Chapter 214: The One Who Loses Their Cool, Loses
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 214: The One Who Loses Their Cool, Loses
Loik was in the middle of training with his knights at the grounds when he received Norton’s urgent message.
The moment he read the contents, a surge of murderous intent erupted from him so violently that a nearby wooden bench split apart with a sharp crack.
“Commander! Please, calm down!”
A fierce aura billowed around Loik’s entire body.
“Kyle... I’m going to kill that son of a bitch.”
“Hey, get that sword out of here!”
Demich hurriedly grabbed a nearby apprentice knight by the scruff of the neck, pulling him back as the boy stood frozen, holding Loik’s blade.
“Eek!”
The apprentice narrowly escaped Loik’s reach.
As Loik reached out a thick arm to seize a weapon, four or five knights lunged at him at once. With a violent shrug of his shoulders, he sent two knights clinging to his arm flying like scraps of paper.
How dare he sneak into the room where Annette is changing?
That bastard dared to look at Annette’s bare skin...!
Just as Loik was about to storm off to murder Kyle, Perel stepped in front of him, trembling.
“You mustn't get worked up like this!” the aide shouted. “First, just calm down and—!”
“Move.”
As Loik’s hand moved to shove him aside, the aide desperately shouted the one thing that could stop him.
“Her Highness the Consort won't like this!”
Loik froze mid-motion.
Sensing the opening, a tense Perel let the words pour out of him.
“Is she not someone who despises violence? If you act this recklessly, she will surely be shocked!”
Perel’s eyes darted around the training ground, seeking support from the others.
“And didn't Her Highness always say? The one who loses their cool, loses.”
“He’s right,” added Gontry, the Captain of the 5th Knight Division, standing nearby. “It’s not like we haven't dealt with this before.”
Usually, it was the Imperial Knights who subtly provoked them first, but it was always the Blenheim knights who lost their tempers and charged in blindly. If it came down to a contest of raw power, they could crush the Imperial side easily, but whenever a verbal spat broke out, the Blenheim knights were the ones who ended up looking foolish and huffing with rage.
The other knights nodded vigorously in agreement.
“Duke Kyle is probably acting like the perfect gentleman in front of Her Highness right now.”
“If you burst in there swinging a sword like a madman, it’s going to make us look... well, bad by comparison.”
Loik furrowed his brow but remained silent, listening to his men.
“People already call Northern knights barbarians as it is.”
“There’s even a noblewoman from the Capital present. Her Highness might feel embarrassed by you.”
Indeed, a husband who burst in brandishing a sword and screaming about murdering a Duke might be a bit of an embarrassment.
“An alternative,” Loik demanded, his face a mask of cold stone as he looked at Perel.
The "alternative" he wanted was a way to make Duke Kyle suffer for deceiving Annette without embarrassing her, while providing a punishment satisfying enough to appease Loik’s own rage.
Perel, unable to think of a clever solution on the spot, looked toward the other knights with a pleading expression.
That was when Tiern, who had been watching the situation in silence, spoke up.
“For now, throw him in the dungeon.”
The aide’s face instantly paled. “Don't be ridiculous! How are we supposed to handle the fallout of that?”
Most of the knights also looked skeptical, thinking it was an impossible suggestion.
“Actually, that’s not a bad idea,” Demich said, stroking his red beard. “Commander, let’s lock him up first and worry about the consequences later!”
He wouldn't be a 'Mad Dog' if he worried about the consequences, Demich thought with a grin.
Somehow, the idea appealed to Loik as well. If he locked Duke Kyle in a cell, he could "handle" him properly without anyone else seeing.
Perel’s jaw trembled. “N-no, we can't...”
Demich slapped a hand on Perel’s shoulder. “Look on the bright side. Isn't a trip to the dungeon better than our Lord hacking the Duke to pieces in the middle of a boutique?”
Ultimately, even Perel had to concede to that logic.
Instead of drawing his sword, Loik led his knights toward the boutique. Having taken the advice about not losing his cool to heart, he was able to face Duke Kyle with relative composure.
The sight of Annette and Duke Kyle together made his vision go red for a moment, but he endured it with extreme patience. Suppressing the urge to put a fist through that handsome face, Loik issued his command.
“Duke Kyle, you are under detention as of this moment on charges of identity forgery.”
“What? Have you lost your mind?” Duke Kyle narrowed his eyes. “Have you forgotten that I am the Captain of the Imperial Knights?”
