Only Obedient to Me! Sir Knight – Chapter 48

Author: nicotine

Leaving behind the noisy temple, Rowy and Van were left alone on the road once more. Rowy had never imagined he would be forced to return to the Empire so suddenly…. He let out a long, deep sigh.

‘I wanted to live alone in Serafilla for at least twenty years.’

Twenty years? He was ending up back in the Empire after only two. Hing, Rowy made a tearful face.

“I don’t want to go….”

“Nothing will happen.”

Van gently soothed Rowy from the side. But Rowy couldn’t find the strength to perk up. Though Van felt for him, he had no more words to offer. Even Van, who had insisted they must go to the Empire for Rowy’s cleansing, felt quite tense now that the reality of returning to the Empire had set in.

‘To think we are really going to the Irad ducal house….’

Having produced successive Imperial Knight Commanders, the Irad family was quite a symbolic house to knights. Devoting one’s life to one’s master was the dream of every knight.

Because of this, even Van, who didn’t know much about Imperial nobles, had held a vague sense of admiration for the Irad family. Of course, that was all before he found out Rowy was an Irad.

‘He said they not only forced him into an engagement but also kicked him out alone to such a far-off place.’

How could they do that? Van was incensed, remembering Rowy spending nights all alone on a remote island.

‘…What if they try to push that broken engagement again once we return?’

Engagement? Who gave them the right?

‘…Absolutely not.’

Van’s expression hardened as he let his imagination run wild, and he spoke to Rowy in a firm voice.

“Don’t worry. If anything happens, I will take responsibility and….”

“…”

“…I will make sure you escape.”

“…”

“I mean, getting you out is… and then, since you have plenty of money, Master, I think we could manage to live somehow… maybe….”

The more he spoke, the quieter Van’s voice became. As a slave, that was all he could offer Rowy.

“Hmm, escape, huh.”

Van felt embarrassed as he said it, but Rowy seemed surprisingly fond of the suggestion. Rowy, who had been on the verge of tears moments ago, finally smoothed out his face.

“…Yeah, I think that’s a good idea. If things really don’t work out, we can just run away.”

Why hadn’t he thought of that? A wicked smile spread across Rowy’s face as he instantly started planning his escape. Van, not knowing what Rowy was thinking but seeing him smile, simply followed suit and smiled along.

“Ha, okay. Let’s go, then. To the Empire.”

“Yes.”

Rowy and Van walked forward, their hands naturally clasped together. At the end of the path, the knight order that had come to escort Rowy had already arrived.

. ꕤ ｡ ˚⋆

The ones waiting for Rowy were the Flame Knight Order. The Flame Knight Order, the elite guard of the Irad ducal house, was known as the most powerful knight order on the continent alongside the Imperial Knight Order. And among them, the one tasked with Rowy’s escort was…

“…Sir Edner.”

“Master Rowy. It’s been a while.”

It was Edner Dean, the Vice-Captain of the Flame Knight Order. The stern-faced knight offered Rowy a sharp nod.

“As you may have heard, the schedule is tight due to the sudden nature of the trip. I will provide details on the itinerary and precautions while we are on the move, so please board the carriage. We are taking you back to the main estate.”

At Edner’s gesture, a knight standing by the carriage opened the door. It was a silent demand to board immediately. Rowy couldn’t help but feel it was rude, but there was nothing he could do. To arrive in the Empire on time, they couldn’t afford to waste a single moment.

‘Most of all, one needs to be firm with that troublemaker.’

Edner looked at the sulky-faced Rowy with cold eyes. Edner was well aware of Rowy’s notoriety. However, that didn’t mean he held any particular feelings about him. For Edner, all that mattered was performing his assigned mission perfectly.

‘Everything is for the Duke.’

Edner was a man of immense loyalty to the Irad ducal house and the Flame Knight Order. Therefore, he was determined to give his all to fulfill this mission perfectly for his master, the Duke.

‘Eliminate any factors that could interfere with the mission in advance.’

Edner’s eyes, hardened by this resolve, looked sharply at Rowy. Because… the only factor that could pose a problem in this mission was Rowy Irad.

“Master Rowy.”

“…”

“Please board.”

