Only Obedient to Me! Sir Knight Chapter 32

Van, having coaxed and soothed Rowy—who had lost his appetite—into finishing his dessert, set out on the road with a still-pouting Rowy. While Rowy kept grumbling the whole way to the Irad mansion, Van acted as if he didn’t notice and stuck closely to his side.

‘So this is the Irad Dukedom.’

Of course, it was said that the Irad mansion in Seren existed solely for Rowy, and that he wouldn’t be meeting any other nobles there, but…

‘Still, it’s my first time visiting a noble’s mansion.’

Van stopped in front of the massive main gate and looked up at the mansion beyond. It was so enormous that, with a little exaggeration, he couldn’t even see the end of it. Tense from the sheer scale, which was far greater than he had imagined, Van gulped.

“Is this the place?”

“Yeah.”

…Beside him, Rowy gulped, too. Rowy was just as uncomfortable here as Van. It was because he hadn’t visited even once since the first day he arrived in Serafilla two years ago. The two of them, standing close enough to be touching, crossed through the mansion gates.

“Young Master.”

As Rowy stepped into the mansion, all the servants and knights aligned on both sides bowed their heads deeply. The loyal servants of the Ducal household didn’t show a single lapse in their posture while welcoming back their master after two years.

Rowy, who had stiffened his face for a moment at the sight, soon walked past them expressionlessly. The butler followed closely at Rowy’s heels.

“It has been a long time since you were here.”

“I’m fine on meals. I’m leaving again tomorrow, so don’t make a fuss. I need to use the communication orb, so….”

Rowy, who had been rattling off his demands, paused for a moment. He then looked back at Van, who was tailing him closely.

“…Take this guy to my room.”

With that, Rowy whipped around, opened the door next to him, and went inside. And so….

“Haha, hello….”

…Left alone amidst a sea of gazes, Van greeted them awkwardly.

. ꕤ ｡ ˚⋆

“Phew.”

Whether he knew he’d thrown Van into a difficult situation or not, Rowy, who had escaped the eyes of the people, let out a deep sigh. It seemed two years of living freely was a long time indeed. From the moment he entered the mansion, he felt as if his throat were being constricted.

‘I have to leave quickly.’

Rowy shook his head, clearing his thoughts, and tapped the communication orb on the desk. As Rowy’s mana flowed into it, the orb soon began to glow. Rowy had already sent someone to the mansion in the morning to request an audience with the Duke. Thanks to that, the connection was made immediately.

Through the blue, glowing mana, the Irad Duke appeared for the first time in a while. With the familiar color combination of silver hair and blue eyes, the Irad Duke—who, unlike Rowy, possessed a massive physique—was a man still as sharply honed as a blade, belying his age of fifty.

—Rowy Irad.

“…Hello.”

Under the piercing, cold gaze, Rowy greeted him with a voice that was barely audible. It was even more cautious because the last time they had seen each other, he had been severely scolded for his behavior at his coming-of-age ceremony. Rowy opened his lips, which felt heavy, to ask after him.

“Have you been well?”

—Asking after me after two years. Spare me the pleasantries. State your business.

…I really hate this. Rowy failed at controlling his expression for a moment. He naturally lowered his head to hide his face, and fearing another thunderous scolding, he spoke quickly.

“I’m planning to visit Marzen.”

—Marzen?

The Duke’s brow furrowed heavily at the sudden words. He had kicked him out of the house for being a “Van-less” [useless] noble, but what do you know? Rowy had actually been excited, and communication had been cut off entirely while he was god-knows-where doing god-knows-what.

He hadn’t shown his face once at the mansion provided for him, scurrying around everywhere, and now, appearing for the first time in two years, the first thing he says is that he’s going to Marzen? To anyone who knew Rowy well, this was something that would certainly trigger anxiety.

Naturally, the Duke also felt deep anxiety. After all, it was Duke Irad who had cleaned up the countless messes Rowy had made over the years.

—What kind of trouble are you planning to cause now?

“It’s not like that… it’s just….”

—Finish your sentence properly.

“I just want to go for a trip.”

Why does he have to make the atmosphere so scary? Rowy grumbled to himself while explaining the reason clearly. However, even after Rowy’s answer, Duke Irad just kept his brow furrowed deeply.

—‘Just’ a trip, you say.

…As I thought, it’s not working. Watching the Duke’s cold face, Rowy sighed to himself.

‘Do I really have to do what Seilan said?’

To say I have a lover? But what if he tells us to actually get married after that?

‘…Marriage?’

For a moment, Van’s happy face flashed before his eyes. Ah, I don’t want to give him what he wants.

‘What kind of marriage is that after just one kiss?’

Rowy frowned. However, no other method came to mind. After rolling his eyes in contemplation, Rowy ultimately blurted it out.

“…My lover’s house is in Marzen, so I’m going to visit.”

Whatever. I’ll think about the aftermath later, let’s just get to Marzen first.

The memories that had been trickling back had become blurry again, as if covered by fog, from a certain point onward. If he hadn’t known there was a problem with his memory, it was a curse so sophisticated that even a high-level mage like Rowy wouldn’t have noticed the anomaly. He needed a release as soon as possible.

‘Marriage or whatever, I’ll think about other things after that, for now…’

—…A lover?

