Chapter 15

It was a time when a soft voice seductively echoed in the ears. After Aneta, someone silently entered the study and stood next to the two.

“Your Grace?”

Aneta, whose eyes were covered by Carlos, was suddenly startled at the unfamiliar voice that came out of nowhere and trembled. Carlos gently swept his hand over her back.

“What happened while I was away?”

“Oh, quite an unpleasant incident.”

The caressing touch was affectionate, but the glance directed at Erez, who had caused misunderstandings, was stern.

“Your gaze could kill someone right now.”

“When did I ever do that?…I’ve never done such a thing, Aneta.”

The voice of the one conversing with Carlos smoothly was quite neutral. To confirm the owner of the low voice that couldn’t be identified by gender, Aneta lightly pulled away his hand as he continued to make excuses.

“Okay, get your hands off me. It’s uncomfortable.”

As the obstruction cleared from her vision, suddenly the sight in front of her became blurry due to the light that appeared. After blinking a few times, she found a stranger before her.

With navy short hair, red eyes, and even the uniform of the Baltimor Knight.

Though it was their first encounter, it wasn’t difficult to recognize. It was Louise Alpen, the commander of the Baltimor Knight.

She was shifted from being a knight of the Emperor’s shadow to the commander of the Baltimor after Aneta and Carlos divorced.

Her guess was confirmed by the name that came out of Carlos’ mouth.

“Louise, I’m sorry for the sudden request, but it seems you need to accompany Marquis Bauter.”

“As you wish.”
Louise understood the true meaning hidden behind the polite expression of accompaniment and accepted the order without a word of complaint. The next thing she did was politely point at Erez.

“I will escort him.”

“…….”

“Let’s go.”

“…….”

“If you continue to hold out like this, I will have no choice but to use force.”

As he stubbornly stood his ground with his mouth tightly shut, another warning was issued above his head.

“I suppose there’s no choice.”

As Louise, who had just taken a defensive stance, prepared to strike him, Erez finally opened his mouth with an annoyed expression.

“No need for an escort; I’ll leave on my own.”

To follow him as he nervously moved forward, Louise bowed her head.

“Well then, I’ll be off.”

Erez’s sharp words seemed indifferent, showing an attitude of compliance with the command.

Aneta chuckled in response to the anger-filled gaze that lingered for a moment.

Although he seemed to have a fierce expression from her perspective, well, even if a small puppy growled in front of her, she wouldn’t be scared. At least that’s how she felt.

Even Erez’s angry face was adorable, as if he were just throwing a small tantrum. His fairy-like appearance made him seem that way.

“How pretty.”
As she murmured behind Erez, whose appearance was disheveled as he passed by, Carlos’s forehead furrowed slightly.

He mistakenly thought that Aneta’s admiration was directed towards Erez’s body, and Carlos revealed a jealousy that he hadn’t even tried to conceal.

“My body is prettier, Aneta.”

The misdirected jealousy made the corners of her mouth twitch. Barely controlling her laughter, Aneta tilted her head to the side.

“Well…”

Aneta had no intention of correcting Carlos’s misunderstanding. There was no point in denying that Erez’s body was beautiful, even at first glance.

“I’m not sure.”

In response to a gaze urging for affirmation, she ran her fingertips over his well-built body. The contours of his chest and abdomen were distinctly felt beneath the thin shirt.

Each time she lightly poked at his muscular upper body, his body shuddered.

Unlike Aneta, who explored his familiar body without much excitement, he seemed tense, a reaction that was new to her.

“However much I think about it, the word ‘pretty’ doesn’t seem to suit you.”

It would be more appropriate to say that it was as beautiful as a sculpture. Aneta withdrew her outstretched hand, sensing a different feeling from the delicate Erez.

As she took a step back, his broad chest rose and fell slightly.

The process of his shirt tightening and finding its place caught her eye vividly.

“I thought you said you liked bodies like mine.”

“I still do.”

Carlos’s face turned red at the straightforward answer. A sense of relief crossed his face, wondering if her external preferences had changed.

“All right then.”
There was an awkwardness in the air as he averted his gaze, creating a strange atmosphere.

Louise, who had escorted Erez to Lennox, returned and walked in without hesitation. She passed through the open door and surveyed the scene inside.

“You look like a ripe tomato.”

It was unclear who the comment was directed at. Aneta burst into laughter at the sincere metaphor that came out with a dry tone.

Unable to contain her laughter, Carlos’s face flushed even more. Seeing Aneta laugh, he assumed everything was fine and gave up on protesting.

“You must have gotten a new knight while I was gone.”

Aneta asked without suppressing the smile at the corner of her mouth. She was still relatively unfamiliar with the person who had recently appeared.

“Oh, you don’t know. This is Louise Alpen, the newly appointed commander of Baltimor’s knights. She’s a talented individual who filled the vacant position of knight commander.”

His statement proved that Louise was indeed a skilled individual among the others.

Although it was a known fact, the emergence of exceptional talent was always intriguing. Aneta stared at Louise’s sword, her eyes darker than ever.

