- Episode 1
About Dominic
"This is ridiculous."
It was the first thing Heather said as she came over, her face flushed red with anger and panting.
Dominic packed his bags without saying much. Frustrated by this, Heather stood close to him and spoke pleadingly.
"This is unfair treatment. This is clearly unjust."
"..."
“Everyone thinks so. Captain! You have captured a dragon, the first slayer in a thousand years. So you presented yourself to the King...!”
"He is the King, anyway."
"..."
"What could we possibly add to the King's decision?"
He says that out of the duty of a knight, but Dominic also thinks it is unfair. It's foolish not to know.
It was absurd that the Knight Commander—and a hero of Genomes who had slayed a dragon and led the war to victory—would be in charge of guarding Mont Palace.
Although he was nominally a knight guarding a concubine, it was no different from exile. Moreover, even being a guard for the royal palace was an insult to Dominic.
Although she was favored by the King, her background and rumors were just that.
What need is there for an escort for a concubine who never even goes out in the first place?
Furthermore, none of the guards who went away came out unharmed. That is why Heather was acting like that, more than ever before.
She, who was always moderately rational, could not easily calm her anger.
"I know almost nothing other than swords, but I understand this clearly. The King fears the Captain's power."
"No matter how powerful a knight becomes, he is still just a knight."
"To put it bluntly, this is getting tiresome. Furthermore, it is a battle of checks and balances. You are well aware of that. Is that so? You should know what the public sentiment is toward the King! On the other hand, isn't the Captain gaining the support of not only the Assembly but also the people?"
"The Council of Genomes does not always align with the aristocracy. It is merely a gathering of the masses."
"Aren't the nobility knights? There are few knights who do not respect the Captain. No, there probably aren't any. To you, Captain, you are the hero who killed a dragon and saved the country!"
"And I am the King's knight."
Dominic then added, as if cutting it out
"It is nothing more and nothing less. Go back to where you belong."
Heather bit her lip and took a step back. She felt a stifling tightness in her stomach. Her captain was always like that.
He never crossed the line drawn inside the reason that had been neatly cut with a knife. And that line was nothing more and nothing less than loyalty to the King.
A knight named Dominic is someone who would die protecting the King even if the world were to end tomorrow.
However, if asked whether Dominic respected the King, Heather saw that was not the case either. It was merely a very natural, perhaps even very cliché and uncivilized loyalty.
There is no other way to explain it. Heather clenched her jaw and repeatedly clenched and unclenched her fists.
Before anyone realized it, Dominic had packed all his belongings and was closing his bag. His movements, devoid of the slightest hesitation, seemed unwilling to tolerate any restraint.
She watched her stubborn captain's back, stood with her hands behind her back, and respectfully spoke.
"...We will always be here. We will be waiting."
The last words sounded like a warning. A command to return unharmed.
Dominic could not give her any definite answer.
***
True to its name, Mont Palace is like the moon. It was beautiful.
Intricate patterns were engraved on the white wall, and the marble floor was smooth, without a speck of dust. The quantity of flower arrangements lined up along the edge of the wall was excessive.
As if that weren't enough, an elaborate statue stood in the center of the huge hall.
Dominic's gaze, looking a little weary, turned toward the end of the hall.
The wide spiral staircase leading to the upper floor exuded elegance. Flowers were also arranged on every floor of the staircase.
He let out a silent sigh and turned his head toward the large window. A neat stone wall surrounded the spacious garden, blocking off the outside.
Even though it was the palace of the woman favored by the King, it was excessive.
For Dominic, who had spent a long time rolling on the battlefield, this kind of space felt incredibly awkward.
Aside from his wealth, he was originally a straitlaced knight who considered a frugal life a virtue.
To think of such extravagance so soon after the war ended, Dominick clicked his tongue inwardly.
His room, which the maid guided him to, was also excessively spacious and luxurious.
Dominic turned down the handmaiden's offer to help pack his belongings, and finally became alone. However, that fact did not please him much.
Captain Legenon always had comrades, rivals, subordinates, and enemies.
However, there was nothing here. Although it was the guarding of a concubine, there was nothing to guard in the first place.