“You’re the one who’s lost his mind,” Loik replied with a dry, cold gaze. “Sneaking into a room where the Grand Duchess is present... you should consider yourself lucky you aren't dead already.”
“Stop this nonsense,” Duke Kyle said, his voice rising with agitation. “Do you have any idea how much trouble you’re inviting by detaining me?”
If the Grand Duke of the Empire detained the Captain of the Imperial Knights... yes, it would be a massive problem. However, when it came down to assigning blame, the fault lay entirely with Duke Kyle.
“Are you trying to start a war with the Imperial Family?” Duke Kyle frowned, looking exasperated.
Loik let out a short, mocking snort. Even if a war broke out, the Imperial Family could never defeat Blenheim. At most, the Imperial Family could boast that their Knight Captain was a Sword Master. But on this side stood a Sword Master who had formed a contract with a Dragon.
“If you snuck into my territory in secret, you should have been prepared for this much.”
Duke Kyle ran a hand through his hair roughly, telling Loik not to act so emotionally.
The one who loses their cool, loses.
Loik finally understood the full weight of those words. Seeing the Duke huffing and puffing while trying to pretend he wasn't bothered was incredibly cathartic.
Loik stared at Duke Kyle, whose neck was flushing red. Honestly, he did have the kind of face women liked. Now that he looked closer, the Duke’s light blonde hair and blue eyes were somewhat similar to Annette’s.
Is that why Annette liked him?
He should never have let the two of them meet. Just as a fresh wave of anxiety began to rise at the thought that his wife might be wavering, Annette, who had been standing in the back, beckoned him over.
Loik hurried to her side immediately. Annette tugged gently on his arm as if she had something to say. When Loik leaned down to listen, she whispered into his ear.
“Loik, I think it’s better to just let Duke Kyle go.”
His heart sank instantly. Did she not want him locked up? Why? Was she worried about him? Just as a cold ache began to bloom in his chest, she continued.
“He said he came to get the Saintess.”
Annette whispered so close to his ear that he could feel her warm breath.
“If we just let him go quietly and let the two of them meet, wouldn't we be able to get both of them out of Blenheim faster?”
“...I see.”
Loik looked at Annette, unable to hide the corners of his mouth twitching upward.
She wants to get rid of him quickly.
The anxiety and irritation in his heart melted away in an instant. Loik cleared his throat with newfound dignity and turned back to Duke Kyle.
“To be honest, you have committed a crime that cannot be overlooked. However, as the Duke said, there is the relationship between the Imperial Family and Blenheim to consider. I shall turn a blind eye just this once.”
Duke Kyle arched an eyebrow, suspicious of the sudden change in heart. “I believe you said you came to see the Saintess?”
Duke Kyle’s voice softened slightly. “I have no intention of causing a scene. I will take the Saintess and return to the Capital immediately.”
Loik gave his permission readily and even went so far as to "kindly" guide him to a shortcut.
“Use the Gate.”
“I will allow you to use the Gate on the condition that you do not stray from your path. You should reach the Pogen Temple within half an hour.”
Duke Kyle seemed taken aback by Loik’s sudden shift in attitude, but he eventually nodded. Under the "consideration"—which was effectively an order—of the Grand Duke of Blenheim, Duke Kyle boarded a carriage provided by the castle and headed through the Gate toward the Pogen Temple.
In the distance, the silhouette of the temple where the Saintess would be staying came into view. Adrian Kyle reflected on his brief conversation with the Grand Duke while they had been waiting for the carriage.
“Why did you come to see the Grand Duchess?” the Grand Duke had suddenly asked. It seemed he had been holding back that question the entire time for his wife’s sake.
“I was curious.”
At those words, he had heard the sound of the Grand Duke grinding his teeth.
“You have a lot of nerve, admitting you have an interest in my wife to my face. Do you people from the Capital have no sense of morality?”
“That’s not what I meant—”
“Shut up.”
Murderous intent had radiated from the Grand Duke. Kyle had been annoyed, but since it was true that his actions looked scandalous, he had remained silent.
When the carriage arrived, the Grand Duke had spoken one last time as he held the door open.
“Do you think you’re the first bastard like this I’ve dealt with?” he said, his tone turning menacingly blunt. “Keep this in mind. If you try to hit on her with your half-assed advances again, I don't care if you're a Duke or the Imperial Knight Captain—I will kill you.”
It was a warning that was as childish as it was explicit.