Chapter 4

When I casually glanced around, everyone was holding their glasses and turning their heads to stare at me intently.

‘They all look so terrifying, as if they’re afraid I might be the villain’s subordinate.’

I shrank my shoulders and turned my head back to the front. Then I met the eyes of an even greater enemy. Altair was looking at me with an even more terrifying gaze than at the wedding.

‘Oh no. He’s mad because I arrived later than him, right now!’

I wanted to kneel and apologize, sobbing, but there were too many people watching. Even I, with my light knees, couldn’t kneel in front of so many knights; it would be a matter of pride...

‘What does pride matter!’

That’s right. This is Altair’s den. If I cling to my pride, I’ll lose my head without anyone noticing. After losing my head, pride would be useless.

“Sorry...”

Just as I was about to kneel and apologize.

“Lady! Please sit this way!”

Anna grabbed my arm and led me to a seat. Naturally, it was next to Altair. I was startled and checked Altair’s reaction. Fortunately, he didn’t react much, seemingly allowing me to sit next to him.

‘Was it because I promised to work hard just a moment ago?’

If so, it was worth the effort. As I sat down, the atmosphere inside gradually became noisy again.

“Here, this is the food we prepared. It’s a traditional dish from the eastern region.”

While I was checking Altair’s mood, Anna placed the food in front of me. It was a large roasted chicken and a stew with a strong tomato aroma. Although it was unfamiliar because they don’t cook whole ingredients in the capital, it looked very appetizing.

‘Besides, chicken is a dish that never fails.’

I had already seen the skills of the chef here. The soup and bread I had for a late breakfast were excellent, so the chicken and stew would surely be delicious. I forgot that Altair was sitting next to me and eagerly picked up the utensils. However, it wasn’t easy to disassemble the large chicken with a small knife.

‘How do they eat it?’

Looking at the knights, they were naturally tearing the chicken apart with their hands. I wanted to eat like that too, but the etiquette I had learned as Nadia wouldn’t allow it.

“Give it here.”

Frustrated by my struggling to disassemble the chicken, Altair sighed and took the plate. I watched the plate move away, feeling as if the sky was falling.

‘No way. He’s taking my chicken just because I was a bit slow!’

They say the worst thing in the world is to take away food you’ve just given. Indeed, Altair is the worst of the villains. Despite his ruthless nature, he skillfully disassembled the chicken with a fork and knife, a clean dissection that was hard to believe he used the same tools as me. I was so impressed that I forgot my frustration for a moment. When Altair offered the plate back, I blinked, not understanding the meaning.

“Not taking it?”

“Y-Yes, I’ll take it!”

I was startled and took the plate. As I stood there frozen, Altair’s face twisted even more.

“Are you going to keep doing that?”

“Y-Yes...?”

“Are you not going to eat it?”

“W-Well, I’ll eat it.”

I felt dazed as I placed the plate in front of me and picked up a piece with my fork. Altair was watching me quietly.

‘Maybe he helped me because I was having trouble?’

It was an absurd thought given Altair’s character, but the situation suggested it. I still felt dazed as I pushed the chicken into my mouth with the fork.

‘Wow...’

The moment I bit into the flavorful piece, all my thoughts disappeared.

‘I’m crazy. Why is it so delicious? It’s insane, this is.’

I stared at the chicken on the plate in awe. The soup and bread were delicious, but they couldn’t compare to this chicken. It was moist without the usual gamey flavor, and the skin was perfectly crispy. The chicken I had in the capital was dry and had a soggy skin. I started to play with the fork enthusiastically. When I put two pieces in my mouth at once, I couldn’t be happier.

‘After all, delicious food is the best. Life is about enjoying delicious food.’

With a contented feeling, I was about to turn my head naturally when I met Altair’s eyes. He was still looking at me with a terrifying gaze, like a hawk ready to pounce on its prey. The moment I met his fierce gaze, I recalled the scenes from the novel where Altair mercilessly killed people. The cruel descriptions, fitting for a grim novel, flashed through my mind, and I involuntarily let go of my fork, which fell to the table. At the same time, his eyebrow twitched.

