Ch.55. Warning

“Cordana? Why are you suddenly asking about that?”

Ember closed her mouth after stammering a bit.

She must have realized how contrived her question sounded.

A chilly silence fell between us. Ember looked at me with uncertain eyes, then finally turned her gaze away.

“Sit down for now.”

Ember sat in the seat I offered, her face clearly showing signs of anxiety.

Ember was, at least on the surface, a flawlessly beautiful woman. She had quite a tall stature for a woman, dark-tinged blonde hair, and distinct facial features. Though her slim build left something to be desired in terms of volume, she had looks that would stand out anywhere.

Yes, her face value was honestly outstanding.

But why was it? Even when we were alone, I never felt anything stir below the waist.

Why didn’t I feel desire for such a beauty? At first, I wondered if something was wrong with my body, but that wasn’t the case. Before our engagement, when I went to save a distant territory far from the imperial capital, I had enjoyed a fling with a village maiden I happened to connect with.

The reason someone like me became practically celibate in front of my fiancée was… obvious. It was because of how Ember had behaved all this time.

From conducting a background check within just 5 minutes of our first meeting, to subtly flaunting her noble status and acting high and mighty in the early days of our engagement, then completely changing her attitude and clinging to me as soon as Cordana prices surged.

She was the type of woman who would put a price tag on her own virginity. That was Ember. If only she had acted less transparently, things might have been different.

‘She probably thinks she’s being clever about it.’

Still, a fiancée is a fiancée. It would be polite to wait until Ember managed to compose herself, but somehow I didn’t feel like doing that.

“Seems like you have nothing to say. It’s getting late, why don’t you head back?”

“…You’re sending me away right after I arrived? Is being with me that uncomfortable, Erick?”

“Not uncomfortable, just… I don’t know what we should do to pass the time together. Have we ever had a real conversation? Every time we meet, we both just talk without listening to each other, then part ways.”

“…Other knights tell their lovers about their heroic deeds.”

Heroic deeds, out of nowhere. I considered actually telling her some, but decided against it.

Like the story of tracking down a group of deserters for over five days without bathing, succeeding in executing them while looking filthy. Or the story of slaughtering hundreds of goblins like a madman with a few comrades, ending up covered in blood.

A knight’s life was never glamorous. I could tell her if I wanted to, but that wasn’t the kind of story Ember wanted to hear.

Even now, she was clearly itching to bring up Cordana. She was probably just hesitating because she felt awkward.

“Ember, forget about heroic deeds and just get to the point. What are you really curious about?”

“…I’m worried you’ll be prejudiced against me.”

“I’ve been prejudiced since the first time I saw you, so don’t worry about it.”

“…Ha.”

Where did her self-proclaimed noble lady’s dignity go? Ember took a deep breath and finally started to speak what was on her mind.

“Erick. What exactly are you planning to do with all that money?”

“I’ll use it as I see fit. Why do you ask?”

“…I’m curious. Of course I am. I’m going to be your wife. According to imperial law, once engaged, both parties are obligated to marry as soon as possible. Though you’ve been thoroughly ignoring that obligation, Erick.”

Indeed, engagements between nobles weren’t child’s play. If one party broke the engagement, they would not only pay a substantial penalty but also face public disgrace.

But that was only for nobles. I wasn’t a noble.

Just because I almost became part of the Hero’s party, or because I was among the top-tier knights in the Royal Order, that fact didn’t change.

“Ember. You seem to have forgotten that I’m not a noble. You’re the daughter of a nobleman without a title. If we break our engagement, no one will criticize us.”

“…Even without legal binding, you’re a famous knight, and I’m the daughter of a High Prosecutor. If you break the engagement, your reputation…”

“I know. That’s why I’m telling you to be careful with your behavior so I don’t feel like breaking it. Coming to see me in the middle of the night to pry about Cordana isn’t exactly beneficial for our relationship.”

“……”

Though I said this, I intended to maintain my engagement with Ember as long as there were no critical issues. It was difficult to break an engagement without proper justification.

And regardless of her character, Ember’s conditions were quite suitable as a marriage partner.

First, her family wasn’t powerful, so they wouldn’t try to control me. The fact that her father was a prosecutor was also a condition I quite liked.

A prosecutor’s job was to monitor whether the Empire’s power and finances were being used appropriately, and to prosecute any illegal matters. If you got on the wrong side of someone truly powerful, your head could roll, but it was true that the position carried considerable authority. Good for building connections too.

Marriage is reality, after all. If Ember didn’t openly display her greed, I was willing to stay with her based on the conditions alone.

“Leave Cordana to me. Whether we get married or not, Cordana will remain my property.”

I made this statement bluntly, then looked at Ember.

