Chapter 46
Chapter 46
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: 45. The Crimson Flame Knight (1)
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Irina had composed herself, and we returned to the capital's heart.
We parted ways at the inner palace entrance.
If word got out that we'd gone outside the imperial palace together, it would cause all sorts of trouble.
The princess avoided meeting my eyes the entire way back.
Whenever our gazes accidentally met, she'd quickly look away, and if I spoke to her, she'd jump in surprise.
'No way. Is she embarrassed about eating that soup like some old uncle in front of me?'
It hadn't seemed strange at all.
Mago would smack his lips like a pot-bellied uncle after downing beer.
"Be, be careful heading back, Veil..."
"You too, Your Highness. I hope your residence gets rebuilt soon."
"Yeah, thanks for worrying."
The princess boarded a carriage with Dasha, who had come to greet her.
Then they headed toward the Verdant Knight Order.
Only once the sound of the wheels had completely faded did I set off for my own destination.
'Alright, time for me to go pay a visit.'
To the Crown Prince's loyal hound.
Conveniently, the Crimson Flame Knight Order's headquarters was near the inner palace entrance.
A short walk, and the building's silhouette came into view.
A massive stone structure.
A sturdy gate embedded in the center of the outer wall.
Two knights in red uniforms stood guard there.
I approached them leisurely, hands clasped behind my back.
"What brings a Capital Defense knight here?"
They dismissed me outright as a defense knight.
It was understandable.
The Crimson Flame Knight Order was the most prestigious of the elite, vying for top spots 1 through 3 in appointment rankings.
The Capital Defense Corps, on the other hand, was where cadets barely escaped frontier postings.
"I'm here to see Vice-Captain Ekina."
But the snub didn't end there.
The moment Ekina's name left my lips, the gatekeepers' attitudes grew even chillier.
"What's your business?"
Their brazen demeanor made me drop the pretense.
I shot back with a tailored reply.
"Personal matters."
The gatekeeper knight furrowed his brow.
He bared his teeth, ready to chew me out, but was stopped by the knight beside him.
"We'll escort you to the reception room for now."
The knight forced a smile as he guided me.
He explained his comrade's grumbling, as if trying to win me over.
"Sorry about that. Lately, so many people have been coming to see the vice-captain..."
"Not the captain, but the vice-captain?"
At my question, the knight glanced around.
Then he whispered discreetly.
"Ekina's of marriageable age, so... lately, young lords have been showing up unannounced."
"To court her?"
"Yes, to exchange marriage proposals. They treat us like dirt in the process, so my friend's a bit on edge."
'Marriage proposals...'
I mulled over the knight's words as I entered the reception room.
Sure enough, young lords from various houses were already waiting.
The gifts in their hands clearly proved they'd come for proposals.
But a few stood out among them.
Especially the brown-haired lord who'd been staring at me since earlier.
He spotted my dark blue uniform and smirked as he approached.
"What brings a defense knight to another order's grounds?"
"I have business with Vice-Captain Ekina."
"Oh? What a coincidence—we're here for the same reason."
The lord extended his hand, feigning friendliness.
"I'm Cosmic of House Robert. Here's to fair competition."
"Vail Michael of the Capital Defense Order."
House Robert... that would be the son of the Southern Archduke.
Sending his own son to court her.
As expected of a next-captain candidate.
"Did you bring a gift for the meeting?"
The lord eyed me up and down slowly.
"A gift?"
"Yes. Even a defense knight wouldn't show up empty-handed, right?"
Cosmic shook his head, deeming my demeanor utterly lacking.
"Do they only meet you if you bring a gift? The Crimson Flame Knight Order's gone all materialistic."
I scoffed in disbelief at his attitude.
Cosmic cleared his throat, defending her.
"You're out of line, Sir Vail."
He flaunted the jeweled box he held.
Inside was a ring with a ruby as red as Ekina's hair.
"Showing sincerity lets the other side feel how much you want to meet—the 'true heart' of it."
'True heart...'
I recalled Ekina's face from yesterday.
She was beautiful, no doubt, but her arms and body bore the marks of grueling training.
She'd probably prefer something more genuine than a ring.
I fiddled with the item I'd brought in my pocket.
The vice-captain would love it so much, she'd sense my sincerity right away.
"So, you two are here to see Vice-Captain Ekina?"
"Yes. That's right."
As I endured the lord's tedious chatter,
A knight order administrator finally appeared at the waiting room counter.
A blonde woman in glasses.
She asked us the reason for our visit.
"Of course it's for an earnest conversation."
Cosmic flashed the ring he'd prepared at the counter.
The staffer stared at it intently.
Then she realized why the archduke's son had come and turned to me.
As if asking if I had the same intent.
"The same for me."
In response, I pulled out the 'surprise gift' I'd prepared for her.
The scrap of cloak the mage had left behind last night.
"Then, please wait a bit longer."
The secretary collected the half-burnt cloak scrap and the ring.
She then leisurely exited through the back door of the counter.
"What was that? A wrist guard from training?"
Afterward, the archduke's son looked down at me with disdain.
