novelPlease don't come to the evening concert (8)
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Chapter 33: Chapter 33 Please don't come to the evening concert (8)
Meanwhile, Lard Schroder had a serious expression, waiting for Wendy as she didn't come back.
Looking at the gloves that Wendy took off, he remained still, but soon turned his head suddenly to find that Jean Jacques was gazing at him. Jean Jacques pretended not to have noticed him when his eyes met his by chance.
The lights were lit again on the royal stone and the conductor stood on the stage. He cast a glance at the conductor and stood up, as he couldn't wait for her anymore.
Did she leave? It occurred to him suddenly that she promised him not to leave during the concert. Given her track record, however, she likely had left. But he didn't believe she was rude enough to leave without goodbye to him, with her gloves left on her seat. He shook his head.
As he turned it over in his mind, suddenly ominous things flashed through his mind. He was worried something bad might have happened to her. He even wondered if she had been humiliated by an arrogant and high-handed nobleman, arguing over her social status. He rushed out of the royal box, consumed by anxiety about her for the first time. He recalled her anxiety that she might be humiliated as she even changed her hair color and made a pseudonym to accompany him to the concert. He wished he had gone out to search for her. He even wished she would rather go back home.
"Ma'am! Please wait a moment. I don't have any bad intentions towards you!"
When he stepped out into the corridor outside the royal box, he heard a man's voice resonating through the corridor. Seeing the blue strap on the man's shoulder, he noticed that he was one of the 2nd Imperial Knights who came to protect the prince, but he only focused on a woman who was hurriedly walking back despite the knight's calling.
The woman hid quickly around the corner, but Lard recognized her as Wendy. When the knight with blue hair quickly followed to catch her. Her golden dress whipped around the corner, leaving a strange impression in Lard's mind. She was none other than Wendy Waltz.
Disappearing into the corridor, she seemed to be running away from the knight. As the knight with light blue hair urgently followed to catch up with her, Lard narrowed his eyes unconsciously. He was displeased for reasons he didn't know. His eyes sank like the calm before the typhoon.
Immediately, he walked toward the direction where the two disappeared. It was very rare that he moved first before thinking, except when he fought with the sword.
But he had to stop against his will when he walked a few steps because somebody held his right hand urgently.
"Lord Schroder, wait a minute...The concert has just started. Where are you going?"
She was Jean Jacques's guest, Earl Altarin's daughter. She spoke to him with a soft blush.
"... Can you give me a moment?"
Lard looked unpleasantly at the woman who held his arm and pulled it away from her without being rude to her. Although she pouted and looked up at him as if she was not happy, he didn't have time to deal with her.
"Miss, I'm sorry, but I'm busy at the moment. Let me talk to you later."
"You can't do this to me! Do you know how foolish I looked to the people in the social circles when you returned my handkerchief that I had asked Sir Simuan to give you? Then, how come you appeared here with another woman so openly... Could you please consider my feelings a little more? You can't do this if you think about my offended feelings."
She recognized his annoyance. He kept looking toward the corridor where Wendy disappeared.
"Sir!"
She shouted at him as if her pride was offended. His neat eyes slanted upwards slightly.
"...Miss, As I don't know much about the social circles, I have no idea why you have been made fun of by other ladies. So, I don't know why I should take care of your offended feelings. Please forgive my ignorance, " he said casually, looking at her dark green hair as if he saw a ridiculous woman. At a glance his remarks seemed polite but very cold in substance. He thought her hair was pretty dull, compared with Wendy's bright golden hair.
"You really are so mean...Who the heck is the woman you have come with? I really feel insulted..."
She began to cry as if she couldn't stand it anymore. Her wet eyes were turned into evil eyes now.
"I'll see you later."
As he couldn't wait any longer, he urgently turned around, leaving her alone. Jean Jacques Simuan, who gently stuck his head out of the royal box, was seen looking at him with an embarrassed expression.
Lard glared violently at Jean Jacques. Stunned, Jean quickly came out of the royal box and began to appease her. Leaving them behind, Lard quickly turned down the corridor after Wendy and the knight.
When he reached the end of the hallway, he saw the stairs leading to the third floor. Two of the imperial knights who stood there blankly recognized him and hurriedly greeted him, but Lard appreciated their greetings absentmindedly.
His eyes turned to their arm badges at the moment. They were members of the 2nd Imperial Knights like the man who followed Wendy a minute ago. As his gaze at them was icy like a cold winter, the two knights freaked out on the spot.
'Did we do anything wrong to him?' They were wondering without knowing the exact reason.
He was notorious as the cold-hearted captain of the Imperial Knights division. He was walking in the same direction Dylan had followed a woman. They speculated Dylan's aggressive professionalism might have annoyed Lard. Given his unusual annoyance and nervousness, they felt obviously something bad happened to him.
As they speculated, Lard was very displeased. He recalled the imperial knight who followed Wendy quickly. Lard wondered why the knight was following her despite her refusal?
He shut up, pondering over why the two disappeared over the corner. He was obviously annoyed. Besides, he was stopped from following her briefly because Altarin's daughter suddenly appeared.
Stepping into the hallway where they disappeared, he listened for the footsteps ringing the hallway. Now, he, trying to stay calm until now, began to run toward them impatiently.
While he was running down the hallway, he pondered for a moment how to deal with the knight with blue hair.
What if he did something rude to her?
Lard's eyes subsided deeply. Depending on Wendy's answer, both the knight and the rest of the knights standing far away, would not be able to avoid his harsh reprimand.
This kind of biased attitude didn't fit the captain of the Imperial Knights, but Lard, whose emotional waves stayed the same all the time, had no doubt about his judgment.
As he thought he was more rational than others, his ominous feelings at the moment paradoxically served as the basis for his judgment.
But when an oil lamp in the middle of the corridor burned down the last of the wick and went out, Lard was instantly caught in a weird mood.
'Why am I getting so angry?'
For a moment, he narrowed his eyes as if he was probing on his emotional state like the philosopher exploring the essence of life.
But he couldn't find the answer at once. He decided to put aside his doubts about his emotional change, given his position at the moment. Therefore, his anger would stay with him for some time.
While he was running down the corridor, he couldn't hear the sound of their footsteps any more. Not only the sound of the woman's footsteps but also the knight's was no longer heard. Lard stopped walking. Although he passed through the forked hallways several times, he was sure he followed the correct hallway.
As he began to walk again, suppressing his ominous feelings, he heard the sound of a door opening around the corner. What he heard after that was not the sound of the woman's heels clicking.
When Lard turned the corner, he saw a young knight with light blue hair, as he expected.
As soon as the knight saw him, he urgently adjusted his uniform and greeted him briefly.
Glancing at the young knight with an unpleasant look, Lard walked toward him and spoke dryly.
"You're new to me. Identify your name and affiliation."
Although he belonged to the 2nd Knights division, he obviously recognized Lard Schroder, the captain of the 1st Knights Division. The young knight duly saluted and said with a disciplined voice, "I am Dylan Lennox of the 2nd Knights."
"... When were you formally knighted?"
"I was knighted at the Sinuel last year."
Sinuel was a tournament for the Imperial Knights appointment held every fall, a festival of imperial knights and an opportunity for prospective knights.
It was a contest named after the famous general of the Benyahan Empire, Sinuel Duroronis, who ranked first through the tournaments and finally competed with imperial knights to test their qualifications. The tournament winner could not be knighted if they did not show good skills in sparring with imperial knights. There were, only a small number of people officiated as knights through the Sinuel, and sometimes there were none.
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