Within the intricate affairs of the ducal family, Luen had always stood alone.
Yet, there was one person, and only one.
A figure remained by Luen’s side until their very last breath.
That person was Luna Zerlen.
As the Captain of the White Flame Knights, she was a formidable force, a veritable monster who had seen countless battlefields.
It was hardly surprising that enemy nations branded her a ‘slaughter demon’.
Whenever she graced the battlefield, enemy forces would invariably cower in fear and flee.
Perhaps that was why.
Young, highly capable, and possessing striking beauty, she was considered the prime candidate for marriage among numerous noble families.
However.
She never married, remaining unwed until her dying day.
The reason was straightforward.
For she had never once strayed from Luen’s side, not even in her final moments.
The true motive remained shrouded in mystery.
Even the Grand Duchess, seemingly intrigued, had inquired about it just before Luna’s passing, but Luna had ultimately remained silent.
And yet…
‘To think I would encounter such a woman, here and now.’
Ariel’s provocation of the knight had been entirely deliberate.
For when he had first addressed her, she had observed a maid swiftly exiting the dining hall.
Anticipating a significant commotion, she must have gone to inform her superiors.
Inevitably, to uphold the manor’s strict regulations, someone like a knight or the head maid would arrive.
Her expectation was that the knight would be forced to retreat, powerless to act.
However.
‘I never could have imagined Luna would be the one to arrive.’
And, most unexpectedly…
“My pretty one, are you alright? Hmm?”
She had certainly not anticipated such a personality from Luna.
With a somewhat bemused expression, Ariel replied in a low voice.
“I’m fine.”
“Really? How audacious of you, just like Luen’s maid. Truly, like master, like maid.”
“Pardon?”
‘She knows I’m Luen’s personal maid?’
As Ariel asked, taken aback, Luna merely tilted her head to the side.
“You are Ariel, aren’t you?”
“Y-yes, that’s right. Ariel. The Grand Princess’s personal maid.”
“Hmm…”
She rested her chin on her hand, a soft hum escaping her lips.
Suddenly, as if struck by a brilliant idea, her eyes flashed open, and she swiftly stepped closer to Ariel.
Before Ariel could even react, Luna gently lifted Ariel’s chin with her index finger.
Ariel, flustered, managed to stammer out,
“Captain… of the Knights?”
“Just hold still for a moment.”
“B-but.”
Hmph!
Ariel, who had been about to speak, involuntarily drew a sharp breath.
Luna’s face was slowly drawing nearer.
And she did so with her head tilted, almost as if preparing for a kiss.
In moments, a pair of full, crimson lips were mere inches from Ariel’s face.
‘It’s going to touch…!’
Just as she squeezed her eyes shut with that thought, a cold sensation brushed against her neck.
“You’re bleeding.”
At the words that followed, Ariel’s eyes snapped open in surprise.
She immediately saw Luna gazing intently at her neck.
“It appears to be a cut from a blade… Did *he* do this to you?”
Ariel was momentarily speechless.
Just as a flicker of bewilderment crossed Luna’s face, Ariel regained her composure.
She then spoke.
“Well… Ah!”
Ariel let out a soft gasp at the sharp, stinging sensation.
Luna had gently traced Ariel’s wound with her finger.
“My apologies, did that hurt much?”
She offered a soft smile as she raised her finger.
Her finger was stained stark red with blood.
It seemed the wound Luen had inflicted with her blade had reopened.
Suddenly, a brilliant idea sparked in Ariel’s mind.
‘Perhaps this could be an opportunity.’
She fashioned an expression as if on the verge of tears.
Her face, flushed crimson with what appeared to be embarrassment, lent an undeniable authenticity to her act.
Having never feigned tears before, her cheek muscles strained uncomfortably, yet she managed to endure the sensation.
Ariel spoke, her voice trembling with feigned emotion.
“My neck is fine. As for… the wound, I cannot speak of it.”
“……!”
Luna’s eyes widened perceptibly.
At that precise moment, Ariel cast furtive glances towards Rachel and the cluster of other maids.
Each time her gaze fell upon them, they visibly flinched.
Luna then spoke in a hushed tone, barely audible to Ariel alone.
“Are the other maids perhaps… tormenting you?”
Ariel offered a small nod.
Just then.
“K-kuh.”
The apprentice knight let out a pained groan as he struggled to his feet.
Naturally, both Ariel’s and Luna’s gazes turned toward him.
A livid, cross-shaped wound marred his arm.
In that brief span, Luna had slashed the man’s arm with her sword.
And she had done so with such precision that it was merely a deep cut, not severed.
“Are you alright?”
Luna inquired with a deceptively cheerful tone, addressing the man who was still clutching his arm.
Though her voice was undeniably bright, no one present dared to take her words lightly.
“I-I am fine, Captain!”
“Is that so? How fortunate. And yet…”
A soft clang echoed.
The sword she gripped chimed with a cold, ominous sound.
“Is that truly the appropriate demeanor when addressing a superior?”
“……!”
The knight’s eyes flew open wide.
Before anyone could utter a word, he sprang to his feet and snapped a salute.
“L-loyalty!”
His fingertips quivered, much like a rabbit after a frantic escape.
Ariel caught a fleeting glimpse of Luna’s faint smile.