However, unfortunately… Duke Irad’s reaction was completely different from what Rowy had imagined. Bang! With a loud sound of the Duke striking the desk, Rowy flinched in surprise.

—Which bastard is it!

“…Excuse me?”

Rowy was flustered by the unexpected, intense reaction. Duke Irad was glaring at Rowy with eyes that were blazing with fire. It felt as if his killing intent was being transmitted through the communication orb. Bang! The Duke struck the desk once more.

—Don’t tell me you’ve been living with that guy the whole time you were there? I should have called you back the moment I heard the nonsense about you buying a “bed slave”… If you’re going to act so cheaply, come back right now!

Come back! That was something that absolutely could not happen. How did he even find out he bought a slave? Flustered, Rowy waved his hands dismissively.

“No, it’s not like that. We haven’t known each other that long….”

—You’re going all the way to a guy’s house you haven’t known for long?

The more I talk, the angrier he seems to get…. Faced with a Duke who was continuously fuming with rage, Rowy scratched his cheek in embarrassment.

—I went through the trouble of finding you a good match, and you’re dragging the family name through the mud like this!

“…”

…On that matter, I didn’t have ten mouths to defend myself with. As Rowy shut his mouth, having been about to stammer out an excuse, the Duke’s voice grew even louder.

—Tell me exactly when, where, and how you met, and what you did!

“No, but….”

—Rowy Irad. Speak properly!

“Yes….”

…And so, the tearful interrogation began. Of course, he didn’t tell him everything, and he filtered his words appropriately, but… that only made the scolding drag on longer.

Duke Irad didn’t believe Rowy’s flimsy lies at face value. But he couldn’t exactly tell him the truth—that he was cursed by a demon and heading to a temple, could he?

In the end, Rowy, on the verge of tears, had to go as far as saying, “I’m sorry for acting so cheaply and meeting men,” before Duke Irad finally let him go. Of course, he didn’t just send him off.

—Since I can’t get through to you, bring the other guy before me. Whether it’s Joseph Valter or Seilan Levien who hangs around with you. I’ll ask them again properly myself.

…How did he know about Seilan, too? Rowy nodded, still on the verge of tears.

. ꕤ ｡ ˚⋆

Meanwhile, at that very moment, while Rowy was being thoroughly grilled, Van, left all alone, was sweating profusely under the piercing gazes. This was because the servants and knights, who had gathered to greet Rowy, were still gathered in the hallway, staring intently at Van.

The knights’ gazes were at least easy to deflect. Scanning his sword or looks of competitive spirit were things Van was accustomed to. However….

‘This is my first time in my life like this, so I have no idea what to do.’

“So that’s the rumored slave….”

“The Young Master’s tastes are….”

Murmur, murmur. The whispering among the servants grew louder. Under the eyes that were explicitly scanning his body, Van was at a loss and broke out in a cold sweat.

Rowy hadn’t stepped foot in the mansion, but news of Rowy continued to be sent to the estate. While it seemed Rowy was filtering out the stories he didn’t want known, the snippets that did filter through were rather provocative.

Stories had begun to circulate that Rowy had bought a “bed slave” at the slave market and had gone to an island and never came out. The “sword” of the slave market, who had a loose tongue, had played a part in those rumors. It was because the man, who later found out who Rowy was, had spread rumors here and there. Well, as you can see, the content was exactly what you’d expect.

“The Young Master has grown up… looking for something big.”

“Well, the Crown Prince dumped him saying that part was too small, didn’t he?”

They were whispering quietly among themselves, but to Van, who had sharp ears, every word came through clearly. On top of that, since they were looking so explicitly at his lower half, it wasn’t easy to pretend not to notice.

Unable to endure the shame, Van finally covered his manhood with his palm. At that, the admiration only grew. Oh my, it doesn’t even get covered by his hand!

‘No, I’m wearing pants, so what are you even seeing?’

Just as Van, on the verge of tears, was being sexually harassed, the head maid, who had gone to check on Rowy’s room, returned.

“What are you all doing gathered here!”

The head maid was a sharp-looking old woman, and as expected from her appearance, she possessed a piercing voice. At the head maid’s shout, the gathered servants scattered. With the gazes finally falling away, Van let out a sigh of relief. …But he soon realized that it wasn’t time to be relieved yet.

“Come here! The Young Master is picky, so you had better scrub well.”

“Excuse me?”

With that, Van was dragged by the rough hands of the old woman and thrown into the bathroom. And then…

“Argh! I’ll wash myself!”

The woman’s touch was unrelenting. With hands forcibly stripping him, Van clutched his chest in distress.

“No! I can do it alone! Don’t touch me! Argh!”

“Your voice is too loud. What on earth does the Young Master see in something like this?”

With incredible strength, the old woman—who was turning around Van, a man more than twice her size—stripped him completely naked in an instant and shoved him into the bath.

“Make sure to scrub every corner thoroughly. You must not spread any diseases to the Young Master.”

“Yes….”

Feeling like tears would flow, Van looked up at the ceiling. Of course, the woman didn’t pay any mind to Van.

“I’ll come back to check if you’ve washed well, so make sure to wash properly.”

Sniff.

Left alone, Van wept a little. It was the first time he’d been treated like an actual “bed slave”… and it felt quite sorrowful.

“Master….”

Please come back quickly… Van submerged his face deep into the fragrant water.