Chapter 7
Chapter 7
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: crow
Chapter Title: First Spar (4)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Her face, seen up close.
It was markedly different from the tear-streaked image of the past.
A calm, haughty gaze.
Unlike the other princesses accompanied by their knights, she sat alone without a hint of intimidation.
But...
If Lydia evoked lively Eastern music,
and Lea embodied elegant classical airs,
Irina was poignant, like listening to the nostalgic chime of a music box.
Because in this life, I wouldn't be by her side.
“...”
Oblivious to my feelings, Irina smiled brightly at me.
With eyes as blue as emeralds.
“It's been a while.”
A while.
The word struck my ear like a blow.
‘Did I ever meet Irina separately during my cadet days?’
I racked my brains, searching my memories.
“Forgive me, but may I ask if we've met before?”
At my question, Irina crossed her arms alone.
“Who knows? You might not remember, but I do.”
She flashed a fresh, knowing smile, as if it were the most natural thing.
“I'm an imperial princess, after all.”
Had my improved sparring results changed her reaction...?
Unlike before, she brimmed with composure.
“What did you think of the other princesses' offers?”
“They were all offers far beyond my station.”
I chose the safest words possible.
Yet Irina teasingly probed at my heart.
“Really... is that all you think?”
By now, her smile had softened into one of pity.
“You know it too. The fate of a lowly knight.”
Fate.
For some reason, those two words tugged at my heart.
As if she knew my future.
“That's why you're hesitant—afraid of being used and discarded.”
I couldn't respond rashly to her words.
I'd never imagined an imperial princess understanding a commoner's plight.
“Sorry... I went on too long.”
Seeing me at a loss, she looked up at me with pity.
She apologized in a bittersweet tone.
Then, she handed me an elegant sheet of paper from the table.
“Now, here's my offer.”
The paper bore...
An appointment letter...?
The moment I saw those four words,
I looked at her in disbelief.
But the Second Imperial Princess's eyes held no tremor.
Instead, she gazed steadily up at me.
“Lately, I've formed a knight order.”
Her voice was calm, as if declaring it before the world.
At the sound, both Lea and Lydia froze in place.
What the Second Imperial Princess meant was clear:
Even she, who had been dismissed until now, was stepping boldly into the contest for the throne.
“A knight order—?”
Lydia propped her chin on her hand, responding indifferently.
“...”
Lea halted her quill mid-motion.
Expressionless, she waited for her younger sister's words.
“My knight order doesn't care about origins. It selects solely based on ability and conviction.”
A declaration that status meant nothing.
At those words, the eyes of my commoner classmates gleamed.
Dejected until moments ago, they now gazed up at Irina like she was a goddess.
“Holy Knight Order. I appoint you as its inaugural captain.”
Knight order captain.
A position attainable by only seven among hundreds of knights.
To offer it to a rookie commoner knight.
So that was the reason for her unwavering confidence despite the odds.
“I've already laid the foundations. Once Father awakens from his illness, we'll get official approval.”
It was indeed a shrewd offer only she could make.
But...
“What kind of knight order has no retainers?”
Lydia, who had been listening, began to chide her.
Having always outranked the Second Imperial Princess, it clearly irked her.
“You wouldn't know, buried in books, but building a proper knight order takes at least five years.”
The Third Imperial Princess shrugged, eyes closed.
Then, her signature red eyes glinted thinly.
“And with talent like Veil's, he could rise to veteran vice-captain in those five years.”
Lydia, who had seemed so girlish until now.
In truth, she knew more about knight orders than anyone.
“It's a waste to play captain in your half-baked order.”
It wasn't just noble blood that made her ruler of the East.
Her judgment was sharper than expected.
“Indeed, Irina. If you need a guard knight, I'll dispatch one.”
Lea, listening from the side, chimed in.
With an empress-like, sensual gaze, she gestured to her Radiant Knight Order.
“You don't need to go through the trouble of forming your own, do you?”
Lea's knights were clearly elite, each one.
Capable of handling dozens of soldiers alone.
“...”
But Irina showed no reaction to the two princesses' words.
Her blue eyes fixed solely on me.
“The decision is yours, Veil.”
Irina rose between the two princesses.
She placed a hand on her chest.
“If you're curious, come see for yourself.”
The princess undid two buttons on her dress.
“To see what I've prepared for you.”
From within, hidden preciously, a rosary necklace.
Irina removed it and placed it in my hand.
“I'll...”
The warmth of her hand lingered on the necklace in my palm.
“never let you die in vain.”
A cross framed in platinum, filled with brass.
Plain for an imperial treasure.
Yet the watching princesses knew its value.
Their father, the late King Leonhardt IV.
It was the first and last gift he gave Irina's mother.
“...”
