Chapter 6: The Difficult First Date (2)

The table, unexpectedly hit by a bomb called ‘dating.’

The food had just arrived, so I didn’t have to worry about the freshly baked toast and coffee getting cold right away.

‘At this rate, they might cool down quickly.’

Grace, still holding the fork with mashed potatoes on it, had her gaze fixed on our hands, her eyes frozen as if she were staring at them.

Because of that, I couldn’t bring myself to touch the bread, even though the delicious scent was reaching my nose.

One of my hands was already being held by Elaine.

“Is that so?”

Luckily, the silence didn’t last long.

As expected from humanity’s strongest knight, Grace broke the ice on her own and moved her mouth.

However, she didn’t bring the fork to her mouth; instead, she placed it back on the plate.

“I was a bit surprised by the suddenness of it. Please understand.”

“???”

Although Grace spoke normally, I couldn’t help but have a question mark floating in my mind.

She hadn’t eaten anything yet, so why was she wiping her mouth with a napkin?

“I didn’t know that you two were dating. It’s embarrassing for me as a lord to be so indifferent to the matters of my subordinates. Or perhaps, have you managed to hide it well, my lord?”

“No, that’s not it. We only started dating yesterday. It’s natural that you didn’t know, Your Excellency.”

To be precise, we officially started dating this morning, but after last night, when we both longed for each other so desperately, it seemed that Elaine had considered it official from that moment.

“So, it was after the mission ended yesterday? Ah, the guard unit had a dinner gathering, right?”

Our Northern Duke, being a true superior, didn’t attend the 1st Squad’s dinner gathering but only asked that the bill be put under his name and left early.

So, after the gathering, Elaine and I went for a second round, and although I’m not sure what happened afterward, she knew about the 1st Squad’s dinner schedule.

“Ah, I see. Understood.”

Grace muttered to herself, seemingly processing the situation, before nodding with an expression of understanding.

Meeting with Grace, and Elaine’s sudden impulse, were all unexpected variables.

But as the saying goes, “It doesn’t matter if you go through a rough road as long as you get to Seoul.”

If Grace acknowledges our relationship and Elaine’s route becomes set, it’ll relieve a great burden.

Elaine, being the head of the Northern Duke’s elite guards, has no one foolish enough to meddle with her private matters, and as long as it doesn’t interfere with the mission, Grace likely won’t say anything about our relationship.

There’s no need to worry about the flow of the original story either.

The North appears in the middle of the novel. While the protagonist struggles in the early stages, I’ll have plenty of time to prepare for the upcoming episodes of the story, outside of the narrative.

During that time, I’ll also build my relationship with Elaine steadily, and when the protagonist eventually reaches the North, I can resolve the situation smoothly with everything I’ve prepared.

It’ll be the completion of my planned stable fantasy life.

‘There is one thing I’m concerned about even after finishing the Northern episodes, though.’

The truth is…

I never got to see the ending of Brave Road.

I was about to watch the final episode when I was transmigrated.

So, while I know how the story unfolds up to the last moment, I don’t know how it ends.

But that’s the protagonist’s job to deal with.

If it really bothers me, I can just give him a hint when he eventually gets to the North.

For now, I was just waiting for Grace to offer her blessing, so I could gratefully receive it and finally enjoy this delicious meal.

“While I believe that a third party shouldn’t meddle in a relationship between two people…”

“???”

“That behavior doesn’t seem appropriate.”

“??”

Grace’s words left both me and Elaine slightly taken aback.

I never expected Grace to openly oppose us.

It wasn’t just the content of her response.

Her tone sounded cold.

Though Grace is normally expressionless, she felt unusually colder this time, as if she were upset.

‘Could she be angry that the head of the guards, who should only be focused on protecting her lord, was distracted by a man?’

After all, guarding is about focusing solely on the safety of one’s lord. If one starts worrying about others, natural gaps might appear.

Grace’s discomfort made sense.

But just like when Elaine had warned me not to treat her like a temporary tool, Elaine is someone who clearly distinguishes between work and personal life, and she had just sworn that it wouldn’t interfere with our mission.

