Chapter 1.3

“Good morning!”

“Sir Leonard, long time no see. Are you feeling unwell?”

“Ah, I have some business with you, Sir Daphne.”

“With me? Oh.”

Realizing something, Daphne let out a short exclamation.

If an Imperial Knight was seeking her out, it was usually for a contraceptive procedure, and since he’d already had one five years ago, there was only one reason he’d come.

“You’re getting married.”

“Actually, I’ve already registered the marriage. Last month. So I came to schedule in advance. Since it’s the season for induction ceremonies, I thought your schedule would be tight.”

With an awkward, embarrassed laugh, he rubbed the back of his head and spoke. Daphne offered her congratulations and pulled out her calendar. As he said, her schedule was packed, so it seemed difficult to fit him in this month.

“Sorry. This month is tough, but I can do it from the beginning of next month.”

“Then please book the earliest date possible. Taking leave isn’t difficult for me.”

“This is the earliest available, so I’ll reserve it for you. On that day, submit your certificate to the civil office on the first floor, get the confirmation, and bring it to me. Ah, you can get the confirmation in advance if you’d like.”

Daphne wrote “restoration procedure” in parentheses next to his name. At that moment, he slyly held out a small pouch. Judging by the sweet scent, it seemed to contain some kind of snack.

“This is a bribe to ask for your favor. My wife packed it when I told her I was coming to make a reservation.”

No matter how much he asked for a favor with the restoration procedure, all she could do was restore things to their original state—she couldn’t make things work any better than before. Still, she couldn’t ignore his sincerity, so Daphne accepted the snack and said,

“You really don’t have to give me anything like this. I’ll make sure to do a perfect restoration procedure, so don’t worry.”

“Haha! My wife asked if I’d get the procedure again after having a child. Well, as long as we’re careful, nothing will happen, right? Anyway, I just said I’d do as I was told.”

“Having a child isn’t exactly an easy thing. Even aside from the need for an heir.”

As she bit into the crispy cookie, a rich butter aroma filled her mouth. Daphne’s mood quickly improved, and she let the shouting from outside pass by one ear.

“Well, if that’s how it is, then that’s how it is.”

She didn’t really sound like she understood, but that was as far as Daphne could go. After enjoying a brief, sweet break, she saw Leonard off and refocused on her work.

After all, today she’d have to face dozens more ugly members.

Ah, she really wanted to go home….

* * *

After enduring the so-called “morning training,” Evan headed to the shower to wash off the sweat soaking his body.

The shower room for new knights was barely separated by flimsy partitions, making it questionable whether it was even being properly managed. With so many broken faucets, Evan had to wander around the shower room to find a working spot.

‘Why is everyone staring at me?’

Sensing persistent stares, he looked around. He realized they weren’t just looking at him—those gazes were fixed much lower than eye level.

Instinctively, Evan covered his lower half with the basket he was holding. Then, their eyes shifted to his face—a sharp, probing stare, as if they wanted to memorize exactly who he was.

The stares were so uncomfortable that he rushed through his shower as if being chased, unable to shake the feeling that he hadn’t washed properly.

Dragging himself back to the knights’ dormitory, he meticulously organized his assigned bed and storage, folding even his underwear with precision. Watching him, his roommate Jermel shook his head in disbelief.

“I’ve never seen anyone as obsessive as you.”

“Doesn’t everyone do at least this much?”

“No, you cleaning maniac.”

“It’s not even hard. It’s more trouble to avoid it.”

“Forget it. I’m not talking anymore.”

Waving his hand to silence him, Jermel flopped onto his bed. Evan sat at his desk to organize the tasks he needed to do today.

With the so-called morning training—barely worthy of the name—over, there was time until afternoon training. The official induction ceremony was a month away, but, pressured by his parents, he’d moved into the knights’ dorm early.

So, he didn’t want to waste time before then and planned to do something productive. But nothing in particular came to mind.

If he were at the Earldom, he’d practice swordsmanship alone, but with senior knights always picking fights, he didn’t even feel comfortable stepping into the training grounds.

