“It’s been a while, Lady Garth.”
Valia’s title had changed. She just smiled without being awkward.
“It’s been a while, Sir Shaun.”
A lady and a knight had a special relationship. Regardless of their status, they would speak formally to each other. It was no different even for a married noblewoman. This custom did not apply only if the lady or the knight had been awarded the title of nobility.
There were often situations where a Countess spoke informally to a Viscount but had to speak formally to the Viscount’s son, who was a young knight. A son of the Duke, who was a knight, had to speak formally to a Baron’s daughter. It was a bit strange, but it was Gel’s etiquette, and Valia should follow it.
Valia, who had been talking about her daily happenings until the tea came out, stealthily changed the topic.
“By the way, Sir Shaun, were you there when His Grace received a tart a few days ago?”
“Yes. I took the servants of the manor myself to the barracks.”
Valia was delighted in spite of herself, then she cleared her throat.
“Did he hate it after receiving the tart? Like, did he tell someone to throw the tart away…”
“Absolutely not, Lady Garth.”
Shaun answered in proper posture. Valia struggled to hide her expression from brightening up. She nodded, trying to look as calm as possible.
“He’s not someone who will turn down a gift, right Shaun?”
Shaun could not answer to his heart’s content.
‘That’s definitely not it either.’
Noble ladies rarely cooked by themselves, but sometimes, they personally baked cookies when they wanted to express their feelings.
The beautifully baked and adorably wrapped cakes and cookies were sent to the tent of the Knights of Garth. It was considered disrespectful for the inferiors to handle the food sent by the nobles, so, at first, the attendants would tell Schuden which lady from which house gave the dessert. Whenever that happened, Schuden looked once at the dessert and once at the attendant with his red eyes. Every attendant in the Knights of Garth understood the meaning that the silent gaze brought.
Since such things happened so often, even when they received a three-tier cake, the subordinates would take care of it on their own. It was destined to disappear in an instant, mainly to replenish the knight’s sugar content.
They were not close enough to tell the ladies the truth, so ladies who were not aware of that had often sent snacks. Of course, it was not a bad thing for Shaun. Snacks baked carefully using only the finest ingredients were very luxurious for the knights.
The exception was Valia—the only bride of his liege. And although he personally served the lady for a short time, if Shaun had a slightly more friendly personality, he would have called Valia ‘milady’ or ‘madam’ in a friendly way. In fact, Robin already interchanged between using ‘madam’, ‘Lady Garth’, and ‘milady’.
“Actually, His Grace does not like sweets.”
Even if Shaun had a blunt character, he could tell Valia that information. He was a little worried in case her feelings got hurt, but he could not find any disappointment in Valia’s expression.
Valia nodded
“I see… Thank you for letting me know.”
“Don’t be disappointed, he just does not like sweet things. Not many people know about it.”
“Is that so? Is it okay if you let me know about it?”
“Yes. His Grace has never told me to keep quiet about that. It doesn’t matter if you ask His Grace in person later. I will bear all the responsibility.”
Valia laughed. This stern knight commander tended to risk his life on even the smallest things. She was not angry or disappointed in the first place, but thanks to the unintended laughter, she felt a little relieved. Valia had already lived through a rough past to be hurt by such things.
“Then, Sir Shaun…”
She asked another question.
“Did he share the remaining tarts?”
Shaun contemplated for a while before answering.
‘No, he ate it all by himself.’
How could he convey these words politely? He could not think of a more suitable wording. What else could he say other than he ate the tarts alone? In the end, Shaun spoke frankly to Valia, who had a half-expecting and half-worrying look.
“His Grace ate everything.”
“…What?”
[His Grace does not like sweets.]
And then…
[His Grace ate everything.]
The contradiction was huge. Valia could not easily connect the two sentences. What Valia sent was an ordinary fruit tart. It was not a healthy food made of gold that the Emperor gave himself. It was a fact that did not change even if the chef of Garth worked hard. Valia asked again.
“But you said he does not like sweets.”
“I’m telling you the truth, Lady Garth. His Grace does not like sweets.”
“Then…”
“But it’s also the truth that he ate all the tarts that you sent.”
Valia took a sip of tea silently. He did not think Shaun was lying. It was impossible for this blunt knight to lie, there were no benefits of lying to her either. It was valid reasoning.
‘Did Schuden really eat it all? Even though he does not like sweet things?’
Then, there was only one conclusion.
‘Is it because I was the one who sent it?’
A man who ate food he hated just because his wife had sent it. But he did not even say a word to her. In this situation, what kind of woman would not have her heart stirred? For now, Valia felt her heart pounding painfully. If Shaun had not been in front of her, she might have covered her face with her hands and rolled around.
