Chapter 15
“Oh? If it isn’t the romantic Gold Hand Holy Knight.”
“So? Have you found your fated lady yet?”
The following day, as Aaron entered the royal palace, he was greeted by the curious gazes of his fellow Holy Knights.
Apparently, word had already spread that he had been visiting the daughters of several noble houses in search of the young lady he had met at the ball.
Rumors always had a way of growing with each retelling. He had met only three young ladies, yet by the time the story made its rounds, it had become thirty.
“Cut it out.”
“Then what? Still haven’t found her? Where in the world is that young lady hiding?”
“Pipe down.”
Aaron walked over to a seat in the corner and dropped heavily into the chair before beginning to polish his sword. He always kept it impeccably maintained, its blade gleaming brilliantly, but he pretended to busy himself with polishing it so he wouldn’t have to get swept up in their pointless chatter.
The truth was, he had spent the entire night wide awake. Once he’d woken from that dream, he hadn’t been able to fall asleep again.
Plagued by an uncharacteristic bout of insomnia, he had tried desperately to remember the mysterious woman. But all that came back were scattered fragments of the night they had shared together.
The one thing that mattered most, her face, he still couldn’t remember in the slightest.
More importantly, he had spent the entire night thinking about Daisy. He didn’t know why, but thoughts of her simply refused to leave his mind. He wanted to go see her, but he couldn’t think of a plausible excuse. If he suddenly showed up, she would surely ask why he had come.
And what was he supposed to say?
That he couldn’t stop thinking about her?
What would she think of him then?
She’d probably dismiss him as nothing more than a hopeless womanizer.
Of course, she’d be right.
He was a hopeless womanizer.
That was how he’d lived his life.
He never turned away women who came to him, never chased after those who left, and had spent his days being utterly irresponsible when it came to matters of the heart.
For a man like him to dare make advances toward a pure-hearted mage like Daisy…
Wasn’t that simply laughable?
Just yesterday, the two of them had spent the day searching for the mysterious woman he’d shared a single night with. If he went to see Daisy today and confessed that he’d spent the entire night thinking about her, she’d probably look at him as though he were some filthy beast.
That thought frightened him, too.
“Ugh…”
Halfway through polishing his sword, he let out a sigh so heavy it seemed capable of making the ground cave in. His fellow Holy Knights each gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder, offering a few words of encouragement in turn.
That was when it happened.
“Any chance the one you’re looking for is that brunette?”
At one of the Holy Knights’ words, Aaron’s eyes flew open.
“Who?”
Aaron whipped his head around to stare at the knight who had spoken. Faced with that intense look, his comrade awkwardly scratched the back of his head.
“The young lady who left the party with you yesterday, Aaron. The one with the brown hair and the generous figure…”
“You’ve seen her?”
The woman who had left the party with him had definitely been a brunette.
But the woman in his bed had been blonde.
He had no idea when or how the switch had happened, but the two women were undoubtedly connected.
If he found the brunette, he would find the woman he was looking for as well. He still had no idea what he intended to do once he found her, but first…
He had to find her.
“If I remember correctly, that young lady was Miss Olson.”
“Olson?”
Who was that?
“She joined the royal palace as a cook last year. She was so beautiful that she caught my eye. But when I saw her leaving with you yesterday, I figured I didn’t stand a chance. So… was she the young lady you’ve been looking for?”
“A palace cook?”
He had assumed she was the daughter of some noble family, but a palace cook?
If she worked in the royal palace, then she was close by. He had to find her immediately and ask what had happened yesterday. Why had she left the party with him? Why had they parted ways?
And did she know the blonde woman?
Aaron sprang to his feet, tossed his sword aside, and dashed out in a panic. The other Holy Knights stared after him in astonishment.
“Looks like Aaron’s really fallen in love.”
Someone muttered that as he disappeared from sight.
Whatever the truth was, it was certainly becoming the talk of the palace.
The notorious womanizer Aaron Schmidt had become obsessed with a single woman.
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