‘Right. What help did he give me? He just wanted me to eat everything without leaving any, as a punishment for arriving late again.’

I pulled the plate closer and timidly conveyed my intention to Altair.

“I won’t leave any.”

“If you want more, just ask for it.”

Is he telling me to eat until I burst?

‘To torture someone with food. Indeed, he’s a wicked guy.’

I clenched my teeth in frustration and picked up the fork again. Realizing that Altair was still watching me, the chicken didn’t taste as good as before. It felt like eating sand.

“Eat the stew too.”

Right. He means I shouldn’t leave any of the stew either.

“Yes...”

I sniffed and pulled the stew bowl closer to me. As I was stirring the heavy-hearted utensils, someone approached me.

“Hello, Lady!”

Drawn by the friendly voice, I turned my head to see a knight with a gentle appearance pulling a chair and sitting next to me.

‘His voice is strangely familiar...’

After a moment of thought, I quickly realized why.

“Oh, the knight who sang earlier?”

“Did you hear it?”

“It was audible even outside the door.”

“I see. It’s not something I should show to the Lady, but...”

The knight scratched his head and laughed awkwardly. It was indeed not a skill to show to others, but it helped me relax, so it wasn’t a bad song for me.

“Why not? You sang well.”

“There are people who really sing well. I just try to liven up the atmosphere.”

“You’re a fun knight.”

“Hey, call me Cain! And have a drink from me. Ah, do you not drink beer? Should I have prepared wine?”

Watching him ramble on while holding out a glass, I couldn’t help but laugh. I took the glass from his hand before he could come to an odd conclusion.

“No, I like beer. I’ll drink it well, Cain.”

“I’m glad. You don’t know how much trouble I went through to be the first to offer you a drink.”

I took a sip of the beer Cain offered and tilted my head.

“Trouble?”

“Yes. Everyone was fighting over it.”

Cain scanned the knights with a look of disgust and then smiled at me. He was the only one with a gentle face amidst the cold knights.

“Anyway, I’m the first, Lady. Don’t forget...”

Cain was patting his chest when he suddenly turned pale and clamped his mouth shut. Following his gaze, I saw Altair looking at Cain with an even colder expression than before. As soon as I realized this, Cain jumped up from his seat.

“Ah, Lord! That’s so unfair!”

Cain protested, as if they had a silent conversation through eye contact.

“It’s not my fault that you lost the first place because you were dilly-dallying... Ow!”

But Cain’s words didn’t finish. Altair created a small orb on his hand and threw it at Cain’s forehead.

“Ow, can you use aura for this?”

“Since it’s just excess, I can use it however I want, can’t I?”

“Ouch, it’s good to be so capable!”

‘So that’s aura.’

It was the first time I saw it with my own eyes. Only those who had reached the level of Sword Master could use aura, and there were only a few of them. I had seen a few Masters in the capital, but they didn’t easily show their power. Moreover, they were all middle-aged knights, so a young swordsman like Altair was new.

‘He must have been strong enough to use aura from the beginning, which is why he achieved great feats in the war and became a duke.’

There was very little information about Altair before he became a duke and appeared in the capital. The only information was that he achieved great feats in the war with the neighboring country.

“Stop making noise and get lost. If you really want special training, you can stay.”

With Altair’s final warning, Cain raised his hands and quickly left. The atmosphere became heavy again as he left.

‘He doesn’t like seeing me eat comfortably, does he?’

I shed silent tears and sipped the beer Cain had given me. It was hard to believe that only two nights had passed since our marriage. * * * The knights of Eilsworth were thrilled that they finally had a lady. Isn’t a knight’s dream to serve a lady? In fact, they had almost given up on having their own lady, thinking that their lord, Altair Eilsworth, would never marry. Altair Eilsworth was a fine-looking man. Not just fine, but very handsome. He was an excellent swordsman with a decent personality. He was a good man, except for his rough tone and somewhat... scary appearance. However, the lord had a flaw that outweighed all his good qualities.

