Ezekiel thought her eyes, reflecting the candlelight with a hazy sheen, looked like fake jewels.
That was probably why he’d uncharacteristically strung so many words together.
“No matter how much the Marquess wished for you and the Holy Knights to mingle, rudeness is ultimately determined by the one who feels slighted.
And if any trouble were to arise between you and the knights, the responsibility would fall entirely on us.
Therefore, should we not maintain a minimum of boundaries?”
“But I don’t mind…”
Ezekiel deliberately didn’t answer.
Silence fell, a fleeting moment that felt like an eternity.
Just then, a voice broke the hellish quiet.
“Hey, Commander.
We can hear everything from down here.”
Unexpectedly, it was Shanka, ascending the stairs.
Ezekiel narrowed his eyes.
Shanka casually raised the beer mug in his hand.
“The young lady was gone for a while.”
Even if Ezekiel hadn’t specifically asked Shanka to look after her, it was only natural for him to appear; he was in charge of her protection.
Ezekiel guessed that Shanka had probably overheard the Marquess’s crude advances as well, but was staying silent for Iris’s sake.
Iris’s face turned bright red as she mumbled to Shanka, “Um, it was nothing.
Did you hear everything?
I’m so sorry…”
Shanka gave her a good-natured smile and shrugged.
“Sorry for what?
Our commander’s a real piece of work, isn’t he?”
“A piece of…” Iris started to reply, but at a loss for words, she reflexively glanced at Ezekiel.
Before he could say anything, Shanka let out a loud “Haha!”
“Now, now, our commander is in charge of our discipline, you understand.
That man would sooner be split in two by a lightning bolt than ever bend.”
“In charge of discipline…”
“As you can see, there are a lot of ill-mannered bastards among the Holy Knights of Udal.
If the commander weren’t the way he is, we’d all probably desert the temple and become a band of thieves.”
“Ahaha.
Even if you say that, I’ve seen all of you praying every morning.”
“You saw that?
Oh, dear.” Shanka played along, leaning in conspiratorially.
“It’s a state secret that I pray to Udal every morning not to get a bladder infection!”
Unable to suppress a laugh at the crude joke, Iris let out a small giggle.
The clouded blue in her eyes now reflected the flickering orange light of the wall sconces, regaining their vitality.
It was a comforting color.
Without further thought, Ezekiel spoke.
“If the Holy Knights are ever rude, please inform Shanka.
If you have any discomfort, speak to Millena.”
The smile on Iris’s face froze.
At the bottom of the stairs, Shanka’s face scrunched up in frustration.
He was probably about to give Ezekiel a piece of his mind for ruining the mood he’d just managed to salvage.
“Commander.”
“Excuse me.”
But that was as far as it went.
Ezekiel immediately turned and ascended the stairs.
The empty inn room was chilly.
Without hesitation, he closed the door and slid down against it, slumping to the floor.
If he had known such a simple escort mission would be this agonizing, he would have refused.
No, ‘could’ he have refused?
Ezekiel buried his face in his arms and gave a bitter smile.
“Tsk.” Shanka looked up at the closed door and smacked his lips.
Their commander was great in every way, but that abrasive personality of his was a real problem.
Shanka had heard the entire confrontation between Iris and the Marquess from downstairs.
Since Ezekiel had specifically assigned him to protect her, it would have been a disaster if something had happened while he’d looked away.
He just hadn’t expected that ‘something’ would be a scuffle with the Marquess.
“My apologies, Miss Iris,” he said, belatedly addressing the incident.
“It’s difficult for us to be forceful with the Marquess, so we couldn’t step in sooner.”
“No, it’s all right,” Iris replied with an awkward smile.
“I would have done the same.”
They were engaged.
And anyone who saw them would guess it was a marriage of convenience, if not an outright sale.
Moreover, the Marquess was a mage the Emperor was desperate to recruit.
If the Holy Knights were to carelessly interfere and cause an incident, they would surely take all the blame.
“I’m sorry for the trouble.
I’ll go back to my room now, so please don’t worry.”
“No, it’s not that.
Um…” Just as she was about to turn away, Shanka stopped her.
Her expression was innocent, merely curious as to what else he had to say.
Shanka hesitated, but he couldn’t let it go.
He began with difficulty, speaking of Ezekiel.
“Miss, please don’t be offended by our commander’s stiffness.”
“…No, not at all.
I wasn’t thinking that…”
“That’s not what I mean.” Shanka awkwardly scratched the back of his neck.
“We actually get disciplined for things like that.”
“…Pardon?” Iris blinked in confusion.
Shanka cleared his throat.
“Um, Commander.
You may also… call me by my name…”
From Shanka’s perspective, it was clear.
Among noblewomen, there were those who tried to seduce Holy Knights for recreation.
It wasn’t exactly rare.
Even parish priests were often tempted by the ladies who came to pray, so how much more so for Holy Knights?
Seducing men who had dedicated their bodies to a god and sworn an oath of chastity must have felt like a game.
And among them all, Ezekiel was particularly popular with the more unsavory types.
This was something Ezekiel himself was likely unaware of.
But Shanka, who had been by his side for a long time, knew.
Ezekiel was of noble birth.
When a man like that acted with such discipline and integrity, it was bound to provoke the mischievous.
Of course, the young lady before him didn’t seem to be that kind of person.
But how easy would it be for a young woman, on the verge of marrying a man much older than herself, to be distracted by the handsome knight before her?
He’d thought it was just a fleeting curiosity, but it seemed this young lady’s interest was lingering.
The only saving grace was that Iris Quillucsia seemed to be the type who would listen to reason.
“There are noblewomen in this world who try to seduce Holy Knights for sport,” Shanka said plainly.
“But if that happens to one of us, it’s not just a matter of a scolding.
We are forced to return to secular life.”
“Oh…” As if she finally understood, the woman’s face filled with alarm.
She opened her mouth, as if wanting to protest that it wasn’t like that.
But Shanka had seen plenty of people deny the obvious.
He didn’t give her the chance.
“Our temple is particularly sensitive about contact with the opposite sex.
Have you seen the mark on the back of the commander’s neck?”
“A mark… you say.”
“Yes.
It is the Stigma of Udal.” As he spoke, Shanka rolled up his sleeve, revealing the same holy mark on his own arm.
“The moment we Holy Knights defy Udal’s will, our Stigmas are reclaimed.
Our status as knights is revoked.”
“Ah…”
“This isn’t well known, but some of us became knights with our families’ livelihoods on the line.
If they were excommunicated because of a momentary mistake, wouldn’t that be terribly cruel?
Of course, our commander isn’t one of them, but…” Shanka shrugged.
“You know the commander was once a prince, don’t you?”
“Yes.” Iris looked completely distraught.
Shanka bowed deeply.
“If I have misunderstood, you must be very offended, and for that I apologize.
But please, show him some consideration.
The commander has far more to lose than the rest of us.”
“I really wasn’t…” Iris started to wave her hands in denial, then stopped.
She paused, then bit her lip and nodded.
“I’m sorry.
I overlooked the fact that it could be perceived that way.
I’ll make sure nothing like this happens again.”
Only then did Shanka break into a grin.
“Thank you.
I’ll see you to your room.”
‘The Emperor’s offer of adoption had come to Iris only a few months prior.
It was the first time she had ever seen a teleportation circle.
When the magical light flooded the courtyard of the small Quillucsia castle, she had cried out in alarm, certain that something terrible had happened.
And when she read the letter brought by the man who had stepped out of that light…’
‘…she knew her time had come.
The storm that had descended upon her one summer day had left aftershocks far too great to escape, and Iris still hadn’t recovered.
But time had not waited for her.’