SOTBW - 110

“Jacob, select at least twelve soldiers with more than five years of experience and organize a reconnaissance team. We’ll head outside the fortress by tomorrow.”

Jacob was about to answer when a clear voice rang out from the training grounds.

“Commander!”

It was Didina.

Everyone standing in the training grounds raised their heads toward the stairs.

“The tailor you summoned earlier has arrived! With your permission, I’d like to take Dame Schnicks along!”

Najane, who had been called, tilted his head in confusion. Maximón gave him a nudge, signaling him to go.

“A tailor? What’s this about?”

Najane resisted the nudge by planting his feet firmly.

“You’ll see when you go.”

Maximón didn’t offer any further explanation. Najane glanced at Maximón suspiciously, but seeing Didina shivering from the cold made him relent. He climbed the stairs without pressing further.

As Najane walked off, Jacob casually asked, “Are you getting him a uniform?”

“Hmm.”

Maximón gave a rare smile and nodded.

The prayer ceremony and the year-end party were approaching. While the prayer ceremony welcomed ordinary citizens and had no dress code, the party required a certain level of formality. Maximón despised year-end parties, but since Najane seemed interested, he planned to show up briefly. If it were up to him, he would have liked to commission several fine dresses, but he doubted Najane would want something like that.

Maximón stared silently in the direction Najane had disappeared. Meanwhile, the knights who had been resting with their backsides on the dirt floor watched Maximón like he was an exotic ornament. Even seasoned knights who had spent years at Romsoa struggled to adapt to the sight of such a gentle expression on Maximón’s face. Some even lightly slapped their own cheeks, wondering if they were seeing things correctly.

“Commander, are you in love?”

One knight couldn’t hold back and blurted out a bold question. It was a topic that had yet to be resolved even in the barracks’ lounge. At this daring inquiry, the other knights pretended not to hear while pricking up their ears. However, Maximón merely looked down at the questioning knight without saying a word. The tender gaze he had directed at Najane just moments ago had turned icy cold. The drastic temperature shift made the other knights exchange nervous glances toward the questioner.

Yet the knight, oblivious and brimming with courage, pressed on.

“Love, I mean. The way you were staring at Najane just now—your eyes were practically dripping with honey.”

The knight chuckled crudely. Jacob cast a genuinely worried look at his colleague, fearing he might end up as a corpse by tomorrow. However, Maximón did nothing out of the ordinary. He merely turned his back, as though the question wasn’t worth dignifying with a response.

Daniel, who had been watching Maximón closely, frowned slightly. Something felt a bit off. It wasn’t that Maximón had ignored the question; it seemed more like he was avoiding it. As he observed Maximón’s behavior with suspicion, Daniel nonchalantly tossed out a remark.

“Have you confessed?”

At the probing question, Maximón immediately turned to face Daniel. Contrary to expectations, there was no murderous intent in his gaze. Daniel, quickly assessing the situation, smirked and picked up the coat he had carelessly thrown on the ground.

“Does Najane know you have a fiancée? She’s more innocent than she seems, so don’t play with her. There are even people who think you and Najane are married, you know. Don’t you feel any pangs of guilt?”

Daniel nagged like an older brother worrying about his younger sibling. The knights exchanged awkward glances between Maximón and Daniel, their expressions puzzled. From what they knew, the commander should have immediately shut down such nonsense, but Maximón remained silent, simply listening to Daniel’s words.

A few sharp-eyed knights noticed something unusual in Maximón’s demeanor. Sensing an opportunity, they bombarded him with questions.

“Is it true you and Najane are involved? Really?”

“Since when? Tell us!”

“Are you seriously living together at the manor? We’re at our wits’ end every time other knights ask about it!”

“Are you dating him seriously? It’s not just because of the curse, right?”

“So, how did you confess your love? With a jewel? Or with money?”

As the knights bombarded him with questions, Maximón rubbed his temples, looking irritated.

“If you’re asking about that, I’m still considering it.”

“Considering what? Breaking off your engagement with Rachel? Or toying with Najane?”

Daniel sneered, and the temper Maximón had been suppressing flared as he glared sharply at him. In an instant, the atmosphere around Maximón turned chillingly hostile. Daniel realized his mistake too late.

“Since you all have so much energy to run your mouths, get up. Every single one of you—run until the lunch bell rings.”

“…Pardon?”

“If you don’t want to run, I’ll entertain you one-on-one.”

The knights, who had barely cooled down after their training, shot daggers at Daniel with their eyes. Daniel tucked his lips inward, shrinking apologetically. The knights looked up at Maximón, silently pleading for mercy. But Maximón showed none.

Reluctantly, the knights dragged themselves to their feet, making no effort to hide their unwillingness. Seeing their sluggishness, Maximón grabbed a broken wooden practice sword and approached them with a menacing air. Only then did the knights start running along the perimeter of the training grounds, shouting commands to each other. Amid the sound of their boots pounding the dirt, faint curses directed at Daniel could be heard.

“Are you thinking about how to confess?”

