Chapter 8 (Part 2)

When Reina wanted to learn swordsmanship, assigning Patrick as her instructor wasn’t just to test him as the commander of the knights.

Although he gave that reason outwardly, his true feelings were different.

He harbored a personal wish that Patrick would become Reina’s partner. He hoped that spending time together would lead to affection and eventually a romantic relationship.

If their feelings aligned, he wouldn’t show her the necklace. Even though Louis and Richelle had found their partners through the necklace.

But after observing them for a while, he realized it wasn’t going to happen. They regarded each other more like family than as potential romantic partners.

Though he knew well that people’s hearts don’t move as desired, he couldn’t help feeling disappointed.

He even subtly inquired about Patrick’s interest in women by suggesting introducing him to other ladies, but the response was unexpected.

‘I have a fiancée.’

‘Why haven’t you mentioned it before?’

‘I’m sorry for not saying so. It’s a personal matter. I can’t provide further details.’

Duke Lennox was greatly shocked to learn that Patrick had a fiancée, having never hinted at it before.

But on the other hand, he was relieved to know this before trying to match him with Reina. He almost made the mistake of pushing his daughter toward a man who was already engaged.

Realizing that forced connections don’t always work, Duke Lennox excluded Patrick from the list of potential husbands for Reina after that day.

However, he couldn’t completely let go of his attachment. He secretly hoped Patrick’s engagement would be broken.

It wasn’t out of malice. It just felt odd that no news of Patrick’s marriage followed his engagement, so he clung to a thread of hope.

It wasn’t because he had malicious intentions, but because it was strange that he hadn’t heard any news of Patrick’s marriage, even though it had been five years since his engagement.

Thus, Duke Lennox handed the necklace to Reina with a faint hope.

He believed that if she received the necklace, she would be intrigued and look for the person who changed its color. If there was a connection between them, the necklace would resolve it.

But after giving her the necklace, seeing Reina’s lack of reaction made him realize that there was no one among the knights who changed the necklace’s color.

This also applied to Patrick, which was disappointing, but it couldn’t be helped. It seemed even God was saying there was no connection between the two.

After that day, Duke Lennox completely let go of his attachment to Patrick. He thought it was pointless to desire something that wasn’t meant to be, considering Patrick had a fiancée.

So now, he planned to match Reina with Earl Selkirk as the next best option. Although he didn’t like him as much as Patrick, he was an excellent match for Reina.

After all, the necklace had changed color. That alone was enough.

But….

That mischievous Reina kept acting in the opposite way of his expectations. She had often behaved in unpredictable ways, but this time, it was particularly frustrating.

Couldn’t she just follow my wishes for once? Why did she have to fall for a man with a fiancée!

As Reina became the object of his resentment, one question did arise in Duke Lennox’s mind. Based on what he knew of Patrick’s character, he would never have the heart to hurt someone by engaging in a relationship with two women.

But how could he be acting in a way that would hurt Reina, while still having a fiancée?

Though curious about many things, Duke Lennox tucked those thoughts away in his heart. To him, Patrick was just a man with a fiancée, nothing more, nothing less.

What angered him the most was that Patrick was trying to approach Reina without fully resolving his engagement. There was no way he would ever allow him to be Reina’s partner.

* * *

“Are you saying I should be away in the border region for a week?”

Caught off guard by the sudden order, Patrick rudely asked Duke Lennox to repeat the command. He couldn’t calm down at the thought of being away for a week suddenly.

Of course, it wasn’t immediately for a week. First, he would go to assess the situation, then discuss with Duke Lennox how many men to deploy and how to resolve the issue before leaving.

“Yes. The Marquis has requested our help again. It seems the pirates are running amok, and we need to assist them.”

The Duke responded calmly without criticizing Patrick’s attitude.

Though it hadn’t been long since they last helped, the request for the Imperial Knights again indicated that the pirates’ atrocities had become more severe.

However, there was no particular reason to send Patrick specifically. Ford, the Deputy Commander, could have been sent instead, so the fact that Patrick was being sent meant there was a reason behind it.

He’s trying to keep me as far away from the Lady as possible.

Patrick realized that Duke Lennox had figured out his relationship with Reina. It was clear that the Duke disapproved of him seeing his daughter while having a fiancée, leading to this order.

Even someone who usually distinguishes between public and private matters couldn’t do so when it came to his child.

Given how poorly things were going, the Duke’s actions were like pouring oil on the fire. But Patrick had no authority to refuse the order. He had to accept the unjust command.

“Understood.”

After saluting, Patrick immediately went to find Reina. He needed to inform her of the current situation and that they would be apart for a while.

As usual, he had to discreetly call her out while she walked down the corridor. They had to be cautious not to be seen by others.

“It looks like we’ll be apart for a while.”

“Did something happen?”

“I thought the pirates had calmed down, but it seems they’ve become active again. The Marquis has requested help from the Imperial court, and the 3rd Knights Division will be assisting again this time.”

“Do you have to go personally? Surely not everyone has to go?”

Reina looked at Patrick with a worried expression.

“For now, I plan to take a small group to the border. This time, it will be only three days, but the next time, it might take about a week.”

He didn’t tell her that the Duke had discovered their relationship. He also didn’t mention that he was being deliberately sent away.

It was only a matter of time before she found out, but he wanted her to have some peace of mind until then.

For now, he would be away for 3-4 days, but after a brief return to the ducal residence, he planned to stay in the border region for about a week. It might even take longer than that.

He didn’t want Reina to worry and be anxious during his absence. So before leaving, Patrick intended to finalize his engagement situation to some degree.

He had already notified Lady Berkshire of his intention to break off the engagement again. Though she seemed unwilling, it wasn’t Patrick’s concern.

He had set a clear date for the engagement to be broken, exactly one month from when he mentioned it.

Recently, she had been attending parties and bragging about their engagement, so he was giving her time to handle it herself.

Of course, that wasn’t the only reason for the extended period. He also wanted to consider Baron Berkshire, who would be shocked.

Though he wouldn’t reveal the engagement was a fake, he thought the Baron needed time to prepare himself.

However, due to the unexpected turn of events, he planned to meet the Baron and finalize everything before leaving.

“If, by any chance, you look at another man while I’m gone, I’ll come back immediately.”

He was referring to Earl Selkirk. He was worried that they might grow closer while he was away from the estate.

“Don’t worry. You know I’m not that kind of woman. The problem is my father.”

“Indeed. Duke Lennox is the problem.”

“While you’re gone, I’ll make sure to break his stubbornness, so don’t worry.”

Her clear, bright golden eyes looked at Patrick. Knowing that defeating Duke Lennox wouldn’t be easy, her determined look made him smile.

“I’ll trust in you, my Lady.”

Patrick lightly kissed her lips as he held her chin.

“We won’t see each other for a while. Is that all you’re going to do?”

Reina looked at him with a disappointed expression.

“Of course not.”

With a chuckle, Patrick kissed her again. This time, his moist tongue softly entered her mouth, leading to a deep, passionate kiss, entirely different from the previous one.

As their tongues entwined, they became more engrossed in the kiss.