“It seems like you’ve quickly risen to the position of knight commander, which seems to have been under His Majesty’s shadow.”

Aneta was aware of the presence of shadows as one of the pillars of the Imperial Faction. Although she didn’t know who was affiliated, she could casually mention their abilities and missions, as she had consistently heard about them.

“Is my guess correct?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“There’s no need to verify your skills. Alpen, would you like to join our family?”

Russell was not a man to be picky, and in his eyes, being a member of the Shadows meant that talking about one’s skills would only make one in vain.

“I promise a higher level of welfare than Baltimor.”

“No, Aneta.”
As Carlos’s eyes widened at Aneta’s playful remark, he tried to match her playfulness.

“Are you seriously suggesting a scout proposal to someone who has joined our family in front of me?”

“It’s a natural desire to want to keep exceptional individuals by your side as the head of the family. So do well; I’m sure she’ll be eager for the opportunity.”

Of course, Aneta didn’t expect Louise to switch sides with Adenauer. If she could bring her over, she would gladly do so, but Louise was still under the shadow of the Emperor even now.

Even Aneta, despite her feelings, wanted to avoid going after Russell’s people.

“Well, it seems I’ll have to try harder.”

Listening quietly to the conversation that continued in a light atmosphere, Louise observed Carlos’s expression.

The solemnity was gone, replaced by an air of spring. It was unfamiliar yet pleasing to see him sending Aneta a gaze filled with love.

The crimson gaze soon shifted to Aneta, like gently flickering flames. A subtle intuition whispered. Having returned after a month-long absence, she felt that something had changed within her.

The lighthearted conversation and laughter shared with Carlos were pieces of that change. Before leaving, she had always shown him a sense of duty.

However, Louise couldn’t accept the change positively. She felt that their current relationship was more precarious than before. Was it just a mood, or did she truly feel that way?

Scattered pieces, sharp and jagged, wouldn’t fit together just because one forced them to. Either both would be hurt, or they would both find happiness.

No one knows which way fate will turn. Louise opened her mouth to speak to Aneta, hoping that this time she would see a definitive end.

“I’m Louise Alpen. I’ve been wanting to meet you, My Lady.”

“Me? Is there a special reason?”

She must have observed enough from unseen places.
Aneta glanced around at the people present and realized that there was no one she didn’t know. She wondered if it was necessary to mention it.

“I wanted to meet the person who made His Grace grow flowers by himself.”

Louise’s eyes landed on a vase. It had been there since she’d first set foot in the house, and today it was still bursting with life.

“You grew that flower yourself? Is that true?”

Aneta’s head turned towards Carlos.

“They are the only flowers you truly like. I wanted to grow them myself and present them to you every morning.”

She looked at him in disbelief, and she nodded in affirmation. Aneta was speechless.

She had vaguely noticed that he had prepared the flowers for her, but she had assumed that he had paid someone else to do it.

‘But he grew them himself.’

She remembered how they would change so quickly at the slightest sign of wilting.

Aneta imagined Carlos going to work with the flowers in his hand. It wasn’t just care; it was a delicacy that couldn’t be imitated.

“There are many things besides flowers. Everything in this room, from the curtains hanging by the window to the carpet underfoot, the chair you’re sitting on, even the ink and pens, were all personally chosen by His Grace.”

As the names of the endless items were listed, it was truly astonishing. As Louise said, everything in the study had been personally selected by him.

“Even while being busy beyond measure, he hurried to finish everything before My Lady returned.”

As Louise praised Carlos’s sincerity, she once again expressed her honest admiration for him.

“It was like he was decorating a newlywed’s house.”

“Do more, come on.”

Carlos, who had never shown a hint of reluctance, not only did not stop Louise but also encouraged her to do more. He didn’t even deny her urging.

“No, that’s enough. I think it’s time to stop now.”

It was Aneta who interrupted her as she opened her mouth to speak for Carlos. Skillfully concealing the rising pressure, Aneta pointed out the darkened window.

“Oh.”

A sigh escaped Carlos’s lips as he finally realized that the sun had set.

Aneta turned away from them and walked toward her desk. As she opened a drawer and pulled out the papers she’d used as an excuse, a look of disappointment crossed Carlos’s face.

“You’re leaving?”

“Of course. The whole point was to take this back with me.”

“Just stay a little longer. As a compliment to me because I worked hard to protect my lips.”

As Aneta walked towards them, she hesitated and stopped in her tracks. Facing the expectant gaze of Carlos, she pondered whether to mention what happened at the welcoming ceremony.

Her hesitation didn’t last long. It was something they would find out anyway when they met Serce.

“No. Even if it wasn’t Marquis Bauter, your lips have already been claimed by someone else long ago. To be precise, you were the one who claimed them.”

“I swear to heaven it never happened.”

“I saw it with my own eyes.”

“What…?”

“At the Marquis’s welcoming ceremony, when you were incapacitated, you embraced Serce’s doppelganger and kissed him.”

While Aneta was partly responsible for the kiss, Carlos was the one who provided the opportunity.

“You’ve lost control of your lips.”

At Aneta’s probing confirmation, it was needless to say that Carlos’s face turned pale