Chapter 1.2

Jingle—As Evelyn opened the door to the tavern, the first thing her eyes caught was the back of a man already seated inside.  

“Earl Donovan.”

Evelyn called out to him as she approached. Despite the noise in the room, Donovan turned at the sound of her voice.

“Earl? Don’t act so formal all of a sudden. Just call me Donovan like before.”  

“You’re probably the only one in the kingdom who dislikes the prestige of the Yerenst family, Earl.”  

Donovan gave a small laugh and shook his head. He didn’t like being called the Earl. Given the reputation of his family, it was indeed surprising.  

“Sir Stina. Did you call me out during your rare day off just to tease me?”  

Donovan swirled the drink in his glass and smirked. No matter how many times she saw him, he was always strikingly handsome—just his smile alone seemed to brighten the surroundings.  

The Yerenst family was an ancient lineage renowned for producing extraordinary mages. The family had been shining since the founding of the kingdom and continued to do so to this day.  

“…Why are you staring at my face like that?”  

“Thinking how unfair it is that someone with this face is also a magical genius.”  

Evelyn always wanted to appear as a dignified knight in front of him. She had no intention of revealing the fact that she had ended up in a difficult situation while recklessly carrying out a mission.  

Evelyn ordered something stronger than what she usually drank. As the server left, Donovan’s curious gaze followed.  

“Stronger drinks? What’s gotten into you?”  

“There are days when you just can’t endure without alcohol.”  

“Why, did something happen?”  

Evelyn tapped the table with her fingers in silence. She didn’t realize how much more troubled she appeared because of it.  

“Is the work of a Royal Knight that hard? If it’s too much, I could arrange a more comfortable position for you.”  

“That’s tempting.”  

“If you want, I could set up a spot for you at the Mage Tower.”  

For him, it was that easy. The gap between them suddenly felt so vast, and a bitter smile crept onto her lips. How could she even begin to explain?  

He was someone fundamentally different from her.  

“I’ve already owed you so much since our poor academy days, I couldn’t possibly accept more.”  

Even now, as a proper Royal Knight, she found herself wanting to lean on him. But how long could she keep doing that?  

Donovan would eventually meet and marry a wealthy, beautiful lady. To match someone like Donovan, who would one day become an Earl, one would need to be the daughter of an Earl or a Marquis.  

“Tell me… would a Royal Knight who’s lost their aura still be of any use?”  

Donovan fell silent, seemingly deep in thought.  

On her way here, she had tried several times to summon her aura, just in case, but all her attempts had failed. She could no longer deny the reality, and the fear of losing everything gripped her.  

‘At least say something comforting.’  

As if he had read her mind, Donovan finally spoke.  

“Even without your aura, there probably aren’t many who can match your swordsmanship. You tend to underestimate your own abilities sometimes.”  

“Even if it’s just flattery, I’ll take it.”  

Evelyn downed the drink the server had brought her. The strong liquor burned her throat as it went down.  

“Something’s really off today. You’ve always seemed satisfied with life as a Royal Knight. I thought everything was going well—was I wrong?”  

“I was satisfied. Until last week.”  

She didn’t want to show weakness. As the alcohol took effect, her eyelids fluttered slowly.  

‘Where am I supposed to find a man who secretly loves me?’  

She couldn’t bring herself to say it. No matter how close they were, admitting she had to sleep with a man was… a bit much.  

“If you’re struggling with something, just tell me.”  

“No, I’m just feeling a bit sentimental today.”  

Evelyn wasn’t good with alcohol. Her thoughts wandered aimlessly in her head, muddled by the intoxication. 

Ah, how pathetic. 

She frowned and ordered another drink.  

“Shall we toast?”  

“A toast?”  

“Yes, a toast. Cheers!”  

As soon as the server brought her drink, Evelyn raised her glass. The liquid inside sloshed as though it might spill over. Her overly enthusiastic gesture caused some of it to spill.  

“Oh no, it spilled.”  

The drink spilled onto Donovan’s thigh. Gasping, Evelyn’s hazy mind instantly sobered up. Donovan flinched and looked down at his now-damp pants.  

“Uh, there’s no napkin. What should I do?”  

Without thinking, Evelyn reached out to brush off the wet fabric on Donovan’s thigh. Her actions bypassed her brain entirely.  

As her palm brushed against him, Donovan’s thigh muscles twitched as though a current had passed through them. His thighs were toned, just like those of a knight.  

