Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The minstrels were praising Hizen to the point of losing their voices, and the Emperor was anxious to give up to him his daughter whose education had turned out awfully. Max wanted to shout to all of them ‘This is all a lie!’

God was fair in his own way. He made Hizen physically perfect, but did not give him anything else. He had a violent personality that would make a crying child cry even more. Even the amicable knights trembled in front of him.

However, the Commander was not used to curse. Max glanced at him, who rarely sweared. Hizen crumpled the letter, holding his forehead with one hand. It was a unique habit he had when his mood was low. Max understood him, as the situation was truly ridiculous. What the red-haired girl wanted was one thing and this was another. Max was embarrassed to see the letter she brought out, and Hizen’s feelings were closer to anger.

The one who was currently going against Hizen’s heart was Neren Den Armada, an old member of the Imperial Elite Knights. He was the eldest son of one of the three major families in the Empire, and the heir to the Duke’s mansion where the girl used to work.

Neren was so famous that he was known in the entire Empire. He was a troublemaker dreaming of wielding a sword from the old Armada Duchy, a genius who had no talent in sword art, an eccentric but outstanding tactician. He used to be Hizen’s best friend, now an unfortunate man with his eyes closed.

Thack.

Hizen threw the letter to the floor like it was garbage. It was an uncharacteristically extreme reaction. Surprised, Max whispered to him that he had better calm down.

The red-haired girl’s eyes darkened as she picked up the letter on the floor. She touched it gently.

Hizen glared at her, or to be exact, at the letter in her hand. The silver seal on it belonged to the Duke of Armada. He had recognized Neren’s unique flying handwriting and some ciphers that were also used during the war.

The letter was full of incredible things. He wrote about a girl who had a genius talent for swordsmanship. He said her sword skills were comparable to Hizen’s.

In addition, he wrote that she had taught herself how to read and learned to speak all imperial languages, and called her a valuable asset for the prosperity of the Empire, as she excelled in everything, including combat knowledge and common sense.

Hizen’s reaction was obvious. He spoke sarcastically.

“I believe that Neren, who died last year, left this letter?”

“Yes.”

Her answer was determined and quick, so he felt even worse. An unpleasant look blatantly saddened her. She had a straight back, a good face, and a sincere voice. It was so straight that it felt rather artificial.

“Sigh. I can’t believe I’m being recommended a maid to join the Imperial Elite Knights.”

Neren had written a book, so he could use a lot of bluff. On the most likely hypothesis, he had stared and snorted at the girl.

His eyes froze. Her red eyes were peeping at him, mixed with expectations, respect, and affection. It was a transparent and honest feeling.

It pushed his mood to the bottom. Hizen considered himself ordinary. He was just one of the numerous knights dedicated to their country. He was reluctant to treat the other knights as special and to let them have fantasies that they could not afford, and he was sick and tired of taking their dreams away.

It was obvious that she was like them. Considering the fact that Neren was deceived, it could be even worse in her case. He said threateningly.

“What a convenient way of thinking. You didn’t come to see me through due process. You came to my room at dawn through the Imperial Palace’s top secret passage?”

“I’m sorry.”

The girl lowered her shoulders. She shaked her head, apologizing instead of making excuses. It was beyond her control. She had asked the imperial guards several times to let her meet Hizen, but they did not listened to her, let alone let her in. Eventually, she had lost her way, and had found herself sneaking in at dawn when there was no one.

“Do you think that’s enough to be sorry?”

“I’m so sorry.”

But she had not expected him to get this angry.

Her black dress looked especially dark as she lowered her eyes.

Everyone had at least one absolute belief in life. Just like one believed that the sun rose and setted during the day, her absolute belief was Hizen. In her world, Hizen was a hero, a kind and friendly man. At least he was a few hours ago. It was a problem now that her mind was broken along with that belief.

Hizen could not have known her mind. Her head lowered and her reflective voice all felt abominable. It was not worth listening to it anymore. It was only necessary to go through the natural procedure.

“I will confiscate the imperial secret map. Max.”

“Yes, Commander-nim.”

Respectfully answering, Max retrieved the map from the girl. Her hands now looked unusually empty.

“Neren is wrong.”

“…”

“Even a tactician, called the Star of the Empire, must have let go of his senses before he died.”

“Count Dratius-nim.”

The hands neatly placed on her knees were white with anger. She could not stand anyone insulting Neren. The same was true for Hizen, whom she deeply respected.

“Please don’t insult Neren-nim anymore. He has no reason to hear that.”

Neren had taught her the joy of life and had put wings to her dreams. She stared at the crumpled letter and tightened her neck.

“If you punish me, I’ll take it willingly. Please give me one more chance when the punishment is over.”

Her courageous voice quivered. But what she heard was colder than the winter wind.

“Go back.”

Thud.

The door of the Commander’s office closed. Dark energy seemed to creep up from the colorful, bronze door.

In front of it, Max and the girl sighed at the same time. It was obvious without looking inside. Hizen had probably a crappy look with his arms folded.

The red-haired girl could not take her eyes off the tightly closed door. She had asked for a test of her sword skills several times, but to no avail.

