To The Eternal Knight (2 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 11
Gabe grabbed Johann by the collar. Johann, who stood a head taller, swayed along with the pull.
Sparks flew from Gabe’s eyes. His breathing was ragged and tense, but the shred of reason that remained held him back from uttering “Le Souer” in front of the household staff.
Just then—
“Oh my. Why is everyone gathered here like this?”
A clear, melodious voice rang out from the second-floor balustrade.
“…Helen.”
At the soft murmur, Helen smiled gently and met Gabe’s gaze. Then she descended the stairs with light, graceful steps, her golden hair shimmering with every movement.
Only upon seeing Helen did Gabe seem to regain his composure, releasing Johann.
The butler also clapped his hands twice, dispersing the servants. The stern head maid and the seasoned butler would soon wipe all memory of the recent incident from the staff’s minds.
In the quiet hall once more, Helen offered a kind smile.
“Shall we go inside and continue our conversation, my lord Count? Of course, Sir Zenax as well.”
With Gabe and Helen leading, Johann followed behind.
“My dear, what happened today that made you so angry? Sir Zenax here must know what he did wrong and deserves a proper scolding.”
At Helen’s honeyed voice, Gabe’s suppressed anger flared again, and he shot Johann a sharp glare—but then slowly unclenched his fist, calming himself.
“Just you wait, sir. Remember I’m restraining myself out of respect for my father. If only Baron Zenax hadn’t been so badly injured…”
“Oh, come now. It’s not your fault at all, is it? It was Sir Moore’s excessive loyalty that caused it. You should’ve just expelled him from your service outright—why fuss over it now?”
Helen added a remark to Gabe’s veiled threat.
Baron Zenax, a retainer of House Esteban who had protected Nerea, had been injured in an accident—caused precisely by Sir Moore’s overzealous devotion, another retainer of Count Esteban.
But.
Helen narrowed her eyes slightly as she looked at Johann. Sometimes, tests were necessary—especially ones measuring loyalty.
“Always.”
Johann’s flat voice paused briefly before continuing.
“I am truly grateful, my lord Count.”
.
.
.
“I apologize, my lord Count. If only I hadn’t mentioned the rumors about Le Souer back then, you wouldn’t be in such an awkward position today.”
After hearing the explanation, Johann Zenax lowered his body respectfully. Regaining his composure, Gabe swallowed his discomfort—Johann’s swollen, flushed cheeks pricked his conscience.
Strictly speaking, Johann Zenax hadn’t actually said anything about Le Souer.
It was Gabe Esteban himself who had rashly declared, without proper verification, that Le Souer portrayed the current Emperor’s reign.
But none of that mattered now. Instead, Gabe let out a heavy sigh, brushing away the faint trace of guilt toward Johann.
“His Majesty is paying close attention to the matter of Le Souer. He even mentioned Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess.”
Helen caught her breath. It had already been five years since her beloved daughter Brienna became Crown Princess.
If only she’d borne an Imperial Grandson, Her Highness wouldn’t be dragged into every incident like this. But right now, an Imperial Grandson wasn’t the urgent matter.
“Just who is spreading such rumors about Nerea using that absurd painting? How’s the investigation going?”
“As instructed, I checked the faction aligned with Grand Duke Valer. But currently, the Grand Duke is reinforcing border village defenses, and the moderate nobles remain quiet.”
“See, Gabe? I really don’t understand why you’re investigating the Grand Duke’s faction. After all, with those Gauwe restorationists stirring up riots, he hardly has the mental bandwidth for anything else.”
Johann and Helen spoke in turn. Gabe swallowed a groan.
He’d briefly wondered if the Grand Duke, fed up, was mocking him—the staunch loyalist to the Emperor—but it seemed he’d guessed wrong again.
Then again, he’d jumped to conclusions out of fear. Only he and the Emperor knew the secret: that the true mastermind behind the riots in Valer territory wasn’t actually the legitimate Gauwe royal restorationists, but someone else entirely.
