Chapter – 14
Nothing had gone according to plan. In the end, Ferdia couldn’t refuse his touch, and after sunrise she had fallen asleep from exhaustion, so she couldn’t really blame him. And although no vows had yet been exchanged, she had essentially come here under the premise of marrying him.
It wasn’t like she held some old-fashioned belief about preserving chastity before marriage. In both the Empire and the Kingdom, those outdated mindsets had long since been discarded, so it shouldn’t have been a big issue.
But—
‘It’s more about how I feel…’
She quietly looked at Ereve. She carefully observed his face as he avoided her gaze. Then her eyes slowly drifted downward.
‘Was he always this tall?’
As she studied him more closely than before, she began noticing things she hadn’t paid attention to.
His sharp jawline. Unlike most knights, his skin wasn’t overly tanned. His neat hair and clothing. His broad, sturdy shoulders, and his long arms and legs.
‘He’s handsome too…’
If she had to be honest, he was the kind of handsome man rarely seen. Ereve, receiving Ferdia’s intense gaze, awkwardly turned his head away. Since she had already decided to live with him, she wondered if these were simply things she would have to accept—but she still wasn’t sure.
It wasn’t a marriage based on love, so she could argue against it. Yet the reality was that they were already bound within the framework of marriage.
“…Ugh.”
“Does something hurt?”
“My back hurts. My head too.”
“Sh-should I massage it?”
“……”
It was hard to believe this man was the same person who had thoroughly “cooked” her last night.
“…You seemed very experienced. I guess you’ve done this a lot.”
“It was my first time.”
His first time? Ferdia looked at him with a shocked expression. Ereve asked awkwardly:
“Is that strange?”
Yes, it was strange. Very strange. Or was that actually normal? How would she know—she had no experience herself. After thinking hard with a complicated expression, she eventually let out a deep sigh. Then she looked at him seriously.
“…I’ll just ask one thing.”
“Anything.”
Meeting his eyes directly, she spoke slowly.
“Is this also one of the reasons you need me?”
In other words: Do you need my body too?
At her blunt question, Ereve looked at her quietly before closing his eyes.
“The reason I needed you, Fedi… was because of how important your existence could be to me. I didn’t meet you just to do something like this. Honestly, it probably sounds unconvincing since I already did it… but as long as you can stop me, any desire I have doesn’t matter. So if I ever try something like this again, stop me. If you don’t want it.”
“That’s… my choice too?”
“In this castle, nothing will ever be forced on you. Not even by me. I can’t throw you out or mistreat you. You are precious here. Important. Because I chose you.”
Because I’m the woman he chose?
She thought he spoke very smoothly—but only for a moment before she raised her head.
“Maybe not yet, but if we do get married and become an official couple, then things like this won’t be strange. If I still stop you every time… if I refuse… would you be willing to endure it?”
After hearing her question, Ereve nodded. Then he stepped closer and slowly knelt to meet her at eye level. With their gazes aligned, she could feel his emotions more clearly.
“If that is your choice.”
He quietly kissed the back of her hand. Ferdia watched silently, her eyes trembling with complicated thoughts.
***
More than two weeks had passed since Ferdia arrived at the castle and began adapting to life there.
During that time, she spoke with Ereve, adjusted their schedules, had various conversations, and sometimes even knocked him down when he lost control. In a way, peaceful days continued.
However, aside from the three maids attending her and the butler, very few people showed her friendliness. Sandia often told her about the people currently in the castle, and most of those stories were explanations about those who openly showed hostility toward her that day.
For example—
“Acili’s father died after returning from the war. Ah, of course he wasn’t killed by your forces, milady, but the fact that you were a knight commander of the enemy nation probably bothers her. And Lara—the one beside her—her boyfriend is currently serving in the army. Because of post-war duties, he hasn’t returned yet. It’s been almost a year since she’s seen him. So she’s probably sensitive about it.”
Sandia would say things like that.
It sounded more like a defense than gossip, but Ferdia didn’t seem particularly bothered.
Honestly, she sometimes wondered if Sandia’s stiff but respectful attitude was the unusual one. Even if she now lived here due to her relationship with Ereve, she was still technically the knight commander of an enemy nation. Just a month ago, imperial soldiers had frequently fallen by her blade.
Some of them surely had families or lovers. Others might be connected through relatives, neighbors, teachers, or students.
