Chapter 11 (Part 2)

Grace was surprised at how much she enjoyed her meal with Liam.  

He had an uncanny understanding of her tastes and even displayed an unexpected playfulness. He was entirely different from the deputy commander she usually interacted with.  

But she couldn’t keep pretending not to notice.  

“So, when exactly did you start liking me?”  

With a mischievous look, Grace asked the question, causing Liam’s face to turn bright red in an instant.  

Flustered, Liam fumbled for words, grabbed his glass, and gulped down water before answering in a barely audible voice,  

“Since… the first time I met you.”  

Grace’s eyes widened at his response.  

Liam wasn’t a fellow academy student but had risen through the ranks via the Knight Selection Tournament.  

And during that tournament, she had been one of the judges.  

“Wow, was I that pretty?”  

Grace’s shameless remark made Liam avert his gaze slightly.  

Seeing his reaction, she laughed and said,  

“Well, I am pretty. Everyone agrees on that. It’s just my personality that’s a bit of a problem.”  

At her words, Liam closed his mouth as if he had lost the ability to speak.  

Grace, who had been staring at him for a long time as he avoided her gaze, finally spoke with a serious expression.  

“You know that sparring match that day was strange, right?”  

At Grace’s pointed remark, Liam nodded.  

“Yes. No matter how I think about it, that wasn’t you, Commander. Even calling it the swordsmanship of a novice would be too generous for that sword.”  

Grace nodded at his words.  

Before coming here, she had agonized tens of thousands of times over how to explain things to Liam, but her conclusion was always the same.  

“Yes, it was.”  

“Why did you do that?”  

Grace met Liam’s gaze directly and answered,  

“Sir Liam Dyson. It was because I thought I needed to hear your story.”  

“……”  

“If I hadn’t intended that, you know I wouldn’t have dropped my sword, right?”

Grace explained that her actions during that sparring match had been deliberate, and she continued,  

“Now that I think about it, I wonder if I should’ve used a different method. But, well, it’s already in the past.”  

At her words, Liam instinctively realized that what he was about to hear would not be an acceptance. But he couldn’t tell her to stop talking.  

He was, after all, in the position of a prisoner awaiting judgment.  

“I don’t really understand what you were thinking when you made that proposal. As you know, I’ve lived a life far removed from such tender matters until now.”  

“……”  

“I know this might make you want to leave the Knight Order. But even so, I can’t accept your feelings.”  

When Grace added, “Because I don’t like you,” Liam squeezed his eyes shut.  

The words that had crossed his mind before entering this room resurfaced.  

In other words, he had been rejected before he could properly express his feelings.  

Seeing his face sink into gloom, Grace continued speaking.  

“Liam, you’re an outstanding knight. Honestly, you’re a talent I don’t want to lose, but… given what’s happened, I’ll leave the decision to you.”  

At these words, Liam met Grace’s gaze. His eyes swirled with countless emotions, trembling faintly.  

“……You’re dismissing me without me even saying anything?”  

Grace frowned with regret at Liam’s labored words.  

“You know, Liam. There are many things in this world that can be understood from actions rather than words.”  

At her words, Liam lowered his head.  

Grace, watching him silently as he was enveloped in melancholy, closed her eyes. He needed time to calm down.  

After a moment of silence, Liam spoke with his head still bowed.  

“—That day, I saw you with Sir Fernandez.”  

Liam’s voice was heavy and cracked, as if it were breaking.  

Grace immediately realized what moment he was referring to. She clenched her fists under the table, not knowing what he might say next.  

“What kind of relationship do you have with him?”  

“What kind of relationship?”  

At Grace’s question, Liam raised his head.  

The moment she met his eyes, Grace flinched involuntarily.  

His eyes, bloodshot as if veins had burst, glared at her. Grace found his gaze strangely unsettling.  

“I overheard your conversation.”  

“What conversation?”  

Grace asked, her face showing she had no idea what he was talking about. Liam spat out his words as if chewing on each syllable.  

“You said, ‘It’s because it’s the first time.’”  

At those words, Grace realized what Liam was referring to.  

It was the day Leonardo had struggled with menstrual cloths, and she had helped him while saying those words. But there was no way Liam could know the context.  

As she thought about it, Grace recalled that Liam had entered at an odd time back then.  

“……Did you eavesdrop?”  

At Grace’s stiff words, Liam let out a bitter laugh. Then, with a face full of self-loathing, he said,  

“I just happened to overhear the two of you, speaking loudly enough for the whole world to hear.”  