Edward Castarti Valer.
Born from a brief relationship the Emperor had before marrying the Empress, Edward was essentially an illegitimate outcast.
His brown hair and hazel eyes made him strikingly resemble the Emperor.
Yet it was widely accepted that without the Emperor’s magnanimity in naming him a Grand Duke—and the Empress’s gracious tolerance—Edward would never have attained such a lofty position.
Still, rumors whispered that some secret deal must have existed between the Emperor and Edward’s mother.
Otherwise, how could someone ‘so magnanimous’ despise his own son enough to exile him to such a desolate place?
Gabe remembered the Emperor’s words from five years ago with perfect clarity.
“You’re proposing a special law for Gauwe refugees?”
“Yes. Something to restore Valer to its former state—enough for now. You understand what I mean, don’t you?”
Ten years ago, just as Gabe had eliminated Nerea, the Emperor had similarly removed his own thorn—his unwanted son—sending the Grand Duke to Valer, a land ravaged and left in ruins by war.
Over the next five years, the Grand Duke had turned that barren wasteland into at least a livable domain—precisely during the period when the Emperor was preoccupied with broader institutional reforms.
Upon hearing of this progress, the Emperor immediately proposed a way to bring the Grand Duke down:
He enacted a special law, ostensibly to gently integrate Gauwe refugees. Because of it, the Grand Duke—who had been taking a hard stance against Gauwe refugee unrest and barbarian incursions—was forced to soften his policies.
As a result, no one welcomed the Grand Duke, lord of the once-again desolate Valer.
And it was Gabe Esteban himself who had repeatedly used that special law to successfully orchestrate fake Gauwe-led riots.
Gabe couldn’t hide his smug satisfaction. Thanks to this, his daughter Brienna now sat in the glorious seat of Crown Princess.
If not the Grand Duke, then who could possibly be backing Le Souer? He hadn’t the slightest idea.
Gabe rubbed his face wearily. A groan escaped him involuntarily.
“He said he’s expecting the morning paper two days from now! But with no progress in investigating Le Souer…”
“What if we borrowed the intelligence network of the Rosa Trading Company?”
“Ask that lowborn for help? Ridiculous! How did someone with no pedigree end up with a title—let alone a countship!”
Helen instantly recognized Gabe’s discomfort from the anger hissing through his teeth and gently kneaded his shoulders.
“Oh, come on. Everyone in House Castarti knows His Majesty dislikes him so much that he refuses to grant him a knighthood. He’s just a half-baked count without even an officially conferred knighthood—what’s there to worry about?”
Helen’s soothing words calmed his frayed nerves. Yes, a half-baked count.
Gabe chuckled softly, giving Helen a light smile.
She always stood on his side and supported him—Helen truly embodied all the virtues a proper wife should possess. Truly, she was the one meant to stand beside him…
“I’d like my husband to support me—without overstepping his authority.”
For a moment, Gabe frowned. That dry, unwelcome voice suddenly echoed in his mind, and he shook his head.
Just then—
“My lord Count, what if we attribute the Grand Duke’s achievements entirely to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?”
Gabe’s brow furrowed at Johann’s abrupt interjection—but only for an instant. He stroked his chin thoughtfully.
Beyond daily life, the Emperor’s stern warning was terrifying. Johann’s proposed solution was feasible to prepare within two days, yet still insufficient as the definitive answer the Emperor sought.
Above all, crediting the Grand Duke’s accomplishments to the Crown Prince was a tactic they’d already used many times.
“Think of something more certain. Something that would completely erase all rumors about that girl, Nerea.”
Gabe paused briefly, then wore a faint smile as he murmured,
“…If nothing else works, we could always make her disappear entirely.”
“Forgive my boldness, my lord Count, but if Miss Nerea vanished now, it would stir up an even greater scandal.”
“Really? You know as well as I do that while many are curious about Nerea, hardly anyone actually searches for her.”