Grace, who had spent a long time with Elaine, surely knew this about her subordinate’s character.

Even if she was concerned, it wasn’t like Elaine had made any mistake. She would likely just give a warning, not make anyone uncomfortable like this in front of them.

“Do you think I might be neglecting my duties and causing trouble for you, Your Excellency?”

“……”

“As I mentioned before, I will set aside personal feelings when it comes to work. If anything happens due to emotional reasons, even a small issue, I will take full responsibility.”

Elaine, seemingly thinking the same as I did, swore to Grace again.

Grace, still expressionless, listened to Elaine’s vow, took a small breath, and then opened her mouth.

“I know you’re not the type to do such a thing. Even if I don’t punish you, you’d take responsibility on your own, wouldn’t you?”

“Then why…?”

Grace’s gaze shifted to me.

“What concerns me is not Elaine, but you.”

Me?

“Corporal Luke of the Guard. Your physical ability ranks in the upper middle among the Northern Army. You haven’t taken the knight exam, so you’re not officially a knight yet, but seeing that you can wield fire energy, it’s clear you have at least a faint grasp on magic.”

“!”

I was honestly surprised when Grace started listing information about me.

I was just a new member of the Guard, having recently joined the army, still a rookie even within the Northern Army.

Of course, I had risen quickly through sheer effort, a monstrous rookie, but still, I never expected Grace to pay this

much attention to me.

‘Has Grace been interested in me this whole time?’

We’ve only talked once, and during missions, she hadn’t even given me a second glance.

Maybe she had seen my file when I applied to join the Guard, but the fact that she knew I could use fire energy was

strange. I had kept the fact that I could control Salamander scales secret, and only a few of the guards who had been

on duty with me at the time had seen me use fire.

“Certainly, your achievements stand out even among the new recruits I’ve seen. But the reason I placed you in the Guard isn’t solely because of your excellent results.”

“Then…?”

“On the contrary, I placed someone with unusual performance and rapid growth—someone who could be seen as suspicious—by my side for another reason.”

Grace spoke sharply, as if she could see straight through me.

“I expected your continued growth and dedication.”

“!”

“The Guard is made up of the best of the best, all personally chosen by me. I wanted you to thrive in this environment.”

In other words, it wasn’t just my accomplishments but my behavior that had earned me the high marks. Well, since I had purposely acted in a way that would appeal to Grace, it made sense that this was the result.

But what did this have to do with anything now?

Ah.

“So, I finally placed you in the Guard, and now you’re distracted, chasing after a partner, while neglecting your duties. And not just anyone—my most trusted aide, no less. I’m a bit angry.”

Now I understood why Grace had been so upset. The problem wasn’t Elaine—it was me.

If I wasn’t involved with Elaine, Grace would have stayed quiet. If I were courting someone other than Elaine, she would have raised an objection.

She had created a good environment for me because she liked my hardworking nature and wanted me to continue

progressing, but now she was upset because she thought I was slacking off and focusing on a woman instead of

training.

‘This is awkward…’

My rise in the Guard had been possible because Grace had evaluated me positively. Now, Grace was feeling betrayed, wondering if I had joined the Guard just to slack off and pursue personal interests.

‘Of course, even if I’m with Elaine, I’ll continue to work hard.’

I was determined to keep pushing forward, not just for personal satisfaction but to secure a stable life in this fantasy

world. Even if I married the commander of the Guard, my life wouldn’t be in danger, but to ensure my plans for the

future, I needed to keep advancing and ensure my position.

Above all, we weren’t even married yet. If I were dismissed from the Guard, and if things soured with Elaine, my plans would collapse from the root, leaving no chance for recovery.

But even if I told Grace that I would work hard, I knew she wouldn’t take it positively after feeling betrayed. She’d probably think it was just an empty promise to escape the current situation.

“Your Excellency, I believe what you just said is a bit excessive.”

At that moment, Elaine intervened.

She had the same serious expression she usually wore when dealing with Grace, but now, she seemed even more upset.

