Chapter 84
Beep! Beep! Beep!
“Stop! Can’t you stop right now?!”
Katie froze in place, still gripping one knight by the collar. But she was the only one who obeyed the command. The other knights, as if they had been waiting for this, swung their fists.
She quickly raised her guard, but she couldn’t block every attack. The man whose leg she had kicked earlier landed a punch, splitting her lip.
“Ugh.”
Katie frowned. But she didn’t strike back. Far in the distance, the Knight Commander was rushing over—a man of higher rank than even the captains of the royal guard.
“I came because I heard a fight broke out! Who would’ve thought such a thing would happen right in the palace?!”
Beside the Knight Commander stood a few maids. It seemed they had seen the scuffle from the window and quickly reported it.
What a rare kindness.
Katie pressed the back of her hand to her bleeding lip. The knights, frozen by the arrival of a superior, finally backed away from her, hesitating.
Katie gave the maids a silent nod of thanks.
But their response was strange. They snorted and sharply turned their heads away.
The Knight Commander swept his gaze across the chaotic scene. His eyes scanned the knights sprawled on the floor one by one before finally settling on the center of the disturbance.
“Just what have you done?”
“C-Commander, it’s not like that, we were just—”
The knights bowed their heads deeply. Fidgeting with their hands, they exchanged nervous glances.
“I wasn’t asking you. Answer me, Dame Katie. What were you thinking, causing such a scene?”
“…Huh?”
Katie, caught off guard, answered a beat too late. The Knight Commander’s gaze was fixed solely on her. A bad feeling crept in.
Don’t tell me… he’s pinning the blame only on me?
She was right. The Knight Commander scowled as he looked at the unconscious knights she had struck down.
“I assume you’re prepared to face the consequences for causing a disturbance inside the palace. And here I thought the palace was already noisy enough because of you—you really have no limits.”
At the Commander’s reaction, the knights began lifting their heads one by one. Sensing the shift in their favor, they quickly chimed in.
“I apologize, Commander. As you said, hasn’t the palace been in an uproar lately because of Dame Katie ? We only called her to reprimand her, but suddenly, she started swinging her fists at us…”
“This is entirely our fault for failing to discipline our junior. Please punish us.”
Katie wasn’t so naïve as to miss that the punishment they were asking for was hers. She bit down on her lip and glared at them. Sensing her gaze, one of the knights met her eyes and smirked.
“Should’ve been more careful. You keep pushing your luck just because His Highness favors you—this is what happens.”
“When have I ever done that?!”
“Enough! You still haven’t learned your lesson! How dare you raise your voice in front of me!”
The Knight Commander’s eyes widened in fury. He ordered the surrounding knights to carry the injured to the infirmary, then stepped toward Katie and raised his hand.
His rigid index finger jabbed sharply at her forehead, each tap forceful enough to push her back.
“Disrupting the chain of command during wartime is grounds for summary execution.”
“Yes. I’m aware.”
“Then I assume you’ll accept whatever punishment I deem fit. Correct?”
“…Yes.”
“Your answer is slow. As if you have complaints.”
“No. None Sir.”
The Knight Commander had expected to see frustration twist her face, but her expression remained eerily blank—so much so that it was hard to believe she’d been seething just moments ago.
‘Hmph. So that’s how you want to play it.’
The more unyielding she was, the more he wanted to break her. He stroked his chin, pretending to deliberate.
“What punishment would truly correct this insolence? Perhaps expulsion from the Knight Order.”
“That’s unacceptable!”
Katie’s sharp cry betrayed her composure. The Knight Commander’s eyes gleamed—he’d found his leverage.
“Why not? Weren’t you prepared for the consequences when you caused this disturbance?”
“Anything but expulsion. I’ll accept any other punishment.”
“Any other punishment?”
His gaze dragged slowly over her body, its intent unmistakable. Even Katie’s stony mask cracked slightly under its weight.
“I’ve heard rumors you spread your legs for anyone. Maybe it’s time you learned to respect your seniors—with your body.”
The knights behind them snickered at the blatant taunt. The Knight Commander leaned in closer to Katie.
His breath reeked of stale cigar smoke—nothing like Helion’s, but rather the acrid stench of an ashtray left to rot for days.
“Wayne delivered my message, didn’t he?”
“How would you—”
Katie cut herself off. Ah. It finally clicked. The Knight Commander was Damian’s men. She’d seen the two of them sharing cigars more than once.
Discussion
0 CommentsReactions
No comments yet.