She held the sword casually in her long, slender hand, occasionally tapping the scabbard with the tips of her fingers.
With each tap, the knight’s body involuntarily flinched.
A thick, palpable tension, as if blood might be shed at any moment, permeated the entire area.
-Sring…
Luna raised her hand and partially drew her sword from its scabbard.
The knight looked up at her, his face etched with palpable anxiety.
The absence of any ragged breaths suggested he had even ceased breathing altogether.
Luna, who had been slowly observing the scene, casually released her grip.
-Thwack!
The sword plunged back into its scabbard with a sharp, crisp sound.
Only then did the knight finally release the breath he had been holding.
At that very instant!
-Thwump!
The blade pressed against his chest.
It happened in a mere flash.
Ariel hadn’t even perceived Luna drawing her blade.
The knight, too, seemed equally oblivious, for his dark complexion had drained to an ashen white.
“Listen.”
“Y-yes, ma’am!”
“Do not move, and answer my questions truthfully.”
The knight felt an overwhelming urge to weep.
‘What kind of calamity is this, all for trying to earn a few points!’
He found himself inexplicably resenting Rachel.
“What exactly were our Knight Order’s regulations? Hmm? Tell me.”
“Th-th-that is. We uphold justice and—”
Luna shook her head slowly.
“No, not that. There’s something else, isn’t there?”
“W-we uphold justice…”
“Hah. Born as a human, you possess the capacity for thought, yet it seems your inner beast prevents such refinement.”
She let out a heavy sigh as she spoke.
“Kill the men, save the women. Did you hear that clearly?”
“……!”
“Kill the men, and *save* the women, hmm?”
Each time she paused her words, she prodded his chest with the sharp tip of her blade.
Her voice, like the approach of a thundering war chariot, gradually escalated in volume.
“I’m sorry… I am truly sorry!”
“That’s not what I wanted, Apprentice Knight. There’s something else you need to say, isn’t there?”
“I truly… I am truly sorry, Captain! Please, just once, grant me leniency…!”
In the end, the knight collapsed onto his knees with a thud.
Luna let out a loud, booming laugh.
“Hah! He truly is a man devoid of his senses.”
“Please… I bear no fault in this. It was all Rachel who ordered me to do so!”
“What?!”
Rachel, who had been quietly listening from behind, flinched violently and cried out.
Truly, they were a crumbling couple (TL Note: A Korean idiom referring to a dysfunctional or quarreling couple/family) unlike any other.
The contemptible pair appeared so utterly trivial that even the surging anger that had filled Ariel’s chest vanished in an instant.
Luna, too, seemed to share the sentiment, for she scowled deeply and withdrew her blade.
“Tsk, you imbecile. Were this the Knight Order, I would have personally severed your head.”
“Thank you…”
“No, isn’t there still an apology due?”
“Pardon?”
The knight looked up at Luna, his eyes wide with confusion.
Luna offered a wry smile as she spoke.
“You tormented Luen’s maid, didn’t you? Apologize.”
“…….”
“Tell me, do you dislike kneeling before a maid you typically disregard?”
“Ah, no, I do not.”
The knight responded hastily.
He then rose from his spot, walked with deliberate steps, and once again fell to his knees.
“I apologize.”
Ariel casually repeated the question.
“Pardon? Your voice was too soft, I couldn’t hear you, Sir.”
Heh-heh.
Ariel smiled demurely.
The knight’s face contorted further.
“I apologize.”
“What?”
“I APOLOGIZE!”
Finally, he shouted loud enough for all the maids to hear.
Only then did Ariel offer a gentle smile and say,
“Please live a virtuous life from now on, Sir. And manage your girlfriend well. Oh, wait, are you breaking up now? You shouldn’t. It would be unfair to other men, so please make sure you marry her.”
She then turned away.
Luen would likely be hungry soon, so it was time to return.
Ariel scurried over to Luna and said,
“Thank you for your help. I don’t know how I can repay you…”
“No need to repay me, my pretty one. You’re entirely on my side, after all.”
“Ah… yes. I see.”
“Make sure to apply ointment to your neck. Are you going to see Luen?”
As she asked, Ariel nodded.
“Yes, I need to prepare her meal…”
“Her meal? But where’s the tray? Luen eats an enormous amount, doesn’t she?”
“Well…”
Ariel glanced toward the kitchen staff.
Her face had turned an alarming shade of blue.
Observing her expression, Luna uttered a small curse.
“What a mess.”
It hadn’t been this bad until recently.
Sweeping her bangs back with a hand, she said,
“Follow me to my room. I’ll share my portion with you.”
“Pardon? Oh, yes. Thank you.”
As she was in no position to refuse, Ariel nodded.
She then followed Luna, who was leading the way.
Suddenly, Luna halted her steps and spoke in a low voice.
“Oh, right. Drag him out.”
Whoosh!
The knights entered the dining hall and seized the apprentice knight by both arms.
He cried out in alarm.
“Y-you’re not forgiving me, Captain?!”
“I may forgive you, but military law does not.”
“Ah!”
With that, the apprentice knight was dragged away, and Ariel and Luna headed for Luna’s room.
And yet…
“My pretty one, how was your unnie (TL Note: A Korean term used by a female to address an older female friend or sister)? Was she cool?”
“……”
‘This woman is acting strangely.’