‘…This is why the Marchioness in the past fell in love with him.’
Valia thought the reason Schuden was good to her was ‘because she was his wife’. He was a great man and a really good husband. Therefore, even if Schuden had not done the same exact thing, this consideration might have existed in the past. Moreover, the Marchioness in the past did not even know that Yeri would appear in the future. A woman must be really insensitive to not fall in love with him.
Yeri.
When the name came to her mind, her then-rising mood fell sharply. Valia forgot about her existence for a while these days because she was living a sweet life, it was as if she had been soaked in honey.
‘I thought I would be okay.’
Where did her initial resolution go? Valia was certainly confident in herself before volunteering for the temple princess recruitment. She was confident not to fall in love.
But if she was asked if she could still make such a firm commitment now, the answer was ‘no’. Valia could not grasp her feelings. No, it felt like she was feigning ignorance even though she already knew.
“Don’t take this the wrong way, Lady Garth.”
Shaun added after seeing Valia’s expression subdued subtly. He guessed that the reason why her eyes sank was because of the tart.
“I’m not just saying it but His Grace indeed dislikes sweet things. Not many people know about it, you don’t have to blame yourself.”
Valia looked at Shaun and smiled. His guess was wrong, but she was grateful for his comfort and worries. A blunt knight commander who seemed to only know swords spoke of such sincere words, Valia was happy with the existence of someone who cared about her.
“Thank you for your concern, Sir Shaun. I won’t blame myself, so don’t worry. It could make things difficult but thank you for answering.”
“Don’t mention it, Lady Garth.”
Shaun was not as friendly as Robin, but he was not uncomfortable with her either. Valia brought up other topics with a smile.
“Then, is it fine if I ask one more question?”
“I will answer sincerely as far as I know.”
“Usually, the knights have to replenish their sugar contents from time to time while training. What does Schuden usually eat then?”
It was essential to replenish sugar after extreme training. Valia was aware of it because she used to work as an escort lady-in-waiting in the past. No matter how much Schuden hated sweets, he was the master of the Knights of Garth, so he would consume sugar after training. Valia wanted to pay attention at least for that part.
“His Grace does not train separately.”
“I see.”
Valia became a little sullen. Shaun, who failed to notice her emotional change this time, spoke seriously.
“Yes. There is no knight in the world who can face his sword.”
His voice was filled with pride—the pride and sense of accomplishment for serving the perfect liege.
‘But then again…’
Valia nodded in spite of herself. Schuden’s true value had especially shone in war. He was famous for being a man who had never tasted defeat. An undefeated knight that could only come out in legend. He was a liege that the stern and solemn knight commander could be proud of. Valia ruminated over her husband’s splendor once again.
“Then… I’d better not send snacks to him for the time being.”
Shaun could not easily agree with her words. His liege clearly hated sweet foods. It was not a rumor, but a fact that he had confirmed with his own eyes. But why could not he say, ‘Yes, that is a wise choice?’
“Sir Shaun.”
While Shaun was agonizing, Valia opened her mouth again. This time she was going to ask stealthily what she had really wanted to ask.
“Is there any food that His Grace particularly likes?”
“He does not have a particular preference for food. I don’t know that far, my apologies.”
Shaun answered honestly. Valia smiled brightly.
“No, thanks for letting me know many things, Sir Shaun.”
There was also a limit in asking others. Valia had a few things in her head to ask Schuden herself. The first tea time of the noblewoman and the knight ended in a good atmosphere.
After finishing his tea, Shaun went up to the Marquess’ office on the third floor. The servant who was waiting in front of the door informed Schuden of his arrival. Shaun went inside after getting permission. Inside the office, each aide, including Schuden, were reporting documents. Shaun gave his greeting.
“Greetings to Marquess Garth.”
Even after receiving reports for five hours, Schuden’s face showed no sign of exhaustion. He glanced at the clock and asked Shaun.
“Was your training prolonged?”
“No, the Marchioness offered me a cup of tea so I had a tea party with her.”
“The lady?”
“Yes.”
“Is there anything going on?”
The tea party was nothing. It was common for the lady of the house to have tea time with the knight commander of the family. However, if there was anything going on during that time, he had to tell him now.
‘Nothing went wrong. I just told her that my liege dislikes sweet things. Her response was good, too.’
Shaun chose not to lie.
“No. She only asked about my recent news.”
Schuden nodded. After having been paused for a while, the meeting resumed. Shaun did not elaborate until all his work was over. He did not hide it, he just thought there was no need to do so.
That was how Shaun made a wrong decision.
