Chapter 19. You’re Not Coming With Me?

“Yes. Apparently, he always carried around a ragged doll, saying it was his daughter’s keepsake. It’s been a while since he stopped showing up to work without a word…”

Angbeuh recited word for word what the branch manager had said before waving her hand dismissively.

“Well, anyway, it’s just speculation. We don’t even know for sure if it’s related to the disturbing incidents happening in the merchant district.”

Just earlier, she’d jumped to conclusions about a romantic epic only to be shot down immediately.

“In that case, we should find out for sure.”

Taren. Disappearance. Incident. The next Marquis of Taren, standing right before her. Olivia did the math in an instant. The fastest and most effective way to put the Taren family at ease was obvious.

“Lady Taren.”

“Yes?”

“We need your help to solve this case.”

The idea was to reassure a figure whom the Taren family could not afford to ignore. Naturally, Olivia had no intention of revealing the full story to Angbeuh. She simply intended to show, clearly, that the matter was being resolved and there was no need to worry.

And the moment Olivia finished speaking, Angbeuh clasped her hands and her eyes sparkled. How could she not be overjoyed at the thought of helping her family overcome a crisis? Better yet, the outcome of this case would not only benefit her family but also the Empire as a whole. She cried out with sincerity:

“I’ll do my best to help!”

Once again, Angbeuh Taren eagerly threw herself into the situation, overflowing with pure goodwill and loyalty to the Imperial Family.

While Olivia was facing Angbeuh, in another part of the Imperial Palace—specifically the quarters assigned to knights from foreign lands—a sharply-chiseled knight was striding quickly down a hallway. He stopped in front of a door, looked around to make sure no one was nearby, and then knocked.

Knock, knock.

“Come in.”

Fortunately, the voice of the person he was looking for answered from inside, and the knight turned the doorknob without hesitation.

“Hm? What brings you here at this hour? Isn’t it supposed to be training time now?”

The handsome knight inside tilted his head in curiosity.

“There’s news you need to hear.”

“News? Well, sit down first.”

No sooner had they sat than the sharp-jawed knight spoke.

“A martial tournament is going to be held.”

“A martial tournament?”

“Yes. It hasn’t been officially announced yet, but it’s happening soon.”

He glanced around unnecessarily before lowering his voice. The handsome knight frowned. They both knew no one else was around—was he being overly cautious, or did he not trust him?

Just as he was about to speak—

“It’s information from a servant working in the central palace, where His Majesty handles official duties. So it’s solid intel.”

Hearing that, the handsome knight closed his mouth. If it came from the palace where the Emperor himself resided, then caution was warranted. As the saying goes, “walls have ears,” especially in the heart of the Empire. He looked at the sharp-jawed knight with newfound respect.

“You’re amazing to have gotten your hands on that kind of information.”

Though he didn’t reply, the sharp-jawed knight’s shoulders rose high with pride. But neither of them realized the truth—information about an event hosted by the Emperor wouldn’t simply leak to some foreign knight. Not under the Bolcheik Empire. What the knight had heard was carefully calculated and intentionally distributed.

“We don’t know the exact date yet, but there should be enough time to train. Since it’s an official event hosted by the Empire, Her Highness the Princess will definitely attend.”

The unspoken implication was obvious: if they stood out in the tournament, they might get close to the princess.

“That’s…”

But unlike the excited informant, the handsome knight’s reaction was lukewarm. That was only natural. The sharp-jawed knight had the skills to at least bear the title of “knight.” But the handsome one—he was a knight in name only. His talents lay not in battle, but in embracing others with love.

Still, he too was waiting his turn—for a dangerous nightly escapade.

There’s nothing new under the sun. People often come up with the same kinds of ideas.

‘She’s still human. She must sleep, right?’

‘And in her bedroom, there’s nowhere to run.’

This rotting plan—conceived in the twisted mind of a scumbag—soon spread like wildfire. Other knights began to see it as a good idea. The problem was, more than a few were thinking the same thing. Naturally, conflicts broke out. But it didn’t take long before they all came to an unspoken agreement—waiting their turn. No one wanted infighting to ruin their already slim chances.