At Edner’s firm voice, Rowy finally walked slowly toward the carriage. Van, who had been unsure of what to do in the tense atmosphere, followed closely behind Rowy. Edner’s gaze, which had been fixed on Rowy, shifted to Van. His piercing eyes, no different from when he looked at Rowy, scanned Van from head to toe.

“…”

This was because there was one more order the Duke had given Edner. The Duke had secretly called Edner aside and assigned him an additional, independent mission. That mission was…

‘He told me to observe if this fellow is qualified to be a son-in-law. I don’t know what the Duke is thinking.’

This was the reason the Vice-Captain of the Flame Knight Order himself was attached to the task of bringing Rowy to the Empire. Unfortunately… Edner didn’t know exactly what the qualifications for a son-in-law were.

‘Well, his limbs seem intact.’

Edner felt slightly discouraged, not knowing what else he was supposed to find out.

. ꕤ ｡ ˚⋆

Perhaps because the schedule was truly tight, Rowy received information about the trip to the Empire one-sidedly inside the carriage.

The main points were that after passing through Belstra and Vanail by carriage, they planned to travel to the Empire using a magic circle in Norbel, and since they would not be accompanied by servants for the sake of speed, he was asked for his understanding.

As he listened to what was essentially a notification rather than a request, Rowy’s expression naturally soured. And then….

“Oh, and as you may be aware, while you are riding in a carriage bearing the Irad ducal crest… magic is forbidden. This is a message from the Duke: do not cause any trouble.”

“…”

In the end, Rowy’s mood plummeted to the very bottom.

“So annoying!”

Once Edner finished his explanation with a stiff face and walked away, leaving Rowy alone with Van again, Rowy sprawled out on the seat and vented his frustration.

“Hing… I don’t want to go!”

Van was at a loss, watching Rowy stomp his feet. But he couldn’t think of anything to soothe him.

‘I wondered why he hated returning to the Empire so much….’

In this situation, Van could fully understand Rowy. No matter what, Rowy was of a higher status, yet they spoke to him in such a high-handed tone, issuing commands… and to make matters worse, that command was,

‘Not to use magic.’

To be honest, Van had been extremely tense earlier, afraid that Rowy might attack Edner.

Luckily, nothing like that happened… but Van looked at Rowy with a troubled expression. Rowy was still thrashing about in annoyance.

“Did you see that? Staring at me like that!”

Rowy jumped up, mimicked glaring at someone, then flopped back down and stomped his feet.

“Everyone hates me!”

“How could that possibly be true?”

“It’s the truth!”

Rowy eventually started making sobbing noises. It was obviously fake crying… but it was heart-wrenching all the same, so Van lifted Rowy up and sat him facing him on his lap.

“Shh, so what if others hate you? I like you, Master.”

After stroking his back and soothing him for a while, Rowy stopped the fake sobbing and went quiet. His body lost its tension—fortunately, he seemed to have calmed down a little. Van, letting out a sigh of relief inwardly, pulled Rowy a bit closer. That was because Rowy’s eyes were still full of sorrow.

“If anyone bothers you even after we get back to the Empire, tell me. I will hold you tight like this.”

“…Really?”

“Of course.”

Moved by the infinitely gentle words, Rowy finally wrapped his arms around Van’s neck and leaned into him. Van hugged Rowy tightly and patted his back.

“Since you are returning after such a long time, is there anything you want to do?”

As if there would be such a thing. Cradled in Van’s solid embrace, Rowy thought with a sullen face. Still… Rowy looked up at Van, who was still stroking his back.

“…”

Still… if he was returning with Van, perhaps something would be different from before. After all, he was no longer alone. Receiving Van’s gentle pats, Rowy, now completely docile, whispered softly.

“…When we get to the Empire.”

“Yes.”

“There’s a dessert shop there that I like. Let’s go together.”

“What do they sell?”

“…Strawberry cake.”

“That sounds delicious.”

At the immediate reply, Rowy chuckled softly. The soft, tender atmosphere began to flow inside the carriage once more.

“…Master.”

“Mm?”

Sensing the shift in atmosphere, Van called out to Rowy slyly. Lately, Van never missed such moments. Rowy gave a disgusted look at Van’s deep gaze.

“What is it….”

“We’re leaving now. Before that happens. Okay?”