“Sir Knight? Why have you returned?”

The White Knight Order’s stable keeper rushed out upon discovering Ian.

“Please look after my horse.”

“You seem to have been caught in the rain too, sir. Are you alright?”

Ian handed the reins to the stable keeper and rushed off to the dueling grounds without answering. Finally, he stopped in front of the dueling grounds and caught his breath.

Ian’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he recalled that he hadn’t encountered a single person on the not-so-short distance from the stables to the dueling grounds.

The duel was not over yet. Behind this door, Rosebelia would be dueling with the knight called Conrad.

Ian exhaled sharply and gripped the door handle firmly. Inside the dueling grounds was deathly silent except for the chilling sound of clashing swords.

Ian’s gaze, standing motionless in front of the door, went straight to the center of the dueling grounds.

‘Can this even be called a duel?’

The duel was one-sided. Rosebelia was on the offensive, while Conrad was barely managing to defend.

As Conrad, who had been pushed back the entire time, took an offensive stance, Ian clenched his fist for a moment.

As if mocking his concern, Rosebelia easily dismantled Conrad’s attack and instead exploited the opening.

Conrad’s skill objectively didn’t seem bad, but Rosebelia’s swordsmanship was on a completely different level.

Her judgment was always one step ahead, as if predicting her opponent’s movements in advance.

Especially her thrusting motion while pretending to step back was so fast it couldn’t be countered even if anticipated.

‘The outcome of the duel seems to have been decided long ago, so why isn’t it ending?’

The duel, which had seemed like a sparring match pointing out Conrad’s weaknesses one by one, ended with Rosebelia sending Conrad’s sword flying through the air.

“The duel is Lord Rosebelia’s victory.”

At Renart’s declaration, the White Knight Order members who had been watching the duel with bated breath burst into cheers all at once. She sheathed her sword, shook hands with Conrad, and removed her helmet.

As her face was revealed amidst the cascading golden hair, Ian swallowed hard.

Just seeing her smile made his heart race as if it wasn’t his own.

He slowly raised his hand to his chest. The intense heartbeat spread through his entire body from his palm. He felt like the thunderous pounding might deafen him.

‘You have begun your first love.’

Ian couldn’t easily believe those words Nathan had declared to him.

No, he couldn’t fully accept his words because he didn’t know the emotion of love.

But now he seemed to understand a little. At least in this moment, he could be certain of one thing.

That nothing in this world could shine brighter than her smiling face.

*

“Lord Conrad, do you accept the result?”

“Huh? O-Of course I accept.”

Despite his words of acceptance, Conrad’s expression still seemed dazed.

“That’s good. From now on, you must address female knights properly…”

Suddenly, an out-of-place figure caught my eye.

Ian?

The face at the dueling grounds’ door was indeed Ian’s. The problem was that unlike those inside the dueling grounds, he was completely drenched.

Hadn’t he returned to the palace?

I rushed past Conrad, who seemed to be muttering something, to the door of the dueling grounds. Then I chased after Ian, who was running back into the rain.

“Klein? Is that you?”

Ian stopped abruptly at my question.

“Please go inside. It’s raining heavily.”

“Didn’t you go home?”

“I came back because I left something behind…”

Did he come to retrieve what he left behind and then come to the dueling grounds after hearing I was in a duel?

“You could have gotten it later. Did you come all this way in this rain?”

Ian’s appearance up close was even more pitiful. He was soaked from head to toe, and water droplets thicker than raindrops were dripping from the epaulettes on his uniform shoulders.

“I’m fine.”

“You couldn’t even sleep properly…”

Words about why he did such a foolish thing rose to the tip of my tongue.

“Are you worried about me now?”

“Am I not supposed to be worried?”

I quickly placed my hand on Ian’s forehead. Unlike the slight fever from the morning, his forehead was burning hot.

“You have a fever? When you go back, we should call a carriage… No, how about staying at the knight’s dormitory tonight?”

You must have been caught in the rain on your way here, and if you were caught in this rain again on your way back, it would be strange if you were fine.

