The muttering was so faint that I thought I might have misheard it. But Terdeo didnât respond. He just stood there, deep in thought with a serious expression.
"Teredeo?"
Unable to wait any longer, I called out his name, and his eyes twitched. Then, as if he had just realized something, he ran his hand through his neatly combed hair and nodded.
"I see, I understand."
"âŚWhat?"
"You are a person full of warmth and consideration. You know how to judge people without being swayed by others' opinions and are infinitely meticulous towards others."
"âŚWhat?"
"People who are friendly to you canât push you away coldly or doubt you."
"What are youâŚ."
"Moreover, you laugh purely, go well with flowers, and are incredibly beautiful."
"Just a momentâŚ."
"Thatâs why itâs natural for me to worry."
At his rapid-fire words, I stopped in my tracks, blinking in confusion.
"What are youâŚ."
Did I mishear him because he spoke so quickly? I wondered.
'What did I just hear?'
As I mulled over his words, my face felt like it was about to burst from the heat. Seeing my flustered expression, Terdeo turned his head and ran his hand through his hair, clicking his tongue as if he were at a loss. It felt as if time had stopped in the place where we stood.
"âŚWhat I mean isâŚ."
Teredeo ran his hand through his hair again and said.
"âŚWhat I mean isâŚ."
"âŚ."
"âŚIf you want, you can take a guard with you."
He desperately changed the subject. I swallowed hard and adjusted the conversation to match his.
"A guard�"
My voice cracked, but I tried to keep the conversation going calmly.
"That sounds like a good idea. I didnât think about taking a guard when going out, but it might be necessary when meeting Adeus."
I didnât even know what I was saying. I just kept talking to shake off the awkwardness. His face brightened when I readily accepted his offer.
"But I want to hear the place where you two meet without being disturbed."
"Donât worry. Iâll make sure to guard from a distance so I donât interfere when the two of you are talking."
"âŚIf thatâs the case, it would be better."
"Leave it to me."
The conversation ended with Terdeoâs confident answer. Just as the atmosphere was about to become awkward again, the butler, who had been standing a distance away, deliberately made footsteps and approached.
"Excuse me for interrupting your conversation."
At that moment, the butler seemed like a savior, breaking the awkward silence.
"Your Excellency, youâve already delayed for quite some time. If this continues, todayâs schedule might be canceled. You really need to leave now."
Teredeo nodded in agreement. He put on his gloves again and hurriedly left.
"Ah."
Teredeo, who had been walking quickly, suddenly stopped. Then he leaned back and looked at me.
"Iâll hear the place where you two meet when you return."
After leaving a strong impression of his determination to hear the place, Terdeo disappeared.
'âŚSo he was just worried about me, I guess?'
I tilted my head for a long time, looking at where Terdeo had disappeared.
*** In the training ground of the Royal Knight Corps, Terdeo stood with a dull sword in his hand, lost in thought. Everyone was surprised because he usually hated being distracted during practice. Some members even bet on whether he was about to die, given his unfamiliar appearance. Regardless,
'This is pointless.'
Teredeoâs mind was replaying the events of that morning. He barely remembered what conversations he had with Fereshati. All he could recall were her wide, rabbit-like eyes filled with surprise and her cheeks flushed like ripe apples. At that moment, it felt like he had confessed everything he had ever felt.
"Damn, itâs because of that book. I shouldnât have read it."
That morning, after Fereshati had left to take Selphius to the academy, Terdeo, out of habit, headed to the study. When he arrived, he found four books neatly placed on the desk. "About Love, Its Honest Emotions." "Read This Book and You Too Can Be a Love Master!" "Love Belongs to the One Who Expresses It." "Love Is Also a War, Conquer and Win!" Terdeo tilted his head, puzzled by the titles.
"These donât seem to be my books. Who put them here?"
The butler, who had been following behind, glanced at the desk and laughed.
"Perhaps Master Selphius left them here and forgot them when he went to the academy."
"âŚThese are Selphiusâs books?"
"Yes. I prepared them because he said they were necessary for his studies at the academy."
Teredeo laughed bitterly, as if he had heard something absurd.
"Is the academy teaching such strange things these days? Do they usually teach this?"
Of course, they donât, but Terdeo, who had never attended the academy, wouldnât know that. He picked up one of the books. "Love Is Also a War, Conquer and Win!" It was a ridiculous title. He shook the book and laughed mockingly.
"Love is a war? Has the author of this book never experienced war? War is far more brutal and terrifying."
"Some people describe love as a fierce war."
"Ridiculous."
With a cold sneer, Terdeo opened the book. The pages were filled with bizarre statements he couldnât agree with. He flipped through each page, sneering all the while. After finishing the first book, Terdeo sat in a chair and picked up the second. He didnât remember the butler speaking to him, but he must have. After reading two books, Terdeo, without a word, picked up the third. The butler tried to speak to him again, but he didnât recall his response. Terdeo read all four books in succession, only realizing how much time had passed when he finished. By then, Fereshati had already returned from taking Selphius to the academy. Recalling the morning, Terdeo clenched his sword and gritted his teeth.