So she couldn’t easily complain about their hostile looks or the insults whispered behind her back.
Because here—she was a sinner.
Even so, enduring that didn’t mean everything was bad.
Most importantly, she was able to restore the balance of her body and regain her senses after injuries and fatigue had worn her down.
The Grixia family was famous as a martial house.
While a ducal family could usually maintain thousands of private soldiers—sometimes up to ten thousand—the Grixia family legally prohibited private armies. The reasoning was that large private forces could eventually become internal threats.
Instead, they were allowed to maintain a knight order.
Other families had their own knight orders too, but the Grixia order was officially supported by the Empire. Because of this, it was common for knights to train there and later be assigned to the Imperial Royal Guard.
Naturally, many knights hoped to join.
Since their numbers were small but applicants kept increasing, the Grixia family eventually established their own knight academy to train and manage candidates.
As a result, highly skilled knights gathered there, and thanks to the martial traditions passed down through the family, their level far surpassed other houses.
Ferdia was benefiting greatly from this.
“Next.”
With her hair tightly tied up, wiping sweat as it ran down, she looked around. The knights shook their heads as if exhausted just watching her.
It was what you could call a dojo challenge.
After realizing the knights here were much stronger than those in the Kingdom, Ferdia began sparring with them daily to restore her combat rhythm.
It had started as a simple provocation. Apprentice knights had challenged her after hearing rumors, and she completely crushed them on her fourth day in the castle.
After knights who witnessed her sparring with Ereve wanted to verify the rumors, more and more challenges followed—and she kept winning.
From apprentices to the vice-captain. Everyone who faced her was defeated. Even Viscount Tollid, the knight commander, was pushed into fighting her by his men seeking revenge—and now he lay miserably on the ground.
“…Is she a monster?”
The commander was no weak man. It was widely said he would soon become vice-captain of the Royal Guard. Aside from Ereve, no one in the castle believed they could defeat him.
But Ferdia completely shattered that confidence.
She had been excited to finally meet a worthy opponent, but in less than five minutes, he was on his knees. In just two weeks, she had brought most of the knights to submission. They now whispered and avoided her, calling her a monster.
Most didn’t seem eager to spar.
The reason was simple: female knights were extremely rare in the Empire. Unless they used magic or spirit arts, swordsmanship was considered a male domain.
So they feared and avoided losing to a woman.
Yet contrary to expectations, many still stepped forward when she called:
“Next!”
“This time, me…!”
“Ah! Didn’t you promise me a match?!”
“I’m stronger than that bald guy! I ranked fifth in the last evaluation!”
“B-bald?! Bald is always right! It’s a sign of virtue!!”
“That bald mountain is talking. Go away before it spreads.”
“Don’t call me bald mountain!!”
Arguments broke out frequently as they fought over who got to spar with her.
Unlike prideful noble knights, those who genuinely admired strength were already captivated by her power. Crossing swords with a strong opponent was a great honor.
Sometimes she would simply say:
“Come at me. All of you.”
She had even fought ten knights at once—and defeated them all.
As she wiped sweat from her face, she looked down at her hands.
Her senses were still sharp. Fighting the knights posed no problem. If anything, the skill gap was overwhelming. It was a very familiar sight.
Just like in the novel, there were few who could stand shoulder to shoulder with her.
But—
‘Just how much of a monster is that man?’
Ereve completely broke that belief. Even she, who dominated the knight order, couldn’t last more than ten minutes against him.
His reflexes and strength felt less human and more like a beast’s.
Still, she vowed to surpass him someday and continued training daily.
But today was different.
She quietly looked at the man standing before her, casually spinning a sword.
His slender build and pale skin made him look like someone who had never seen sunlight. Even holding a sword looked unnatural on him.
Yet the way he spun the heavy blade and occasionally swung it showed clear skill. Even his seemingly casual swings had controlled force, precise timing, and consistent trajectories.
“Are you getting used to it?”
“Ah, I think I took too long. I’m ready now.”
His light brown eyes gave off a gentle impression. Combined with his soft smile, he looked fragile.
Ferdia frowned slightly in confusion.
An hour earlier, while she was sparring, this unfamiliar man had approached and requested a one-on-one match.
She hadn’t sensed anything from him that suggested he was a knight—or even someone who handled weapons at all.
