To The Eternal Knight (2 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 9
I’d been Lady’s personal maid for five years, believe it or not.
But Alejandro didn’t even notice Heather’s sharp glare as he murmured,
“Are you really taking a bath… alone?”
“Yes. Always have.”
Alejandro clenched his fists tightly. After such intense tension that had dried his lips, the wave of relief that finally washed over him was overwhelming.
You kept claiming you had only one maid and made me anxious—yet in the end, you never even handed over the bathing duty you used to entrust to me, your page.
The lazy curl at the corner of his lips lifted into a pleased smile.
Just then, Heather knocked on the bathroom door.
“My lady, I’ve brought your towel.”
“No, hand it here. I’ll take it in myself.”
His pride swelled. Reaching out for the towel as if it were naturally his right—because it always had been.
“Heather? You bring it in yourself.”
But at those words, Alejandro couldn’t believe his ears. Heather, who had been smiling awkwardly, pulled the towel back and opened the bathroom door. Amid the sharp herbal scent, the knight beyond the screen remained out of sight.
In an instant, he felt shamefully stripped of his rightful position. Unable to bear the sensation of falling from the clouds, Alejandro snapped toward the knight,
“Sir, you’re really being unfair to me…!”
Thud… thud… As the deliberately petulant footsteps faded away, Nerea let out a dry chuckle and said,
“…Did you just call me unfair?”
Heather, behind the screen, answered,
“That’s what I heard too, my lady.”
Nerea shook her head. Her damp hair clung to her nape, and the corners of her lips—just as crimson as her hair—twitched upward faintly.
She certainly had countless ways of tugging at people’s hearts.
[This is the timeline separator]“…So that’s why you ran away from home now?”
Alejandro lowered his head, his expression sullen.
Johnny wiped his face briskly. He’d raced all the way back to the capital without stopping to rest—and this was the first thing out of Alejandro’s mouth upon meeting him?
Having no idea where to even begin correcting him, Johnny sighed sincerely,
“Oh dear, you lunatic.”
“…”
“I knew you were crazy, but ten years ago, maybe—no, even ten years ago it’d be strange. Did you really help the knight with bathing back then too?”
“Shut up.”
The growl in his voice sounded so threatening that Johnny obediently closed his mouth. Just moments ago, the utterly dejected man now stared fixedly at the cottage, eyes narrowed.
It was a bad sign.
Whether Johnny grew nervous or not, Alejandro couldn’t tear his eyes from the cottage. Seeing the famed bed—the most comfortable in the world—among the piles of luggage filling the garden only deepened his bitterness.
He’d endured for ten long years. The knight was clearly in the wrong for not letting him assist even with bathing anymore.
He wanted to do everything possible for her. After all, he wasn’t that poor page anymore, struggling to afford decent medicine.
And yet…
The knight, pretending to smile while drawing even clearer boundaries than before, instantly made him uneasy.
Alejandro’s eyes darkened endlessly. Noticing his sidelong glance, Johnny deliberately teased,
“Why don’t you just act like you used to? Sure, you’re not as cute as back then—but who knows? The Count always had a soft spot for you. If you beg and apologize, he’ll probably understand right away.”
Instead of answering, Alejandro pulled out a necklace hidden beneath his shirt. His face looked oddly tender as his thumb brushed over the black gemstone.
“…Begging has no power.”
If it had worked, his knight wouldn’t have left him behind.
Which meant he needed greater strength.
Tucking the gem back under his shirt, Alejandro’s eyes hardened once more.
“So, how’s Le Souer’s exhibition going?”
“It’s still the talk of the entire Castarti region.”
Johnny pulled out a newspaper and a special bulletin from his coat. The headline was striking:
–Le Souer’s Muse and Hero of the Century: Where Is the Black Knight, Nerea Esteban, Now?
As Alejandro’s eyes swiftly scanned the paper, Johnny smoothly recounted his findings,
“They’ve doubled the guards near the exhibition venue, reinforcing security. With crowds pouring in, neither the Imperial Palace nor the Acting Count seems willing to shut it down easily. The excitement is scorching hot.”
“…”
“Thanks to that, the Acting Count seems swamped every day from morning till night at the Imperial Palace. But the strange one is his wife.”
Johnny handed over a telegram with a dubious look.
–Although the Acting Countess has canceled all her social gatherings, she continues meeting noblewomen secretly. These noblewomen come alone or in pairs with close relatives like cousins. Whenever they arrive, the Acting Countess escorts them to the East Wing reception room. No one is allowed to enter or leave the East Wing until they depart. Occasionally, she even goes out with them.
–Countess Elena, Marchioness of Trand, Marchioness of Devernant.
–All are high-ranking nobles aligned with the Emperor’s faction, and reportedly have ill family members, suggesting they may be seeking medicine.