"Did the author of that book put some kind of spell in it to make me say such nonsense?"
He felt ashamed as he remembered his bizarre behavior and the embarrassing things he had said to Fereshati.
"Is that why I ended up saying such pointless things?"
There was no way he would have said those things otherwise. He had seen countless times how people from the Laphireon family ended up when they fell in love. He had vowed never to let anyone get close while under this curse. So, the book must have been enchanted. Terdeo muttered to himself, his face cold and rigid. At that moment, Shif, who had been sparring with Terdeo⌠or rather, being beaten by him, saw an opportunity and charged with his sword. Thud! A dull sound and a scream that seemed to tear the air followed.
"Ahhh!"
Shif, who had been hit in the neck, arms, and legs with the flat of the sword, rolled on the ground in a pitiful state.
"Ah, itâs you."
Teredeo looked down at Shif, who was writhing on the ground, with indifference.
"Really, chivalry is nowhere to be found."
"UghâŚ!"
"An ambush? I almost killed you unconsciously. Be grateful that I stopped."
"Grateful for breaking my arms and legs?!"
Shif, his face contorted in pain, shouted.
"You donât know how much I control my strength to avoid killing youâŚ."
"âŚ."
"If I had pulled back even a little later, you would have died just now."
Shif, intimidated by Terdeoâs threatening demeanor, fell silent. Terdeo looked at him disdainfully and sneered.
"How did you even become a knight? A knight who ambushes. Youâre a disgrace."
Shifâs face turned red with humiliation. His jaw trembled as he clenched his teeth.
"If anyone asks, donât say youâre a knight. Our familyâs successor, nine-year-old Selphius, is learning about chivalry these days. I should learn alongside him. If you want, I can make a place for you at the academy."
"âŚ."
"You are a disgrace to the Royal Knight Corps."
"Ugh! Why am I only sparringâŚ! Iâm not getting any trainingâŚ!"
Shif, his limbs twisted, glared at Terdeo with a fierce expression. Terdeoâs lips curled up in a mocking smile at the unbridled malice.
"Why are you only sparring? Until you leave the Royal Knight Corps."
"âŚ!"
"Until then, Iâll break your limbs every day."
Teredeo pressed his sword against Shifâs broken arm.
"Ahhh!"
A loud, agonizing scream echoed.
"When you heal, Iâll break them again, and continue doing so."
The other knights watched in shock at Terdeoâs cruelty. But Terdeo didnât care.
"Donât worry. I wonât kill you."
"UghâŚ!"
"Killing you would be boring. Similarly, I have no intention of expelling you from the Royal Knight Corps."
Teredeo looked at Shif with disdain, as if he were a piece of trash.
"Once youâre healed, you can rejoin the training. Iâll break your limbs cleanly again."
He calmly turned his head and signaled to the other knights to take Shif to the infirmary. Shif, with tears streaming down his face, pleaded.
"Why⌠why meâŚ!"
"Why you?"
At Shifâs wailing, Terdeo raised an eyebrow and stepped on Shifâs hand, clenching his teeth.
"Because of you, someone suffers from nightmares every night. Are you asking what you did?"
His eyes, red and glaring, resembled those of a starving beast. It felt like Shif might not survive if this continued. The captain, who had been watching from a distance, approached Terdeo discreetly.
"Your Excellency."
Teredeo stopped at the captainâs call.
"Itâs time for your afternoon schedule."
"âŚItâs already that time?"
Teredeo, who had been controlling his breathing, removed his foot from Shifâs hand. The captain looked at Shif, who was a mess, with a sympathetic gaze.
'Why did he talk about the Grand Duchess Laphireon, tsk tsk.'
Shif had boasted about his experiences with the Grand Duchess Laphireon right after joining the Royal Knight Corps. He probably wanted to emphasize his connection to the Laphireon family, but unfortunately, the head of the Royal Knight Corps was the Grand Duke Laphireon, Terdeoâs husband.
'That he was my wifeâs lover for a while.'
The thought of him receiving undeserved love and then betraying Fereshati made his anger boil again. The veins on Terdeoâs hand, gripping the sword, stood out prominently.
"Your Excellency, you need to leave."
At the captainâs call, Terdeo snapped back to reality. He couldnât kill him here. He took a deep breath.
"âŚIs the carriage ready?"
"Yes, itâs ready."
"Time sure flies today."
"âŚWhat?"
In response to the captainâs puzzled question, Terdeo didnât say anything. It didnât feel like he had been there for more than a few minutes, yet the morning training was already over. He had only thought about Fereshati a couple of times, but so much time had passed.
'She must have done something to me. I definitely need to meet the author of that book.'
Teredeo turned his body abruptly. Later, it was said that when Selphius returned from the academy, he laughed upon hearing that Terdeo had read all four books. He muttered to himself, "The first plan succeeded," or something to that effect.