"Ah..."
Karina stared blankly at the handkerchief he held out. Her expression collapsed at his small kindness.
"Thank you... Thank you..."
Tears kept flowing from her eyes as if a dam had burst. She was sobbing and couldn't speak properly.
"..."
Jeremiah was greatly embarrassed,
'I didn't mean to make you cry.'
All he wanted to do was listen to why she was crying and comfort her. He didn't want to see her sad. But her tears showed no sign of stopping. Jeremiah's heart ached. He could not help but imagine how she must have endured all her pain all this time. Telling her not to cry, who seemed used to enduring it, seemed like asking for something harder. He spoke as kindly as he could.
"Don't force yourself to hold it in. It's okay to cry."
And as he had done before, he carefully wiped away her tears with his own hands. He prayed that she would not be in pain anymore. Karina hesitated and hesitated, wondering if he had conveyed his feelings, and then confessed the situation.
"Everyone says my hair color is... ominous."
"You mean the red hair?"
He took in Karina's hair color again.
'How ominous. That can't be.'
Absolutely not. He couldn't understand it at all. The moment he first saw Karina's hair, he was captivated by its vivid and beautiful red.
'What kind of idiot would say something like that?'
A strong sense of discomfort rose up. But he felt Karina tremble and look at him. He quickly straightened his expression which had been crumpled without him knowing. He hoped she wouldn't take such nonsense as truth. He hoped she wouldn't be hurt. Jeremiah said with a sincere voice.
"It's just pretty in my eyes."
The wind blew, and her hair blew and became a little messy. He ran his hands through her hair. They must have said such nonsense because they were jealous of Karina. After all, she was so pretty. With that thought in mind, he carefully straightened her hair, strand by strand. Then suddenly. His eyes met with Karina's, who was staring blankly at him with her eyes wide open in surprise.
"...!"
Only when he met her gaze did he suddenly come to his senses? It was understandable that the stranger she had just spoken to today had touched her hair so carelessly. He hid his embarrassment and slowly removed his hand from her head. He was at a loss for what excuse to make. After thinking for a moment, he eventually chose to change the subject.
"The wind is cold."
Jeremiah took off his outer garment and gently placed it around her shoulders.
"Don't stay here too long."
And he decided to leave her alone so she could gather her thoughts.
'From her perspective, it would be uncomfortable for her to be with me.'
He turned and left the terrace, not forgetting to close the door so that no one else would disturb her.
"Phew."
A deep sigh escaped.
'It's been a really long time since we last talked...'
It was a pity to part ways with Karina after such a short meeting. However, he did not have vain expectations that they would meet again. This was enough. He decided to be satisfied with having had this one conversation with her.
'No matter what happens, the fact that she is a Milliner won't change.'
His heart was momentarily relieved by the memories of his childhood, but he decided to think that his relationship with her ended here along with those memories.
Jeremiah briefly looked back at the terrace, then quickly left the banquet hall.
***
Jeremiah returned to the north. He spent the same daily life as before, working in the office, and subduing monsters. No, he tried to spend it. But it was impossible. The resolution he had made in the capital was meaningless because Karina's image appeared in his mind every day. Jeremiah recalled the look in Karina's eyes that he had seen on the terrace that day. Every time he recalled it, he felt as if her eyes were earnestly binding him.
'Is she okay now?'
He felt bad that he had to return north without checking if she was okay. He took out a handkerchief from his bosom. It was the handkerchief that had wiped away Karina's tears. Jeremiah took out the handkerchief and fiddled with it whenever he had the chance. It seemed like it was becoming a habit.
"Phew..."
He was embarrassed.
'It might just be a temporary interest that arose simply because of childhood memories.'
He felt uneasy because of unnecessary emotions.
'Why do I keep thinking about her and interfering with my daily life?"
He furrowed one eyebrow and frowned, but did not let go of the handkerchief in his hand.
'Will I be able to meet her again if I go to the capital?'
A faint sense of anticipation began to bloom.
'What am I thinking right now...'
He shook his head, trying to shake off thoughts of Karina.
'She'll disappear as time goes by. When she's out of sight. It'll be the same as before again...'
Is that really true? He had a faint doubt, but he pretended not to know and turned away.
"Phew..."
His sighs grew deeper day by day.
"Your Highness. The Allied Forces are invading again."
Ron reported urgently. Jeremiah put on his armor with a dull expression.
"A request for help from the palace..."
"There's no need. Even if I do, they won't come anyway."
"I guess so."
Ron, the commander of the knights, muttered in resignation.
"Prepare for battle and place the Northern Knights at the front. I will take the lead."
"Yes!"