A voice from behind startled Maximón, making him open his eyes wide. It was Belshua. He was casually kneeling down, leisurely retying the laces of his boots.

“…How long have you been there?”

“Since you were talking to Daniel.”

Belshua, having firmly tied his laces, stood up. Ignoring the calls of his fellow knights urging him to hurry, he nonchalantly stretched his ankles.

“I heard Najane was born in winter.”

It was the first time Maximón had heard this. He hadn’t even known Najane’s birthday was in the winter. A faint frown appeared on his face. The fact that Belshua knew something about Najane that he didn’t was deeply unsettling.

Belshua was fully aware that he had stirred Maximón’s jealousy. It wasn’t typical of him to act this way, but he couldn’t resist flaunting his slight advantage over Maximón, who was clearly planning to confess soon.

“When you go on reconnaissance, try finding a camellia flower. I think he’d like that. Also, he doesn’t like sweet things, but he enjoys tart flavors, so a tea made from lemon, pomegranate, or raspberry would make a good gift.”

With that, Belshua jogged off toward the knights, who were calling for him.

“You seem to be quite close with Najane,” Maximón muttered softly.

Belshua hesitated for a moment, then turned back with a calm smile.

“Yes, to a certain extent.”

________________________________________

Didina took Najane, who had just finished being fitted for clothes, to her office. The room was filled with boxes piled high. Some boxes contained soft and warm garments, others were packed with stylish accessories rarely seen in Noctis, and yet others were stacked with novels popular among the nobility.

Najane, looking bewildered, opened the boxes one by one. Each time, he found expensive items inside. Didina, just as excited, encouraged him to touch one of the soft shirts.

The fabric was far more luxurious than anything Najane typically wore. Didina, cheerful as ever, neatly folded the clothes and beamed with delight.

“These are clothes reserved for very high-ranking individuals. They’re usually only made for men, but the commander ordered these specially for you. They fit perfectly, too! From now on, you should wear these. Look, instead of ties, they have buttons, so they’re much easier to take off. Oh my, look at this! The buttons are made of ruby, and they’re the exact same color as your eyes!”

“The commander ordered all of this?”

“A long time ago, specifically for you. It was supposed to arrive much earlier, but the roads leading to Noctis were overrun by bandits, so it had to take a detour, which caused the delay. Oh, Dame Schnicks! Look at this! Have you ever seen such extravagant earrings?”

Didina opened an ivory jewelry box and took out a pair of emerald earrings. The earrings were teardrop-shaped, slightly larger than a palm, with tiny diamonds densely encrusted along the edges, and the spaces in between filled with refined gold.

It was obvious at a glance that the items were exceptionally expensive. Feeling flustered, Najane glanced at the earrings as if they belonged to someone else.

Seeing this, Didina cheerfully held the earrings up to Najane’s earlobes. With her pale skin, the emeralds suited her perfectly. After returning the earrings to the jewelry box, Didina smiled contentedly.

“This box is filled entirely with jewelry. I believe all of it is emerald.”

“Why emerald?”

When Najane asked, puzzled, Didina took out another jewelry box to show her. Inside was a silver bracelet adorned with multiple emeralds. Smiling knowingly, Didina chuckled softly.

“In Bastronia tradition, men give gemstones that match their eye color to the women they love. It’s an age-old custom here. Isn’t it romantic? I’d bet my entire career that every gemstone in these boxes is emerald. By the way, emeralds this clear and transparent are incredibly rare... He must have spent quite a fortune acquiring them.”

Like a mother preparing to marry off her daughter, Didina smiled brightly as she opened another box, explaining its contents to Najane. Without responding, Najane picked up another jewelry box and opened it. Inside was yet another accessory inlaid with emeralds. Didina exclaimed excitedly over a spider-shaped brooch, saying it was crafted by a famous jeweler.

It was the first time Najane had seen Didina, usually calm and mature, so delighted.

Najane rose from her seat and opened another box farther away. Inside was more clothing, just as luxurious in texture as the one Didina had urged her to touch earlier. However, Najane couldn’t bring herself to feel happy. Didina’s earlier words lingered uneasily in her mind.

To the woman they love… Didina had said.

Maximón loves me?

Najane, now feeling strange, hesitated as she opened the boxes. Her expression darkened as she stood. Perhaps mistaking Najane’s reaction as fatigue from Maximón’s overwhelming display, Didina excused herself to fetch some warm tea, leaving the room quickly.

Left alone for a moment, Najane opened a jewelry box on the table. The emerald earrings inside sparkled under the sunlight. She touched them absentmindedly, then pressed her fingers to her forehead.

The memory of Gwyneth’s question from long ago—Do you think Maximón loves you?—came back vividly. Najane had firmly replied no at the time. That voice still echoed clearly in her mind.

Najane still didn’t know what Maximón was thinking. However, it was undeniable that at some point, he had started acting like someone truly in love. Even just today, Maximón had kissed her tenderly and tried to embrace her passionately, as if he truly adored her.

The memory of Maximón kissing the cursed mark on her skin still lingered, leaving a tingling sensation in her heart.