Cover Me, Guard Knight! - 7
With a creak, the door swung open.
Paul was the one opening it. The way he took a short, steadying breath before turning the handle made it clear that Lucia’s father was waiting on the other side.
A fireplace, a rocking chair, a mug, and a bookcase. The room beyond was a study through and through.
The man seated in the rocking chair, flipping through documents, glanced up at the uninvited guest. The guest looked mildly surprised to find anyone there at all, then bowed his head in greeting.
“I didn’t expect to find you here at this hour.”
“I’m awake until dawn. A few matters came up that needed handling. The older a man gets, the more he enjoys the quiet.”
“You’re hardly of an age to call yourself old yet.”
“Ha. Even if it’s only empty words, I’ll take the courtesy.”
The man—Teo—set aside the papers he’d been reading and turned his full attention to Paul.
“Come in and sit, Lucia’s boyfriend.”
“Understood.”
Whoa, this is going to be terrifying, I thought for a moment.
Paul did as told, settling into a wooden chair a short distance from the rocking chair, and waited quietly for Teo to speak.
“Hoo…”
Teo let out a deep breath, then opened his mouth.
“Right. Let’s start over with the relationship question. Silverwolf—you are currently courting Lucia, correct?”
“I affirm that.”
“…I figured as much from the moment you used yourself as the example.”
With that, Teo ran a hand through his hair and sighed. That brief gesture said everything about the tangle of feelings inside him.
“Who confessed first?”
“My Lady was about to. I stopped her and did it myself.”
“A man should be the one to confess. I’ll give you credit for that.”
“Thank you.”
Paul sat stiffly in the wooden chair, delivering clipped answers while Teo kept firing questions… I couldn’t shake the feeling that this was less a conversation and more a job interview. Or maybe it was closer to a formal meeting of the parents.
“Well, Lucia isn’t a child forever… I suppose I have to acknowledge what needs acknowledging.”
Teo turned his chair so he faced Paul squarely. Then he rested both hands on his knees and bowed his head slightly.
“Take good care of my daughter.”
“I will not disappoint you.”
Paul bowed in return. A moment later both men raised their heads.
Looking again, I noticed Paul was casually emphasizing his left ring finger. An engagement ring usually sat there, so if Teo brought it up first it would probably make things easier for Paul. And sure enough, Teo—who’d been glancing around uncertainly—spotted the ring.
“Silverwolf. That ring… what is it?”
“Ah. I forgot to mention it. As of dawn this morning, I, Paul Silverwolf, have entered into an engagement with Lady Lucia Evermore.”
“Damn it. My bad premonitions never miss.”
Teo clapped a hand to his forehead hard enough that the sound was louder than expected. After that he muttered something under his breath with a heavy sigh, but neither Paul nor I caught the words.
“I’ll take my leave now.”
“Yes, go on… I need time to think as well.”
Paul gave a clean bow, then opened the door with unapologetic confidence and walked out. It might have been a small, quiet revenge for every bit of heartache he and Lucia had endured until now.
The moment he left the study, Paul quickened his pace just enough and headed for the dining room. He smoothed his clothes lightly, then carefully opened the door.
“—because she’ll take after me, so be as careful as you—”
“Pardon the interruption. I’ve come to escort My Lady.”
Inside, Lucia and Lily were deep in conversation. Paul had cut in right in the middle, so I didn’t catch the full topic… or rather, I’d deliberately fled from it. Listening to a mother give her daughter wedding-night advice felt like a step too far even for me.
“I’ll wait outside until you’re finished, and then—”
“We were only making light conversation until you arrived. It’s fine to take her.”
“Understood.”
At that, Lucia said her goodbyes to Lily and rose from her seat. Lily waved at the two of them, then seemed to remember something at the last second.
“Oh, right. Paul—take good care of Lucy for me.”
“I will make My Lady happy. You needn’t worry.”
“My, how dashing.”
With that exchange, Paul and Lucia stepped out of the dining room. This time both of them looked a little flustered; a faint flush colored their faces.
The two of them returned to Peltwin in short order.
The reason, apparently, was that a full moon felt too embarrassing, and Lucia wanted to spend it alone with Paul in Peltwin instead. Well, they were engaged now. Of course they’d want a place where no one was watching.
“Ah, Paul. Before we go home, let’s go on a little date.”
“As you wish, My Lady.”
Lucia spoke up on the way back from returning the horse.
“No matter how many things we’ve already done together, we still have to do them properly as lovers at least once.”
“Well, thinking of each other as ‘lovers’ does make the heart race. Shall we visit the theater for the first time in a while?”
“I’d like that. Then let’s hea—ugh.”
“Mind the step, My Lady.”
“Thank you.”
Lucia had nearly tripped on an uneven patch of ground; Paul caught her from behind in an instant. The motion left them in something very close to an embrace, yet both of them stayed surprisingly calm.
“Would you like to hold hands?”
“If you’re treating me like a child, I’ll pass. I’ll grab your hand when the timing feels right. For now, let’s just head to our destination.”
“Understood.”
Paul withdrew the hand he’d offered and walked beside her. Lucia closed the distance a little more and spoke quietly.
“There’s something I need to talk about regarding the full moon. Let’s discuss it while we walk to the theater.”
“Understood. Is there a particular reason you’re keeping your voice so low?”
“…You’re teasing me right now. How am I supposed to say this out loud?”
Paul rested his chin in his hand for a moment, then seemed to grasp her meaning and apologized. After all, even in my tavern she’d been too embarrassed to say the words “increased sexual desire” directly.