“You know what kind of person Luke is, don’t you? He’s diligent and hardworking. Even if he were to have a lover, he wouldn’t become lazy. In fact, now that he has someone to care for, he’ll work even harder.”

Elaine defended me, and for a moment, I was moved, but I quickly held it back.

I was happy that she was standing up for me, but now was not the time to be overwhelmed by emotions.

“Your defense is not convincing. Who would speak ill of their own lover?”

“I’m not talking about Luke as my lover. I’m talking about the Luke you’ve always seen, Your Excellency.”

“If he were the person you described, he would have spent less time wooing you and focused on his training instead.”

“There’s one misunderstanding you have. Luke didn’t try to woo me with ill intentions. We’re together because we both genuinely care for each other.”

The two women were arguing, and I felt a chill run down my spine.

This couldn’t go on like this. No matter how close they were, exchanging sharp words like this could cause a rift between them.

If this escalated into a fight, it would be dangerous.

The guilt I felt wasn’t important right now—what mattered was that Elaine and Grace could become uncomfortable because of this disagreement.

And that could create a butterfly effect, potentially affecting the overall development of the story.

In a way, this incident happened because I had intentionally made an effort to catch Grace’s attention, but then lost control and caused a situation with Elaine.

Even if it wasn’t a complete disaster, since the cause of the argument between the two women was entirely my fault, I had to step in and resolve the issue.

“Your Excellency.”

“Speak.”

As I began to speak, Grace stopped her argument with Elaine and turned her gaze toward me.

I met her gaze without hesitation, not allowing myself to be intimidated.

“I sincerely thank you for considering me favorably and appointing me to the Royal Guard as one of your trusted subordinates.”

“…”

“You have granted me such a favor, and I believe I should not rest on my laurels but instead work harder to meet the expectations you have of me.”

“Enough with the praise. Get to the point.”

Grace waved her hand as if it were a hassle, but I knew.

Telling me to get to the point meant she was giving me a chance.

“I will prove that I haven’t become complacent—not just with empty words, but with visible achievements.”

“Hmm.”

“I will challenge the knight exam in exactly two months and pass it.”

“…”

At my words, Elaine, who had been watching Grace, widened her eyes and turned to look at me.

“Oh?”

Grace, too, slightly raised the corners of her mouth, showing a faint smile of interest.

Of course.

What does it mean to be a knight?

A symbol of strength, a professional combatant, a measure of the power of a faction.

The number of knights directly correlates to the strength of a nation, and the quality of its knights reflects its military capabilities.

Because of this, the exam to become a knight is never easy.

Even those with talent and noble bloodlines spend years preparing for the difficult exam.

For a soldier who has only been in service for a few months to even think of attempting the exam is not a level that can be casually spoken of.

Moreover, the northern exam is even more stringent.

In the North, where strength is revered, knights are viewed as superhumans, selected based on the harshest and most demanding criteria.

Thus, challenging the knight exam is a bold move that Grace could not ignore.

And as expected…

“That’s an interesting proposal, but what will you do if you fail the knight exam?”

“If I fail, I will have betrayed Your Excellency’s trust… In that case, I will resign from the Royal Guard.”

I declared, staring directly at her without averting my gaze. Grace paused for a moment before looking at me again.

“Very well.”

With a short response, she nodded.

Grace nodding meant she accepted my proposal.

“However, two months is too short. Given that you have to prepare for the exam while fulfilling your duties with the Royal Guard, I will give you a generous six-month period.”

“Two months will be enough.”

Despite her consideration, I reiterated my two-month timeline. Grace stared at me, blinking slowly.

“Aha ha ha ha!”

She let out a loud laugh, something unusual for her.

“Impressive, Luke.”

Grace flashed a satisfied smile and then suggested we resume eating, as our food was cooling.

She continued eating with a smile on her face.

Meanwhile, Elaine, looking worried, subtly tugged at my clothes beneath the table and sent me a concerned look.

I smiled at her, though I knew that it wouldn’t completely ease her worries.

Elaine, reading the confidence on my face, gently pushed her bacon towards me.

Grace glanced at us briefly before returning to her meal.