Before leaving for Tenerope,
Yohan went to Rudella’s house, located on the outskirts of the capital, to meet her.
Since he had already informed her via letter beforehand, Rudella hadn’t gone out to the café.
“Yohan!”
The moment Rudella, who had been waiting at the door, saw Yohan, she greeted him with a bright smile.
Her sky-blue eyes sparkled with a sweet light, and the slight upward curve of her lips made her radiant smile even more striking.
“Why are you standing outside? It’s cold today.”
“When I heard you were coming…”
Rudella clasped her hands near her chest, looking at her fidgeting fingers with a soft smile. A faint blush had spread across her cheeks.
“And, well, it’s been a while since I last saw you after that day… Was it burdensome for you?”
Rudella slowly lifted her head. Her sky-colored eyes, shining with sunlight, reflected a gentle brightness.
“Uh…”
Yohan felt an odd flutter in his chest under her gaze and suddenly wondered. Francia, Rudella, why do beautiful women always have such enchanting eyes?
However, the thought didn’t linger long. It wasn’t important right now.
“Of course, it wasn’t burdensome. I was just worried you might catch a cold standing out here in this weather.”
Yohan smiled lightly and gently brushed Rudella’s cheek. Her soft skin met his fingertips, but it was cold from the winter breeze.
As if comforted by his touch, Rudella tilted her head slightly and leaned against his hand, carefully closing her eyes.
“Let’s go inside.”
When they stepped inside, a cozy atmosphere greeted them. Rudella naturally led Yohan to the living room and gestured toward a chair at the dining table.
“I’ll prepare some tea. Please, take a seat.”
Yohan sat down and waited. Vera didn’t seem to be home today either. Strangely, it felt as though she was never around when he visited. Was it just his imagination?
“…”
A brief moment of silence passed.
Soon, Rudella appeared, carrying a teapot and two teacups.
She calmly poured tea into the cups and asked,
“So, what is it you wanted to talk about?”
“I’ve received a royal decree.”
“A royal decree?”
Rudella paused, tilting her head slightly as she set down the teapot.
Clink.
Yohan lifted his teacup and, in a composed voice, continued,
“The emperor has given me a mission. To work with the Imperial Inspectorate and execute Fedelian Rogino, a convicted traitor. It’s an executioner’s duty.”
Thud.
Rudella, sitting across from him, stiffened visibly. She couldn’t possibly not understand the weight of an executioner’s mission.
“Why would they assign that to you?”
Despite the shock in her eyes, she continued asking calmly.
“I don’t know the details, but I think it’s to position me as a representative of the future empire. They want to use this opportunity to proclaim me as a hero who dealt with a traitor, sending a strong message to other nations.”
Yohan added, “Yohan Rahardt, the Empire’s chosen figure.”
“Hmm.”
A shadow crossed Rudella’s face. She rested her delicate hand on her chin, her elegant eyebrows knitting slightly.
“They can’t possibly think this mission isn’t dangerous, can they…?”
Her words trailed on.
“When you consider that the Archduke of Renokhnen’s escape coincided with Fedelian’s disappearance, it’s likely the two are together. And the scale of the forces aiming to usurp the throne is no small matter. He’s receiving support from Tenerope, after all.”
Although Yohan hadn’t gone into detail, Rudella had already pieced together the entire situation.
This was because she had spent years keeping a close watch on Fedelian since her days as the Crown Princess candidate, tasked with holding leverage over him.
“That’s right. It’s undeniably a difficult mission.”
“Then why not refuse…”
“Even so, I’m going to do it.”
Before her concerns could continue, Yohan interrupted with a determined expression.
“No matter what, I have to be the one to catch him. Too many people connected to me have died because of him.”
Rudella’s lips moved as if to say something, but instead, she let out a soft laugh as she saw the blazing resolve in his blue eyes.
“Lady Ferbache must have already expressed her worries about how dangerous this is, hasn’t she?”
“She has.”
“In that case… I suppose all I need to say is that I trust and will wait for you.”
Rudella’s smile deepened as her sky-blue eyes locked on Yohan, curving sweetly.
“Please return safely. I’ll be here waiting for the Yohan who will succeed and come back triumphant.”
Of course, she was worried, it would be a lie to say otherwise, given the perilous mission ahead. But Rudella believed Yohan would succeed brilliantly. He was that kind of man.
“This isn’t quite what I expected.”
“What do you mean?”
“I had prepared a few lines to reassure you not to worry… but I didn’t expect you to trust me so easily.”
Feeling slightly awkward, Yohan rubbed the back of his neck with his fingers. Rudella, still smiling gently, continued the conversation in a calm tone.
“Of course, I would like to tell you to refuse the mission. After all, who wouldn’t worry about their lover going to a place where their life is at risk?”
Her smile grew even more pronounced, carrying both warmth and trust.
“But I believe in you, Yohan. If you’ve made this decision, I’m certain you’ll succeed. You saved me when we first met, and when I was kidnapped, you rescued me again.”
When the cliff collapsed and she fell, there was no doubt in her mind she was going to die. Being swept up in the explosion and plummeting down the precipice seemed like a death sentence.
But she survived.
Yohan had shielded her, taking on all the harm himself.
And during the time she was kidnapped, as she gathered evidence and prepared for the trial to bring down the Crown Prince, she was certain death awaited her.
Fedelian Rogino never let anyone who betrayed him escape unscathed.
Yet she survived again, thanks to Yohan risking everything to rescue her.
