Only Obedient to Me! Sir Knight Chapter 31

The day after arriving in Seren, Seilan burst into the inn—somehow, he already knew.

“Hey, Rowy, are you okay? You said you collapsed, but you look perfectly fine?”

“How did you find out?”

“Who do you think called your boat in the first place? I heard it from the captain, obviously.”

Rowy nodded at that.

“It’s just, I had a little trouble.”

“A little? I heard everything. That you collapsed after fighting a demon?”

…Why is everyone such a blabbermouth? Rowy grumbled to himself. When he pressed his lips shut, not wanting to explain, Seilan glanced at his expression and changed the subject.

“…But, what’s up with that guy?”

Following Seilan’s gaze toward Van, who was sitting next to him with his mouth pouted out, Rowy whipped his head around. Van was still sulking over something trivial.

“…”

“…”

When Rowy glared at Van, Van didn’t back down and met his eyes. Sparks seemed to fly between them—a silent, invisible tension. Seilan’s eyes went cold as he watched them exchange these wordless communications. Just a lover’s spat.

“Well, I don’t care about your romance. So, are you staying here for a while?”

“No. I’m going to Marzen.”

“Huh? Marzen?”

Seilan’s eyes went round at the unexpected words. Rowy nodded. To be precise, he was planning to go to the Elysion Temple in Marzen. It was to break the curse that still remained on him.

“Why are you suddenly going to Marzen?”

“We are going to the Elysion Temple to receive a blessing.”

Van answered in his stead. However, after hearing that, Seilan’s expression became even stranger.

“…Are you two actually getting married or something?”

“Excuse me? Ah, no….”

Marriage? Van panicked visibly and waved his hands. Rowy looked at Van, whose face had turned bright red in an instant, with a look of pity. Why is he like this, seriously?

“It’s not like that. I told you I met a demon.”

“…Did something go wrong?”

“It’s nothing big. I was cursed, and it hasn’t been fully lifted yet.”

“…That sounds like a huge deal.”

It’s not contagious, right? Seilan asked, pulling his body back. This time, Rowy looked at Seilan with a look of pity as well. Feeling awkward under that gaze, Seilan sat back up properly.

“Well, anyway. Then what are you going to tell your family before you go?”

“…”

Rowy rolled his eyes. …That was the problem. By order of the Crown Prince, Rowy was forbidden from leaving Serafilla. Of course, since that order had been in the vein of an angry Crown Prince shouting, “Get out of my sight,” Rowy could technically go anywhere he wanted if he chose to. It was just that to do so….

‘I have to ask the Duke for permission….’

To cross the borders of Serafilla, he had to go through the reporting procedure to his family no matter what. That was the only reason Rowy hadn’t budged from this place for the last two years. The reason was singular: he didn’t want to hear the nagging.

Duke Irad had a stiff face and an endless amount of nagging. Besides… what was he supposed to say if asked why he was going to Marzen? I was cursed by a demon, and it’s not fully lifted, so I’m going to see a priest. Like that?

‘…If I say it like that, I don’t think I’ll just get nagged—I think I’ll be dragged back to the Empire.’

As Rowy let out a deep sigh, Seilan, having guessed what he was worried about, spoke up again.

“I’m asking just in case, but you’re not going to tell the truth, are you?”

“Huh? Of course not.”

“Then, what are you going to say?”

“Just… that I’m going on a trip.”

I don’t know if he’ll believe me. He wasn’t sure if the Duke, who had already experienced Rowy enough, would simply believe those words. The Duke would definitely think that Rowy was going to go cause some kind of trouble. …He’d already caused the trouble, and he was just going to clean it up.

“I don’t think he’ll believe you.”

“I suppose.”

It seemed Seilan thought the same. Rowy nodded. Well, it couldn’t be helped if he didn’t believe him. The Duke must already know well enough that Rowy wasn’t the type to not go just because he was told not to.

“Make sure you don’t mention anything about demons.”

“I know.”

He nags so much, too. Rowy answered coolly. But regardless of Van’s reaction, Seilan’s advice continued.

“Instead of that… why don’t you say this?”

“What?”

“Marriage is a bit early, so say you’re going to visit your lover’s house.”

…What kind of nonsense is this?

“No, what’s with that dumbfounded look? This is the most certain way! This whole thing started because they were trying to get you married off too quickly. They’ll be happy to hear you have a lover!”

“…”

It works perfectly. Seriously. Seilan nodded with confidence.

The Empire was famous for its fierce succession battles. For that reason, most people in ambiguous positions like Rowy or Seilan either left the Empire or married someone of the same gender as soon as they reached adulthood. That was the reason Duke Irad had arranged the engagement with the Crown Prince. Even if choosing such an excessive match for the likes of Rowy had ultimately caused this catastrophe….