Besides…

“If things go well in the tournament, we might not even have to worry about dying in an ‘accident.’”

Though the handsome knight frowned at the sharp-jawed one’s words, he didn’t object. Every knight who had snuck off at night thus far had suffered an “accidental death” and never returned.

“So don’t just sit there. Get up!”

“Hey, don’t pull me like that—”

“If I didn’t, you wouldn’t move at all!”

The two bickered as the sharp-jawed knight forcibly dragged the other up. Their opposing reactions were being mirrored all across the palace where foreign knights stayed. After all, there were two types of knights: those who truly earned the title, and those who merely bore it. Their attitudes differed, but their goal was the same.

“If it’s a martial tournament, Her Highness will definitely attend—”

“Even if I don’t win, if I can just catch her eye—”

“They say the guy beside her now was picked from a previous tournament, right? That means if she notices me…”

Olivia, completely unaware of this nonsense, became the fantasy of knights across the empire. The martial tournament, a contest of strength, had quickly devolved into a contest for her hand.

As rumors of the martial tournament spread silently yet systematically through the palace—

“A martial tournament?”

“Yep.”

Olivia stood proudly, hands on her hips, chin raised high. The confident pose screamed I’m a genius. Looking down at the much smaller Olivia, Cryer smirked.

“I was wondering what kind of scheming you were up to with that shady expression.”

“Ahem. Ahem!”

Her smirk earlier had been far too villainous for her to deny. So Olivia cleared her throat a few times before continuing.

“Here’s the list. I already had it sent out. Don’t kill anyone! Try not to injure them, either! Just duel them. Once you go through everyone, we’ll have a sense of where you stand.”

Even after saying it once, Olivia repeated herself to be sure.

“Absolutely no killing. Not even injuries—”

“If you emphasize it that much, my hand might slip and someone might lose a limb.”

His mouth was smiling, but his eyes weren’t. Olivia scowled but didn’t push the matter. A shadow loomed over her as Cryer stepped forward and took the list from her hands, gently tapping the frown lines between her brows.

“Got it. So relax that frown.”

As his finger rubbed the spot he touched, Olivia stepped back.

“Again with the touching! Not even His Majesty has done that! You really must be mistaken about something.”

Smaller than him by far, Olivia stood on tiptoes and jabbed his chest.

“I’m not a child.”

“Ah, of course.”

“What’s with that half-hearted answer?”

Cryer stared down at her. She definitely wasn’t a child. She was clearly an adult. But…

“From my perspective, you’re still very young.”

“What? What do you mean—”

She was ready to retort that they must be about the same age. But Olivia stopped mid-sentence. Cryer casually added:

“I come from a time long ago.”

His memory of the moment he was revived was hazy, but Greta had once whispered to him:

‘From a pure age… not like this corrupted world…’

She hadn’t given a specific time, but she had used the word “age.” That meant it had been a long time ago. That was about all Olivia knew about his past.

“Well, still—no, wait!”

Her eyes rolled, and she shook her head quickly.

“Even if you were from long ago, you died around my age! And you were revived at that age! You didn’t… get younger during revival, did you? Wait, did you?”

Her pointed finger slowly curled back. If he had gotten younger, he could be an old man. If they could revive someone from a past era, surely it wasn’t impossible to make them younger too.

Cryer smirked mischievously.

“Who knows? I don’t remember my past. Maybe I did.”

“Don’t say things like that! It leaves me with no comeback!”

Olivia sighed deeply, and Cryer chuckled.

“Same here.”

“What?”

When she tilted her head at his vague words, he replied:

“My hand just moved on its own.”

Olivia shut her mouth. If he said that was all there was to it, what more could she say? In fact, wasn’t that the exact excuse she used whenever she touched him?

As her frown started forming again, Cryer reached out and gently smoothed it away. Then he stood up.

“Time to move.”

He took a few steps, then paused. Olivia, who should’ve been beside him, was just waving from behind.

“You’re not coming with me?”

At his question, Olivia widened her eyes and pointed at herself.

“Me?”