Rayna's Declaration

In his private study, Grand Duke Rodrik sat with his eyes closed, lost in thought.

Knock knock. A steward's voice drifted in from beyond the door.

"Your Grace. Lady Rayna Garo'en requests an audience."

Rodrik opened his eyes. Rayna. The woman who had dueled Kyle alone today had come.

"Let her in."

A terse command. The door swung open with a creak.

Rayna Garo'en stepped into the study. Her ink-black hair was slightly disheveled compared to usual, and the marks of combat clung to her knight's uniform. But no serious wounds were visible.

Rodrik's gaze swept over her face first. Her cheek was faintly flushed. There was a faint trace of swelling, and a thin streak of dried blood clung to the corner of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠her lips. But there were no cuts. No scars that would last.

Inside, Rodrik let out a quiet breath of relief. Thank God. Kyle hadn't disfigured that beautiful face. If a scar had remained on that visage, it would have been a problem. Rayna was valuable because of her beauty.

Of course, he didn't show that thought on his face. Rodrik maintained his stern expression.

"The duel is over, then."

"Yes, Your Grace," Rayna answered in a calm tone. "I lost."

Rodrik's eyebrows twitched. He'd expected as much. But hearing it directly was different.

Moreover, there was no despair in Rayna's voice.

"You must have been overwhelmed by Kyle's masterwork," he said, as if offering comfort. "That man's fighting style is closer to a street thug than a knight. As long as you're not seriously hurt, it's fine. Rest for a while and recover your strength. I won't hold you accountable for the defeat."

It sounded like the words of a generous liege.

But Rayna offered no thanks. Instead, her hand moved to her waist.

Clack. A small pennant bearing black and gold was placed on the desk. The pennant of the Golden Lion Knight Brigade.

Rodrik's face hardened.

"What are you doing right now?"

Rayna looked straight at him. "Starting today, I am resigning from the Golden Lion Knight Brigade."

A brief silence settled over the room.

Rayna continued. "I am also stepping down from my position as a knight of the Hartvalt family."

The air in the study turned cold.

Rodrik stared at ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠her for a long time.

"Do you know what you're saying right now?"

"I do."

"Resignation is not something you can decide on a whim."

"Your Grace," Rayna's voice was polite. But there was no wavering in it. "The Hartvalt family did not treat me as a knight in fairness."

Rodrik's eyes narrowed.

Rayna did ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠not stop speaking.

"I took up my sword on the front lines. I slew monsters. I served the realm. I proved my worth. But what I received in return was not a fair evaluation."

Her gaze turned glacial.

"Because I was a woman, I was passed over for promotion. I was excluded from important missions. Rather than being recognized as a knight, I was treated like a decorative ornament—something to be displayed beside someone."

Rodrik closed his mouth. He had no rebuttal. The fact that she had been discriminated against was known to everyone within the Grand Duke's castle. The same was true within the Golden Lion Knight Brigade itself.

Rayna Garo'en had talent. She had skill. She had accomplishments. And yet she could not rise higher. There was only one reason. She was a woman. And not just any woman—an extraordinary beauty.

At some point, she'd have to be given to one of his children as a concubine. It would be inconvenient if she were locked in as a knight. The relationship between a knight and their liege was not one-sided loyalty. If a knight pledged their life to serve their liege, then the liege was obligated to protect that knight's honor and position. The Hartvalt family had not fulfilled that duty toward Rayna.

Which meant that if Rayna cited these reasons for her resignation, Rodrik had no legitimate grounds to stop her. And that fact only made him angrier.

Rodrik ground his teeth. "So."

His voice dropped low. "Are you saying you're leaving the Grand Duke's household because of that damned boy, Kyle?"

Rayna shook her head. "No."

"No?"

"I am not running away."

Rayna's eyes gleamed coldly. "I have pledged my loyalty to Kyle Hartvalt."

Rodrik's expression twisted. "What did you say?"

"I made that pledge to keep, I am setting down my position as a knight of the Grand Duke's household."

Rodrik lost his words for a moment. Kyle Hartvalt. That damned man. Rayna Garo'en had pledged her loyalty to him.

The fact wouldn't process properly in his mind.

Rayna kept speaking. "I have vowed to place my sword at his side."

CRASH! Rodrik's fist slammed the desk.

"Nonsense!" His voice echoed through the study. "Pledged loyalty to that boy?"

Rodrik bared his teeth. "Get a grip, Rayna Garo'en. You're being used by that man right now. He can't even protect you. If you leave the Grand Duke's knights behind, don't expect any reward for your service, don't expect any honorable treatment either."

It was an open threat.

"Your name will be stained with disgrace. A woman who abandoned the Grand Duke's knights to follow the reckless eldest son's whim. You'll become a laughingstock in the north."

