Chapter 4 (Part 2)

Aside from that guilt, the previous night had been… indescribably good. The floodgates of his heart had been thrown open, and he was overwhelmed with feelings of affection for Celestia and the lingering emotions from their first encounter.

For all the nicknames he had earned—such as the Iron-Blooded Knight or the Crown Prince’s Right Hand—Kayev was, at the end of the day, just a twenty-one-year-old young man.

He was clumsy when it came to processing emotions other than anger, and when it came to romantic feelings, he was as inexperienced as a boy holding a sword for the first time. As a result, the unfamiliar, fluttering emotions he was experiencing now were completely foreign and difficult for him to handle.

In any case, what mattered to him now was the fact that they had spent the night together, and that fact loomed large in his mind. He was consumed with questions about how to define their relationship and how he should treat Celestia going forward. His thoughts were filled with turmoil.

Initially, he had been angry about the unexpected turn of events, but the more he thought about it, the better he felt. Perhaps, even if this hadn’t happened, he and Celestia were destined to be connected in some way.

Kayev didn’t think what had happened was a bad thing. In fact, it was so good that he even felt shameless enough to think, ‘What if it hadn’t happened?’

But then, he realized he had no idea how Celestia felt about all of this.

No matter how much he mulled over his thoughts, his conclusion was always the same: he needed to meet her.

It would have been ideal to wake up and see her face right away, but since she was somewhere in his mansion, he thought he would be able to see her soon.

Pushing aside his slight impatience, Kayev first took care of his disheveled appearance. After bathing, the first thing he did was order the butler to bring Celestia to him.

However, contrary to his expectations, he didn’t see her for three whole days.

‘She said she wouldn’t come?’

‘Yes, Your Grace. She had the audacity to refuse. I considered dragging her here by force, but I feared it would cause a commotion in the household… If you command it now, I will bring her immediately.’

‘…Leave her be for now.’

Though he pretended to be indifferent in front of the butler, Kayev’s impatience only deepened from that moment.

He wavered between the thought of forcing her to come and the idea of waiting until she was ready to appear on her own.

While Kayev was consumed by deep anxiety, Celestia, the very subject of his turmoil, was hiding so thoroughly that not a single strand of her golden hair could be seen.

By the fourth day, Kayev felt a strong urge to search the mansion for her himself but couldn’t do so because of the many eyes on him. After enduring his simmering frustration, he finally reached his breaking point this morning.

‘The stables? Alone?’

‘Yes. She ignored the order to go to the study and instead volunteered to go to the stables.’

Before the maids’ daily routines had fully begun, Celestia had been summoned early in the morning. Yet, she had ignored the summons and left the mansion entirely.

Unspoken words, unexpressed emotions, and the pure desire to see her all mixed together, driving him to act. By now, he felt he had been more than patient.

If she wouldn’t come when called, he would have to go to her himself.

Fueled by frustration, Kayev headed to the stables, where he found Celestia chatting with a horse. Watching her reach out to the horse with a hand holding a lump of sugar, he was momentarily reminded of the skilled way she had handled horses during her days at the House of Earl Danverton. This made him pause.

He had only called her name softly after calming his anger, yet he hadn’t expected her to be so startled that she would drop to her knees.

“Get up.”

Kayev pulled Celestia to her feet as she knelt with her head bowed.

Unable to resist his strong grip, she stood and dusted off her skirt, still avoiding his gaze.

“I don’t know how it was before, but in my mansion, there’s no need to kneel over something like this.”

Bringing Celestia to Ruden’s household had been a good decision. At least here, she wouldn’t starve or be beaten.

“I am grateful for your generosity, Your Grace.”

Kayev frowned at her polite tone. Only then did he realize that he had been speaking informally to her whenever they met. It had felt so natural that he hadn’t even thought to correct it.

Come to think of it, they rarely had opportunities to talk unless they were alone. Both of them had intentionally avoided each other when others were around.

But now, for some reason, Celestia was suddenly drawing a line between them, treating him strictly as her employer.

He didn’t like that distance at all.

“Are you not going to answer my question? I asked how long you planned to keep hiding.”

His words were still far from kind.

“I wasn’t hiding on purpose. I was just… busy with work.”

Her trailing words didn’t matter. What bothered Kayev was that Celestia wouldn’t meet his gaze, which made him feel increasingly uneasy.

Why wouldn’t she look at me? Was the night we spent together so terrible that she couldn’t bear to see my face? Was that why she hadn’t come when I called?

He even wondered if sharing a bed with a former knight had wounded her noble pride.

“Stop addressing me formally when we’re alone.”

“What?”

Kayev blurted out those words without realizing it, perhaps hoping that it might help restore even a little of Celestia’s wounded pride.

When she finally looked at him with startled, wide eyes like a rabbit, he childishly felt a bit better. However, receiving her still-clear and earnest gaze made Kayev feel awkward, and he muttered as if complaining.

“How exactly were you planning to clean the stables all by yourself? You completely ignored my summons, and now all you’re doing is chatting with a horse?”

Hearing Kayev’s grumbling, which still carried a hint of irritation, Celestia looked even more confused.

‘He called for me?’

She couldn’t understand the situation, but from experience, Celestia knew it was best not to argue with her master’s words.

“I’m sorry, Your Grace.”

Her immediate apology for forgiveness made Kayev’s expression twist again.

“There’s no need to apologize for something like this. And didn’t I just tell you not to address me so formally? When no one else is around, stop calling me ‘Your Grace.’”

“What? But… then what should I call you…?”

“Call me the same as you always have. You had no trouble saying my name in bed, but now you’ve suddenly forgotten?” 

Her face flushed as Kayev brought up an embarrassing memory she’d rather forget, and she suddenly found herself at a loss.

Since reuniting with him, Celestia had unconsciously spoken informally to him every time they met. She only realized this on the morning she sneaked out of his bedroom. Having spent the entire night in Kayev’s arms, she had called his name in a desperate voice.

However, as she left the still-warm bed and returned to her duties as a maid, Celestia became acutely aware of the stark difference in their social statuses. She had scolded herself for her carelessness and resolved never to treat him as she had in the past.

He was no longer her knight but the head of a noble family. Her formality was her way of showing him respect. Yet, it seemed the person in question didn’t appreciate her respect at all.

A good maid shouldn’t complain about her master’s unreasonable demands.

With a sigh, Celestia opened her mouth again.

“Fine, I understand. I’m sorry, Kayev.”

But even after she addressed him the way he wanted, why did he still look so displeased? Something about him seemed off today.

As Celestia stared at him in confusion, Kayev, struggling with his own discomfort, covered his face with one hand. His face had turned red, even though she hadn’t said anything particularly embarrassing. Despite his large hand covering half his face, the tips of his ears, now bright red, were impossible to hide.

It was nothing new, but hearing his name spoken by Celestia’s lips, in her sweet voice, always felt strange. His heart tingled, and Kayev forced himself to change the subject.

“Were you planning to give sugar to the horse?”

“…I only stole one piece.”

Perhaps worried about being scolded, Celestia gave an absurd response, and her expression darkened again. As her gaze dropped back to the ground, Kayev grew restless once more.

“I’m not trying to reprimand you. I was just asking.”

It was, in a way, an attempt to start a conversation. But so far, none of Kayev’s attempts had borne fruit.