Chapter 77: One Step (2)

After finishing lunch at home, we headed to the Winter Palace for work.

Together.

Although we had started living together after returning from the Silver Sabertooth expedition at Elaine’s suggestion, we had always been careful not to get caught when stopping by the house, just like when returning from vacation.

But this time, we openly walked in side by side.

At the last party, we weren’t the only ones in the escort unit.
There were also personnel assigned to the party’s security, and other squad leaders and vice leaders attended in their dress uniforms.

At the time, Elaine was surrounded by people, so we didn’t get a chance to run into them.

But our colleagues at the scene must have seen it.

The sight of Elaine and me dancing together in the center of the hall.

And some of the sharper ones would definitely start suspecting our relationship.

For example—

“Captain, you’ve arrived? And… Sir Luke as well?”

It seemed he was on escort duty.
Weasel, the leader of Escort Unit 4, spotted us arriving together and looked surprised.

“Squad Leader, any unusual reports during duty?”
“None to report.”

At Elaine’s question, Weasel quickly composed himself and reported the escort duty status.

Once he finished, he glanced back at us.

“I was informed that both of you were coming in for the afternoon shift… Did you go somewhere together?”
“No, we’re just arriving for work now.”
“Huh? Oh, then I guess you ran into each other outside.”
“Actually, I’ve been living with Luke. After the party last night, we went home together and are now coming back.”
“…?”
“We’re on our way to His Excellency, so save your questions for later.”

Elaine brushed past the utterly bewildered Weasel, and I followed behind her, whispering.

“Wasn’t our plan to explain things more properly, not in such a hasty way?”
“I got nervous since it was the first time. Squad Leader Weasel is understanding; he’ll catch on quickly.”
“He already short-circuited just from hearing it.”

Before heading to work, Elaine and I had a serious conversation about how to reveal our relationship.

We had decided not to hide it anymore, but how we revealed it was just as important.

It wasn’t like we could stand on stage during the escort unit’s briefing and announce,
“Actually, we’ve been secretly dating, but from today, we’re making it public and officially a couple!”

That would be ridiculous. Grace would be horrified and stop us immediately.

But at the same time, we weren’t planning to openly flaunt our relationship in front of others.

We didn’t want to end up like the ill-fated lovers who let romance interfere with work.

Elaine’s diligent nature wouldn’t allow that anyway.

So, our plan was simple:

We wouldn’t hide it, but we also wouldn’t make it too obvious.

Before, we had been too focused on keeping it a secret.
From now on, we would maintain clear rules for our relationship.

1. During work hours, we would act as colleagues, just as we always had.
   1-1. No displays of affection in the escort unit barracks or inside the Winter Palace.
   1-2. However, as long as it wasn’t direct affection, we could be a little more relaxed around each other.

2. During meal breaks or rest periods, minimal physical contact would be allowed depending on the situation.
   2-1. The “minimal” part meant nothing that would be inappropriate if seen by others.

3. Outside of work, we could behave like a normal couple.
   3-1. Just like rule 2, we would avoid anything too affectionate in public—those moments were reserved for home.

There were a few more rules, but in summary—

“Let’s just use common sense and act appropriately.”

The long list of rules was mostly due to Elaine’s personality, but there was nothing particularly difficult about them.

As for telling others, we wouldn’t go out of our way to announce it.

If someone asked, we would confirm it, but that was all.

(What just happened with Weasel was a mistake on Elaine’s part because she got too nervous on her first try.)

Gossip spreads on its own.

If a few people knew, the rest would find out soon enough, so there was no need for a public announcement.

That said, we decided to personally inform the people who really needed to know.

“Ah, I see.”

Grace listened to our newly established relationship rules with an unbothered expression.
That… wasn’t the reaction I was expecting.

“What’s with that disappointed look? Was I supposed to be shocked? I’ve known for a while that you two were dating.”

“It’s not that, but since Your Grace was frustrated with us keeping it a secret, I thought you might at least be a little impressed.”

“I was impressed—when you two danced at the party. I was the one who told you to enjoy the party, but I didn’t expect you to enjoy it that much. So I assumed you had already decided to go public with your relationship back then.”

Grace then added, “Ah, but now that I think about it, no one else seemed to notice. Probably because Sir Elaine has always been so indifferent to romance.”

