Chapter 62
Damn it. F**k. Cursing under her breath, Katie stubbornly continued her laps around the training grounds. Even after becoming a knight, there was one thing Katie never skipped—morning training.
Once is hard, but twice is easy. With this single-minded determination, Katie participated in training every single day. It remained the same even after her workplace shifted to the Twilight Palace and her duty hours changed to nights.
By the time her night shift ended and she was due to leave, the sun had already risen. Then, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, Katie headed straight to the training grounds.
Only after finishing her morning training did her duty truly end. Nothing changed just because she had spent an intimate night with Helion. A little physical discomfort was something she could easily overcome with sheer willpower.
But today was worse than usual. Her lower body ached as if it might fall apart, and her n*****s stung as though they’d been torn off. Her trembling thighs could barely support her weight—it was a miracle she was even standing.
About half a day earlier, Katie, who had fainted, only managed to open her eyes after several hours had passed.
“I was about to have you sent back to your room if you stayed unconscious any longer.”
The first thing she saw upon waking was the golden glint of Helion’s eyes. The moment she met his gaze, Katie startled and tried to sit up.
No—she tried to sit up. But the indescribable pain radiating from below made it impossible. She barely managed to lift herself halfway before collapsing back down.
“Ugh…”
“Stop struggling and lie still. It’s not often I give up my spot for someone.”
Only then did Katie realize where she was. She was lying on the man’s bed. And as for the bed’s rightful owner? He was sprawled across the sofa in front of it.
“Why aren’t you in bed? Why are you over there?”
“A prince has no reason to share a bed with his knight.”
His tone implied, How could someone like you possibly lie beside me? Katie gritted her teeth, irritation flaring up inside her.
Now he draws the line between them? After all the rolling around in this very bed? As if their business for the night was already settled.
“You’re right. I’m a knight, so I should be on duty.”
Suppressing the dizzying pain, Katie forced herself to sit up. The moment her feet touched the floor, she nearly collapsed, but she mustered every ounce of strength she had to keep her legs steady.
“Still as stubborn as ever.”
Helion smirked but didn’t bother stopping her. Instead, he deliberately strode to the bed and lay down, as if to prove a point.
And so, after finishing her night shift, Katie had stubbornly dragged herself to the morning training.
‘Should I just go back now?’
Except—her body felt horribly unwell, as if it might give out at any moment.
As Katie stood dazed, her gaze shifting listlessly between the training grounds and the dormitory, a tall man with fiery red hair approached from a distance, waving cheerfully.
“Katie! You’re here early again today.”
“Ah, Sir Cheche.”
Katie placed her hand over her left chest and gave a salute. Cheche was one of the few knights who, like her, never missed morning training. Edward would normally have been included too, but since he had just relieved her from duty, he couldn’t attend.
“Isn’t it hard coming straight after your shift? You never skip a single day.”
“If I let myself skip even one day, it’ll pile up until I stop coming altogether. No matter how hard it is, I have to keep going.”
“Wow. That’s a motto—a real motto.”
Cheche stretched lightly before breaking into a jog. Katie clenched her teeth against the pain radiating from her lower back and forced herself to follow, moving her body despite the strain.
Running alongside him was her only chance to hear about what had been happening in the kingdom during the day.
At night, she endured Helion’s torment, and by day, she collapsed from exhaustion and slept. With days like these repeating, this was the only way she could catch up on the news.
“By the way, Katie, have you heard from His Highness? A diplomatic envoy is coming to the kingdom soon.”
True to form, Cheche dropped another enticing piece of news. Katie’s eyes widened in shock.
“Huh? What do you mean? A diplomatic envoy?”
If something that important was happening, the kingdom would’ve contacted Wayne first.
Unlike knights, who had strict routines to follow, Wayne, as a physician, had more freedom to move around.
“Even if she was busy, she could always slip a note under the dormitory door or leave a coded message in a designated spot to relay news.”
‘But Wayne hasn’t said a word.’
Katie’s serious contemplation was short-lived as she suddenly remembered what she had told Wayne.
[There are suspicions of a spy in the Dawn Palace. There might still be surveillance around. You should be careful with your movements for a while.]
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