‘For a guy like Rowy, a submissive human like that suits him better than a rigid, stubborn Crown Prince.’

Seilan glanced at Van. Perhaps something had hurt his feelings, but Van had a sulking look on his face that didn’t match his large build. Yet, his hands didn’t stop peeling fruit for Rowy.

Seeing the apple, elaborately carved into the shape of a rabbit, Seilan turned his eyes away with a sour expression. He really didn’t want to know what had happened between them.

“Besides, you said that guy was an Elysion paladin, right?”

“How did you know that, too?”

“I did a background check, obviously.”

How can he say that so confidently? Rowy let out a dry laugh. However, Seilan remained serious.

“It will really work well. If this goes well, you have to treat me to a meal.”

“…”

“Look at the time already. I should get going.”

“…”

“Oh, and don’t forget to buy me a gift when you come back.”

Seilan, who had burst in and only spewed out hectic words, left just like that after finishing his sentence.

“Why on earth did he come?”

As he stared at the closed door in bewilderment, Van, who had finished preparing the fruit, slid over to sit right next to Rowy. He’s been acting like he’s sulking and wouldn’t even come near me, so why is he doing this now? Rowy narrowed his eyes and watched Van.

Having snuck over and stuck to Rowy, Van, as if he hadn’t been sulking at all, slipped an arm around Rowy’s shoulder. Then, with a strangely flushed face, he whispered into Rowy’s ear.

“Are we… getting married?”

…I really want to punch him. Rowy pushed Van away firmly.

. ꕤ ｡ ˚⋆

After bickering like that, it was already late afternoon. The two finally left the inn and stopped by the dessert shop from before. If one counted the days, it hadn’t been that long since they had returned to Seren, but perhaps because they had been through so much, it felt like a very long time.

“Honey ice cream!”

Hooray! Rowy spread his arms wide and lunged for the ice cream. Seeing Rowy so excited, Van laughed heartily.

“Please, eat slowly.”

“Ooh, it’s delicious. Do they have desserts like this in Marzen? I only just passed through Marzen before.”

“I’m not sure. I’ve never been to a shop like this….”

“I’m looking forward to it. This was my first trip outside of Serafilla.”

Rowy, who hadn’t once left the Empire from birth until he became an adult, considered Serafilla the first destination of his life. Of course, it was a pity that it was because he had been kicked out of the Empire.

Regardless, the journey was quite enjoyable. He ate exotic food, saw monsters… Thinking back on that time, Rowy hummed to himself. Meanwhile, Van, having finished cutting all the hot pie, leaned his body closer. Ever since a while ago, Van had kept sitting next to him instead of across from him.

As his large frame squeezed into the chair, Rowy was pushed completely against the armrest. Annoyed by his body being pushed again and again, Rowy glared at Van with full irritation. However, Van wasn’t even looking at Rowy. Van’s expression, staring into thin air, was dreamy.

“So… when should we go to pay our respects? What if they ask to see me, too? Should I… should I buy clothes?”

…Seilan and his useless comments. Van seemed to be already conducting the formal introduction in his imagination. How absurd. Does one get married alone? Rowy just kept picking at his pie. But whether he knew that or not, Van continued to weave his dreams.

Not sure what he was imagining or how far he was taking it, Van, who had been wriggling his body and fussing for a while, whispered in a low voice into Rowy’s ear.

“Will you… buy me clothes?”

“…”

Stunned into silence by the absurdity, Rowy buried his face back into his ice cream. Whether he did or not, Van was still weaving dreams with a dreamy expression. However, unfortunately… Van’s giddy excitement was shattered into pieces before long.

“I-Irad? That Irad? The Empire’s Ducal family?”

“Yeah.”

“The Irad family that has produced the commander of the Imperial Guard for generations?”

“Uh-huh.”

“You’re Rowy Irad?”

“That’s right.”

He had realized that Rowy was of the Irad Ducal line. He had wondered if he was an Imperial noble after seeing Rowy’s lavish spending, but… to think he was from one of the Empire’s Ducal families. Van was devastated by the status gap that was beyond his imagination.

“…Can we get married?”

At those words, Rowy’s eyes turned cold again. No, who said I’d marry you? But Van was genuinely in shock, almost wilting away.

“To think that I would become the person unable to marry because of a status gap….”

All while murmuring such useless things. Naturally ignoring Van’s words, Rowy opened his mouth again.

“Anyway, since we have to go get permission, we’re going to the mansion today.”

“Ha… will they give us permission…. After all, I’m from the temple….”

“…We are not going to get permission to marry, we are going to get permission to go to Marzen!”

In the end, unable to hold it in any longer, Rowy screamed at the top of his lungs.