Rayna didn't blink.

Rodrik's insides twisted further at that attitude. He spoke in a slightly lower voice.

"But if you turn back now, it's different."

Rayna's eyes turned quietly toward him. "Serve Karon instead of Kyle. Karon is the one who will lead the north. If you stand beside him, you may receive treatment you've never been given before."

He paused, then added, "If Karon is difficult, there's also Leon. If you wish, I can arrange a concubine—"

"I refuse."

Rayna's answer was short. Not a single trace of hesitation.

Rodrik's face hardened. But Rayna didn't regret her refusal. Rodrik had brazenly offered her a concubine's position, as though it were some great favor. She had no intention of enduring that humiliation any longer.

Then—BANG!—the study door slammed open.

"Rayna!"

It was Leon Hartvalt who burst in. He must have overheard from outside. His face was pale. His right arm was wrapped in bandages and a supportive magic device. The severed arm had been reattached, but it still couldn't move properly.

The moment Leon saw Rayna, he started gasping for breath.

"Why the hell would you want to serve someone like Kyle?!" His words were laced with anger. But his gaze was not.

Leon's eyes traveled from Rayna's face to her throat, then down to her chest and waist. Sticky gaze. Blatant desire. Rayna felt it.

Leon was six years younger than Rayna. But that age difference meant nothing to him. Rayna Garo'en was beautiful—a renowned beauty of the north. If Karon didn't claim her, perhaps there was still a chance for him. Rayna read that thought and quietly dismissed it.

"My decision will not change," she said, looking between Rodrik and Leon. "I have chosen to serve Kyle Hartvalt."

Leon's face contorted. "Why him? Why that damned fool?!"

"Leon." Rodrik's low voice cut through. Leon closed his mouth. But his eyes still trembled—anger, jealousy, and inferiority. And beneath it all, a consuming greed aimed at Rayna.

Rodrik glared at Rayna. "Fine." His voice was ice-cold. "Then starting today, you are no longer a knight of the Hartvalt family."

Rayna stood motionless. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠"You will certainly come to regret leaving the Grand Duke's household for that boy."

"That regret will be mine alone," she said. She did not bow her head.

Rodrik's gaze grew even more frigid.

Rayna turned her body. She was about to leave the study when—

"Wait." Leon couldn't hold his tongue. His voice was laced with twisted jealousy. "Were you defiled by that bastard? Is that why you're sucking up to him?"

The air froze. Rayna's footsteps stopped.

Slowly. Very slowly, her head turned back.

Her gaze was no longer polite. She removed one of her gauntlets and held it in her hand. Throwing the gauntlet here would constitute a formal challenge to a duel.

"I." Rayna's voice was cold. "Earlier, at Your Grace's command, I set down my position as a knight of the Hartvalt family."

Her gaze fixed on Leon. "But I am still a knight."

Leon's throat tightened.

"And my liege is Lord Kyle."

Rayna took one step forward. "To mock my liege, and to insult me as a knight—I will not let that pass simply because you are of the Hartvalt bloodline."

Leon unconsciously stepped back. The desire he'd been harboring toward Rayna turned to ice. Rayna's killing intent was real. Her gaze shifted to Leon's right arm. The bandaged, magic-device-fixed arm. The arm Kyle had cut off.

"If your arm had been intact," Rayna said coldly, "I would have thrown this gauntlet right now and formally challenged you to a duel."

Leon's face went rigid. "But challenging a duelist with an incomplete body is a disgrace, and it would also give the other side grounds to refuse."

Rayna put the gauntlet back on. "I'll let it pass today."

Her gaze grew even colder. "But the next time you defile my liege with that filthy mouth, don't expect even your remaining left arm to stay intact."

Leon's face turned deathly white. Rayna no longer looked at him. She turned her body and walked toward the door.

The moment she stepped out, the door slammed shut. Thud. The sound of the closing door echoed.

"Th-That madwoman…how dare she!" Leon ground his teeth. He unconsciously touched his right arm, still not fully healed. Kyle. That name boiled up in his mind. The man who cut off his arm. The man who stole the woman he wanted. That damned eldest son was ruining everything.

Curse it! Why does it have to be Kyle, that bastard?

At the very least, if it were Karon, he could accept it. If it were his older brother Karon, he could stomach it. But not Kyle. He couldn't hand Rayna over to someone like Kyle.

Black desire flickered in Leon's eyes. I'm going to take it back. Leon felt he'd had something stolen from him. And so he had to reclaim it.

Then—

"Kyle…."

Rodrik called out Kyle's name beside him in a voice twisted with rage. Leon flinched without realizing it.

And then Rodrik's voice erupted into a beast's roar.