Chapter 5.2

Daphne hurried off to the infirmary as if fleeing. The door swung open with a bang, and Hailey, who had been slouched in a chair, sprang to her feet.

“Wh-what’s going on?!”

Ignoring Hailey, who had no idea what Daphne had just gone through, Daphne let out a deep sigh.

A bluish bruise had formed where Baron Lewin had grabbed her wrist. She tried to pull down her sleeve to cover it, but the sleeve was so wide that it only made the bruise more visible.

“Oh my, what happened to you? Why is your wrist like that?!”

“It’s nothing, just… something happened.”

“Don’t tell me the knights did this?”

Daphne shook her head firmly. She couldn’t bring herself to say her biological father had done it. She should have cut all ties when she ran away. She couldn’t understand why he was being so persistent when he hadn’t even given her the family name willingly.

She had been abandoned anyway. Until her mother left her at the Baron’s house, he probably hadn’t even known she existed, and only planned to feed and raise her just enough to use her as a worker.

She had to endure the Baroness’s harsh beatings. The only place she had to sleep was a tiny attic in the Baron’s manor, and with no money, she couldn’t even think of running away.

Her fine hair was cut and sold when it grew long, and she did laundry and cleaning until her hands were raw. She’d heard countless times that she belonged nowhere else but here, but being born rebellious, it was only natural that she’d think of escape.

And now, after more than ten years, she’d met Baron Lewin again.

‘How could he try to drag me away, not caring about the Imperial authority?’

Daphne covered her troubled face with both hands. It was agonizing to see herself unable to do anything.

* * *

“I’ll head home first.”

“Alright. Go in and get some rest. Take medical leave if you need to.”

She probably wouldn’t need medical leave. She wouldn’t be allowed anyway, with how busy things were.

Daphne bowed and left the infirmary. It had truly been a chaotic day. Every knight who visited the infirmary made sure to check her face.

She’d been working here for four years, so it made no sense for them to suddenly check her face now. They just wanted to see the person at the center of today’s commotion.

Knights built like bears had come in for tiny cuts, so that said it all. Daphne let out a big sigh and looked up at the sky. The walk home had never felt this hard before.

As she trudged down the stairs, she made eye contact with a man lingering in front of the building. It was Evan. She thought he should be at the dorm at this hour, but before she could finish the thought, he was bounding up the steps two at a time.

“Are you alright?”

His tone was gentle. Daphne pressed her lips together, feeling like she might cry, and replied,

“There’s nothing to not be alright about. Things like this happen in life.”

His expression didn’t look good. He glanced at her wrist, which was bruised blue, and spoke in a small voice.

“I wish I could have helped you…”

“Why?”

“Pardon?”

“Why do you want to help me, Sir Clyde?”

“That’s…”

If he helped, things might be resolved more quickly. In fact, they certainly would. His eldest brother was the next Earl Clyde, and his second brother worked at the Imperial Treasury.

But there was no reason she needed his help. An Imperial knight and a medical officer. At most, a researcher and a test subject. That was all.

Still, since he had helped her, it was only right to thank him. Daphne, realizing how much help she’d received from him these past few days, looked down and said,

“Thank you for all your help. But from now on, I’ll handle things myself, so you don’t need to worry. Ah, and I think it’s best to postpone the research for now. Given the situation, I feel like I’m causing you trouble.”

“That’s not true.”

Evan cut her off and interjected. Daphne looked at him with wide eyes.

“It’s not uncomfortable. It’s not a bother. So I hope you’ll continue the research. Even if it’s just my selfish wish…”

There was a hint of obsession in his voice about the research. After what happened last time, he must know he wasn’t someone with erectile dysfunction, so he had no reason to care about the research anymore.

But he was acting as if he were the researcher himself. Why? She couldn’t understand his feelings at all. Realizing he was blocking her way home, he stepped aside.

“It’s late, so please get home safely. I hope you have a good dream.”

“You too, Sir. Thank you for today.”

