—

After that day, the knights began patrolling the main building. To be precise, their patrols were less about duty and more about staging “accidental” encounters with Anelope.

But Anelope, drowning in her grief, remained holed up in her room, refusing to come out. No matter how diligently the Knights patrolled, they had no chance of encountering her while she was locked away.

“Your Highness, there’s a mountain of work to be done. And the opening of the dessert shop is just around the corner.”

“I don’t care.”

“You haven’t forgotten, have you? Earlier this year, you begged and pleaded with His Majesty the Emperor to let you open a dessert shop, and he finally agreed.”

“I don’t care. You take it, Layla.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“You’re not going to take it back later, are you?”

“No.”

Anelope slumped over the desk in her office, half-heartedly listening to Layla’s chatter, most of it going in one ear and out the other.

Having grown up hearing nothing but compliments like beautiful, adorable, charming, graceful, and more, Anelope found the knights’ indifferent reactions quite a shock.

‘I thought they were just uncomfortable because of the difference in status…’

It’s not about status at this point; I must just be completely unattractive as a woman.

“Haa…”

A deep sigh filled the office. Despite this, Layla remained focused, busily processing the towering pile of documents on Anelope’s behalf.

“Your Highness, how about this? Remember when you said you wanted some eastern jewels and begged His Majesty to open an eastern jewellery shop for you?”

“Yes, I did.”

“‘Yes, I did’ isn’t good enough. His Majesty ordered you to manage everything personally, from import to sale.”

“I don’t care… I’m not doing it.”

She murmured weakly, her voice drained of energy. Watching her, Layla rubbed her face with her hands in exasperation and let out a small sigh.

“Your Highness.”

“……”

“What on earth is wrong with you, Your Highness?”

Of course, it wasn’t hard to guess what the problem was, even without her saying it.

No men to exchange letters with, no close male friends. Then, out of nowhere, she began to whine.

“Am I really that unattractive?”

So who could it be?

It was obvious – one of the newly assigned Knights from this summer.

Layla let out a groan and asked in a knowing tone.

“Is it because of the Knights?”

“……”

Anelope remained silent, but her lack of reply spoke volumes.

As expected, Anelope didn’t answer Layla’s question. She just let out a faint groan, like someone on the verge of giving up.

And so Layla ended up working overtime until 10pm that night. In fact, she was doing all the work that Anelope was supposed to be doing, carrying the load all by herself.

‘At this rate, I’ll die of overwork first.’

Layla clutched her quill in frustration. She didn’t know which of those polished knights had brought Anelope to this state, but it was clear that the problem had to be solved.

If the relationship between Anelope and the knight in question was truly irreparable, Layla was already considering dismissing the knight to help Anelope move on quickly.

The next morning arrived.

Before heading to the office, Layla went straight to the Knights’ training grounds. As she walked, her mind buzzed with thoughts.

‘What am I going to say when I get there?’

‘Excuse me, who’s the one who broke up with Her Highness?’

‘Who dared reject Her Highness?’

‘Who made Her Highness cry?’

‘Damn it…’

Layla brushed back her dishevelled hair with a sharp sigh of frustration.

‘With faces like that, I knew they’d be trouble someday.’

With firm, almost aggressive strides, she made her way to the knights’ training ground. Sensing her presence, the knights quickly straightened and greeted her as she approached.

“Good morning, Lady Layla!”

If anyone were to name the most powerful figure in the Grand Duchy, aside from Anelope herself, it would undoubtedly be Rayla. As the de facto second in command of the Beseten household, her authority commanded immediate respect. The knights greeted her with the utmost discipline, their postures straight and formal.

“It’s been a while.”

Layla said, her tone calm but pointed.

“How are you all finding life in the Grand Duchy? Satisfactory, I hope?”

“Yes, of course.”

“That’s a relief.”

Layla began with the usual pleasantries, her tone deceptively light. But as her gaze slowly swept over the knights, it became clear that her visit wasn’t casual. Sensing something off about her demeanour, the knights instinctively straightened their shoulders.

“Some of you may already know why I’m here.”

A hush fell over the training ground. None of the knights dared speak first, each avoiding eye contact as if hoping to go unnoticed. The only sound was Layla’s voice, cool and cutting as it echoed through the air.

“I’ll get straight to the point. Lately, Her Highness has stopped eating altogether.”

“……”

“I’m sure someone here knows why.”

Her piercing gaze scanned the group, no one spared from her scrutiny. The weight of her words was heavy, and the knights fidgeted under the pressure.

The knights felt a shiver run down their spines. They hadn’t expected Anelope’s reaction to escalate to the point where she stopped eating altogether.

“If possible, I would appreciate a peaceful resolution to this matter.”

Layla said, her voice sharp with frustration.

“Thanks to this situation, the household has been in chaos lately.”

It was a comment laced with the bitterness of having pulled five all-nighters. Having made her pointed remarks, Layla left quickly, muttering to herself that she wanted to avoid any more overtime.

—

The knights were left in a state of confusion. The words they had overheard from the maids about Anelope’s circumstances and Layla’s stern remarks intertwined in their minds, leaving them overwhelmed with guilt. Yet they agonised over whether they could really return to the way things had been with Anelope. Would that even be appropriate?

After much deliberation, they came to a decision. They decided to visit Anelope’s chambers. It was highly unusual for knights to enter the private quarters of the person they served, but given the gravity of the situation, they decided to risk the impropriety and approached her room.

“Your Grace, this is Captain Kane of the Knights.”

There was no reply. Inside the room, Anelope remained under the covers, completely listless and unresponsive.

“Your Highness, Lady Layla has informed us that you are in your chambers. We understand that this is a breach of protocol, but we have come to clear up any misunderstandings. We humbly beg your audience.”

Moments later the door opened. Anelope stood there, her eyes red and glistening with tears. The knights’ hearts ached at the sight of her fragile and exhausted appearance.

“Come in.”

The fifteen knights entered her room, bowing as they crossed the threshold. An awkward silence filled the room as they stood before her. Anelope, sitting on the edge of her bed, looked at them for a moment before speaking first.

“I’m sorry.”

“Sorry?”

“I’m sorry for not considering your point of view and only asking for things I wanted. Now that I think about it, you’re my knights, not… not my suitors or anything like that.”

“Ah, well, that’s…”