I alternated between the rosary before me and the Second Imperial Princess.
Her bold green eyes.
But the palm offering the necklace trembled faintly.
I gently cupped her open palm with both hands.
Shielding the Second Imperial Princess's hand from the other princesses' view.
“You needn't humble yourself for me.”
Her cold hand against mine.
As our temperatures met—hers cold, mine hot—the trembling began to still.
“I'll consider it carefully. Please withdraw this undeserved honor.”
Irina's lips curved slightly.
The subtle tension in her face eased back into a smile.
Then, with a glance, she indicated our clasped hands.
“But your hand won't let go?”
In that moment,
I realized I was touching an imperial princess's sacred form.
“My apologies.”
I hastily pulled away.
“It's fine. Anyone else, and I'd have punished them, but...”
Irina gazed at the reclaimed rosary.
When she looked up again,
“I'll make an exception for you.”
Her green eyes held a distant smile.
“It didn't feel bad.”
As Irina brushed past me,
She paused and whispered,
“I won't burden you further, Veil. Please choose wisely.”
I watched her graceful departure.
With a smile, I quietly replied.
“Thank you...”
「――――――」
At last, all three princesses' offers had concluded.
Now, only my choice remained.
“...”
I surveyed the room.
Lea was back to her monocle, reviewing documents as if nothing had happened.
Joining her would guarantee promotion and swift advancement.
But it would mean vying in political intrigues with noble scions.
Lose there, and long-term survival was unlikely—I could even face execution as a political enemy.
Especially as a commoner, I'd be prime prey.
Next, Lydia.
Yawning, revealing her sharp fangs.
Choosing her meant luxury, indulgence, and vast estates unimaginable for a lowly knight.
Relocating the orphanage that raised me would surely help greatly.
But in exchange, factional strife with Eastern knights.
They rejected any knight not from their region.
“Haa...”
I let out a deep sigh.
Finally, I turned to Irina.
She met my gaze with a bright smile.
But for all its beauty, she had a glaring flaw.
No one knew the caliber of her Holy Knight Order.
Likely as flimsy and weak as a newborn earthen castle.
Joining her now meant facing unknowns from the start.
It wouldn't be solved by past-life tactics alone.
‘Still, it's not all downsides.’
Her offer of knight order captain.
And her promise not to let me die in vain.
That appealed to me.
In my previous life, I was just a mere guard.
Now, it was about building our own force.
“Still undecided?”
Lost in thought, I looked up at the heavy tread of military boots.
Grand General Valerian.
He approached, brows deeply furrowed.
‘What? Why is he angry...? He was watching me fondly just earlier.’
“You're the first. To hold an imperial princess's hand.”
He glared at me coldly.
His gaze was so piercing, it stole my breath.
“My apologies. I was just worried for Irina.”
“Worried?”
Valerian's brows furrowed deeper.
Darkening the shadows under his eyes.
“She handed me her rosary. Said she'd cherish me if I joined her.”
The general grimaced in disbelief.
Making his leonine face even fiercer.
“The rosary...? No knight has ever been treated that way...”
“I panicked and refused hastily, as the relic felt burdensome.”
Valerian nodded, seemingly accepting the reason.
“I'll let it slide this time, but be careful henceforth.”
“Understood.”
“And choose quickly. Keeping imperial blood waiting is grave discourtesy.”
Valerian patted my shoulder and returned to his seat.
Joining the long table's end where the princesses sat.
Regretful at losing a fine talent to them, he stared off at distant mountains alone.
‘Right, no need to keep them waiting longer.’
Bolstered by the general's words, I approached them leisurely.
The three princesses looked up at me in unison.
“Well, Veil? Have you chosen?”
Lea's calm voice.
Her words drew the attention of my restless classmates.
They were curious too.
The 80th class knights of the Adel Empire.
Where their top-ranked knight would go.
“Yes, I...”
At last, I spoke.
The three great figures watched me silently.
Lea of the Radiant Knight Order.
She adjusted her monocle, lips curling leisurely.
Lydia of the Eastern Knight Order.
Arms crossed, she watched me with narrowed eyes.
And... Irina Andalusia.
Clutching her rosary tightly, she gazed intently at me.
Before them, I stated flatly,
“I will join Grand General Valerian's Capital Defense Force.”
It was then.
The star palace, filled with people, fell into utter silence.
“What did he say—?!”
My classmates stared at me, dumbfounded.
Even stern Valerian's eyes widened, shadows vanishing.
“What did that guy just say?!”
But that was only the beginning.
Lea's monocle slipped from the nose of the one who'd assumed I'd choose her.
Lydia's lips parted, sharp fangs protruding.
And Irina, who dropped her rosary in shock.
The princesses gaped at me, utterly stunned.