“Why the stocking…?” she stammered.

“Why not? It’s torn and unwearable. No grand duchess of mine should walk around in holey stockings. You’ve been keeping track of the budget—you should know that.”

He was right. Astrid glanced down at the toe of the stocking, noticing the gaping hole for the first time.

‘It wasn’t this bad earlier…’

She wanted to run away, but with her injured ankle propped on Caleb’s knee, there was no escape.

‘So embarrassing.’

If it had been Matilda or Edith, she wouldn’t have minded. But the fact that it was Caleb who caught her in such a state made the situation unbearable.

Oddly enough, Caleb seemed entirely unbothered. His focus remained solely on tending to her ankle. His hands were large enough to completely envelop her small foot, but his movements were precise and gentle.

Each time his hand brushed against her bare skin, Astrid flinched ever so slightly.

“…Ah.”

When the bandage tightened around her ankle, she let out an involuntary gasp—not from pain, but something else entirely.

Caleb, misinterpreting the sound, raised his eyes to examine her face.

“Bear with it. It’s better to keep it tight for now,” he said, his tone gruff but his touch more careful than before.

Astrid, holding her breath, watched the fluid movements of his hands as he wrapped the bandage—one loop, two loops, ten loops—until her ankle and the area just above her toes were securely bound.

His intense concentration reminded her of a moment from the past, a memory she hadn’t thought of in a long time: the forbidden section of St. Francesca Monastery. She had been in a similar position, offering her injured ankle to him.

“…I never thought we’d sit like this again,” she murmured.

“What do you mean?” Caleb asked without looking up.

“The library at St. Francesca Monastery.”

He paused briefly but continued wrapping the bandage, tying it off securely. Only after double-checking his work did he lift his head.

Astrid’s eyes curved into a crescent shape, a nostalgic smile on her lips.

“It was my foot that time, wasn’t it?”

“Yes. You startled me so badly when you appeared out of nowhere. I thought I’d be brought up on charges for heresy. I got so scared that I dropped a book on Imperial Civilization on my foot.”

“You really are…” Caleb’s dark eyes gleamed with amusement at the memory.

“What about me?”

Her pouty lips jutted out like a sulking child’s, earning a soft chuckle from him.

“Elkan said your work is efficient enough to be a royal secretary. But…”

“But what?”

Her slightly raised eyebrows showed her irritation. Caleb stifled a grin and responded with feigned seriousness.

“You can’t even take care of your own body. You’re no better than a five-year-old.”

“…Excuse me?”

Her wide, incredulous eyes only made her look more endearing in Caleb’s view. He couldn’t help but think this was what having a younger sister might feel like.

“Dropping a book on your foot, tripping over papers—you’re careless. It’s one thing to lack caution, but being this reckless means I…”

He trailed off, and Astrid couldn’t argue. While not entirely wrong, it wasn’t entirely right either.

Feeling unfairly judged, she shot him a resentful look. She hadn’t asked for recognition, but she had worked hard since arriving at Cliff, fighting to settle in and make a life.

The way he dismissed her efforts as childish antics stung. Just as she was about to sink deeper into her disappointment, he spoke again.

“I worry about you.”

“…What?”

Unsure if she heard correctly, Astrid blinked in surprise. Caleb chuckled softly, resting his hand on her head.

“I’m worried you’ll get hurt. That’s all.”

His words, spoken while gently stroking her hair, melted away her resentment like snow under the sun.

“Lady Astrid Lionel.”

His voice, now devoid of any teasing, drew her gaze. She met his eyes, brimming with quiet intensity.

What was he about to say? A hint of anxiety flickered in her chest, but she answered with composure.

“Yes, Caleb.”

“Promise me. Protect it.”

“…?”

Her eyes widened in confusion. Caleb’s next words, however, clarified everything.

“Protect the duchy of Cliff. Protect my people and this land.”

“…!”

“While I’m away.”

Her heart, which had been racing moments ago, seemed to stop altogether.

A lump rose in her throat, raw and burning. Before she could identify the emotion swelling within her, she swallowed it down.

The ache in her chest throbbed, but she ignored it and responded calmly.

“So, it’s an order to deploy?”

“Yes.”

“When…?”

“In three days.”

“…!”

Astrid’s carefully composed face crumpled, like a shattered mirror. Caleb watched her silently, his eyes following the tremors in her gaze.

***

As always, the king’s deployment orders came without warning. Although expected, it still exceeded even Caleb’s predictions.

For the knights of Cliff, accustomed to using the sky as their blanket and the ground as their bed, this was nothing new. But Caleb knew it was different for those left behind.