“Anyway, congratulations on your decision. Just make sure it doesn’t interfere with your work. And for the record, if you slack off because of your relationship, Luke, you’re out of the escort squad immediately.”

“Understood.”

She was smiling, but she definitely wasn’t joking.

Still, I had already proven myself through our little bet, so Grace probably meant it more as a light warning than an actual threat.

“By the way, Your Grace, there’s something I’d like to ask.”

“What is it?”

“About the party… Did you push us together on purpose?”

From the moment she instructed us to attend in casual clothes instead of armor, something felt intentional.
As Elaine voiced the concern she had been holding back, Grace simply shrugged.

“Yes and no.”

“What do you mean?”

“The reason I told everyone to come in casual clothes was because something big is coming soon. I wanted everyone to relax a little before that. But I’m not wealthy enough to throw a party of that scale just for the two of you. The cost of mining operations alone is already a burden.”

“Ah…”

“If war breaks out, the escort squad’s role will become crucial. It could turn into a battle on the scale of the last great war. That’s why I plan to give all the squad members rotations for leave, not just the captains.”

The party’s true purpose was to stabilize the upper-class sentiment before the impending war with the West.

We were also preparing morale-boosting training within the escort squad.
Grace was making sure her personal guards—who were responsible for her safety—weren’t shaken either.
Not that any of us would be.

“Ah, and you two will get your own leave as well. This morning was just a special case because Sir Elaine was practically in heat.”

“Your Grace.”

“Your eyes yesterday were really something. If I had refused, you probably would have clung to my leg. Well, considering what happened, I can’t say I don’t understand.”

I wasn’t there at the time, so I had no idea what had happened between them.
But since Elaine remained silent, it seemed Grace wasn’t entirely joking.

“And I did hope the party would help you two grow closer. Having someone you can trust completely by your side on the battlefield is a huge relief.”

Then, Grace smirked at me and said,

“Maybe it’s because I’ve been thinking a lot lately, but I’ve started remembering things I had forgotten.”

“?”

“When was it…? Sir Elaine once told me about her type of man.”

“??”

Elaine’s ideal type?
What the hell? That’s really interesting.

“What do you think, Sir Luke? Curious?”

“Very much so.”

“Kuhuhu, I should tell you, shouldn’t I?”

“Your Grace!”

Elaine, flustered, tried to stop her.

Grace grinned mischievously, dragging out the suspense as she teased Elaine.

“To be honest, it was so long ago that I don’t remember the details. But I do recall thinking her standards were incredibly high—so high that I wondered if any man could ever meet them.”

She seemed genuinely unsure, which left me feeling disappointed.
Still, curiosity got the better of me, so I probed further.

“Based on what Your Grace remembers, how well do I fit those standards?”

“If I had to guess, I’d say you meet them perfectly. Sir Elaine doesn’t seem like the type to compromise on her criteria.”

“So I suppose one of her conditions was that he should be younger than her.”

“Pffft—!”

Grace burst into laughter, while Elaine, her face bright red, quietly pinched me.

“…And speaking of which, Your Grace also had quite the high standards.”

“Me? That can’t be right.”

“You weren’t as strict as I was, but you were still quite particular.”

Ah, so she admits she was picky.

I don’t even need to hear what Grace’s type was—I can already guess.
It would be all the qualities Aran possesses.

“What exactly did I say back then?”

She wasn’t trying to change the subject; she genuinely seemed unable to recall.
Seeing her like that made me a little curious as well.

Grace might actually be even worse than Elaine when it comes to romance—she doesn’t even realize her own feelings for Aran.

And yet, there was a time when she had openly talked about her type?
Elaine seemed to remember.
Maybe I should ask her about it later.

After Elaine left, Grace returned to her work.

Then, out of nowhere, she let out a small chuckle.

‘They’re perfectly capable in every other way, but when it comes to weird things, they turn into children.’

When she first heard their sudden confession at the restaurant about being in a relationship, she had been genuinely flustered.

But once she understood, she noticed the affection in their eyes whenever they looked at each other.

Seeing them flustered, desperately trying to hide it in front of others, was both endearing and slightly frustrating.

So when the two of them danced together at the party, Grace felt both entertained and relieved.

