Side Story

“Ah, ah, Lady Atrain!”

A bouquet suddenly thrust forward right in front of her face, accompanied by a thoroughly nervous voice. Spica’s eyes widened in surprise.

The bouquet, which was as big as the person who handed it over, trembled violently. White petals fluttered down to the floor from all the shaking, but the person holding the bouquet didn’t notice.

They were pouring all their attention into saying these words.

“I want to imprint with you, my lady!”

Imprint?

Those words made Spica even more flustered. She had initially tried to respond, but then she slowly closed her mouth after thinking something. She carefully received the bouquet.

“Thank you. This is the first time I’ve ever received such a gift.”

The other person smiled brightly.

The atmosphere surrounding the two was warm. However, everyone else except them was glancing at Alkaid.

Alkaid covered his eyes and let out a deep sigh.

* * *

After Spica finished her revenge on Diblin.

Alkaid immediately tried to go north with Spica to get permission for marriage. However, unfortunately, that plan was postponed.

The person who unintentionally interfered with their plans was none other than the illustriously named Crown Prince Tuban Draco Rastavan.

“You want to go on a vacation? Really? Leaving me lonely and desolate without my dedicated guard?”

Even though his inner self was more unfathomable than a thousand-fathom cliff, his outward appearance was that of a cute ten-year-old boy, so Spica often became weak to the Crown Prince.

This time was no different. When the Crown Prince clung to her with a pitiful face like a lost kitten and slowly blinked his large eyes, Spica looked back at Alkaid with a troubled expression.

“Al, no, Royal Guard Commander……”

“Spica, you don’t need to indulge all of His Highness the Crown Prince’s unreasonable demands.”

“You can’t just call them unreasonable demands.”

Alkaid had just taken over the Royal Guard.

Both the Royal Guard and the Second Knight Order were imperial knight orders directly under the imperial family, but their assigned duties were strictly different. While the Second Knight Order worked with the capital security forces to prevent suspicious movements outside the imperial palace, the Royal Guard consisted of knights who protected the imperial family at close range.

Alkaid needed to become familiar with his duties as Royal Guard Commander and the new members, and the same was true for Spica.

“I’m not running away anywhere. I can endure postponing the wedding a bit. Hmm, though I am a little worried there might be someone who would steal away handsome Alkaid……”

“You know that won’t happen.”

“Right?”

Spica smiled mischievously. Only then did Alkaid realize he had been smoothly won over to her side.

“Mm-hmm, that’s right, that’s right.”

Even though he cast an insolent glance at the Crown Prince who was smugly nodding beside them, he couldn’t tell Spica that wasn’t the case. No, thinking he could oppose her opinion in the first place had been a mistake.

A commander could lose or save thousands of troops with a single choice.

Similarly, Alkaid was letting precious time slip away due to a momentary mistake.

‘……I should have gotten Spica into the carriage before the Crown Prince arrived.’

Then he wouldn’t have felt anxious watching the Crown Prince lying down and rolling around with his head on Spica’s lap.

“Ooh, big sister. My head is itchy. I think the Royal Guard Commander is glaring at me.”

“Hehe, you must be mistaken. If you’re going to keep insisting, please leave now.”

The Crown Prince giggled after hearing Spica’s response.

The Royal Guard knights standing at attention squeezed their eyes shut like they had seen something they shouldn’t have.

Young Duke Sobek had suddenly resigned and the Second Knight Order Commander had taken the position of Royal Guard Commander. It was a sudden personnel change for the Royal Guard members, so they could have rebelled, but they didn’t. There were several reasons, but the biggest one was this behavior the Crown Prince only showed in front of Alkaid and his adjutants.

There was no need to go against someone who received the favor of the next power holder. That was the consensus among the knights, and thanks to making a wise choice, they were safely maintaining their positions.

‘Actually, I find it amazing too.’

The Crown Prince thought. Alkaid and Spica were truly special. Special enough that he didn’t mind even when they didn’t worship him and said everything they wanted to say.

He had started clinging to Spica for the fun of teasing Alkaid, but now he was more drawn to her sparkling soul.

The beast-humans of the Rastavan imperial family, who inherited dragon blood, instinctively discerned truth. This was thanks to the dragon’s eyes that could see the light of souls.

‘Lady Atrain’s soul doesn’t lose its light even when stained with blood.’

Rather, the strength of a soul that became more solid — he found that irresistibly appealing.

The Crown Prince said playfully.

“Big sister, will you wait four and a half years? Imperial family members can marry once they turn fifteen.”

What kind of prank was he trying to pull this time? Spica was preparing herself mentally when it happened.

Alkaid, who had only been sending deadly glares from across the desk until then, shot up from his seat.