‘I hope she gets the message…’

Judging by Ember’s hardened expression, she didn’t seem to accept it readily. I wonder if she failed to notice that I was giving her a chance.

After staring at me with sharp eyes for a while, she slowly rose to her feet. Then she threw a barb at me.

“Erick, you think you’re really something, don’t you?”

“I’m not bad.”

I was in my mid-twenties and already at the highest Expert level. Though not yet a Master, my skills weren’t lacking anywhere. If I were to act humble, it would be disrespectful to the 99 percent of knights with less talent than me.

Ember seemed to realize this belatedly and flinched momentarily, but soon returned to her venomous expression.

“But you’re not a genius renowned throughout the Empire, are you? Just because you have some moderate skill doesn’t mean you can live in this world alone.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Ember glared at me for a moment, then turned away.

It was about a 30-minute walk from my quarters to her home. I wondered how it would feel to trudge along for 30 minutes after being rejected by me. I don’t know for sure, but it probably wouldn’t be pleasant. If she deeply reflected and reduced her greed during that time, that would be good…

‘If not, then so be it.’

Lately, I’d been keenly feeling the need to reorganize my connections. There was no rule saying Ember couldn’t be among those cut off.

///

On her way home, Ember acutely felt her own wretched situation.

A proper noble lady would never have to walk for 30 minutes. Unfortunately, her family wasn’t wealthy enough to own a carriage.

Walking and walking, her legs began to ache, and before reaching home, she suffered the humiliation of breaking a heel on her shoe.

As her physical pain intensified, so did her resentment toward Erick.

His dry tone, cold attitude devoid of any consideration, and that look in his eyes that saw her not as a fiancée but as a shameless freeloader. Despite knowing full well that she had walked all the way there, he didn’t even call a carriage for her.

She finally exploded with accumulated anger in front of her father.

“Dad. I won’t beat around the bush. Teach Erick a lesson.”

“Erick?”

Her father blinked, then frowned at the sight of his daughter’s miserable appearance.

“Dad, you’re a prosecutor. A High Prosecutor, right?”

“…Ember, whatever the story is, I’m not someone who abuses power out of personal feelings. And the Royal Order is difficult even for prosecutors to touch. In some ways, they’re more untouchable than high nobles.”

“No, Dad. It’s not difficult at all. Erick has already fallen out of favor with the Order anyway.”

When Ember demanded in a shrill voice, her father exhaled a short sigh.

“…Sigh. Did you two have a fight? I understand how you feel, but what prosecutor would undermine his future son-in-law? Let’s sleep on it and talk again in the morning.”

Ember was displeased that even her father was being difficult.

Fortunately, unlike Erick, her father was someone she could persuade. Her father always prioritized safety. He was the type who would review documents over and over, even when prosecuting a few low-level tax officials.

As long as she could convince him that her actions wouldn’t cause fatal harm to Erick, her father would surely help. Ember was certain of this.

“Dad. I’m not trying to put Erick in a really difficult position.”

“Then why are you doing this?”

“I haven’t said anything until now because I didn’t want you to worry… but the truth is, Erick has been treating me very coldly since he made that big money. Can’t you tell from the fact that we still haven’t set a wedding date? If things continue like this, I might really be abandoned.”

“Huh, surely a member of the Royal Order wouldn’t behave that way.”

“Does Erick even care about the Order anymore? He has enough money to buy a castle. We need to give him a wake-up call at this point.”

“…Ember.”

“I’ve never asked for something like this before. I’m only saying it because it’s really necessary.”

When Ember pleaded, her father finally gave in, pretending to be persuaded.

And the very next day, he began to dig into Erick’s background using his authority as a prosecutor.

He was looking for something that wouldn’t ruin Erick’s career but would give him at least a minimal sense of crisis.

Fortunately, his 20-plus years of experience as a prosecutor seemed to pay off. He found something in less than half a day.

“…It seems there was a complaint filed against Sir Erick last year. Apparently, he excessively searched a village while tracking deserters. It’s not something to prosecute, but I could recommend a verbal warning to the Order.”

“A verbal warning? That sounds good. But Dad, under your name…”

“…Of course I asked a junior colleague. We’ll frame it as an enthusiastic young prosecutor demanding self-discipline from the sacred institution of the Royal Order.”

Her father said this with a reluctant expression.

Ember nodded with a satisfied look. She thought this would be enough as a warning to Erick.

‘This should be enough to stop him from treating me poorly.’

Of course, they would be far from an affectionate relationship, but having already taken the wrong path, she needed to reestablish their relationship this way. She needed to show him that he couldn’t disregard her. After that, she planned to make conciliatory gestures.

However, events unfolded differently than Ember had anticipated.

The Royal Order, upon receiving the disciplinary recommendation, began to move far too aggressively. They showed no signs of settling for a mere verbal warning.