Ron quickly carried out the order. The foolish enemies who had not given up and had come charging forward. This time, they really had made up their minds, and they even brought a huge siege gun that could only be pulled by six soldiers. The enormous number of soldiers was a bonus.
"The numerical gap is too great."
"It doesn't matter. Half of them are probably mercenaries who joined us after receiving money."
Jeremiah's guess was correct. And such a rabble was no match for him. Jeremiah skillfully defeated them as they fiercely swarmed him. The mercenaries who were greedy for money immediately turned tail and fled when their lives were in danger. He killed all the menacing siege guns with a single swing of his sword clad in aura.
Defeating the demoralized enemy forces was the easiest thing for him. Jeremiah easily seized the opportunity for victory. The knights' faith and loyalty grew, and the name of Colesberg was raised. As his merits increased, the trust and cheers of the people of the empire for him also grew.
The shield of the empire protected the north like an iron wall and would never fall. The Grand Duke of Colesberg. The aftereffects soon spread to the capital. It was already too late to award him the title of 'strongest swordsman in the empire' along with an honorary position, but the Emperor treated him even more as a thorn in his side.
But after a while. For some reason, the Emperor summoned Jeremiah and the Northern Knights to the capital. Officially, it was a call to attend a celebratory banquet. It was to commend the Northern Knights for their efforts in defending the Empire's defense line by defeating enemy forces and protecting the people by subduing monsters. They were to receive honorary medals at the banquet. After Jeremiah finished subduing the vicious monsters, he led the knights to the capital.
However, the Emperor simply told them to wait after arriving at the capital and postponed the banquet indefinitely.
"Oh my, the Emperor is funny. He always calls me, but now he just wants me to wait."
"That's right. Who asked for that Medal of Honor? It's probably useless."
"If it was made of gold, wouldn't it be worth the gold?"
"You hate the North so much, I'll give you a gold medal."
The northern knights grumbled and complained.
"Everyone, be quiet."
Jeremiah spoke softly. Then their mouths fell silent at once.
"This is not the North, but the capital of the empire where the palace is located. Watch what you say wherever you go."
"Sorry."
"I am sorry, my lord."
The knights bowed and apologized. Ron, who was next to Jeremiah, could understand the knights' complaints to some extent. Knowing their feelings, he asked in a low voice so that only Jeremiah could hear.
"If those guys were in the North, they would have trained, but they're stuck in their quarters, waiting around without doing anything, so they're acting like that because they're bored. They're the guys who trained every day, so they probably want to go back soon. It's natural for them to say something like that. Should we send a letter to the palace again?"
"No. It's useless."
Jeremiah drank the glass in front of him in one gulp. He had already sent letters to the Emperor twice, once immediately after arriving in the capital, and once a week after arriving. But the palace simply replied that they had to wait without giving any reason. He was used to the Emperor harassing him. If he reacted here, it would be even more petty and vicious. It was better to just stay still. And honestly, he had no interest in celebratory banquets. Just...
'I wonder how she is doing.'
He only thought about Karina. It had been half a year since the day he met her on the terrace and talked to her. Even so, he failed to stop thinking about Karina. He thought he would forget her quickly if he didn't see her, but he was wrong. Ever since he saw her, he couldn't erase her from his mind. It was an unavoidable force. Jeremiah had no choice but to accept that fact to some extent.
'Now that I've come to the capital, I might run into her by chance.'
Vague imaginations filled his head.
'Should I go and see? Wouldn't it be okay to just take a look from afar?"
The fact that she was nearby gave him all sorts of impulses.
"Your Highness?"
"..."
Ron scratched his chin in embarrassment, realizing that his master was thinking of something else again. So they had to waste a few days in the capital doing nothing. In the meantime, Jeremiah received a new report.
"There was a commotion in the city. Some powerful gangsters from the capital were trying to forcibly drag a young woman away, but our children who were passing by saw it and saved them."
"What are the capital's security forces doing?"
"That's... I think they probably got some bribes from some gangsters."
Ron continued to explain.
"The number of cases where people take bribes and turn a blind eye to the situation has been increasing, and these days, even if you call the police, they often take their side. People seem to have a very negative perception of the police."
"How pathetic."
Jeremiah snorted and scoffed.
"That's right."
Ron shrugged and added that it was still good news.
"Still, it is said that the news spread among the people, and the reputation of our Northern Knights improved."
"I see."
"Yes. I heard that word of mouth is spreading among the people that the Northern Knights are truly amazing."
"I see."
Jeremiah responded indifferently with an unimpressed expression. And the next day. Perhaps aware that the rumor was spreading, a message came down from the imperial family to enter the palace.
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