Chapter 8

Stiffening at Altair’s piercing gaze, my mind raced. Recalling the conversation between Altair and Pavel, it seemed that Altair had been sleeping elsewhere lately. It wasn’t just that he was busy; he had deliberately set up a separate room to avoid me. I had been relieved that Altair hadn’t appeared for a few days, but now that I knew he had been deliberately avoiding me, I felt a strange mix of emotions.

‘Could it be because he saw me flustered that day…?’

Feeling a sense of unexpected consideration, I approached the window hesitantly. Altair, who seemed to have caught sight of me, frowned as if he had seen something he shouldn’t, and quickly turned his head. His neck seemed to tense up, as if just seeing my face was enough to irritate him.

‘Of course, that’s it.’

He wasn’t being considerate; he was probably repulsed by my flustered and clumsy behavior that day, to the point where he didn’t even want to see my face. How angry must he have been to give up his comfortable bed? As Altair openly ignored me, the knights began to shift uncomfortably, glancing at me. Pavel, too, cleared his throat and quietly closed the window.

“Don’t worry too much. He’s just grumbling.”

I tried to smile at Pavel to show that I was fine, but from his troubled expression, it was clear that my smile wasn’t very convincing.

“It’s my fault. I didn’t realize we were sharing a room and walked around naked…”

“No, my lord wouldn’t get angry over something like that… right?”

Pavel, who had reflexively tried to comfort me, suddenly clamped his mouth shut as he realized the implications of my words. His eyes darted back and forth, and he asked in a higher-pitched voice:

“So, you were naked? And my lord saw you?”

Seeing the usually stoic Pavel’s eyes widen in shock, I felt the gravity of the situation. Noble men desired virtuous wives. Walking around a shared room without proper attire was hardly something a husband would appreciate. Worried that even Pavel might see me as lacking in dignity, I quickly shook my head.

“It wasn’t intentional. I thought Anna had come in… My lord must be angry at my careless behavior, right?”

I had promised to be a good wife in front of Altair. He seemed to be giving me a chance. But I had made a foolish mistake right from the start, losing a lot of points.

“Such…”

Pavel scratched his head, unsure of what to say. I felt my energy draining, and I tried to hold my head up and clutched my skirt tightly. Everyone makes mistakes. Mistakes themselves aren’t bad, but running away without fixing them makes you a truly bad person.

‘So, I shouldn’t run away; I need to fix this, Nadia!’

I took a deep breath and quickened my pace. I needed to go to the training ground, where I had seen Altair through the window. As I hurried down the stairs and headed towards the training ground, I saw Altair leaving. He was wiping sweat off his shirt and walking quite fast. I quickened my steps, worried I might lose him, but my speed didn’t improve. Instead, I tripped and stepped on my skirt.

“Ah!”

Hearing my short scream, Altair turned and looked at me. The moment our eyes met, my body lurched forward before I could react. I closed my eyes and quickly reached out my hands. I might have injured my wrists, but it was better than hitting my head. However, instead of the expected pain, I felt a strangely familiar sensation at my fingertips. Opening my eyes in surprise, I found Altair lying beneath me. I had seen him far away, so how did this happen? Confused, I blinked, and Altair, who was lying beneath me, groaned and pressed his forehead.

“Planning to stay on top of me?”

“Ah! I’m sorry!”

I tried to get up quickly, but my legs were weak from shock, and I had trouble standing. After I failed to get up several times, Altair sighed deeply and sat up abruptly. As the distance between us closed, I felt his overwhelming presence, and my shoulders involuntarily tensed. Despite his cold appearance, Altair’s body was surprisingly warm, likely from his recent training.

‘And his scent is more…’

The smell of healthy sweat and a fresh, heavy male scent made it hard to look Altair in the eye. Unable to bear it, I bowed my head, and Altair’s voice came from above.

“Speak.”

“Huh?”

Lifting my head, I found Altair’s face right in front of me. He frowned, seemingly displeased with the close distance, and slightly pulled his head back.

“You came down in a hurry, didn’t you? What did you want to say, say it now.”

I had come down to talk, but with his intense red eyes staring at me, I found it hard to speak. I repeated my resolve not to become a bad person in my mind several times before finally opening my mouth.

“I’ll leave.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s my mistake, so I should leave. The room originally belongs to you, my lord. You don’t need to sleep in an uncomfortable place because of me.”

“Mistake? What mistake?”

Altair frowned. His already intimidating face seemed twice as fierce, and I shrank back, fidgeting with my lips.

“That day, I… walked around without proper attire… I wasn’t being virtuous.”

“What? Why is that your mistake!”

Altair let out a hollow laugh, running his hand through his hair.

“If it was a mistake, it would be Anna’s for not serving properly. If we dig deeper, it’s my fault for tolerating her clumsiness. Why do you think it’s your mistake?”

“After you left that day, you didn’t come back… and just now, you turned your head away when you saw me…”

“That’s!”