That’s why Rudella trusted Yohan.
If it was him, he would succeed without fail.
“…This is starting to feel a bit embarrassing.”
When Yohan awkwardly turned his head, Rudella tilted hers slightly.
“What’s so embarrassing? As your lover, as your woman, it’s only natural for me to believe in you as my master.”
“Master, you say…”
“You’ve bound me with the inescapable chains of love, have you not? That makes you my master. Whatever you desire, I’ll gladly accept.”
“….”
She spoke those words with a gentle smile, her tone bold in a way that had become more frequent since they’d become a couple.
Yohan found himself momentarily at a loss for words, staring at Rudella.
“But…”
Resting her chin on her hand, Rudella slowly turned her gaze away before cautiously continuing.
“Since you won’t be able to visit often from now on, don’t you think you should give me enough love to make up for it?”
Her voice trembled ever so slightly. The previously pale white of her ears had turned a vivid red, betraying her embarrassment.
Clink.
Startled by her words, Yohan slowly placed his teacup down. He wasn’t so naive as to miss the meaning behind them.
“What do you think…?”
Rudella met his eyes with a soft gaze, her fingers gently brushing against the back of his hand. Her sweet expression seemed to seep into his heart, making it race.
“…In that case.”
Yohan took her delicate hand into his own and held it gently, a playful smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.
“I’ll love you so much tonight that you’ll never be able to forget it for the rest of your life.”
* * *
The day of departure for Tenerope had arrived.
Before the sun even rose, Yohan was already at the Bureau of Inspection.
His condition… was far from good.
His gaunt cheeks, unfocused gaze, and the dark circles shadowing his eyes painted a clear picture.
This was the result of being relentlessly pushed to his limits by Rudella and Francia over the past few days.
“…You’re here.”
Standing in front of a line of carriages, Eris greeted him with an impassive expression. For some reason, she avoided his gaze and turned her head to the side.
“Am I late?”
“There’s still plenty of time before we leave, so it’s fine.”
“So, I arrived at an appropriate time?”
“…Yes.”
Eris gave a small nod while staring into the air.
“By the way, aren’t we crossing into Tenerope with the inspectors? Shouldn’t we be concerned about being discovered?”
The plan was to illegally cross the border as a group to execute the assassination of Fedelian.
But the more people involved, the more likely they were to be caught. There were quite a few inspectors accompanying them.
“That won’t be an issue. Among us is a top-class inspector specializing in perception-disruption magic and hidden barriers. Unless we’re up against the Aegis Duke himself, we’ll be fine.”
Even advanced mages would struggle to detect high-level perception-disruption magic, let alone recognize it when paired with hidden barriers. They would be virtually invisible unless they wanted to be seen.
“I see. By the way, are you planning to keep wearing that robe?”
“…This robe?”
“Yes. Crossing the border is one thing, but isn’t it unnecessary now?”
Yohan found it mildly unsettling that Eris’s expression was unreadable. Observing someone’s face to gauge their emotions had been an ingrained habit of his since his academy days, when he was constantly tormented by young noblewomen.
“Well then…”
Eris cautiously removed the robe that had been concealing her face.
Her platinum blonde hair shimmered softly under the light, and her cold gray eyes came into view.
Yohan smiled faintly.
“Now I can see your eyes. You’re beautiful.”
“B-Beautiful… Please, don’t say such things…”
Eris fidgeted with her fingers and blushed.
Though they’d only exchanged a few words, her heart was already pounding wildly.
Having spent her entire life focused on training and study, she had no immunity to handsome men.
To her, men were little more than sweat-drenched brutes, until now.
And Yohan?
He was a walking masterpiece, a man hailed as a trophy of high society.
To Eris, he was utterly out of her league.
“You’ve been avoiding meeting my eyes for a while now.”
“T-That’s…”
“…Did something I said upset you?”
Yohan gave an awkward smile. Complimenting women had become second nature to him, a habit born of years of courtly interactions.
Perhaps his words had offended Eris, a member of the prestigious Highlander knight family.
“N-No…! That’s not it. It’s just…”
“Just?”
When Yohan tilted his head in confusion, Eris glanced at him briefly before quickly averting her gaze.
His subtle aura of decadence tugged at her heartstrings in ways she wasn’t prepared to handle.
“It’s nothing…”
Eris lowered her head and clasped her trembling hands tightly. She tried to speak calmly, but her racing heart refused to settle.
“It’s not that the renowned mage Rahardt said anything wrong… nor did I feel offended… This is just… my problem…”
Her voice trailed off, barely audible.
“I’m relieved to hear that. It would be unfortunate to have upset the esteemed Highlander Inspector. I wouldn’t want to be disliked by you.”
Yohan smiled gently, knowing the importance of maintaining good relations with her for the mission ahead. Unity was crucial for the tasks they faced.
Meanwhile, Eris stood stiffly, silent as a statue. Or rather, she was too overwhelmed to speak.
‘He doesn’t want me to dislike him? What does that mean?
He’s not actually in a relationship with Lady Ferbache? Could he be a playboy…?’
Never having dated anyone, let alone had close male friends, Eris spiraled into wild speculation.
Not that she usually entertained such thoughts.
It was Yohan, his artistry in appearance and aura, that stirred such chaotic feelings within her.
“Attention, everyone!”
The loud voice of the Bureau Chief cut through the air, interrupting their conversation.
“The operation begins now!”
The time had come to confront Fedelian Rogino directly.