Chapter 44

As expected, it was Brother Albes who twisted his hand up. His eyes were so terrifying that I thought he might crush my wrist.

"Hey, didn't I tell you not to touch Lucia until the wedding?"

"This doesn't count as touching, does it?"

"…Really? Then, it's fine if other young men touch Lucia the same way, right?"

Suddenly, Fil's smile disappeared, and he took a step back from me, raising his free hand.

"Sorry. I just lost control, thinking about having to face a colleague I can't use for a while again."

"If you understand, that's fine. …No, it's not. Isn't that your escort?"

Brother Albes, who had let go of my hand, suddenly looked down the road.

Following his gaze, I saw a cloud of dust rising from the other end of the road. Soon, a group of horsemen came into view, and the lead knight signaled to the others. The neatly lined up horsemen moved swiftly. Seeing this, Brother Albes pulled me by the hand.

"Lucia, come this way. They're serious."

"Serious?"

"Yeah, in other words, …they're taking action as if it's a real battle."

Pulled by Brother Albes, I headed towards the house. The knights staying at our house also subtly moved away.

Left alone, Fil sighed, ran his hand through his hair, and then slowly crossed his arms. Meanwhile, the horsemen approached quickly, split into two, and began circling around Fil, forming a horse encirclement. The knights, with their matching cloaks fluttering, held spears in their hands. Eventually, the horses slowed down and stopped.

"Sir, we request that you accompany us."

One of the knights stepped forward from the circle of horses. He was probably the lead knight. His voice was polite but had a commanding tone that didn't allow for refusal. Fil quietly glared at the knight, glanced at the wall of horses around him, and then uncrossed his arms.

"Good move."

"It is an honor to receive your praise. We have received an imperial command from His Majesty to ensure that you depart today. Please come with us quickly."

The captain of the knights spoke calmly without a smile. Hearing this, Brother Albes chuckled in exasperation.

…Can it be resolved with a chuckle?

Fil is one thing, but for the emperor to issue a special command to the knights… No, maybe I shouldn't think too much about it.

Fil turned to me and sighed deeply again. Then, he obediently mounted the horse that had been brought to him. I thought he was finally leaving for the north, but he suddenly turned his horse around and came in front of me.

"Lucia."

Despite wearing a dashing knight's uniform, Fil's face looked like a child about to cry. It was so funny that I couldn't help but laugh. Fil gripped the reins tightly and then moved his horse again.

"Lucia… I think I'll go with you. As long as you're with me, even the worst place will be heaven…!"

"Hey, Prince Filord! Cut it out!"

Ah, the captain of the knights has dropped his polite tone. Moreover, he's no longer using the honorific "Sir" for a military man. That "Prince" is definitely a sarcastic remark.

The captain, with a demonic expression, grabbed the reins of Fil's horse from the side and pulled it forcefully. The horse obediently followed, and Fil turned back with a pained look.

"Lucia! I'll be back soon, so don't look at any other men!"

"Ah, come on, just shut up! Don't make more work for us! Hey, capture Sir!"

Those are not words to be used for a prince. However, the knights, with expressionless faces, surrounded Fil's horse from both sides and used the handles of their spears to pin Fil to the horse.

The group, now strangely aggressive, continued down the road, moving away from the Laguren house. Fil's figure was hidden by the cloaks of the surrounding knights, and eventually, the knights themselves disappeared from view.

"…Um, is Fil going to be okay?"

I looked up at Brother Albes hesitantly. After watching them for a while, Brother Albes sighed deeply and shook his head.

"Are you sure you want to be with a guy like that?"

"Well…"

I hesitated for a moment, but I wasn't really in doubt. I smiled softly.

"The Fil I know has always been like that."

"…Yeah, that's true."

Brother Albes smiled wryly but didn't seem upset. He placed his hand on my head, ruffled my hair, and then went inside the house, probably to continue with the accounts. I had also been in the middle of scrubbing a pot.

Returning to the kitchen, I gripped the scrub brush again and smiled, thinking of Fil.