CH 61

A Knight’s Vow Fulfilled

‘Was it a little early?’

Alberto was nervous as he made his way through the corridors of the palace where the maids stayed and arrived at his destination.

Today, he was going to spend the entire day traveling in a carriage with Marie, heading towards the territory that had become his own, the McClain territory.

Alberto, who is now thirty-seven, smiled at the unfamiliar feeling that just going out with the person he likes is enough to make his heart race.

He thought that he had long abandoned any kind of romantic feelings, but now Alberto found himself occasionally experiencing emotions akin to those of an adolescent boy.

Even now, it’s the same. Although there was still a bit of time left until the appointed hour, driven by the desire to see her as soon as possible, Albert found himself heading towards Marie’s room.

He lightly knocked on the door, wondering if it would be a nuisance to her.

However, there was no response.

It’s too late for her to be still asleep. If she was getting ready, she would have called out to him.

“Marie. It’s Alberto, are you there?”

He raises his voice a little and knocks on the door again. But there’s no answer.

A strange unease crossed his mind, and although it was impolite, he placed his hand on the door. It’s not locked.

“I’m sorry, but I’m coming in.”

If she was in the room and didn’t hear his voice, she would’ve apologized. He broke into the room out of fear that she wasn’t there and that she was involved in something.

He knew that recently Marie was being gossiped about as a woman who was getting too close to Reynaldo and Alberto.

Of course, Alberto denied it and did his best to act in a way that wouldn’t create such negative rumors, but even so, the palace is a place where rumors are bound to circulate. He remained vigilant to ensure Marie’s safety, occasionally monitoring the situation alongside Reynaldo without being seen.

The fear that perhaps harm might have befallen her struck Alberto.

Upon entering the room, it was evident that she had finished getting ready. Her luggage had been prepared, and as long as Marie was present, they were ready to depart.

However, even after calling out again, her figure was nowhere to be seen.

Given her personality, it’s hard to believe she would go out knowing that Alberto was coming to visit.

If so, it’s possible that she was moved out of the room by a third party.

Alberto hurriedly left the room.

Nevertheless, he couldn’t find her exact location. While contemplating his next steps, Alberto instructed one of the knights who was patrolling within the royal palace to search for Marie. The knight seems to have understood the situation and starts running to inform the others.

Alberto contemplated where she might have been taken if she was indeed abducted.

If it was someone within the palace, it would probably be a secluded place.

If it was someone from outside the palace, they would have escaped beyond the palace walls. However, if an outsider is inside the royal palace, they will be swiftly driven out.

Most importantly, there’s no way Marie would open the door for an unfamiliar person.

If that’s the case, then it must be someone she knows.

Alberto runs around the royal palace. He asks the servants if they’ve seen Marie, but none of them have.

Suddenly, he locked eyes with a lone woman.

Alberto recalled her name: Riela. She had worked as a maid for the Knights’ Corps before, and when their eyes met, he felt a definite response.

Riela’s face turned pale, and she averted her gaze from Alberto. There’s no way she would’ve looked away unless there was something to hide.

“Miss Riela.”

He calls out her name once more and discreetly blocks off potential escape routes to prevent her from fleeing.

With her head bowed, she remained unresponsive to his call. Alberto called her name once more. His voice turned low and intimidating, which was far from his usual gentlemanly demeanor toward women.

“Where is Marie?”

“I-I….”

“Tell me. Where have you taken her?”

He threatened Riera with conviction.

He emitted a menacing aura from his gaze and drew his face closer. As he pondered the potential use of force if she continued to stay silent, tears began to trickle from Riela’s eyes.

“…. In the stockpile… I was threatened, so I took her away….”

“… Okay.”

Suppressing the immediate urge to rush, he approached a nearby guard and handed her over.

“Hand her over to the Commander’s assistant. Let them know about Marie’s situation. Also, I apologize. May I borrow your bow?”

Accepting the bow from the guard, Alberto swiftly started running.

While he always carried his sword with him, he lacked a bow and arrows, so he borrowed them. Recognizing that unforeseen emergencies might occur again, he borrowed the equipment in anticipation of such situations.

Even if he didn’t fully understand the situation, he knew that he didn’t have much time to waste. If it were a mere act of harassment to confine her, Riela’s face wouldn’t be so tinged with fear. If she was being threatened, it meant someone was targeting Marie.

Who could be targeting her?

He couldn’t let her be taken away.

Suppressing his anger, Alberto headed for the stockpile. The door was locked. He hadn’t encountered anyone on his way there.

He pondered the situation.

Considering the possibility of someone being inside, he took a bold step and kicked the storage room door. Due to its solid build, it didn’t break easily. Realizing the urgency of the situation, he forcefully kicked and pounded on the door a few times until it finally tilted and collapsed slightly.

Seizing the moment, he delivered a forceful kick to the door, finally managing to enter.

“Marie!”

He shouted, but there was no answer.

As he ventured deeper, he caught sight of a place where a faint light filtered in.

“A hidden passageway?”

Surprised to find a hidden passageway that he isn’t familiar with, he continues on his way.

Alberto realized that the storage room he saw at the end of the passage was actually a warehouse built at the outermost part of the castle. He had questioned its location in a secluded spot, but now he wondered if it was intended as an emergency exit.

He finds traces of people leaving the building. There are also indications of shattered windows.

Alberto followed the trail and exited the building. From afar, he felt the presence of people. His sharpened senses allowed him to deduce that the presence meant harm.

He sprinted relentlessly toward the presence, catching a distant glimpse of a man’s figure.

‘That’s the one,’ he realized.

The moment he saw the man capturing someone, Alberto came to a halt and drew his bow.

Despite the distance, he intended to shoot.

He will get rid of those who try to harm Marie.

He takes a deep breath, releases his grip, and the arrow flies straight up and hits the man in the back.

The man collapses.

Alberto dashes forward. In his disheveled state, Marie, who had noticed Alberto, turns her attention in his direction.

Tears well up in her eyes as if the tension in her is released.

‘I’m glad I made it in time.’

‘This time, I was able to save her.’

Alberto embraced Marie tightly, shaking with genuine joy, as she cried in his arms.