“It’s nothing. I was just doing my duty. It’s not special enough to warrant thanks.”

At his firm attitude, Daphne only nodded quietly.

“See you tomorrow.”

At Evan’s words, Daphne smiled awkwardly and went down the stairs. When their eyes met, Daphne instinctively avoided his gaze.

She felt that if she kept looking, she might see something she shouldn’t. Why did he look at her with such lingering eyes?

The last time she’d seen eyes like that was when she left the puppy she’d raised at the Baron’s manor. She just couldn’t understand it. He wasn’t a puppy—he was a person and a proper Imperial knight.

‘But still…’

Unable to shake her lingering feelings, Daphne turned around. He was still standing there, staring at her.

* * *

Daphne’s eyes flew open. Her back was damp with cold sweat. Her heart pounded as if she hadn’t slept in days. She hadn’t been able to sleep properly, haunted by the fierce face of Baron Lewin whenever she closed her eyes.

“Daphne, are you really alright?”

Hailey asked carefully, her eyebrows drooping with worry. Daphne nodded roughly and tried to smile, but Hailey’s face only grew more serious.

“Go out and take a walk for a bit. You look like you’re about to collapse. Just rest for an hour. Or go nap in the duty room.”

Normally, Daphne would have refused, but she knew she wasn’t in good shape. Thinking rationally, it wasn’t the time to be stubborn.

“Then I’ll step out for a bit. If anything urgent comes up, call me right away.”

“Okay, just go. At this rate, even an undead would want to be your friend.”

Smiling weakly, Daphne got up and hung her gown over the chair. Her body felt heavy, as if she had sandbags tied to her ankles.

‘Let’s just go sleep.’

Wanting nothing more than to fall asleep quickly, Daphne walked briskly toward the knights’ building.

It was just past noon, so the building was full of knights relaxing after lunch. Among them, Daphne unconsciously looked for Evan.

‘…Why am I?’

Surprised at her own unconscious action, Daphne bit her lip. It was true that after being so intimate, she felt closer to him than before. But there was no reason to miss him just because he wasn’t there.

‘Sir him?’

She couldn’t help feeling a bit resentful toward Evan. The image of him looking at her like a rain-soaked puppy yesterday must have left a mental impact.

Feeling embarrassed for some reason, Daphne stomped her feet and headed into the building.

“Sir Grey?”

What were the odds of running into him here, of all places?  

She would have to see him again in the future, but the absurdity of this coincidence left Daphne almost speechless.

“Why are you here?”  

“…Because this is the 1st Knight Order’s building?”  

“Oh, right.”

It was ridiculous. She, who’d only been with the Order for a few months, had lost the upper hand to him in a single sentence. Overwhelmed by a wave of embarrassment, Daphne unconsciously clenched her fists.

“Where are you headed?”  

“To the duty room. I have something to take care of.”  

“I see.”

Unfortunately, the conversation ended there. Just as she was thinking she should hurry away from him, someone appeared behind Evan.

“Evan! What are you doing he… Oh? That lady from before?”  

A man with thick blond hair pointed at her, eyes wide. 

‘That lady from before’—what on earth did he mean by that? 

Daphne looked up at Evan in confusion. He quickly spoke up, almost as if making excuses.

“This is Sir Jermel, my roommate. Please don’t mind what he just said—it was nonsense.”  

“Hey, what do you mean nonsense? Wasn’t it that time you thought you’d received a gift…?”

Evan, his face gone pale, quickly covered Jermel’s mouth with his hand. Jermel struggled to pull his hand away, but soon gave up and glared at Evan fiercely.

“Mmmpf. Mmmfmm. Mmmph!”  

Even in a situation where he couldn’t speak, Jermel did his best to express his opinion. Watching the two of them, who seemed very close, Daphne felt a vague discomfort and spoke.

“Then, I’ll be going first.”  

“S-Sir Grey!”

She gave a quick bow and hurried away as if fleeing. She heard Evan’s voice calling after her, but didn’t look back.  

No, it was more accurate to say she couldn’t look back.