“Wow. They’re solid.”  

“Evelyn, what are you doing? …Wait, where are you touching?”  

His brows furrowed slightly. The firm muscles in his thigh tensed as if they might crush something at any moment.  

“Wait a moment. Did it only spill on this side of your thigh? It’s hard to see because your pants are dark. I need to clean it quickly…”  

Because of the dim lighting in the tavern, Evelyn narrowed her eyes and leaned closer toward his thigh. Above her, she could hear Donovan grinding his teeth.  

“Evelyn, don’t test my patience.”  

He took a deep breath as if suppressing something, then exhaled slowly. He reached out and grabbed her chin.  

“Stop it. It’s not even that wet.”  

“No, but it looks wet…”  

“Evelyn.”  

There was a chill in his voice. Hearing that cold tone for the first time in a long while, Evelyn felt a wave of nostalgia for their academy days.  

That’s right. He used to be this cold.  

‘Who would’ve imagined we’d one day sit across from each other, sharing drinks?’  

It was something she had never dared to hope for. A faint smile tugged at her lips.  

“You’re completely drunk.”  

Come to think of it, he had always disliked being touched. She had touched him without permission, so it was no wonder he was on edge.  

“Do you remember the first time we met?”  

“…I remember.”  

“Do you also remember what you said to me back then?”  

Donovan forcibly straightened Evelyn, who had been leaning forward. He cupped her cheek with one hand and studied her face closely.  

“You can’t even hold your liquor, and now look at the state you’re in after getting drunk.”  

“It was just one drink.”  

“You get drunk after just one drink.”  

He clicked his tongue briefly. Despite his cold tone, the warmth of his palm against her cheek made Evelyn rub her face against it. Donovan sighed and let go of her face.  

“Don’t act like this with just any man.”  

“You’re not just any man.”  

“…”  

Evelyn slumped onto the table. Although she was tipsy, she wasn’t so drunk as to lose consciousness. Still, she couldn’t help but feel like being a little clingy.  

– Haven’t you heard the rumors? That in the neighboring Kingdom of Claston, they’ve captured and eradicated every last witch?  

– So what?  

– In times like these, no witch would help you, no matter how much gold you offered them.  

The mage’s voice swirled in her ears like a vortex. It felt as though she were being endlessly sucked into a sticky swamp.  

– Witches may enjoy lifting curses, but they’re a breed that values their own safety above all else. They’re not swayed by gold or jewels like humans are. Unless it’s something amusing, that is.  

Ah, where am I supposed to find a man who likes me?  

***

The next day, the mage opened the door with a calm expression, as if to say, ‘You’re here again.’ Evelyn didn’t waste any time. The moment she sat down, she bluntly asked:

“What happens if the curse isn’t broken?”  

“You’ll suffer from terrible side effects.”  

“What exactly are those side effects? It’s not just losing my aura, is it?”  

Evelyn questioned the mage thoroughly about the curse. Curses typically became more severe over time.  

“Since you’re a Royal Knight, you’ll need to be especially cautious about the side effects during espionage missions.”  

“For example, what kind of side effects?”  

“Headaches, dizziness, coughing up blood, paralysis… It varies from person to person. If you’re unlucky, you might experience several of them at once.”  

She had to admit she was utterly doomed. Everything unfolded just as the mage had described. 

‘My arm won’t move!’  

A few days later, while on a secret mission outside the Royal Palace, Evelyn’s arm became paralyzed. She almost dropped her sword while fighting her target. A colleague providing cover from a nearby alley shouted out.  

“Sir Stina, what’s wrong? Is something the matter?”  

“No, it’s fine. Just focus on providing cover!”  

“Are you sure you don’t need help?”  

A sharp blade came flying toward her, taking advantage of her momentary vulnerability. Evelyn quickly leaned her upper body back and stepped away.  

“Sir Stina, stop pretending to be so tough.”  

“Just stay in your position and focus! Don’t get distracted.”  

She had nearly died. The back of her neck, where the sword had almost grazed her, felt icy. Evelyn quickly switched her sword to her other hand and adjusted her stance. Sweat trickled from her grip on the hilt.  

“Stop being reckless. If you’re not in good shape, fall back. I’ll handle it.”  

“No. This is my target. Don’t interfere.”  

Thankfully, she had trained to be ambidextrous. Evelyn moved swiftly and efficiently.  

‘I need to finish this quickly.’  

