“Make way! The Paladin is passing through!”

The combined voices of the knights repeated the call.

Gjorn and Delilah came to an abrupt halt. Gjorn’s face clearly showed his surprise. Although Delilah maintained her haughty demeanor, the focus on them had already shattered.

“Make way! The Paladin is passing through!”

The resounding warning echoed once more.

Dozens of horse hooves simultaneously struck the ground. The momentum was overwhelming. Startled, Gjorn quickly led Delilah off the path.

At the same time, a massive black horse, far larger than an ordinary one, appeared at a swift pace. The pure black horse, adorned with golden trappings, was strikingly majestic.

And atop the horse, dressed in the Holy Knights’ ceremonial uniform, sat Rublier.

The leader of the Holy Knights, who bears the unique title of Paladin in each era, didn’t spare a glance at Gjorn and Delilah. With one hand on the reins and the other arm tightly around his wife, he rode leisurely through the carriage-clogged road.

The madam, seated with her legs to one side due to her voluminous dress, seemed frightened by the height of the enormous black horse and leaned her head against her husband’s chest. She even covered her face with both hands, completely blocking her view.

Despite the precarious posture, with nothing to hold on to, Rublier’s arm firmly supported her back and shoulders, providing a clear sense of stability. If the husband was dark, the wife was light. Her light, silvery-gray hair, characteristic of the Del Mare family, fluttered gently.

After the scandalous events, the couple, who had kept their newlywed life private, made their official public appearance.

The Holy Knights surrounded them, matching their pace to protect them. The black horse swiftly reached the entrance of the Papal Palace. The man dismounted with a simple movement.

The madam, unable to dismount easily, fidgeted. Her dress fluttered lightly. Though her face was hidden from view, her husband’s face was visible instead.

He extended both arms to the madam sitting on the horse. When she hesitated, too scared to move, he had her wrap her arms around his neck and lifted her down.

Rublier and Satin. The couple from the guardian families, whose wedding had been full of twists and turns, had sparked all sorts of speculation about their newlywed life.

From optimism that they would live well since they found their true partners to concerns that the long-standing engagement between the families, despite personal circumstances, couldn’t be seen entirely positively.

However, with just one scene, Rublier and Satin dispelled all the rumors about their newlywed life.

While Satin stood on her own two feet, adjusting her attire, Rublier’s gaze never left her. When she stood on tiptoe and whispered something to him, he bent down to match her height.

His face was full of smiles as he listened to her. His attention was entirely on his wife. One thing was certain: Satin was loved.

Even though both were in love with someone, the stark contrast between Gjorn, who had become gaunt in a few months, and the still radiant Satin was apparent.

Someone sighed in admiration.

“This… the cost of that fling seems too high to bear.”

* * *

However, Satin’s feelings were somewhat different from the outward appearance.

“This is too scary!”

Satin screamed from atop the horse.

“Lean on me.”

Rublier replied nonchalantly.

She felt at a loss about what to do with this man. Satin tried to glare at him but ended up swaying and swallowing a short gasp.

This was right after a knight who had scouted ahead returned with news that the road was blocked. Not wanting to add to the chaos of the already crowded road, Satin abandoned the carriage and switched to Rublier’s black horse. This, of course, was at Rublier’s suggestion.

“If I had a saddle for dresses, I could ride alone.”

Satin knew how to ride a horse that was not too large and had a gentle temperament. But Rublier cut her off.

“That would be a waste of time.”

Hearing the word ‘waste’ from a nobleman of the Ka Dillon family was surprising. Satin shook her head.

In any case, riding the black horse was much scarier than it looked. It was beyond her imagination. The elevated view made the air feel different. It was probably psychological, but it felt colder too.

“Satin. Just lean on me. If you keep sitting like that, you’ll need support at the banquet.”

Satin tried to sit upright and hold on by herself, but it was impossible. As she kept bumping her head against his chest, Rublier pulled her closer.

“Stop, eek!”

There was no time to refuse.

As a deep puddle appeared, the black horse leaped. When the horse landed and sprang forward, her body tilted. Rublier held her tightly as he sped up. The Holy Knights matched their pace.