He'd meticulously prepared a ruby ring matching her hair,
Taking care with his house and attire.
While I'd brought a filthy, smelly cloak scrap from the Capital Defense Order.
"Trying to show how much training and effort you've put in—your 'sincerity'?"
His clever deduction left my mouth agape.
"What a pathetic gift. To think such a miserable courtship exists..."
He prattled on, eyes closed dramatically.
Ignoring him, I watched the returning secretary.
And her expression...
Unlike her initial composure, she looked utterly flustered.
"Um... Sir Vail, was it?"
"Yes."
"The vice-captain says to come up right now."
How could she ignore me after seeing that cloak scrap?
I calmly told the staffer to lead me through the back door.
The archduke's son, face twisted in fury,
Chased after me to the door and demanded of the staffer.
"Wh-what? Why's this guy going up before me?"
She turned icy and serious as she replied.
"Because the vice-captain wants to see this gentleman, not you."
She looked up at him rigidly.
Cosmic scowled, displeased by her demeanor.
His face twisted even more in rage.
As I left, grinning mockingly at him.
"Looks like my sincerity got through better, milord."
He stared at my back in stunned defeat.
Paying him no mind, the staffer and I ascended the ornate staircase to the vice-captain's office.
The staffer knocked on the elegant wooden door.
She waited briefly for a reply.
In that instant,
From the high vantage, I overlooked the Crimson Flame Knight Order's sparring grounds and training fields.
'Worthy of the empire's third-ranked order.'
Excluding the Crown Prince's Imperial Knight Order.
It dwarfed even Princess Leah's Radiant Knight Order and Princess Lydia's Eastern Knight Order in scale.
Bringing an order like this to the alliance of princesses instead of the Crown Prince would be a massive boon.
"Come in."
A deliberately even voice.
It came from the vice-captain's office.
Through the opening door, a woman's figure came into view.
Vibrant red long hair full of life.
Crimson eyes gleaming like roaring flames.
Tight slacks topped with a red uniform.
She was the picture of a passionate, ambitious female knight.
"I'm Vail Michael of the Capital Defense Knight Order."
I stood ramrod straight, hands behind my back, and declared.
The staffer seemed flustered by my boldness.
"Si-Sir Vail. Please show more courtesy."
But I ignored her.
Instead, Ekina chided the staffer.
"It's fine, Suzy. We have private matters to discuss—go on out."
"Understood, Vice-Captain..."
She bowed hastily and shut the door.
Now, only Ekina and I remained in the office.
"Nice office. Even has a fireplace."
I leisurely surveyed the room.
My eyes fell on biscuits atop the table.
I picked one up and crunched it.
"What brings a defense knight here..."
I gave no reply to her question.
I merely lounged on the luxurious leather sofa, staring intently at the knight's hand.
Bandages wrapped tightly around the back of her hand.
I pointed at them with a finger.
"Why act like you don't know when you do?"
Ekina hurriedly hid her hand.
She steadied her voice and spoke.
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
The female knight smiled instead.
She settled leisurely onto the opposite sofa.
"Keep spouting nonsense, and I'll have you thrown out. As you can see, plenty want to meet me."
She even crossed her legs.
Her black stockings hugged her thigh prominently.
"You set fire to the Second Princess's residence."
I wiped biscuit crumbs from my lips and stated flatly.
Ekina smirked at the blunt accusation.
"Absurd..."
She swept back her side hair and turned serious.
"Got proof?"
She'd held a blade to my throat before.
No way she didn't know my face—yet here she was, brazen as ever.
I grinned widely at her audacity.
And produced the true evidence from my bosom.
"Proof? I've got it."
I showed her the vial containing Ekina's blood.
"From the droplet on your hand."
The vivid red.
Her brows furrowed at the blood as red as her own hair.
"You think a mere blood drop proves I'm the arsonist?"
The blood had been exposed to air for a full day.
As a high knight, she figured its poor condition couldn't confirm it was hers.
But...
Her resolute crimson eyes wavered at my unexpected next words.
"Luckily, I know a shaman. Kept the blood perfectly fresh."
Shaman.
A knight, sworn to purity for the empire, admitting to using those deviant folk.
"Y-You're confessing to using a shaman right in front of me?"
Ekina's eyes flashed in shock.
I replied with a sly grin.
"So what?"
I picked up the cloak scrap from the table.
And let it drift leisurely into the air.
"After burning down imperial kin's home."
The fabric fluttered down.
To the floor by Ekina's feet.
She stared at it silently.
"You'll be summoned to the Mage Tower soon for blood matching."
I rose from the sofa with a resigned shrug.
Dusted off my knees and said flatly.
"See you then?"
I'd planned to let her off if she begged upon seeing the cloak.
But her arrogance snuffed that mercy.
As I turned to leave...
"W-Wait...!"
Her face flushed, she called me back.
I stopped, and Ekina rushed over.
She grabbed my sleeve...
"N-No rush to go! Let's talk a bit!"
Her eyes pleaded like a panicked girl's.
'Finally, she's willing to talk.'
Gone was the poised noblewoman of moments ago.
She, who'd brushed off any man coldly, had personally ushered me into her office.