In a stern voice, he had said, ‘It wouldn’t be fair.’ He had repeated it. She should not insult the time spent and the efforts of the members of the Imperial Elite Knights.

In the end, there were only two people in the empty hallway. The girl’s red eyes were filled with regret and guilt. It was an unexpected situation. She seemed to have made a fool of herself with her high expectations of meeting Hizen. It was all her fault.

Max, who was watching from the side, looked sad. He was the sweetest man in the Imperial Palace. A false apology came out even though it was not his fault.

“Sorry.”

“I’m sorry! It’s all right.”

She shook her head vigorously. There was no need for anyone to feel sorry for her. She smiled like she were fine.

Max, who had a good eye for people, could not avoid reading her mind. He asked skillfully, as if to make her relax.

“Wasn’t it scary? You look a little stiff.”

“No, it wasn’t scary, I’m a little…”

“A little?”

Max was in no hurry and waited for her to finish. The girl was touched by his warm consideration. He was the first to treat her like a human being since Neren’s death.

Her mouth was itchy. She tried to put up with it, and to speak out a little. She fiddled with her fingers and said.

“A little… I’m a little disappointed.”

A lie. Max was quick to notice the girl’s lie. As he had guessed, the girl was full of regrets.

She wanted to be friends with Hizen, to learn his swordsmanship and be helpful to him, but she did not mean to offend him, and she wanted to see his smiling face… It was hard to see only his angry appearance. Hizen was shining even when doing nothing, but his smiling face seemed to be cooler. It was among other things she deeply regretted.

The girl sighed quietly and looked at Max. Before she knew it, his deer-like brown eyes were wet. Max was also very sympathetic. It surprised her greatly.

“You don’t need to make that expression. It’s okay. I’m really okay!”

“Huh…”

He was worrying for no reason. Apparently, she had quit her job as a maid, but would she be able to return to the Duke again from the capital? Even if she went back, what if the Duke did not accept her again?

“Do you have any other places to go?”

“Of course!”

It sounded like a lie. He did not feel good when he heard the answer. He felt uncomfortable because it seemed like he was turning a blind eye to a child in need.

“You said you were Max-nim, right? Thank you for your concern. I’m really fine. Really, really.”

“…I see.”

Their Commander should be punished. He could not believe he kicked out such a nice girl. He felt guilty as if he had unintentionally become an accomplice.

Max, who was agonizing over it, decided. He was a sweet but convincing man. Even if he was punished by Hizen, he wanted to show his best kindness.

“Then can I show you on your way?”

The girl opened her mouth wide with a happy face, but could not answer. The girl looked alternately at the brown door and Max. She seemed worried that Max would be scolded because of her.

She hesitated and bit her lips.

“Is it okay?”

“Of course.”

Max nodded his head without hesitation. The girl bowed her head with a sigh of relief.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Now, this way.”

Max’s long legs crossed the corridor. The girl followed without a fault.

She felt like walking in the middle of heaven. The glass ceiling, which could let one see the clear sky at a glance, and the palace, which was made of white magic stones, shone brilliantly with the sunshine.

The magic flowers at the end of the hallway were shining brightly in mysterious lights, so they looked like they were not from this world.

In front of the huge castle gate, there was a large bridge connecting the Imperial Palace and the city. The pillars were regularly engraved with delicate pieces that could not be believed to be human skill. An emerald lake sparkled under the majestic bridge.

“But how did you come to the Imperial Palace? And you were also recommended by Sir Neren, the greatest strategist on the continent.”

“I was originally a maid.”

“A maid?”

“Yes, I was promoted from a servant to a maid and I started working for Neren, the year he returned to the mansion.”

The memories of those days were all sweet dreams to her. It was the brightest days of her life. Her red eyes were overflowing with longing.

“He was such a nice person. I got a lot of help when serving Neren.”

‘No matter how good she is, for a low-level maid to be serving the eldest son of one of the three major families…

What did she do?’

Max looked at her with eyes full of curiosity. She was conscientious about her appearance. She was tall and pretty, but she was not beautiful enough to blow his eyes. Wasn’t Princess Ashley, who always amazed Neren, more beautiful than flowers?

Were tall women Neren’s taste, or was he in love with her pure personnality? Max, looking at her head, asked softly.

“Excuse me, were you two lovers?”

“No, he was a friend.”

Max, still looking at her, wondered if it was a joke that a maid and a noble from a major family were friends. She was a mysterious girl who became more and more suspicious.

Her red eyes deepened when she thought of Neren. The two had a deep relationship beyond their status.

It was not enough to define it with the simple word ‘friend’.

“He was a teacher and a benefactor.”

“If he was a teacher…”

“We’re almost there.”

Before he could ask further, the red-haired girl stopped walking. She bowed her head politely.

“Thank you very much.”

“Ah… Yes.”

She walked toward the long bridge between the Imperial Palace and the capital. When her appearance disappeared, Max felt sorry.

“After that, I didn’t even ask your name… Well, I won’t see you again, so you’ll be fine.”

Max shrugged his broad shoulders.