“Absolutely not.”

Spica made a dumbfounded face at his reaction.

“Hey, it’s obviously a joke. Why are you being so serious, Commander?”

“……”

“……”

Silence flowed.

‘Why…… why isn’t anyone saying it’s a joke?’

Spica felt cold sweat breaking out and looked toward Dame Megrez, whom she always sought in times like this.

‘Help me, Dame Megrez.’

‘Sorry. I have no power……’

Alkaid’s body approached and blocked their view, quickly cutting off the two people’s gazes.

Alkaid lifted the Crown Prince who was clinging to Spica and seated him in another chair. The Crown Prince propped his chin and grumbled.

“Geez, the Royal Guard Commander is so violent. I’m definitely better, aren’t I?”

“If I were truly violent, I would have thrown Your Highness out the window.”

“Yeah, you know this is the third floor, right? That would be regicide.”

“Would Your Highness’s body get even a scratch from jumping down from the third floor? If that were possible, you would have tried it long ago and skipped classes, so it’s strange.”

Watching Alkaid and the Crown Prince glare at each other, Spica relaxed her tense shoulders.

‘What, it was obviously a joke after all.’

Spica now knew what it looked like when Alkaid or the Crown Prince harbored genuine murderous intent. The fact that the two were bickering like usual meant it was all a joke.

Relieved, Spica smiled and drove the Crown Prince away.

“Your break time ends here today, Your Highness. Besides, isn’t it almost time for your classes?”

“This can’t be! You two were in cahoots!”

“Yes yes, of course. Married couples are naturally of one mind.”

Watching him insist he didn’t want to go to class, he seemed like an ordinary ten-year-old kid rather than a dignified Crown Prince.

Spica let out a light sigh and properly closed the door the Crown Prince had exited through.

When she turned around, she couldn’t help but smile softly. Alkaid’s ear tips were tinged red.

‘Could it be that he’s acting like this because I just said married couple? How cute……’

What was she supposed to do when a man so handsome it gave her goosebumps was also this cute? No, it was unbelievable reality that such a large man could coexist with cuteness.

Spica wanted to run to Alkaid right away and hug him tightly, but she held back considerately for Megrez who was in the same space.

‘Once we get home, I won’t leave him alone. I’ll cling to him and never let go.’

So let’s hurry home.

Spica’s eyes sparkled clearly when she calmly sat down. With the pen in her hand, she wrote reports like she had wings, while her other hand flipped through reference documents with a flutter, and her eyes moved sharply back and forth like cutting with a knife. It was a scene where high-level concentration was being demonstrated for leaving work on time.

The two were living together in the Winterhold ducal residence. Spica had once returned to Mrs. Hudson’s house, but when Alkaid blatantly followed her around and wouldn’t enter the ducal residence, the butler and the lady together pleaded with Spica.

〈Miss! Please stay in the mansion! Why is the Silver Wolf’s mate doing that outside?〉

〈If anyone says anything, this old woman will smash them to pieces with her cane, so don’t worry and live together. Hmm?〉

Both the butler and Mrs. Hudson, who was actually Alkaid’s former nanny, were similarly advanced in age. When elderly people were pleading, it felt uncomfortable to coldly refuse. Moreover, since she felt sorry watching Alkaid curl up his large body and sleep in her small bed, Spica finally nodded.

And now she was very satisfied with that choice.

Moving to the Royal Guard made Spica incomparably busier than when she was in the Second Knight Order, but Alkaid was several times busier than her. She was so grateful that after finishing her relentless daily routine, she could sleep peacefully with Alkaid’s arm as her pillow even if it was only in the middle of the night.

However, somehow she didn’t want to spend today like that.

‘Today I want to eat while clinging to him and when we wash, let’s wa, wash together and then……!’

And then, what comes next?

Screech, the pen that had been gracefully running across the paper drew an ugly line. Spica’s pupils shook wildly in disbelief. Her face had turned much redder than Alkaid’s ears earlier.

She was screaming internally where no one could hear.

‘Haven’t I become too lewd?!’

To casually imagine sleeping with Alkaid like that. If it were her old self, it would have been unthinkable. Of course, she had imagined wanting to touch Alkaid’s face or kissing him……

‘My goodness. That was even before we started dating.’

Then, then does that mean she didn’t become lewd but was originally that kind of person!

Her red face turned pale.

‘If he finds out I’m this kind of person…… what will Alkaid think?’

Spica unconsciously looked across at Alkaid’s desk. He happened to be looking this way too. When their eyes met exactly, Spica screamed internally once more and hung her head low.

Alkaid’s cheek stiffened. Spica had blatantly avoided his gaze. It was the first time this had happened since they confirmed each other’s feelings.