“He’s penniless.”

“It’s not just penniless. He’s a beggar.”

“So, we’re beggar knights serving a beggar lord?”

There was no woman who would marry a poor noble, especially one living in a rural backwater. But one day, news came that a marriage proposal was being discussed with a noble from the capital, and soon the marriage was decided. Eilsworth was completely turned upside down. The lady was said to be a precious lady from a marquis family.

“...Is she in her right mind?”

“Maybe there’s something wrong with her? Like a limp or she can’t speak.”

“Or maybe she’s so ugly that she couldn’t find a match in the capital?”

The knights concluded that the lady must be ugly. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have agreed to such an absurd marriage.

“Still, what can we do? We should be grateful that she’s coming to such a place.”

“Right. The lord should be grateful to any lady who comes and treat her with respect for the rest of his life.”

The knights’ evaluation was harsh, but it was also the truth. They prepared to welcome the lady with sincerity, regardless of who she was. However, the bride who appeared on the wedding day was completely different from their expectations. The lady was not ugly or lame. She was a beautiful woman with lovely pink hair and sparkling blue eyes. The knights gaped in disbelief throughout the wedding. A lady who maintained her dignity even in the chaotic situation where the groom didn’t appear!

“Am I dreaming?”

“Hey, only the groom says that.”

“Still, I can’t tell if it’s a dream or reality. Can you hit me?”

The knights sitting side by side pinched each other to confirm that this moment was real. The knight who stood next to the lady as the groom’s representative was so enchanted by her beautiful signature that he received all the envy.

“Still, I didn’t expect the lord to appear like that.”

“We were surprised too, so the lady might have fainted.”

“Hey, it’s the first time I’ve seen a lady faint.”

“Elegantly collapsing, and the lord catching her with a snap! Wow!”

“If we were local ladies, we would have asked why he came back with blood on him and hit his back.”

The knights excitedly talked about their first encounter with the elegant lady, completely unaware of what she was thinking. After the noisy wedding, a duel broke out that night over who would be the first to swear allegiance to the lady. Their duels were more practical and rough than the elegant duels of the capital’s knights. They had developed the habit of using swords practically in the border area, where danger always lurked. The best in this field was undoubtedly Altair. In his absence, Cain took the first place. He was already known as the most skilled in the knight order, so everyone accepted it. Cain was so excited at the start of the dinner that he sang enthusiastically. Some were laughing so hard they were holding their bellies, while others were covering their ears and throwing peanuts at him. In the midst of this, the lady appeared. The knights stopped what they were doing and stared at her in awe.

‘This is the lady we will serve from now on!’

The knights scrutinized Nadia’s appearance without breathing until she was seated. After she started eating, they marveled at every small action and shed tears of joy.

‘We can serve such a lady.’

‘I’ve never been so grateful to the lord.’

The knights shed silent tears while maintaining a stern appearance, wanting to show the lady their best knightly demeanor. But Cain was different. He was always light on his feet and didn’t care about dignity or solemnity. He was a rare breed among the local Eilsworth knights.

“I’ll drink well, Cain.”

Cain felt as if he had gained the world when Nadia called him by his name. He was about to declare that he would be her first knight when he met Altair’s gaze, which seemed to want to kill him. Altair clenched his teeth and communicated through eye contact.

‘Who’s the first? Do you want to die? Get lost. If you don’t want special training.’

The special training Altair referred to was a one-sided duel disguised as training. It would definitely be helpful in the end, but during the training, it felt like being beaten to death. Cain turned pale and protested, but was easily overpowered by Altair. Despite being the best in the knight order, he couldn’t match the Master, Altair. The other knights patted Cain’s shoulder as he walked away, defeated.

“You understand. She got a beating on her first night, and it’s natural for her to be angry if you’re there.”

“Right. It seems she can’t even call his name yet.”

“Maybe she’ll never be able to.”

“True. He’s the leader. It’s possible.”

In the whispers of the knights, Altair was becoming more and more pitiful.