Chapter 35

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter Title: Chapter 35

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter 35

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Erich was a member of the Ritter Count Family, so dancing with him wouldn't look improper.

But since she had made a promise with Duke Leroy, Iona shook her head.

"No. Let's go to the terrace instead."

Erich eyed her suspiciously but silently escorted her to the terrace anyway.

Knowing he'd pester her endlessly if she dodged him again, Iona meekly followed behind him.

The spot Erich led her to overlooked the rear garden, with large pillars jutting out on either side—perfect for avoiding prying eyes.

The moment he drew the curtains shut, Erich strode toward Iona and demanded, "Are you in your right mind?"

"Hm?"

"Tell me, are you really planning to get married? And quit your job over it?"

"......I don't know why you're so angry, but calm down first."

As she replied, Iona suddenly felt like she was Yonas dealing with Julia. Erich was mimicking exactly how Yonas treated his sister.

In truth, Iona couldn't quite grasp why Erich was mad at her.

What business of his was it whether she got married or quit her job?

Erich glared at her and said, "Don't get married."

"That's a request not worth answering."

"This is an order from the Crown Prince."

"......Yes."

Iona, never confident in her lying, averted her eyes and trailed off.

It wasn't like she could seriously claim her mindset had changed after dying once and coming back to life.

More importantly, it would spell trouble if word got back to the Crown Prince that she was pushing this marriage for her own reasons.

"Ha, just how far do you plan to debase yourself?"

A hollow laugh burst from Erich.

He continued, fixing her with a cold stare.

"Loyalty to your lord as a knight? Fine, I get that. But once you abandon your position as a knight over some petty order, what'll be left for you? Is becoming a sword-for-hire with no convictions or honor what you've always wanted?"

Until he'd heard the rumors of Iona's engagement to the duke, Erich had dismissed them as mere gossip. After all, she'd never once appeared publicly with the duke.

Yet here she was, bringing that man to a ball hosted by his own family.

And they even looked fairly intimate—like a couple truly planning to marry.

"At the very least......I thought your love for the sword was genuine. Even if you were wasting that talent in bizarre ways."

Erich ground his teeth as he finished speaking.

A faint sigh escaped Iona's lips as she watched him.

He seemed convinced her resignation was due to the Crown Prince's command.

She could see how he'd jump to that conclusion, but seeing the betrayal on his face stirred an inexplicable guilt in her.

Iona already owed Erich a debt of gratitude from her heart.

Even if it was in the past that no longer existed, shouldn't she at least tell her comrade-in-arms—the man who'd fought back-to-back with her—why she was leaving?

With her thoughts settled, Iona reluctantly opened her mouth.

"You're misunderstanding something."

"......"

"First off, His Highness Richardt didn't tell me to quit my knighthood. In fact, he knows I'll keep working like before. So you can drop the delusion that I'm losing my job because of his orders."

Whether he believed her or not, Erich fell silent and didn't press further.

Iona leaned her hips against the railing and relaxed her posture.

Clasping her hands in front of her thighs, she continued.

"And second, the reason I decided to resign......"

"......"

"Honestly, the Imperial Knight Order isn't a job you can stick with forever just because you're young. They pay well, but they work you just as hard, so it's easy to burn out."

Erich bit his lip, unable to deny it.

Even the Knight Commander screamed daily from the grueling workload—climbing the ranks wouldn't change the fact that there was no long-term future in the Order.

Or more precisely, no future that included evenings off.

Iona turned her head to the right, gazing absently at the ornate exterior decorations as she wrapped up.

"I've just been stuck in the same routine for so long...... Now I want to try the things I couldn't before. That's all it is."

At Iona's roundabout explanation, Erich suddenly recalled his conversation with Saskia.

"Truth is, I get where she's coming from."

It was the day Iona had abruptly declared her resignation to him.

When Erich finally tracked down Saskia and asked for the full story, she pondered deeply before saying this.

"We all know how much she suffered in that wretched household. But marriage means starting a new family. If Iona wants a proper one this time, what right do we have to stand in her way? We can only cheer her on."

"Isn't this the kind of marriage where you can't even expect that much to begin with? And there's even less reason to quit her job over it!"

"No, resignation is unavoidable. You can't be a proper wife to a duke while working under the Crown Prince."

"The Crown Prince might have secretly ordered her to quit."

"Well, if that's the case, it's even less our place to interfere. She'd be satisfied anyway. It's an order from that Crown Prince, after all, right?"

Erich ground his teeth. Only after a long pause did he manage to ask, "Then what about us? What happens to those of us left behind?"

Saskia sighed deeply as she met his wavering gaze.

"Sir Erich, let's be honest. I'm sad about it too, sure. Of course I am. But it never crossed my mind to try stopping the marriage itself."

"......"

"There are only two reasons people get desperate to block someone else's marriage. Either they're jealous of their great match, or they just hate the idea of that person getting married. Both boil down to envy, really. Erich, are you itching to meet the duke and rise in status yourself?"

"As if!"

"Then you must just hate the thought of Iona getting married."

Saskia delivered her blunt conclusion and shooed Erich out before he could respond.

As he left the office that day, Erich inwardly denied and scoffed at her words.

Even now, face-to-face with Iona herself, his thoughts hadn't changed much.

Jealousy? No way.

He was simply frustrated that his superior—a person he cared about—was irresponsibly abandoning her subordinates and her unit.

And she really was a terrible boss, too.

To follow the Crown Prince's orders, she'd ignore everyone else's hardships and roll in the filth herself, making it impossible to even complain.

A supposed Imperial Knight, she'd casually commit vile acts like assassinations and torture, yet never took an extra coin for it.

She was full of contradictions.

She handled every dirty job a corrupt traitor might, but never once abused her power for personal gain.

In that cesspool, she always held herself aloof.

It made sense, in a way. She had no interest in others—and even less in herself.

That's why he'd wondered.

Would the day ever come when she'd acknowledge him as a comrade? Could he ever become someone meaningful to her, even if not on the Crown Prince's level?

With those hopes, he'd always waited for her to change......

'Want to do things she couldn't before? Damn it, what the hell does that mean?'

He searched her eyes for answers.

But as always, her red irises showed no hint of turmoil.

As if abandoning them was truly no big deal.

Erich ground his teeth.

He'd always wished she'd let go of the Crown Prince—but not like this. He'd never wanted change in this form.

"I can't accept it. Explain it so I can understand."