“It’s been a while, Lady Garth.”
Valia’s title had changed. She just smiled without being awkward.
“It’s been a while, Sir Shaun.”
A lady and a knight had a special relationship. Regardless of their status, they would speak formally to each other. It was no different even for a married noblewoman. This custom did not apply only if the lady or the knight had been awarded the title of nobility.
There were often situations where a Countess spoke informally to a Viscount but had to speak formally to the Viscount’s son, who was a young knight. A son of the Duke, who was a knight, had to speak formally to a Baron’s daughter. It was a bit strange, but it was Gel’s etiquette, and Valia should follow it.
Valia, who had been talking about her daily happenings until the tea came out, stealthily changed the topic.
“By the way, Sir Shaun, were you there when His Grace received a tart a few days ago?”
“Yes. I took the servants of the manor myself to the barracks.”
Valia was delighted in spite of herself, then she cleared her throat.
“Did he hate it after receiving the tart? Like, did he tell someone to throw the tart away…”
“Absolutely not, Lady Garth.”
Shaun answered in proper posture. Valia struggled to hide her expression from brightening up. She nodded, trying to look as calm as possible.
“He’s not someone who will turn down a gift, right Shaun?”
Shaun could not answer to his heart’s content.
‘That’s definitely not it either.’
Noble ladies rarely cooked by themselves, but sometimes, they personally baked cookies when they wanted to express their feelings.
The beautifully baked and adorably wrapped cakes and cookies were sent to the tent of the Knights of Garth. It was considered disrespectful for the inferiors to handle the food sent by the nobles, so, at first, the attendants would tell Schuden which lady from which house gave the dessert. Whenever that happened, Schuden looked once at the dessert and once at the attendant with his red eyes. Every attendant in the Knights of Garth understood the meaning that the silent gaze brought.
Since such things happened so often, even when they received a three-tier cake, the subordinates would take care of it on their own. It was destined to disappear in an instant, mainly to replenish the knight’s sugar content.
They were not close enough to tell the ladies the truth, so ladies who were not aware of that had often sent snacks. Of course, it was not a bad thing for Shaun. Snacks baked carefully using only the finest ingredients were very luxurious for the knights.
The exception was Valia—the only bride of his liege. And although he personally served the lady for a short time, if Shaun had a slightly more friendly personality, he would have called Valia ‘milady’ or ‘madam’ in a friendly way. In fact, Robin already interchanged between using ‘madam’, ‘Lady Garth’, and ‘milady’.
“Actually, His Grace does not like sweets.”
Even if Shaun had a blunt character, he could tell Valia that information. He was a little worried in case her feelings got hurt, but he could not find any disappointment in Valia’s expression.
Valia nodded
“I see… Thank you for letting me know.”
“Don’t be disappointed, he just does not like sweet things. Not many people know about it.”
“Is that so? Is it okay if you let me know about it?”
“Yes. His Grace has never told me to keep quiet about that. It doesn’t matter if you ask His Grace in person later. I will bear all the responsibility.”
Valia laughed. This stern knight commander tended to risk his life on even the smallest things. She was not angry or disappointed in the first place, but thanks to the unintended laughter, she felt a little relieved. Valia had already lived through a rough past to be hurt by such things.
“Then, Sir Shaun…”
She asked another question.
“Did he share the remaining tarts?”
Shaun contemplated for a while before answering.
‘No, he ate it all by himself.’
How could he convey these words politely? He could not think of a more suitable wording. What else could he say other than he ate the tarts alone? In the end, Shaun spoke frankly to Valia, who had a half-expecting and half-worrying look.
“His Grace ate everything.”
“…What?”
[His Grace does not like sweets.]
And then…
[His Grace ate everything.]
The contradiction was huge. Valia could not easily connect the two sentences. What Valia sent was an ordinary fruit tart. It was not a healthy food made of gold that the Emperor gave himself. It was a fact that did not change even if the chef of Garth worked hard. Valia asked again.
“But you said he does not like sweets.”
“I’m telling you the truth, Lady Garth. His Grace does not like sweets.”
“Then…”
“But it’s also the truth that he ate all the tarts that you sent.”
Valia took a sip of tea silently. He did not think Shaun was lying. It was impossible for this blunt knight to lie, there were no benefits of lying to her either. It was valid reasoning.
‘Did Schuden really eat it all? Even though he does not like sweet things?’
Then, there was only one conclusion.
‘Is it because I was the one who sent it?’
A man who ate food he hated just because his wife had sent it. But he did not even say a word to her. In this situation, what kind of woman would not have her heart stirred? For now, Valia felt her heart pounding painfully. If Shaun had not been in front of her, she might have covered her face with her hands and rolled around.
