Chapter 9
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“So… you’re looking for a knight with black, short hair.”
Cheche scratched his eyebrow with a troubled expression. As the captain of the Twilight Palace’s royal guard, he was the senior knight assigned to Helion’s protection.
“Her eyes are gray. Not a common color, so you should be able to find her.”
“…I don’t keep track of every knight’s eye color.”
“That’s grounds for disqualification from your position.”
“No, she’s not even stationed at our palace! How am I supposed to know the records of every knight assigned to His Highness Damian’s estate?!”
Cheche protested indignantly, but Helion ignored him, simply shoving a thick ledger of knight personnel records toward him as if to say, Get to work.
Grumbling under his breath, Cheche obediently flipped through the book. He narrowed his search to female knights stationed at Damian’s palace, but there was little to go on—physical details like hair or eye color weren’t recorded.
“Is there anything more specific to go on?”
“How much more do I have to spoon-feed you? Figuring that out is your job.”
Helion leaned lazily against the windowsill, resting his chin on his palm with an air of utter indifference.
Cheche shot his heartless superior a glare before his gaze drifted absently out the window. A crowd of knights had gathered, as if something interesting was happening.
“Oh. Looks like a duel’s starting.”
“A duel?”
“Yes. See those two standing in the middle of the circle with swords?”
“Go! Go!”
The knights below were too busy cheering to notice anything else. The names Arnin and Katie were being shouted in turns—apparently, they were the duelists.
A knight’s duel was always thrilling. Unconsciously engrossed in the spectacle, Cheche barely registered the soft chuckle beside him.
“…Your Highness?”
When he turned his head, Helion was smiling—an expression of pure amusement.
“Cheche. They say when coincidences repeat, it’s fate.”
“…Who says that?”
“Found her.”
“Found… What?”
“My knight.”
The curt reply sent Cheche’s mind racing. When Helion said my knight, he could only mean one thing—someone he intended to bring into his personal guard. And if he’d found her, that meant…
‘Wait. Is he seriously considering that female knight as his guard?!’
Cheche’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“That’s impossible, Your Highness! You can’t possibly take a female knight as your personal guard!”
This wasn’t about prejudice—it was about practicality.
A guard had to remain by their lord’s side 24 hours a day. Not just in the office, but in the bedroom, and in emergencies, even the bath! A female knight?!
“Loyalty isn’t bound by gender.”
“That loyalty is exactly the problem! She was stationed at Prince Damian’s palace! How can you trust her enough to bring her into your inner circle?!”
“She was merely assigned there. That’s hardly proof of disloyalty.”
“Then what about her skill?! She’s only a mid-rank knight!”
In the Imperial Knights, rank was marked by badges on the chest—one for junior, two for mid-rank, three for senior.
And the woman outside? She only wore two.
Cheche opened his mouth to protest again—
CRACK!
A crisp, explosive sound cut through the air.
The woman had leapt into the air, her wooden sword slicing down in a blinding arc.
Cheche’s breath caught.
It was fast. Faster than most knights could even track.
SPLAT!
The sound of a melon splitting—followed by the crunch of shattering wood.
“The… the training sword—”
Cheche rubbed his eyes, but the sight before him didn’t change.
The wooden sword had splintered into pieces.
“Now that’s new.”
Helion’s smile deepened.
“Well, Cheche? Still think she lacks skill?”
Cheche couldn’t answer.
A mid-rank knight defeating a senior? It was unheard of. Her strength was so shocking, it was a wonder she hadn’t been promoted long ago.
Then, as the woman approached the building, she lifted her head—
And Cheche froze.
Her eyes.
Just as Helion had said—gray. A shimmering, liquid gray, like storm clouds soaked in rain.
Ah.
Now he understood why she’d stayed hidden.
That face was dangerous. The kind of beauty that, once noticed by those in power, would never be allowed to live peacefully.
The worst part?
The most powerful man in the empire had already set his sights on her.
Kitty.
Even giving her a sweet nickname he’d never used in his life.
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