“But there’s no guarantee that nobody will ever look for her again.”
“Then what do you suggest!”
Gabe snapped in frustration. Johann replied calmly.
“How about staging another fall of the Black Knight?”
Intrigued, Gabe straightened his posture—and Helen beside him fixed her gaze on Johann as well.
“How?”
“Don’t you already know, my lord Count? People have only begun seeking stories of Nerea Esteban again after ten years because the scale of Gauwe rebellions along the border has grown significantly.”
Gabe stared sharply at Johann.
It was true—he’d deliberately exaggerated the scale of the riots by spreading rumors that the Prince of Gauwe was still alive, just to divert attention.
Could this man possibly know something?
Meeting Gabe’s conflicted expression—caught between suspicion and trust—Johann spoke softly,
“Invite the hero, now so broken he can’t even fulfill his own role, to the Victory Festival. Let the people see his trembling hands once more. And upon Nerea Esteban’s name…”
Clear hatred flickered in Johann’s dark eyes.
“Stamp the mark of ‘nothingness.’ Though, of course, he’ll likely refuse outright and never even appear at the festival.”
.
.
.
After Johann left, Gabe fell into silent contemplation.
Helen beside him shook her head.
“Goodness. Is there anyone more bitterly hostile than him? Though I suppose it’s understandable—because of that girl Nerea, the Baron was left limping, and his younger brother followed her into war at such a young age and never returned, his fate unknown.”
“Helen.”
“Yes, my lord Count.”
“…Are you still sending the herbs?”
“We are, consistently. We’ll likely hear soon that he’s taken a turn for the worse.”
Helen curved her lips in a bewitching smile, feeling Gabe’s eyes linger on them. Apparently, he liked today’s soft pink lipstick.
Gabe seemed unaware, but Helen knew—he despised every shade of red. That’s why her vanity was always filled with pinks.
Helen smiled sweetly and leaned against her husband’s shoulder.
“By the way, Gabe.”
“Hmm?”
“House Tylerbury continues to support you loyally. How about giving me either the Ruby Mine or the Diamond Mine in Sosron next time?”
“You’ll need wealth befitting a marchioness once you become one, Helen.”
His gentle words were, in truth, a refusal. Though disappointment welled up, Helen quickly changed the subject upon seeing Gabe’s lips tighten firmly.
“Oh, right—Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess sent us flowers.”
Gabe must be under great stress because of the Le Souer matter. Swallowing her own vague sense of disappointment, Helen hastily signaled the head maid.
The head maid quickly brought in a vase. Helen’s carefully cheerful expression darkened instantly.
“These are flowers from Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess. Queen Roses—how thoughtful of her to send such a rare and precious bloom.”
“Oh! Right—the roses are red. She knows I dislike the color red.”
Neither the head maid’s flattery nor Gabe’s grumbling registered clearly in her ears.
The Queen Rose, a vivid red bloom grown only in the Imperial Palace—its thorns left untrimmed—was Brienna’s urgent summons.
Male lead first thought she played hard to get, only to realize she
really disliked him
Short intro:
What she can’t stand the most is the streets full of effeminate men, especially that so-called top beauty whom she avoids at all costs.
Shen Yaoxing looks at Jiang Mingyue, who keeps approaching her with coy shyness.
Shen Yaoxing: Bro, don’t be like this, I’m really about to throw up!
She fears nothing in heaven or earth, except for him getting close to her.
*
At first he thought she was just using the trick of feigning indifference to attract his attention. Later, he learned that she truly despised him.
This dealt a heavy blow to Jiang Mingyue, and he vowed to make her, like everyone else, fall at his feet in worship!
***
Synopsis:
Before transmigrating, Shen Yaoxing only wanted to find a reliable man to spend her life with. Who knew that after transmigrating, she would become a reliable woman herself…
A forced misandrist, highly skilled, and reliable female lead
vs.
An initially aloof and arrogant, later morbid, obsessed male lead
_____
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