Chapter 31: Invitation

When he woke up, it was already the next morning.

Since the room was located in a corner of the castle, sunlight poured in through three windows all at once, pouncing on his face like a fat cat. Even the makeshift barrier couldn’t block any of it effectively.

He had forgotten to close the curtains.

Loki made a note of this and then forced his sluggish body to get out of bed.

Unsurprisingly, there was a soft, squishy octopus stuck to his body.

Pulling his limbs out from the silver-haired girl’s embrace and her thighs required not only courage but also strong rationality—especially at such a sensitive time in the morning. Even a small mistake could lead to an embarrassing situation.

Ah, sure enough, there was a physiological reaction.

Loki helplessly loosened the drawstring of his pajama pants.

Hmm…

Strange, why is there a wet spot on the side of my pants?

That seemed to be where Selene had just squeezed her thigh…

Realizing that continuing to think about this would be rather impolite, Loki fled to wash up.

He only remembered that he had fallen asleep before Selene did.

His sleep quality had always been excellent.

Last night was no exception; he had nearly fallen asleep the moment his head touched the pillow, only waking up groggily when his biological clock rang and the sunlight was blinding.

…Although it was the first time he’d shared a bed with a beautiful girl, honestly, there was nothing particularly special about it.

As for whether Selene had fiddled with him in his sleep… as long as she didn’t do anything strange, it was fine.

He didn’t feel any numb fatigue in his lower body and was still very much alive—knowing this was enough.

At the very least, she knew how to respect a man’s wishes…

Loki suddenly spat out a mouthful of water.

Uh, it’s better not to think about these random messy things.

After finishing washing up and just changing his clothes, there was a knock at the door.

Loki looked up to check the time.

Around eight o’clock… that was pretty early. If he hadn’t known this was the Knights’ Castle, he might have thought it was some kind of luxury hotel.

He first returned to the bedside and saw the girl still asleep, her hands and feet clutching at something. He stuffed his own pillow over to her and tucked the covers in properly to prevent any revealing glimpses of spring from spilling outside the walls.

“Mr. Loki, it’s me.”

When he opened the door, standing outside was Selene pushing a breakfast cart.

The gentle-looking girl wore a light-colored long dress and a radiant smile as bright as the sun, perfectly embodying the grace of a proper lady.

Yet, she wore almost no makeup on her face, and her boots were somewhat plain, giving her a down-to-earth vibe. If she tied her hair into braids, she would look just like a pretty village girl.

If he remembered correctly, she was also a noblewoman… Though her father was a high-ranking officer in the Knights, why was she here pushing a breakfast cart?

…The answer was obvious.

This girl’s father was most likely Vice Commander Rosern.

“Good morning, Miss Selene.”

“Good morning, Mr. Loki.”

As if noticing Loki’s question, she explained proactively.

“Actually, I occasionally come to the Knights like this to deliver breakfast to the young knights who need to attend morning training.”

“I see.”

Loki glanced at the neatly arranged containers covered with lids on the cart.

“Did you make all of this yourself?”

“W-what? No way. How could I do all this alone? There are over a hundred knights who need breakfast… But I did contribute a tiny bit.”

Selene’s face lit up with enjoyment.

“To be honest, this was actually my father’s idea… He said that if a young and pretty girl brought breakfast to the young kids, it would make them train fiercely all day long…”

She suddenly seemed to realize something, pausing for a moment, then blushing lightly.

“Ah, I’m not bragging about being pretty or anything… Well, anyway, since then, I occasionally come to the Knights to encourage them.”

She smiled.

“But my father was right. Most of the young knights are innocent boys, and to this day, some still believe that I made all those breakfasts myself… How could that be?”

“Not sure if that’s innocent or desperate…”

Though there were female knights, the boys obviously couldn’t see these “brothers” who sweat and toil alongside them as potential romantic interests. And the female knights had zero interest in strong, muscular men.

The knights’ problem with choosing partners could almost be called a professional hazard. Romance between male and female knights was exceedingly rare.

So girls like Selene, “gentle and considerate,” became the white moonlight of the young knights.

As for whether anyone was passionately pursuing Selene…

Come on.

Those hot-blooded fools would probably make a pact never to let anyone else swoop in, then foolishly wait to accomplish achievements and earn promotions, only to watch helplessly as Selene walked right into the arms of some man completely unrelated to them, then pound their chests and weep bitterly.

Loki could predict this entire plot with his toes.

“But this is different.”

Selene winked mischievously, like a gorgeous butterfly fluttering its wings.

“This is all made by me.”

There was some doubt about a noblewoman’s cooking skills, but when Loki thought about how she had carried those big bags around yesterday without any attendants nearby, he relaxed.

…No, the problem wasn’t the cooking skills.

It was that she had “made it herself.”

So there was one more thing Loki had to confirm.

“For two people?”

“Eh? Well, since you’re a man, I did prepare some extra food…”

In other words, the food on the cart was “Selene’s breakfast prepared for Loki.”

Never mind.

Loki sighed.

That middle-aged man who looked untrustworthy at first glance really knew how to cause trouble for him.

“No, I mean, for two people.”

“Eh? Two people? Ah, could it be that Lady Christine has returned?”

“Not quite. Anyway, standing in the hallway isn’t good. Come in.”

“O-okay.”

After Loki led the girl and the cart into the room, he instinctively glanced toward the partitioned area.

No movement. Selene seemed still asleep.

There was a subtle sense of guilt.

“This is Lady Christine’s office…”

Selene looked around curiously.

“It’s much simpler than I imagined.”

“Disappointed?”

“No, rather, I admire her even more. She’s the Empire’s champion knight but still lives simply… just like the heroes in those books.”

“She really is.”

Loki took the plates off the cart and placed them on the desk.