“…If she really is providing medicine, as the telegram says, then it wouldn’t be strange.”
Alejandro murmured quietly.
“Though I wonder whether what she’s giving them is medicine… or poison.”
Helen Tilesbury—the only herbalist’s daughter in the capital, from the House of Tylerbury. Once a handmaiden to the late Count, she became the Acting Countess and settled into Esteban Manor after his death.
Alejandro himself had once seen her up close. Before he left as a page, the woman urgently summoned him and handed him a large sack full of herbs, saying,
“I’m so glad you’ll be going along. Nerea never takes care of herself properly. If she gets hurt, please use these together with her. They’re herbs to stop bleeding and ease pain. Make sure to brew them and give them to her.”
Her face, filled with worry, had repeatedly urged him,
“You must relieve her suffering. Understand?”
Amid the echo of that voice in his ears, a sneer slipped in. Alejandro shook his head sharply, banishing the memory. Ten years ago, it had always haunted him—but not anymore.
He gazed quietly at the cottage and said,
“Keep watching that woman—both the Acting Count and his wife. It’s about time they stepped down from positions far beyond their station.”
His dark eyes glinted keenly, as if gauging the perfect moment. Johnny knew well what miracles tended to unfold whenever those eyes sparkled like that—so he nodded firmly.
[This is the timeline separator]The Emperor’s private office.
“Have you found that Le Souer yet?”
The Emperor spoke. Gabe, who had stood outside the office for weeks awaiting an audience, lowered his body further, cold sweat dripping down his back.
“My deepest apologies, Your Majesty.”
“Then who’s behind him?”
“…My deepest apologies, Your Majesty.”
“Apologies, apologies! Is ‘my deepest apologies’ the only phrase you know how to say?”
A furious roar thundered through the office. At the same moment, the newspapers the Emperor hurled struck Gabe squarely as he remained bowed low.
The Emperor fixed Gabe with a piercing glare.
“Tell me, Acting Count—what did you say to me when you first introduced Le Souer?”
“…”
“You clearly assured me he’d be useful, didn’t you!”
Crash! The sound of the Emperor slamming his desk was violent. Watching Gabe flinch, the Emperor recalled the man’s smug voice from just months ago:
“Your Imperial Majesty, have you heard of Le Souer, the war painter gaining popularity among commoners? I hear he masterfully portrays both the horrors of war and our present peace. If we use him wisely, we could surely heighten the people’s loyalty toward Your Majesty before the upcoming tenth-anniversary victory festival.”
A man so infuriating he’d be better torn to shreds.
The Emperor turned away as if he couldn’t bear to look at him any longer, staring instead out the glass window.
In the lavishly decorated palace garden, crimson banners symbolizing victory fluttered in the wind.
Ten years had passed since the victory over Gauwe.
Just weeks ago, the people had lauded the Emperor’s reign—but now, because of a single painting by Le Souer, they’d flipped their allegiance overnight, frenziedly adoring Nerea Esteban. He’d even sent the Crown Prince personally to the exhibition venue to show his attention—and yet…!
The Emperor stared coldly at his imperial palace.
Castarti—the great and prosperous nation. Ruling over his empire was an utterly sweet privilege.
Which was precisely why he had to settle this matter decisively. Slowly, the Emperor spoke,
“Count Esteban?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
At the automatic reply, the Emperor gave him a frosty, mocking laugh. Realizing his blunder too late, Gabe lowered his head even deeper.
His voice trembled slightly as he spoke,
“I—I apologize. It’s not that I forgot my role as Acting—”
“No, quite understandable. This summer marks ten years since Nerea Esteban revealed her fragile constitution. It’s your chance to become the rightful Count Esteban.”
The Emperor’s voice slowed, as if coaxing a child. Encouraged, Gabe dared to glance up, reading the Emperor’s expression.
Instantly, the Emperor pinned him down with icy, ruthless eyes.
“But if your daughter—maimed and disgraced by the paintings of that artist you yourself invited—were to return…”
“…”
“You’d remain Acting Count for the rest of your life.”
For a fleeting moment, Gabe’s held breath was palpable.
The Emperor rose from his seat and slowly approached him, then lightly patted his shoulder.
“The day after tomorrow, I’ll be watching closely—what appears as the front-page headline, Count.”
“…”
“If you disappoint me once more, your words to me then won’t end with mere ‘apologies.’”
Turns Out He’s Been Secretly in Love with Me
One-line summary: He acts like he doesn’t like her but is actually playing hard to get.
Synopsis:
Xu Muzhou like her. He has liked her for a very long time, and through repeated schemes, he finally closed the distance with her.
But this is still far from enough.
He wants to be the one who stands out among her many suitors, to fight for her attention, and to make her take the initiative to pursue him.
_____
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