‘Maybe I was too teasing at first.’

She felt a bit guilty, wondering if she was partly to blame for how stubbornly they had tried to hide it.

After all, as soon as she heard about their relationship, she had put Luke under excessive pressure.

Even going so far as to make some strange bet.

But back then, even she didn’t understand why she had been in such a foul mood.

Looking back now, she realized—her friend, whom she had been worried about, had finally found a lover.

Instead of congratulating her, she had been cold and distant.

Since even she had reacted coldly despite being a close friend of ten years, Elaine might have thought that others would react even worse and decided to keep it a secret.

Hmm… When they get married later, I’ll have to throw them a grand celebration.

‘But why did I feel so bad back then?’

Grace admitted that Luke was a good man.

He had decent looks and a great personality.

His actions during incidents sometimes seemed a little suspicious, as if he had some hidden agenda, but he never had any malicious intent.

He was simply a man devoted to the North.

He seemed like someone who, much like his lover, preferred to handle things with his own hands.

His determined, ambition-filled eyes were intriguing.

And despite having other women around, just like herself or Sophia, he only had eyes for Elaine. That alone earned him passing marks.

Thinking about it, he was one of the best men she had ever seen.
She even found him somewhat interesting.

But she didn’t believe that her feelings were romantic.

When she had told Elaine that she would take him away if she hesitated too much, it hadn’t been a serious threat—it was more of a warning to hold on tightly to the partner she had found.

Ah, would even that kind of remark feel burdensome to the other person?

I suppose I’d know better if I had dated a man myself.

Speaking of relationships, she suddenly grew curious about the preferences she had supposedly mentioned in the past—ones Elaine had brought up.

She vaguely remembered having such a conversation with Elaine, but after that day eight years ago, she had cut away all her soft emotions.
She truly couldn’t recall what she had said back then.

Unable to get it out of her mind, she stopped working and tapped the desk with her quill, lost in thought.

Little by little, memories started resurfacing.

‘I said that the Northraine bloodline must continue, so infertility was out of the question.’

But that wasn’t something she could confirm until they had shared a bed, which was a bit of a problem.

‘I think I also mentioned that he had to be strong and healthy.’

A frail man was out of the question.
He would be the consort of the Northern Grand Duke, after all—he had to be twice as sturdy as other men.
Northern folk disliked sickly men even more than unclean ones.

While she was at it, it would be nice if he were handsome.

Marriage was for life—there should be some pleasure in looking at him.

Not to mention, the Grand Duke’s consort would be the face of the North, so it was important.

But above all else, the most important condition was—

“That’s right! I remember now. He had to be good with a sword.”

Grace, constantly buried in work, had no particular hobbies.

She didn’t have the leisure to enjoy hobbies in the first place.

The only pastime she had was swinging her sword whenever she could squeeze in the time.

She had a small wish that her spouse would be skilled enough to match her in swordplay.

‘Luke fails on that condition.’

Of course, he was fairly capable.

Elaine wouldn’t have passed down her Seolhangeom to him just because he was her lover.

But even so, he was lacking.

At the very least, he needed to be at Elaine’s level.

Now that she thought about it, how many men in the world could actually match the swordsmanship of someone known as the Sword Saint?

Maybe Elaine was right about her standards being too high.

“Ah.”

At that moment, a certain person flashed vividly in Grace’s mind.

The Hero, Aran.

Far sturdier than most men, strikingly handsome, and skilled enough to face the Sword Saint’s blade head-on.

He met every single one of her absurdly high standards.

Her mind reeled at the thought.

She did have a fondness for Aran.

She had considered him a rather impressive man.

When she heard of his death, she had been deeply saddened.

And when she learned that he was alive, she had felt an indescribable joy.

Now, he was wandering somewhere in the kingdom.

And there was a possibility that, someday, he might come to the North.

“I want to see him…?”

Grace unconsciously clapped a hand over her mouth.
What had she just said?

She soon realized that her face was heating up.

Her reflection in the window—

Looked just like Elaine’s expression when she had gazed at Luke at the party.

That day, Grace took a step forward in understanding her own emotions.

She had acted indifferent.

But spending time with Luke and Elaine—

Their emotions had slowly seeped into her heart as well.