“About this coming full moon… let’s handle it a little differently than usual.”
“Differently how, exactly?”
“You don’t have to leave… no, stop making me say it out loud.”
Lucia stopped walking and motioned for Paul to lean down. She whispered something into his ear, and the ear listening to her turned red in real time. As always, I, being a perfect gentleman, did not eavesdrop.
“…Got it?”
“Confirmed.”
Lucia locked eyes with him and made him confirm the conversation they’d just had. Judging by how desperately they both managed their expressions afterward, the topic must have been mortifying. They started walking again in careful silence.
“…We’re here.”
In the end, they didn’t exchange another word until they reached the theater. Even from a distance I could feel the awkwardness rolling off them; I could only imagine how it felt up close.
“I’ll go get the tickets. Please wait here, My Lady.”
“All right. Remember, today we’re not employer and employee—we’re lovers. I trust you’ll pick seats that fit the occasion.”
The moment the word “lovers” left her mouth, Paul froze mid-step.
“…I request that you accompany me.”
“Pffft. You’re ridiculously cute right now, Paul.”
Lucia laughed softly, then took his hand as naturally as breathing, and the two of them set about choosing what to watch together.
“Status means nothing to me. Angelica! Please become my lover!”
In the end, the play they chose was one about a love that was nearly impossible to fulfill. The main themes were differences in race and differences in social class—perfect material for an entertaining night out.
Why had they picked this particular play? Maybe they’d been drawn to characters whose circumstances mirrored their own. Lucia watched with complete seriousness, while Paul quietly murmured “I see…” to himself throughout the entire performance.
“It seems the time has come for both of us to wake from the dream.”
“Angelica…!”
“The dream we shared was truly wonderful. So please don’t make that face. This is… a parting gift. Take care…”
The two leads’ tears and a final kiss brought the curtain down. Their ending was a sad one—an unfulfilled love. The complete opposite of the succubus and the wolf currently sitting in the audience with such grave expressions. Perhaps that was why both of them looked more serious than before.
“I got completely absorbed. The play was wonderful.”
“It’s thanks to My Lady’s excellent choice.”
They sat dazed for a short while until the sound of people filing out pulled them back to reality. Then they rose themselves and exchanged a few brief words as they left. Discussing the play, they walked out of the theater and headed in the opposite direction from the way they’d come.
“Let’s head home now.”
“…”
“Paul?”
“…Ah, my apologies. I was lost in thought for a moment.”
At his words, Lucia’s expression tightened just a fraction. She continued walking toward home, clearly turning something over in her mind. Her face was so earnestly serious that I found myself a little curious about what she was thinking.
“Paul, there’s something I want to say. Just listen for a moment.”
“Understood.”
Lucia kept her gaze fixed straight ahead, took a short breath, and spoke. The complete lack of eye movement told me she was deliberately avoiding looking at his face.
“I’ve always been easily influenced by plays like that, so I have to say this. Paul—don’t try to sacrifice yourself. Not ever.”
“…Sacrifice, meaning?”
“Like the protagonists in the play. If something happened with my family and we couldn’t get married, what would you do?”
“I would follow My Lady’s wishes—”
“No.”
Lucia cut him off in a cold voice.
“Paul. Right now I’m asking for my fiancé’s opinion.”
She turned to face him with an expression of absolute seriousness. At some point both of them had stopped walking.
“…I mean it when I say I’ll follow your decision. People put their own happiness first, so if I just follow your choice—”
“That’s wrong.”
Once again Lucia interrupted him, this time with her head lowered.
“…I might choose something for your sake instead. I love you too, you know.”
The calm way she said it left Paul with his mouth open. But after only a brief silence he found the words and managed to speak.
“…That’s what I was going to say when I proposed.”
At that single sentence, Lucia lifted her head and looked at him.
“It felt like too much of a burden to put into words, so I didn’t. But we forgot something important—we love each other. What I wanted to say back then was this: let’s share the same fate. Joy, sorrow, love—all of it, together. You asked what I’d do if I couldn’t marry you. I’ll choose whatever makes me happy. Because I believe my happiness is your happiness.”
“And in a situation like the one I just described?”
“A common answer, I suppose. Naturally, I’d run away with you.”
“I’ll gladly follow.”
Lucia smiled at his words, and Paul smiled back at her. Once the conversation ended she cleared her throat a few times and slipped back into formal speech.
“Well, it was a question I didn’t really know how to answer either. Sorry for asking something so strange. I made the atmosphere all heavy.”
“Not at all. The fault is mine for failing to treat a play as just a play. I’m grateful My Lady knows me so well. If you’d stayed silent it could have developed in a bad direction, but we resolved it through conversation.”
“Well, I know you about as well as you know me.”
“There will be many more things to learn about each other in the—”
“Stop! That’s embarrassing. Save that kind of talk for when we get home.”
“Ah—understood.”
Lucia added that she wanted him to hold her once they were home, then started walking again at a leisurely pace.
“Oh, and just in case…”
She spoke up as if the thought had only just occurred to her while they walked.
“If a situation like the one I mentioned earlier ever comes to pass… if things become so serious there’s no way back, will you die with me?”
“Gladly.”
“Good. Then let’s go home.”
From that point on they talked about ordinary, everyday things as they made their unhurried way back to their house.
What a mad kind of love, I thought. But even a mad kind of love can be beautiful enough. Mad, yes—but not wrong.