Chapter 3 (Part 3)

Just as she was about to leave the knights’ quarters, thinking she had no more business there, Knox’s surprising words stopped her in her tracks.

“Yesterday, I saw the commander walking intimately with a lady. The atmosphere was unusual. What’s their relationship?”

Knox seemed bewildered, as if he couldn’t believe what he had seen. Reina, who was about to stand up, paused and tilted her head.

Walking intimately with a lady…? Someone who doesn’t seem interested in women?

“Who could it be? Does the commander have a woman? I’ve never seen him alone with a woman before.”

“Right. There’s no way he has a lover. We’ve known him for so long.”

Other knights exchanged puzzled looks, sharing similar thoughts with Reina.

Then Walker approached them and said knowingly,

“You guys don’t know who that was? She’s the commander’s fiancée.”

Upon hearing that, Reina almost dropped the water bottle she was holding.

Fi-fi-fi-fiancée? He’s supposed to be a virgin. Fiancée?

Her heart sank. She felt a sudden sense of betrayal and a stabbing pain in her chest.

“Fiancée?”

The other knights also seemed shocked. They urgently asked again, as if they couldn’t believe it.

“Really?”

“It’s true.”

Walker nodded with a confident look.

“What? He had a fiancée? That’s a lie, right?”

Even the Deputy Commander seemed surprised.

“Really? It’s not just a rumor?”

Ferguson also seemed unaware.

“No way!”

Even Knox looked extremely shocked.

“It must be an arranged engagement between families. The commander is also the second son of the Viscount Marionus family.”

“Well, that makes sense.”

Though they reluctantly agreed, their expressions showed they were still mentally shocked.

“How did you know, Sir Walker?”

“I found out by chance.”

“Why didn’t you tell us all this time? Was it a secret?”

“They didn’t have the engagement ceremony, and the person involved didn’t disclose the engagement, so how could I gossip about it? There must have been personal reasons for keeping it a secret.”

“So what about now?”

“If I don’t tell you, you’ll try to dig into the commander’s private life somehow. So I just told you in advance.”

Walker, who was tight-lipped, didn’t seem to want to continue the conversation.

“It’s truly surprising.”

“Why didn’t the commander ever show any signs?”

“You know he’s not the type to show such things.”

Walker smirked.

“Shouldn’t he have told us such important news? Does this make sense?”

“Right. We have the right to know too!”

Among those protesting, Deputy Commander Ford seemed the most shocked.

“Why… didn’t he tell me either…?”

He seemed to think he was the closest person to Patrick. He looked so aggrieved, as if tears would fall with just a slight nudge.

He sent a resentful look at Walker, but Walker pretended not to notice.

It wasn’t something that needed to be hidden, so it was strange that he had never mentioned it before.

“Did anyone here know that the commander had a fiancée?”

Ford asked the surrounding knights, tilting his head, but they all just shook their heads. It was surprising that only Walker knew, even though a third of the knights were nobles.

“Does this make sense? How could no one know?”

“Ah, it’s understandable. The commander only wields the weapon in his hand, not the big weapon inside his body.”

Walker laughed heartily, and Reina unconsciously agreed with his words.

She was nodding but then suddenly tilted her head.

No, wait! I did touch it briefly, so he did wield it for a moment, didn’t he?

Having had a brief taste of his “weapon,” it seemed a waste not to use it. But she quickly dismissed her thoughts.

No, what am I even thinking?

While Reina was lost in thought for a moment, the knights continued their conversation.

“Did you see her face? What kind of woman is she?”

Ferguson asked Knox with eager eyes. Knox rubbed his chin and tilted his head from side to side.

“I don’t know.”

“Don’t say you don’t remember.”

At that moment, the knights’ gazes turned sharp towards Knox.

“I thought I was seeing things and didn’t look closely. I never thought the captain would have a lover!”

“It’s the first time you’ve seen the captain walking with a woman, right?”

“That’s right. So it kept bothering me.”

“What the heck. Then you should have looked closely. We’re curious! Is she pretty? You must have seen that much.”

“She’s definitely a beauty.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

The knights seemed disappointed with Knox’s response. They all gave him a look that said, “Of course, you would.”

“Sir Walker, don’t you know anything about the fiancée?”

The gazes that were on Knox now turned to Walker.

“Well?”

Walker smiled slyly, as if he knew but had no intention of sharing more.

“The commander is a noble too, so his partner must be a noble lady, right?”

Ford said, tilting his head.

“Probably.”

The knights’ gazes turned to Walker again, but he pretended not to notice.

“Come on, tell us a little more.”

“I think I’ve given you enough information. If you’re curious, find out the rest on your own.”

“You know, Sir Walker, you’re becoming more like the commander.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“…”

Even though it wasn’t meant as a compliment, Walker smiled slyly. Knowing Walker’s personality, the knights seemed to give up asking him further.

“By the way, do you think the commander has kissed her?”

Knox asked, tilting his head.

“If it’s the commander, he’d probably protect his fiancée’s lips too.”

Jake answered with a nonchalant expression.

“Well, that’s true.”

“Hey, don’t underestimate the commander. He’s still a man. They’re engaged, after all.”

“So what if they’re engaged? He’s a virgin.”

The knights laughed heartily at Walker’s words, but Reina couldn’t laugh. Since hearing the word fiancée, even a forced smile wouldn’t come.

What’s so funny that they’re laughing like that….

The more she heard information she didn’t want to know, the more she wanted to get up and leave. But at the same time, she had a contradictory desire to hear more of the knights’ conversation.

“Lady Reina! We’re just joking. You don’t have to take it so seriously!”

Seeing Reina’s hardened face, the knights hastily shouted.

They seemed to misunderstand, thinking she was displeased by their conversation because she could hear it from where she stood.

“Hey, you shouldn’t make crude jokes in front of Lady Reina.”

“Yeah, we should have been more careful.”

“Lady Reina, we’re sorry! You must have felt really uncomfortable hearing our conversation, right?”

They treated Reina as if she were still a young girl who didn’t know much about such matters.

She could argue, but fearing it might make things even more awkward, she said nothing, and unfortunately, their conversation ended there.

Noticing Reina’s presence, they all clammed up.

I wish they’d talk a bit more…. 

The words were on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn’t say them out loud. Knowing she was only hindering the conversation, she tactfully got up to leave.

As she walked back to her room, Reina closed her eyes tightly. Then, the emotions she had been holding back surged in all at once.

You said he was a virgin! So why does he have a fiancée!

Not everyone who gets engaged sleeps together, but it’s common for couples to share love before marriage, which usually follows an engagement.

So, it was natural for Reina and the other knights to be shocked by the news that the virgin Patrick had a fiancée. The betrayal felt like a slap to the back of the head.

Feeling resentful was natural, and she wanted to grab him by the collar and confront him right now.

But she had no grounds to do so.

After all, he never said he wasn’t engaged or that he didn’t have a lover.

Judging by Patrick’s usual behavior, Reina and some knights had just assumed he would reject an engagement.

Why didn’t I consider the possibility of him being engaged or having a lover?

Was it wrong to assume he wouldn’t have a lover just because he was a virgin?