He considered reading, but as he wasn’t an official knight yet, he didn’t have library access. In the end, all he could do was get dragged off by senior knights for “discipline” whenever they caught him looking dazed, or just kill time in the dormitory.

“Hey.”

“What?”

With nothing else to do, Evan turned to talk, but immediately had to look away. Jermel was holding a book filled with risqué illustrations. Amused by Evan’s reaction, Jermel snickered.

“You don’t look at stuff like this? Didn’t the seniors give you any?”

Jermel acted like it was only natural for a man to look at such things, even scolding Evan for not doing so. Jermel kept exclaiming as he flipped through the pages.

It was a newly published book, so there were many pictures Evan hadn’t seen before. The bold brushstrokes made it much more vivid than the ones Jermel already had.

“Why would they give me that? It’s a banned item.”

“You’re so stiff. Don’t you know you have to sneak in banned stuff?”

Jermel shoved the book in Evan’s face. There was a picture of a woman sitting with her legs spread wide in a seductive pose.

The picture made Evan frown in disgust. When he slapped Jermel’s hand away, Jermel looked at him like he was some kind of oddity.

“You’re the first guy I’ve met who refuses something like this.”

“Keep it for yourself.”

“Are you sure you even like women?”

“Of course.”

“You say you like women but hate this stuff? That doesn’t make sense.”

Not wanting to talk anymore, Evan stubbornly shut his mouth. Jermel, as if mocking him, pressed the book into his hands and said,

“Don’t be ridiculous. Just hide it well so the others don’t catch you. If you ever want to use it, let me know—I’ll give you some privacy. Or should I lend you a hand?”

Jermel made a lewd gesture, circling his hand and moving it up and down. Realizing what he meant, Evan’s brow furrowed in disgust.

“You little—!”

Jermel dodged his punch with practiced ease and ran out, laughing loudly. With his target for venting his anger gone, all Evan could do was stew by himself. The whole situation was so absurd, he couldn’t even find words.

Evan was the third son of the Clyde Earldom. The Clyde Earldom, located on the southwestern coast of the Empire, had a large port frequented by foreign merchant ships. Though not a large territory, it was always prosperous.

But the important thing was that he was neither the eldest nor the second son. The Earl’s title would soon go to his eldest brother, and his second brother, recognized for his abilities, was already working in the Imperial Treasury.

Evan was neither as smart as his second brother nor had anyone in mind to marry, so he naturally took the Imperial Knight exam.

Besides, unlike his brothers, who took after their father’s rugged, seafaring looks, Evan, who resembled his mother, was more slender. To overcome his inferiority complex about this, he’d taken the knight exam on purpose.

Having trained with the Clyde knights since childhood, it was only natural that he passed. Feeling proud of his accomplishment, he accepted being sent off to the knights’ dormitory.

But there was a crisis he hadn’t foreseen.

It was the contraceptive procedure required by the <Law for the Chastity of Imperial Knights>. He knew it was mandatory to become a full Imperial Knight, but he hadn’t expected it to be like this.

Or maybe he just hadn’t heard. His second brother, who worked in the Imperial Treasury, had tried to explain, but Evan, feeling rebellious, hadn’t listened.

Evan glanced at the book Jermel had left behind. He knew his brothers sometimes looked at such books. But they’d always said he was too young and kept them away from him.

“Even though we’re only five years apart.”

Evan was torn between curiosity and his sense of duty as an Imperial Knight to protect the Empire and His Majesty the Emperor.

“No. You’re a proper Imperial Knight now.”

After a fierce internal struggle, his sense of duty won out. Evan shoved the book deep into Jermel’s drawer and sighed. Then he looked down between his legs.

“…But there’s no side effect, right?”

No, that can’t be. It’s just because I’m tired from all the training. I’ll be fine tomorrow.

He shook his head and stretched. With nothing else to do, he thought he might as well take a nap. If he was lucky, maybe he’d dream of becoming the youngest ever Knight Commander, celebrated for his achievements.