He felt a pang of guilt about leaving Astrid behind just as she was beginning to adjust to life in Cliff. Perhaps that’s why he hesitated to knock on her door, despite being just steps away.

‘This isn’t the face I wanted to see…’

Caleb looked down at Astrid, who was forcing a faint smile.

‘She’s smiling, but those hands…’

Her small fists were clenched so tightly that they had turned pale. He wanted to take those hands in his own, but he couldn’t.

After completing the first and second campaigns, Caleb had returned safely to Cliff. But no one could guarantee a safe return.

He hadn’t imagined, during the second campaign, that he would return alone.

‘To return without my mother…’

The Grand Duchess Iris had been cremated in front of the entire order of knights, as per her last wish—to leave nothing behind. It had been an honorable death, so he hadn’t felt overwhelming sorrow.

Yet, whenever he thought of her, a cold wind seemed to blow through an empty part of his chest. He didn’t want Astrid to feel that same void.

‘…Because she loves me.’

Caleb silently gazed into her unsteady, sea-blue eyes.

A simple promise to return would have reassured her. But he couldn’t say it.

He didn’t want to leave her with an open-ended wait. If he didn’t return, he didn’t want her to suffer as she had in Hestian. He wanted her to be free, unburdened, able to soar whenever she wished.

So, he left no promises. All he could do was ask her to live well.

“Of course. It’s my duty—and my right. Don’t worry, Grand Duke. Your land and people will be safe. No matter what happens, I will protect them.”

Astrid’s resolute response was both reassuring and painful.

“Thank you.”

“…!”

Caleb’s large hand moved from her hair to her cheek, lingering for a moment before pulling away. She regretted the loss of warmth but didn’t protest.

All she could do was force a brighter smile, hiding the turmoil within. Caleb, seeing through her, gave a bitter smile of his own.

He wanted to tell her that the most important thing to protect was herself. He wanted to touch her flushed eyes, hold her, comfort her. But he couldn’t.

All he could do was pretend not to notice her reddened eyes.

***

The next day.

Back in the office, Astrid was buried in a mountain of paperwork alongside Elkan.

“Sir Elkan…”

“Yes, Your Grace. What is it?”

Elkan, who had been waiting for her to speak, set aside his documents and looked at her kindly. Encouraged by his gentle gaze, Astrid finally voiced the question she hadn’t dared ask Caleb.

She hadn’t asked him because her throat had tightened and she felt tears welling up. She didn’t want to appear foolish by crying.

It was a relief she hadn’t. Adding to his worries before his departure would have been the last thing she wanted. But her thin resolve only lasted so long.

She hadn’t slept a wink last night. The moment Caleb announced his departure, she became acutely aware of her feelings.

She had thought confessing her love was enough—that it was simply being honest. She didn’t expect anything in return. But the moment he mentioned leaving, her heart sank.

It was only when faced with his imminent absence that she realized how much her world revolved around him.

Determined not to deny her feelings any longer, she knew she couldn’t continue like this.

Elkan noticed her vacant, troubled expression and grew concerned.

“Your Grace? Are you feeling unwell? You’ve been overworking yourself lately…”

“Three days… It doesn’t feel real.”

“Ah…”

So, it was about that.

Elkan nodded solemnly. She hadn’t been in Cliff long, and now she was about to send off the one person she relied on most.

“Sir Elkan.”

“Yes, Your Grace. I’m listening.”

Elkan waited patiently, not rushing her. After a deep sigh, Astrid finally spoke.

“Are deployment orders always this sudden?”

“Yes. It’s a common occurrence for the knights of Cliff.”

“I see…”

She tried to act unaffected, but her vision kept blurring. Noticing but pretending not to, Elkan calmly continued his explanation.

“A horde of monsters has appeared in the border villages. It hasn’t been long since we returned from the second campaign.”

“So, they’ve shown up sooner than expected,” Astrid remarked, hitting the core of the issue. Elkan nodded heavily. He had assumed they’d have at least three months of peace.

It had been a miscalculation.

“The knights are always on standby. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that we’re ready to deploy at a moment’s notice, even if the orders come at dawn.”

“You’re going too, right?”

“Of course. Sometimes, dealing with paperwork like this seems preferable. At least I can eat warm food and sleep in a bed.”

Despite the joking tone, Astrid couldn’t bring herself to laugh. She lowered her head, afraid that her turbulent emotions would be too obvious if she didn’t.

“Everyone must be having a hard time.”

“It could have been worse. The recent fire incident gave us a few days’ reprieve. I’m just grateful we’re not leaving at dawn. There’s no telling when we’ll return.”