Chapter 1

Recently, there had been a strange tension in the court knight order. For several days, Ariel had been sighing deeply at odd times, which didn’t suit her personality.

Unable to overlook the sudden change, the members finally asked her directly.

“Deputy Commander, what’s going on?”

“Hm? What? Is something wrong?”

“Do you know how many times you’ve sighed today?”

“…Ah, did I?”

Ariel looked flustered at their words. Judging by her expression, her behavior had been unconscious.

The concerned members looked at Ariel with worried eyes, and after a brief pause, Ariel slowly began to speak.

“Actually, I do have something on my mind…”

“Go ahead and tell us. You know, sharing your worries is best when done together.”

“Is that so?”

Ariel seemed immediately convinced by the members’ words and began to talk.

“You see, this isn’t about me, it’s about a friend…”

She added a slightly strange comment.

“A friend…?”

Saying it was about a friend might sound plausible to most people, but not for Ariel. Living and lodging at the Court Knight Order, not fond of socializing, and rarely returning to her family unless there was something special—Ariel hardly interacted with outsiders.

If there was a mission, no matter how trivial, she always participated. On days without work, she spent all day practicing swordsmanship in the training grounds, and she could count on one hand the times she hadn’t given up her holidays or vacations.

Everyone in the order knew Ariel didn’t have any friends. Seeing her tell such an unbelievable lie, it was obvious the story was about herself. But the members decided to pretend not to notice.

“She confessed to a man and asked him to marry her.”

When the unfamiliar word came out of Ariel’s mouth, the members secretly marveled.

She always talked about swords, duels, sweat, and passion, so hearing her mention marriage made everyone twice as interested.

But her next sentence poured cold water over the mood.

“But that man jumped out the window. Why do you think that happened?”

“T-that…”

The members awkwardly closed their mouths. There was only one answer, but it would be too cruel to say to someone who was seriously troubled.

“M-maybe the talk of marriage was too sudden?”

“Was it sudden? Well, I guess it was.”

“Deputy Commander… I mean, how long has your friend been dating this man?”

“Dating? She hasn’t.”

“What? She proposed without even dating? Was it love at first sight? Did she just know he was her destined one?”

“Come on, there’s no such thing as a destined one. That’s just something people say to sound nice.”

“If it’s not that, then why…?”

“She has to get married, and it has to be him.”

“What?”

The members all made strange faces at this explanation, which made no sense by normal standards.

“If she has to marry him… is there an engagement? Or maybe the families are connected?”

“No, not even an engagement or family ties. The man’s a commoner. …Oh, and for reference, my friend is a noble.”

The fact that Deputy Commander Ariel proposed to a commoner was already a big topic, but the fact that he rejected her proposal by jumping out the window was even more shocking.

Unless he was already married, it would be hard to outright accept Ariel’s proposal, but it was attractive enough to at least consider. So what kind of man would rather jump than marry her?

The members wanted to ask directly who he was, but Ariel was telling the story as if it was about a nonexistent friend. She wouldn’t answer honestly, so they tried to get hints from her.

“What kind of person is he?”

“Why do you ask?”

“To understand why he acted that way, we need to know his personality.”

The members, who spent nearly all their time with Ariel, already had a good idea of who was around her. With just a little information, it would be easy to guess.

“I see. Hmm… He’s really uptight. He has a way of needling people with sarcastic remarks, so every time they meet, they end up fighting.”

She hadn’t even properly described him, but the members already knew who it was. Ariel rarely criticized anyone, so there was only one person she’d speak this harshly about.

It was surprising enough that Noah jumped out the window, but even more unbelievable was that Ariel had proposed to Noah. Everyone thought that even if humanity were wiped out and only the two of them remained, they would never get together.

“But your friend want to marry him?”

Ariel answered cleanly and firmly.

“Yes, it has to be him. Otherwise, it means nothing.”

The members all exclaimed in admiration.

She had always been so far from stories about romance or love, yet here she was saying something so romantic—and about Noah, with whom she’d always been at odds. It was a moment that made them realize the power of love.