‘…This is why the Marchioness in the past fell in love with him.’
Valia thought the reason Schuden was good to her was ‘because she was his wife’. He was a great man and a really good husband. Therefore, even if Schuden had not done the same exact thing, this consideration might have existed in the past. Moreover, the Marchioness in the past did not even know that Yeri would appear in the future. A woman must be really insensitive to not fall in love with him.
Yeri.
When the name came to her mind, her then-rising mood fell sharply. Valia forgot about her existence for a while these days because she was living a sweet life, it was as if she had been soaked in honey.
‘I thought I would be okay.’
Where did her initial resolution go? Valia was certainly confident in herself before volunteering for the temple princess recruitment. She was confident not to fall in love.
But if she was asked if she could still make such a firm commitment now, the answer was ‘no’. Valia could not grasp her feelings. No, it felt like she was feigning ignorance even though she already knew.
“Don’t take this the wrong way, Lady Garth.”
Shaun added after seeing Valia’s expression subdued subtly. He guessed that the reason why her eyes sank was because of the tart.
“I’m not just saying it but His Grace indeed dislikes sweet things. Not many people know about it, you don’t have to blame yourself.”
Valia looked at Shaun and smiled. His guess was wrong, but she was grateful for his comfort and worries. A blunt knight commander who seemed to only know swords spoke of such sincere words, Valia was happy with the existence of someone who cared about her.
“Thank you for your concern, Sir Shaun. I won’t blame myself, so don’t worry. It could make things difficult but thank you for answering.”
“Don’t mention it, Lady Garth.”
Shaun was not as friendly as Robin, but he was not uncomfortable with her either. Valia brought up other topics with a smile.
“Then, is it fine if I ask one more question?”
“I will answer sincerely as far as I know.”
“Usually, the knights have to replenish their sugar contents from time to time while training. What does Schuden usually eat then?”
It was essential to replenish sugar after extreme training. Valia was aware of it because she used to work as an escort lady-in-waiting in the past. No matter how much Schuden hated sweets, he was the master of the Knights of Garth, so he would consume sugar after training. Valia wanted to pay attention at least for that part.
“His Grace does not train separately.”
“I see.”
Valia became a little sullen. Shaun, who failed to notice her emotional change this time, spoke seriously.
“Yes. There is no knight in the world who can face his sword.”
His voice was filled with pride—the pride and sense of accomplishment for serving the perfect liege.
‘But then again…’
Valia nodded in spite of herself. Schuden’s true value had especially shone in war. He was famous for being a man who had never tasted defeat. An undefeated knight that could only come out in legend. He was a liege that the stern and solemn knight commander could be proud of. Valia ruminated over her husband’s splendor once again.
“Then… I’d better not send snacks to him for the time being.”
Shaun could not easily agree with her words. His liege clearly hated sweet foods. It was not a rumor, but a fact that he had confirmed with his own eyes. But why could not he say, ‘Yes, that is a wise choice?’
“Sir Shaun.”
While Shaun was agonizing, Valia opened her mouth again. This time she was going to ask stealthily what she had really wanted to ask.
“Is there any food that His Grace particularly likes?”
“He does not have a particular preference for food. I don’t know that far, my apologies.”
Shaun answered honestly. Valia smiled brightly.
“No, thanks for letting me know many things, Sir Shaun.”
There was also a limit in asking others. Valia had a few things in her head to ask Schuden herself. The first tea time of the noblewoman and the knight ended in a good atmosphere.
After finishing his tea, Shaun went up to the Marquess’ office on the third floor. The servant who was waiting in front of the door informed Schuden of his arrival. Shaun went inside after getting permission. Inside the office, each aide, including Schuden, were reporting documents. Shaun gave his greeting.
“Greetings to Marquess Garth.”
Even after receiving reports for five hours, Schuden’s face showed no sign of exhaustion. He glanced at the clock and asked Shaun.
“Was your training prolonged?”
“No, the Marchioness offered me a cup of tea so I had a tea party with her.”
“The lady?”
“Yes.”
“Is there anything going on?”
The tea party was nothing. It was common for the lady of the house to have tea time with the knight commander of the family. However, if there was anything going on during that time, he had to tell him now.
‘Nothing went wrong. I just told her that my liege dislikes sweet things. Her response was good, too.’
Shaun chose not to lie.
“No. She only asked about my recent news.”
Schuden nodded. After having been paused for a while, the meeting resumed. Shaun did not elaborate until all his work was over. He did not hide it, he just thought there was no need to do so.
That was how Shaun made a wrong decision.
