s eyes widened.

“Can you say what you want to say briefly and simply?”

“Shamelessly in the corridor, grabbing the wrist of a man you’ve just met, asking if you’ve seen him before, flirting.”

Rigel was getting more and more agitated as he spoke. His face was flushed with anger, though she didn’t know why.

Wondering what on earth he was talking about, Jade recalled yesterday’s events and cried out, wanting to tear her hair out.

“Oh for heaven’s sake, that’s not it! Who did you hear this from!”

“It’s all over the command. Act more modestly, will you? You were going on about receiving suitors in the capital, and now here you’re…! You’re no better than that greedy Viscount Dalang!”

“Huh….”

Viscount Dalang, who had three secret lovers in addition to her husband, was infamous for the incident where they came to the estate and fought, pulling each other’s hair. In the midst of it all, Viscount Dalang was reportedly contemplating the order in which to comfort them first.

It was unfair to even be compared. Jade was actually quite late in receiving suitors and had been spotlessly clean of any other rumors until now.

She hadn’t even properly attended any parties, and the few she went to were very proper ones! Everyone just recited poetry and conversed, not even holding hands to dance!

Shocked, Jade shook her head vigorously.

“I’m telling you, I just asked because I thought I might know him!”

“The Commander-in-Chief? A knight with a name you’ve never heard before? I don’t think anyone else will see it that way.”

Right, they wouldn’t.

In the end, her voice came out deflated.

“Well that’s just great, since I’m looking for a suitor anyway, it’s better if it looks that way. At least it shows I’m willing to get married. They’ll all think I must be quite picky about looks.”

Rigel, who had been throwing a tantrum, stood silent for a while before mumbling awkwardly.

“Is, is Lord Leon handsome?”

“If I said that face was ugly, I’d have to be blind.”

No matter how annoyed she was, she couldn’t deny it. That man was truly as magnificent as a living statue. He had been that way even in the forest when simply dressed, so there was no need to even mention how he looked now after putting in effort.

Rigel blinked at her response. The gentle movement of his white eyelashes somehow looked pitiful.

Oh, come to think of it, when did he get so tall? I have to look up at him now? And he’s two years younger than me.

As Jade was suddenly surprised, Rigel spoke again.

“Anyway, you’re saying it’s not true? That you’re not interested in him.”

“He said he doesn’t know me, so no.”

“Then I’ll tell people who ask that you weren’t trying to seduce him.”

“Please spread the word, will you?”

No sooner had Jade finished speaking than Rigel turned and left. Somehow his footsteps seemed lighter, as if he had shed a heavy burden.

“…”

Surely not, right? He’s a mage and needs a knight for his pair. Even though many families don’t force it these days, the Hias family is also deeply traditional…

Jade scratched her cheek.

It seemed she had become sensitive after going through various things. Or perhaps she was overestimating her own charms.

Just then, her puffy face was reflected in a glass display case.

“Puhah, with this face? Dream on, Jade Broen.”

Jade walked out giggling.

The size of the subjugation force was not very large. This was possible because the force did not require many soldiers.

Powerful mages and powerful knights. Whether they were proper pairs or not, they displayed tremendous power in killing monsters without discrimination. So there was no need to bring along many soldiers and complicate supply issues.

Jade finished preparing to depart. Looking out the window, the sunlight was good so she chose only slightly thinner clothes.

The hat was designed to be secured under the chin with a string, but she tied it loosely so it could be flipped back. She layered her top, wore a skirt without decorations that came down to her knees over pants, and tightly laced up black boots.

With a cloak of moderate thickness draped over, it was perfect. It was an outfit that would not be uncomfortable even riding a horse for a long time.

Finally, she tied the pouch containing magic stones to her belt and left the building.

“Haha, you look like a little fairy.”

“…Little?”

Of course, it must have been a compliment. After all, he had added the modifier ‘fairy’.

But Jade had many complaints about being just a tiny, tiny bit short, so her eyes narrowed slightly. The knight with impressive dimples smiled and passed by.

“Both Mom and Dad were tall.”

Why am I… Along with disgruntled muttering, Jade began walking towards where the horses were gathered. Since they would be riding for a long time, she planned to give her horse some of its favorite sugar cubes.

The horse she brought was named Dilly and had characteristically very light brown fur.

Sometimes Jade thought it looked like her own hair color, just a bit darker. It was a gentle-natured horse that ate well without being picky, remaining affectionate even through long hardships.

“I should give it some water too… Huh?”

But an unexpected event occurred. A muscular black horse that had been wandering freely under a tree strode over.

That stunningly beautiful horse looked very familiar. Even its wayward wandering and strange prancing when in a good mood were exactly the same.

Jade narrowed her eyes.

“…Mimi?”