She dashed forward, tripped her target, and struck a vital point while they were off balance. The target collapsed to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut.  

“…Did you knock them out in one hit? That’s a rather crude finish for someone of your rank.”  

“Either way, it’s done. Let’s capture the target and hand them over.”  

Only after subduing the target did Evelyn glance at her limp right arm. A chill ran down her spine.  

‘This can’t go on.’  

It was clear she could no longer afford to delay. She had to accept this as her fate.  

‘Sharing a bed. Fine. It’s not impossible. But where am I supposed to find a man who’s interested in me?’  

From that day on, Evelyn became serious. She began scouring the entire knight order for a suitable candidate.  

‘There has to be at least one man here who secretly likes me.’  

She wandered around the training grounds, pretending to inspect the knights’ work ethic.  

After several days of this, rumors spread that Evelyn was scrutinizing the knight order with hawk-like eyes.  

“Why is everyone acting like this? Relax. Take it easy.”  

“No, Sir! This is us being relaxed!”  

A junior knight, who was circling the training grounds, puffed out his chest and shouted energetically.  

“I said to relax.”  

“No, Sir! We’ll stay sharp!”  

Everyone tightened their posture and shouted in unison. Watching them, Evelyn realized what was happening. She had unintentionally whipped the knight order into shape.  

At some point, everyone became incredibly disciplined. When Evelyn passed by, they all straightened up, afraid she might find even the smallest fault.  

‘Have I already reached that level of seniority?’  

She suddenly became acutely aware of her position. Without realizing it, she had risen to a rank where her mere presence in the training grounds put her juniors on edge.

‘The whole point was to make sure they didn’t underestimate me or try to climb over me. When did things turn out like this?’  

Evelyn had always disciplined her juniors with care. For those who looked down on her for being a commoner, she proved her worth through skill. As a result, everyone became polite knights the moment they saw Evelyn.  

“Sir Stina. I hear rumors that you’ve been cracking down on the knight order’s discipline lately.”  

“Pardon?”  

“Did His Majesty assign you some secret mission? Why are you glaring at the juniors everywhere these days?”  

A senior knight passing by made a comment. If she had genuinely been enforcing discipline, she wouldn’t have felt so wronged.  

“That’s not true…”  

Evelyn clenched her teeth and mumbled in response, her feelings complicated.  

“What?”  

“I said that’s not true.”  

Lately, Evelyn had been feeling disillusioned about her relationships. 

Were my connections really this shallow? Was there no one I could build a good relationship with?  

“Are you busy? Want to grab a drink?”  

“No. I have a night shift tomorrow.”  

“Do you think you’re the only one with night shifts?”

Evelyn replied curtly. Her sudden sharpness left the senior knight blinking dumbly like a goldfish. Before he could say anything, Evelyn cut him off.  

“Forget it. I’ll just drink alone and die.”  

“Hey, why are you like this? Don’t be like that. Ask one of the junior knights. Surely one of them is free.”

The senior knight casually slung an arm over Evelyn’s shoulder. Feeling the heavy weight, Evelyn frowned and slipped out from under his arm.  

“They’ll all just say they’re busy if I ask.”  

Evelyn had already faced more than enough rejections. Ironically, the excuses were always similar.  

– Do you have time this week? I got opera tickets, how about going together?  

Whenever Evelyn asked, they all answered:  

– I already have plans to go to the theater tonight, so I can’t.  

– I’m leaving for a business trip to another region tomorrow, so it won’t work.  

– I have to be a bridesmaid at a wedding the day after tomorrow, so I can’t go to the opera with you.  

Hearing her fellow knights pull out plans for tomorrow, the day after, and even the day after that made Evelyn’s head steam.  

Once again, she had failed to make plans. Finding someone who liked her felt like searching for a needle in the desert.  

– Why are you asking us? What about him?.  

– Isn’t there someone already close to you, Sir Evelyn?  

– If you don’t want to go alone, why not watch the opera with him?  

Every knight’s response ended with a similar remark. ‘Why wasn’t she going to Donovan instead of asking them?’

“Evelyn, don’t take it the wrong way. You’re on such close terms with Young Earl Donovan, aren’t you? I’m sure no one’s rejecting you because they dislike you.”  

“…That’s really comforting. It’s clear now that my relationships amount to nothing more than this.”  

Evelyn withdrew without further insistence. As she left the training grounds, she worked hard to suppress her hurt feelings.  

‘I have plans too, you brats.’