To The Eternal Knight (2 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 7

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It was a kick.

“Did I press too hard?”

Seeing Nerea’s frightened face, the Baroness widened her eyes and smiled kindly.

“No, not at all. It’s quite rare for a baby to greet someone like this first. I suppose the baby wanted to say hello to you, my lady.”

A greeting.

Nerea looked alternately between her own hand and the Baroness’s belly. Her heart pounded so hard she felt it might leap out of her chest. Watching Nerea’s cheeks flush as red as apples, the Baroness felt a strange, inexplicable urge.

And the moment she returned to the couple’s bedroom, she said to the Baron,

“About our baby’s name—how about we let the young lady choose it?”

“The young lady?”

The Baron raised an eyebrow, then chuckled softly.

.

.

.

“The young lady will choose our baby’s name.”

Stunned by the Baroness’s excited words, Nerea stood frozen for a moment. Johann Zenax’s complaints beside her faded into white noise, completely unheard.

She recalled the distinct sensation, as if two palms had just met. Nerea moistened her dry lips, stared at the Baroness’s belly, then asked hesitantly,

“Really? Am I truly allowed to choose?”

Would someone like me, who bears such a strange name, really dare name something as precious as this baby?

But as if understanding the words Nerea had swallowed back, the Baroness smiled gently and said,

“If such a noble young lady bestows a beautiful name, I’m sure the baby will love it even more.”

That night, Nerea wrote down every word she knew onto paper.

Words that carried meanings of beauty and strength. Rubbing her tired eyes, she sought the very best among them to give to the child.

Then, suddenly, as she gazed upon a star gleaming like it ruled over the pitch-black night sky, Nerea discovered the most noble name in the world.

Guardian of the first star.

Alejandro.

The name rolled softly off her tongue—among the unusually bright stars, the most beautiful and strongest of all.

She felt a quiet certainty melting into her chest: a child bearing this name would be happy for life.

[This is the timeline separator]

“Yes, Sir.”

It was strange—how could Alejandro, not even born yet, possibly answer her?

Nerea gave a small laugh and called his name once more. That captivatingly deep voice replied again.

“Yes, I’m right here, Sir.”

“What in the…?”

Nerea blinked.

His curly, jet-black hair looked exactly like Johann Zenax’s. Instantly, her dazed eyes came into sharp focus.

“What? Alejandro—why are you…?”

Her voice had come out oddly hoarse, so Nerea cleared her throat. Hurriedly sitting up, her hair slowly swayed down her shoulders.

“You called for me, didn’t you? Just now, Sir.”

Ah, right—yesterday, Alejandro had come to visit me at this cabin.

Though her thoughts drifted far from his reply, Nerea smiled faintly. Alejandro returned her smile with gentle compliance on his handsome face.

“It’s nice—you called out for me as soon as you woke up.”

Nerea had been about to laugh it off, insisting she hadn’t called him and that it had all been a dream—until she suddenly realized her room behind Alejandro looked unfamiliar. Blinking once more, she let slip an unintentional rasp.

What on earth is going on?

Her room had changed overnight.

At the same moment, footsteps dashed up the stairs, and Heather’s panicked voice burst into the room.

“My lady! The whole house has changed! Goodness, even your room is completely different!”

“Is… is it?”

Nerea murmured in a dazed voice. The plush rug on the floor, the ornate mirror hanging on the wall—

What is this…?

Words failed her, so she looked at Alejandro instead. Whatever expression she wore must have seemed pitiful, for his eyes drooped like a sorrowful puppy’s.

Trending

“I really should’ve started with the wardrobe and bed first. Since you’re awake now, I’ll change them right away.”

Good heavens.

The entire house had transformed completely in just one night—

Far beyond the mere addition of a nightstand, a vase, and an exotic-patterned rug in her room.

A table, lovely cream-colored chairs that looked wonderfully soft, cozy curtains—not even enough; even the kitchen table and the tea cups set out were utterly unrecognizable compared to what she’d seen last night.

“No matter how deeply I sleep, I never imagined I’d sleep through them replacing even the countertops! They’re going to change my bed next, too!”

Heather whispered with a bewildered look. Unlike Heather, whose face radiated joy, Nerea couldn’t bring herself to smile.

The way the changing house looked—it felt oddly familiar.

“Don’t you like it? You said you wanted a home like this—somewhere comfortable.”

Alejandro spoke in a deflated tone.

Only then did Nerea remember something she’d said ten years ago, upon returning triumphantly to the capital.