The King cherished his consort so much that he bestowed upon her the deepest and most beautiful palace. A place enclosed on all sides by high walls. A place where virtually no one entered or left except the King himself. It was a palace filled solely with the King's love.
“Knight.”
A gentle voice from outside the door broke Dominic's thoughts.
“Can I come in?”
“...Who are you?”
“I am the owner of the palace.”
The thin voice was mixed with a hint of laughter. Dominic narrowed his brows for a moment.
It was unthinkable for a concubine to walk directly into the room. It wasn't particularly in accordance with etiquette, either.
He composed himself, walked over, and opened the door.
Light blonde hair swayed through the gap in the door.
“Did I interrupt you?”
The eyes holding blue irises gave a narrow smile.
Dominic answered stiffly, "No." The woman didn't mind his attitude, which was by no means affectionate.
"I am Adelheid. My last name is a thing of the past. I really wanted to meet Captain Legenon."
The whispering tone was extremely delicate and soft.
It was the voice that the King, so cruel and merciless, had praised so highly.
As the young and beautiful face smiled at Dominic, dimples bloomed on both cheeks along the ends of the smile.
All of Adelheid's guards who entered here were punished for giving their hearts to the King's woman.
It was impossible to know whether it was true or false. That was merely the justification. In any case, they were all the King's knights. The King's knight...
At the end of his severing thoughts, Dominic felt disgust.
It was an emotion with a blurry form and an uncertain direction, yet it was a clear feeling.
Whether the previous guards had really fallen for the woman in front of him or not, it didn't seem to matter much.
That lukewarm sense of disgust was directed first and foremost at the person right in front of him.
“...I am Dominic Legenon. I have been assigned to escort Your Highness.”
"There's no need to be so stiff... Um, Captain Legenon, won't you spare me a moment? I have a lot of questions for you."
He wanted to refuse, but he couldn't. Hiding his displeasure, Dominic reluctantly nodded.
At that, Adelheid smiled broadly and guided him. The sound of footsteps echoed regularly in the high-ceilinged hallway.
It was a truly vast, splendid, extravagant, and desolate place.
"Do you like the palace? I urged the ladies-in-waiting a bit because the Captain is coming."
“It’s a beautiful palace.”
"It is a beautiful place. It is a beautiful place."
"..."
"If you have any concerns, please speak to the maid. They will listen to the Captain very well. To them, the arrival of a handsome knight is a joyous occasion. The only men I can see are the King and the Royal Guards."
"Can't you get out?"
"That is essentially the case. Ah, however, I ask that you refrain from private conversations with the ladies-in-waiting. It might sound like an order, but I do not wish to give you one."
Dominic did not bother to ask further.
Since there was no reason to devote more than a certain amount of attention to Mont Palace.
He never wanted to stay here for long.
He had a place to return to, and people were waiting for him.
No matter what other titles he received, Dominic was still the captain of Legenon.
Still, they say the knights will leave someday. Though he doesn't know when.
The hem of her skirt swayed like waves, following her gentle footsteps.
As they stepped through the glass door of the greenhouse, a warm green scent wafted in.
It was a fairly large greenhouse. He couldn't gauge how much it would have cost to maintain it.
As Dominic walked along the path paved with colorful stones, he looked down at the hem of Adelheid's skirt.
A white table and chairs were placed in the middle, surrounded by colorful plants.
Adelheid, having ordered a maid to bring out refreshments, took her seat.
As soon as Dominic sat down opposite her, she rested her chin on her clasped hands and spoke.
"You said you killed a dragon."
“...That is correct.”
“To think I’m seeing the legendary Slayer with my own eyes in person. You have no idea how much I’ve wanted to meet you. I was unbelievably happy when I heard you were coming as my escort."
Adelheid's eyes slowly curved.
"Would you tell me the story of how you killed the dragon?"
It was a question he had heard until he was sick of it. Countless people asked the Slayer of the Millennium: How did you enter the Mountain of Time?
How did you kill the dragon? How was there not a single casualty? How on earth?
Adelheid was also asking that. He felt bored.
Whenever he was asked this question, Dominic always began by saying, 'It's nothing special.'
Support Novellate!
Comments
Post a Comment