Altair cut me off with a loud voice, then saw me flinch and clamped his mouth shut.

“…Don’t judge your mistakes based on others’ reactions. You didn’t make a mistake that day.”

His voice, following a sigh, was firm but not scary. Feeling a strange emotion, I blinked and looked at Altair. He frowned and gently lifted me up, standing up himself. This was the second time I had been carried by his hands, feeling like a straw doll.

“The reason I’m sleeping elsewhere is that I can’t control myself. Well, if we’re being honest, it is partly your fault. But it’s not because of your mistake. Understand?”

“Yes.”

“Are you sure you understand?”

“Yes, I understand… Ah-choo!”

Before I could finish my answer, a sneeze burst out, and Altair’s face crumpled.

“Why are you sneezing? Do you have a cold?”

Before I could answer, Altair’s hand touched my forehead. After a long, serious moment, he finally sighed and removed his hand.

“I can’t tell if I have a fever. I’ll send a doctor, so wait in your room.”

“No! The sneeze was just from nervousness… I don’t have a cold at all.”

“Nervousness makes you sneeze?”

“I do sometimes.”

“You’re full of mysteries.”

While Altair observed me as if I were a strange animal, I sensed someone behind me. Turning my head, I saw Pavel, who had followed me and was catching his breath.

“Were you and Pavel touring the castle?”

Altair glanced at Pavel.

“Yes, but we’ve only explored the inside so far.”

“Tell me when you tour the outside.”

“Yes, I’ll ask for permission and then go, so don’t worry!”

“No, I meant…”

What did he mean? Confused, I tilted my head, and Altair sighed, waving his hand. It seemed he was telling me to go. Understanding his gesture, Pavel quickly came to my side.

“Lady, I’ll show you the places you haven’t seen yet.”

“Thanks.”

Following Pavel, I glanced back at Altair, who was now talking to Blan, who had appeared. Their expressions were very serious, and I could tell they were discussing something important.

‘I shouldn’t interrupt.’

I moved as carefully as possible. * * *

“Lord…”

Watching Nadia walk away cautiously, Blan sighed deeply.

“Saying you can’t control yourself and need separate rooms! What kind of talk is that! Please, just lose control! Isn’t that why you got married!”

Blan, frustrated, patted his chest and scolded Altair. Altair, as if telling him to stop making noise, lightly kicked Blan’s shin and glanced at Nadia’s retreating figure.

“Just because we’re married doesn’t mean I can force it. No matter how urgent my situation, I don’t want to force it.”

“That’s true, but… if you think that way, you need to be more proactive. Like a peacock spreading its tail and dancing.”

Blan made a dancing gesture, and Altair’s face crumpled.

“Didn’t you see her shrink back in fear every time I open my mouth?”

“So, try to be a bit more gentle in your tone and soften your expression. Smiling widely isn’t that hard, is it?”

“Smiling widely…?”

“Yes, like this!”

As soon as he finished speaking, Blan smiled. The bright smile of the handsome knight made the surroundings seem brighter, but Altair looked as if he had seen something he shouldn’t and shook his head.

“…I feel like I’m going to vomit.”

“No, do you think I want to smile brightly at a dark man? I was just showing you an example.”

Blan grumbled, looking aggrieved.

“Still, women like such smiles.”

Indeed, Blan was popular with women. A handsome knight approaching with a gentle demeanor would make anyone swoon.

“Come on, you’ve seen it, now you try! Lift the corners of your mouth and smile widely!”

Reluctantly, Altair tried to follow Blan’s instructions, but the more he tried to smile, the stranger Blan’s expression became.

“Are you feeling like you’re going to vomit too?”

“No… it’s not that… it’s just really scary. Why does it get scarier when you smile?”

“How should I know?”

With a negative evaluation, Altair relaxed the corners of his mouth and returned to his usual expression, then kicked Blan’s shin.

“Ouch! After breaking my nose, now you’re trying to break my leg?”

“Hmph. If your leg breaks from just this, you don’t deserve to be a knight.”

“That’s not just this. You can break rocks with your kicks, how is this just this?”

Blan protested strongly, but Altair snorted and turned away.

‘Anyway, no help at all.’

* * * That night. The knights of Eilsworth gathered secretly, with Blan at the center.

“Everyone has seen it. If this continues, Eilsworth’s future is in danger. We need to take action.”

The knights nodded seriously at Blan’s words.

“Look at him. Lord has no future.”

“He won’t even be able to have children.”

“Matching lips would be a miracle. I doubt he’ll even hold hands.”

Once the conversation started, it quickly turned negative.

“Quiet, everyone!”

Standing at the center of the commotion, Blan calmed the knights and declared solemnly.

“Now, we begin the first strategy meeting!”

“Hooray!”

As the knights cheered and clapped, Pavel, who was hidden in a corner, sighed and rubbed his head.

“Sigh. Why am I in this ridiculous situation…”

The most ridiculous part of this ridiculous situation was that his brother was the most ridiculous of all.