“So this is what they mean by ‘fighting breeds affection.’ I never saw any sign of it, though.”

“We must have been blind. We never imagined you were like this…”

“Huh? What are you all talking about?”

“Oh, nothing. We’re just impressed by how passionate your friend is.”

Ariel nodded.

“Of course she’s passionate. Her whole life depends on it.”

Hearing how important it was, the members all started rooting for Ariel with one heart.

“Then let’s start by developing the relationship.”

“Developing? How?”

“Start by becoming friends.”

“Friends… I can’t imagine it.”

The members agreed. Not only Ariel, but even the others found it hard to imagine being close with Noah. No matter what was said, Noah always kept things strictly professional, as if he didn’t want to form close relationships.

“Maybe it’s best to go the traditional route. Talk, eat good food, hang out together—just do normal things.”

“Will that work?”

“It might not make you close right away, but it’s the basic step in any relationship.”

“Really? Then I’ll go right now! Thanks, everyone!”

Ariel nodded confidently and dashed off somewhere. Judging by the direction, she was headed for Noah’s office.

It was good that she acted immediately, but the members couldn’t shake their anxiety. She’d never made a friend before—could she really pull this off?

“Should we help her?”

“I agree.”

“First, we need to change the Deputy Commander’s image.”

“And the most important part of that image is what people around her say.”

Realizing their plans weren’t so different, the members exchanged glances and nodded.

⚔

Ariel opened the familiar door with a familiar strength and saw the familiar scene inside. The people in the office barely glanced at her sudden entrance before going right back to their work as if nothing had happened.

Ariel went straight to Noah’s desk and lightly tapped it.

“You know, Sir Noah.”

“……”

“Why aren’t you answering? You’re listening, right?”

Even as Ariel called out, Noah kept his eyes on the documents. But it was clear he was aware of her.

Normally, Noah would scowl and speak coldly to Ariel, but his behavior now was probably because of the incident where she proposed and he jumped out the third-floor window.

“I didn’t consider how shocked you’d be. I was too focused on my own thoughts. I get it now. If I were you, I’d react the same way.”

Ariel placed both hands on Noah’s shoulder, trying to show she was understanding and broad-minded.

“So let’s become friends!”

Noah raised his head and asked with a twisted expression.

“I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

“Why? Was it so hard to understand?”

“Do you think what you said makes sense?”

“Why not? You were shocked last time, so now I want us to get closer so that doesn’t happen again!”

“…Fine. I must be a fool for expecting logical reasoning from you.”

“What! What’s so weird about it!”

Noah sighed, as if even explaining was too much trouble.

“I don’t know what you’re thinking, but I’m not interested. Let’s just pretend that day never happened and forget about it.”

“What? No way! Why forget it? It’s the most important thing in my life!”

Ariel grabbed Noah’s face with both hands and spoke clearly.

“I want to be friends with you. I mean it.”

At Ariel’s words, the atmosphere in the office changed. The sound of pens on paper and the rustle of turning pages all stopped. Everyone seemed to be focused on Ariel and Noah.

But Ariel didn’t care about others’ gazes. What people thought or said didn’t matter. Right now, only Noah mattered to her.

Maybe Noah understood, because he slowly blinked. Then he raised his hands and gently lowered Ariel’s hands from his face.

“No.”

“Why not?”

Ariel’s desperate question made Noah look at her for a moment before returning to his work.

“Don’t ignore me! At least say something!”

Ariel struggled to hold back her anger at Noah’s dismissive attitude, gritting her teeth and calming herself before speaking again.

“I just want to be friends with you. That’s all.”

The members had said that getting close to Noah was the basic step. If she failed at even that, not only marriage but inheriting her family would be impossible.

She couldn’t accept that. It was something that must never happen in Ariel’s life.

“So, please…”

“No means no. Pushing won’t change anything.”

Noah’s answer was cold. He looked as if nothing could move him. But Ariel wasn’t about to give up. The solution was to tackle the problem head-on.