“I’ll have a vacation estate built in a distant territory—a comfortable house I can visit whenever I grow weary.”

“But that was….”

That was only if I became a Count.

Nerea closed her mouth. At the same time, Alejandro’s eyes slowly curved upward. As if he understood every unspoken word she’d swallowed, he replied,

“Exactly.”

His lazy voice dropped even lower, growing even more alluring.

“I want you to feel comfortable while you’re here.”

Nerea understood. This was Alejandro’s true intention—to treat this place as her “comfortable retreat” for whenever she grew tired.

A chill ran through her blood, and she clenched her fists.

“Shall I go ahead and replace the bed and wardrobe now?”

Alejandro smiled gently.

Deep down, Nerea had truly hoped Alejandro had simply come to visit her—perhaps out of fondness for their shared past, or maybe because she missed the knight who once stood beside her, or even because she wanted to reproach him for leaving.

Anything would’ve been fine, as long as he didn’t treat her as Count Esteban.

But—

His broad, capable hands bore scars. He’d grown wealthy, even at the cost of injuring his hands like that.

“I wanted to build a dressing room, but there aren’t enough rooms. Perhaps we should look for a larger house?”

To think he’d gained such power and influence just to cling to the past—and if this was all just to treat her as Count Esteban…

“Oh, and the garden hasn’t been tended to yet, either.”

“…Revert everything back to how it was, Alejandro.”

Nerea cut off Alejandro’s words.

She expected him to look startled, but he merely gazed at her silently for a moment without speaking.

Instead, it was Heather who stamped her feet impatiently.

“My lady, you’re joking, right? Is it really just that one chair you dislike? Please don’t say you hate the kitchen, too!”

Seeing Heather cling to her arm and whine, it was clear she adored the new house. But Nerea’s resolve didn’t waver.

When Nerea shook her head lightly, Heather stepped back two paces, her face utterly crestfallen. Nerea turned her gaze toward Alejandro—and tilted her head slightly in confusion.

Had she seen it wrong?

His jaw had definitely tensed earlier, as if he were angry. She assumed he might’ve hardened his expression at such an unreasonable demand.

“I’ll undo it all immediately. From where to where should I restore things?”

Yet on his handsome face now rested nothing but an infuriatingly confident smile. His relaxed composure only made Nerea add an even harsher condition.

“Everything. By one o’clock.”

“Yes.”

Alejandro nodded with a refreshingly crisp reply. His dark, curly hair swayed lightly.

Unconsciously, Nerea reached out—then froze mid-gesture.

The hair she used to absentmindedly stroke was now far too high for her to reach.

It finally struck her clearly: this grown figure before her was no longer the Alejandro she once knew.

So Nerea began,

“And once all that’s finished….”

Leave this place. And never again link me or House Esteban to yourself.

She only needed to voice the words swirling in her mouth.

ads

But her lips wouldn’t move.

“That would mean you’ve abandoned me.”

“…Truthfully.”

A playful, intruding voice from reality overlapped with Alejandro’s deeply resonant tone. Snapped out of her thoughts, Nerea looked ahead.

Alejandro’s dark eyes sparkled as if sharing an amusing secret.

“I knew you’d dislike it, Sir.”

“You again…!”

She’d told him not to call her “Sir.”

But what Alejandro said next made Nerea forget her anger without even realizing it.

“I simply couldn’t possibly find another horse like Clasimen.”

Clasimen.

That ill-tempered, enormous black steed—stubbornly loyal to Alejandro, his servant, rather than to Nerea, his own master.

Yet on the very day they left the Esteban manor, that foolish horse had kicked apart the comfortable, hay-filled stable and followed Nerea defiantly. That horse had finally passed away just before they arrived here, at the Esteban summer estate in Alfren.

A wave of bittersweet emotion swept over Nerea in an instant. Noticing her expression, Alejandro added gently,

“A house where Sir can rest most comfortably isn’t complete without Clasimen, is it?”

“You’ll let Clasimen live out his days there—with the finest grooms and caretakers.”

A faint trace of longing flickered across Alejandro’s eyes as he echoed her past words exactly.

“Then, shall I let you rest a bit? I’ll prepare breakfast soon.”

At his words, Nerea could only numbly retreat back into her room. After Heather, who’d volunteered to help with cooking, went back downstairs, Nerea suddenly looked down at her wrist and opened the wardrobe.

Running her fingertips along the inside of an everyday dress, she felt the cool touch of a sword. Her previously racing heartbeat gradually steadied.

In truth, she’d become quite capable with a blade now. But Baron Zenax would surely still be limping.

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