“The dormitory?”

“Yes. You should change your clothes first.”

*

“Rose said she’s staying at the knight’s dormitory tonight?”

“Yes.”

Olivia, who had been staring gloomily at the entirely gray sky, curled up the corners of her lips.

“She might as well stay there forever.”

Margaret whispered, looking around.

“My lady, someone might hear.”

“They say there’s no woman David Collins hasn’t been with, yet he can’t seduce the wooden Rosebelia.”

Whether the rumors about David Collins were exaggerated, or Rosebelia was not an easy opponent.

“My lady, isn’t Miss Rosebelia at the knight’s order?”

“So?”

“There are many men in the knight’s order, surely there must be some decent-looking ones. Even if Miss Rosebelia is wooden, she must have some eye for men.”

It was quite a reasonable point. Olivia waved her hand as if telling her to continue, and Margaret went on.

“Didn’t Lord David Collins say that Miss Rosebelia left with some man?”

“That’s right. It’s probably someone from the knight’s order.”

It was a method Rosebelia often used when she wanted to escape from parties.

Usually, it was Edwin Holton, that man who had helped Rosebelia when she was in trouble, and I had seen other knights help her a few times as well.

“If you want to marry off Miss Rosebelia quickly, how about matching her with someone from the knight’s order?”

Someone from the knight’s order.

“I’ll have to think about it. Ah, and have Arnold called.”

“Yes, my lady.”

*

Ian, who was brought to the knight’s dormitory, obediently followed my instructions. He soaked in a hot bath, changed clothes, took the medicine I got from the physician, and fell asleep.

“His fever should come down a bit more.”

As I wiped Ian’s sweat with linen, I inadvertently took in his face.

Should I have let him return to the palace? Why did I insist on keeping Ian at the knight’s dormitory?

There must be people to take care of him at the palace.

The moment I faced him enduring the pouring rain as if it was nothing, for some reason, I felt I had to hold onto him.

“You… Do you know how much you worry people?”

Despite being a noble prince and older than me, he still calls me senior so diligently.

As I gazed at his face, I suddenly let out a deep sigh.

In the original story, Ian soon leaves the White Knight Order, and not long after, the Crown Prince’s enthronement ceremony is held.

That’s why Daisy, who came to the White Knight Order again to meet Ian, returned empty-handed.

After that, there’s an episode where Renart, unable to bear seeing Daisy pining away wondering about Ian’s whereabouts, takes her to the Crown Prince’s enthronement ceremony.

Daisy finally realizes Ian’s identity at the Crown Prince’s enthronement ceremony but couldn’t dare approach him, saying that the atmosphere surrounding Ian had completely changed.

If only I had known what was going to happen to you.

‘Can you kill me?’

Suddenly recalling the scene from my dream, I touched my parched lips. It was then that Ian’s tightly closed eyelids opened.

“Are you feeling a bit better?”

“Senior?”

As Ian blinked and tried to sit up, I quickly pressed down on his shoulders.

“No need to get up.”

“I’m fine.”

“You’re not fine.”

Ian, seemingly slightly surprised by my firm tone, obediently leaned back on the bed.

“How long have you been here, senior?”

“I bear some responsibility for your fever, so…”

“How is it your responsibility, senior?”

“The cloak you left with me. If you had that, you wouldn’t have caught such a severe cold.”

Ian’s lips twitched greatly for a moment as he looked up at me.

“Are you finding this funny? Your fever was really high.”

I glanced at Ian showing a faint smile and checked his forehead again. Perhaps the medicine from the physician was effective, as his fever had already gone down.

“…Have you been by my side the whole time?”

I shrugged and replied.

“As you can see. If I had left you here alone, you’d probably be suffering in silence.”

“…”

Ian’s eyes, with unfathomable depth, wavered right in front of me. Fearing I might be sucked into those deep seas, I unconsciously averted my gaze.

“You seem fine now, so I should…”

Just as I was about to hastily rise from the chair, heat wrapped around my wrist.

Glancing down, I saw a large hand grasping my wrist.

“Don’t go.”