“……”  

“So, you’ve already done everything there is to do with him? Acting all innocent and pure in front of others?”  

Grace’s face twisted at Liam’s words.  

Letting out a deep sigh at his suddenly changed tone, she replied in a cold voice.  

“I don’t think I need to respond to such vulgar remarks, but I’ll tell you anyway.”  

“I’m curious to hear what you’ll say.”  

Looking Liam straight in the eye, Grace spoke clearly,  

“Sir Fernandez and I are merely investigating items found during the last subjugation.”  

“……Investigating items? Ha!”  

With a face full of disbelief, Liam scoffed, lifting the corners of his mouth in a mocking smile.  

Grace, staring at his sneering face with cold eyes, continued,  

“Whether you believe it or not is up to you. What you saw that day was also a misunderstanding.”  

At Grace’s response, Liam furrowed his brows.  

After witnessing that scene, he had replayed it over and over in his mind. But to call it a misunderstanding?  

Anyone would think it was behavior only possible between two people who were close.  

“How could anyone not misunderstand seeing you on top of a man?”  

“That’s why I said it’s up to you to believe me or not.”  

At her curt tone, Liam let out a hollow laugh.  

Then, as if he had expected this, he leaned back in his chair.  

“So, in the end, you have no intention of telling me the truth.”  

The sight of Liam smirking with only one corner of his mouth raised felt utterly unfamiliar to Grace.  

For a moment, the thought crossed her mind that everything about him she had seen until now might have been a facade.  

“I’ve been honest with you, but it’s you who refuses to believe me.”  

At Grace’s words, Liam bowed his head, chuckling darkly.  

As if making up his mind, he noisily pushed back his chair and stood up. Standing crookedly, he gave a half-hearted bow and said,  

“Thank you for everything. Please allow me to transfer to the 3rd Knight Order.”  

“……Permission granted.”  

“I’ll submit the transfer request to the commander of the 3rd Knight Order myself tomorrow.”  

At his words, Grace nodded.  

Once she gave her approval, Liam stuffed his hands into his pockets and said with a face Grace had never seen before,  

“I’ve stood by your side all this time, but the person you are now is not the commander I once served.”  

“……”  

“I never thought you’d trample on my feelings so ruthlessly.”  

After saying this, Liam let out an exaggerated sigh and continued in a sarcastic tone,  

“If I had known the rumors about your loose morals were true, I would’ve made a move first.”  

“Sir Liam Dyson, watch your words.”  

At Grace’s sharp reaction, Liam shrugged nonchalantly.  

The warm light that usually shone in his eyes had been replaced with betrayal and hatred. To Grace, it was both unfamiliar and frightening.  

“Sure, whatever you say.”  

With that, Liam gave a curt nod and left.  

After walking a few steps, he suddenly turned back and asked,  

“By the way, do I still have to pay for this lunch?”  

Though his words were completely different from the cheerful ones he had spoken before entering, Grace didn’t feel like pointing it out.  

“No.”  

At her answer, Liam exaggeratedly expressed his thanks with a mocking smile.  

“Well, thank you for that.”  

Watching his insolent figure walk away, Grace felt her legs give out, and she collapsed into her chair.  

She couldn’t shake the feeling that she had just seen a man’s raw, unfiltered self in a matter of moments.  

“……Liam Dyson.”  

Where did the truth end, and where did the lies begin?  

Grace frowned as she pressed her temples firmly, feeling a headache coming on.  

She wanted to leave this unpleasant place as quickly as possible, but strangely, her legs wouldn’t move.  

Grace weakly rested her arms on the table and buried her face in her hands.  

She heard someone approaching, but she didn’t want to lift her head. Though unlikely, she feared it might be Liam returning.

Someone walked up to the table and sat in the chair opposite her. Only then did Grace speak.  

“I don’t know who you are, but please leave.”  

Without even checking who was sitting across from her, Grace snapped at the person and sighed.  

Hearing no response, Grace assumed the person had left and slumped completely onto the table. She planned to stay like this for just a moment before leaving.  

“A sweet strawberry cream cake, a warm milk tea, and a coffee, please.”  

However, contrary to Grace’s assumption, the rude person sitting across from her had not left.  

She lifted her head abruptly to confront them, but the face of the person sitting there seemed strangely familiar. It was a face she didn’t recognize at all, yet it felt oddly known.

“…Sir Leo?”