The ground flew by in a blur. Startled, Satin covered her face with both hands. The speed didn’t decrease. Even with her eyes closed, she could feel the speed, making her dizzy. Instead of pulling away from Rublier, she buried herself deeper into his chest.

She couldn’t muster the courage to sit up. She was scared, but also, leaning against Rublier like this was unexpectedly comfortable, making her momentarily forget her mixed feelings.

If she fidgeted and fell, it would be a disaster. She couldn’t afford to get hurt. Yes, she was just getting a little help because it was dangerous right now.

The gold decorations on Rublier’s Holy Knights uniform tickled her cheek. Satin tried to focus only on the soft sensation.

“Make way! The Paladin is passing through!”

The loud shouts of the Holy Knights, alerting everyone around, reached her ears. Satin didn’t even realize she was passing through the tangled carriages near the Papal Palace. She just guessed from the sounds that they were warning the bystanders.

“We’re here.”

When the horse, which had been running without hesitation, stopped and Rublier shook her to announce their arrival, Satin couldn’t lift her head for a while.

“What is this? I wanted to make a graceful entrance!”

She had wanted to sit upright on the horse, walking slowly with her back straight and head held high, but instead, she had clung to Rublier, screaming all the way to the Papal Palace’s doorstep.

Satin glared at him.

“So what? We’re a couple.”

“Being a couple isn’t a cure-all.”

“Being a couple is a cure-all. Didn’t you know? Newlyweds are especially invincible.”

Rublier, teasingly, dismounted first.

Even though they weren’t an ordinary newlywed couple, his excuses were impressive. Still, it wasn’t something to say in front of many people, so Satin kept her mouth shut. They were a couple for the three months they had agreed to continue their marriage.

“Ugh…”

Satin tried to slide down but climbed back up. It wasn’t a height she could just jump from. Her high heels made her ankles unsteady. She had needed Rublier’s help to get on the horse earlier.

Her toes were freezing.

“Come here.”

Rublier spread his arms wide. Satin was conscious of the people watching them.

“No matter how invincible we are, isn’t this a bit much?”

She hoped they would appear as a reasonably good couple. A couple that was too engrossed in each other to care about their surroundings would be burdensome, but she also disliked the idea of appearing as a couple barely tolerating each other.

Given their status, it was impossible, but it would have been best if they could have been a couple that seemed to exist without drawing attention. That way, even if they divorced later, she could come up with a reasonable excuse when people asked why.

“Gjorn is watching.”

An unexpected name was mentioned. Gjorn. Her rationality vanished as if by magic. Her body moved before her mind.

If Gjorn was watching, there was no reason to hesitate.

Satin instinctively reached to wrap her arms around Rublier’s neck but hesitated. The sharp heel of her shoe seemed about to prick Rublier’s knee. Even though the shoes hadn’t touched the ground much, she was worried they might leave a mark on Rublier’s pristine uniform pants. She was also concerned about stepping incorrectly with her high heels.

Noticing Satin’s hesitation, Rublier lowered himself to her feet. The image overlapped with the moment on their wedding day when he knelt and proposed with a bouquet.

“Rubl… Sir Ka Dillon.”

She almost bit her tongue in surprise. But Rublier remained calm. His large hand gently grasped Satin’s ankle and removed her shoe. The touch and warmth of his hand were fully conveyed through her thin stocking.

He carefully placed the shoe on the dry ground. Satin’s eyes widened.

Rublier gently removed her shoes and then lifted her off the horse. She wrapped her arms around his neck and awkwardly stepped on his knee with her foot, realizing that his foot was supporting her own. She was surprised twice.

Rublier didn’t let go of her hand until she had put her shoes back on.

“It’s okay now. I’m fine.”

Satin couldn’t bring herself to look back where Gjorn was. She didn’t have the confidence to face him with this expression, not knowing what kind of face she was making.

“Is Gjorn still more on your mind than dozens of other people?”

…What?

A subtle tension lingered over her head. Although his tone wasn’t particularly angry, Satin flinched involuntarily.