Chapter 35

Erich was a member of Count Ritzer's family, so she wouldn't look bad even if she danced with him.

However, Iona shook her head because she had a promise with Leroy to not dance with him.

"No. I'd rather go to the terrace."

Erich looked at Iona with suspicious eyes, but silently guided her to the terrace.

Again, since he was going to be an annoyance if she avoided him, Iona followed him obediently.

The place Erich took her was in the direction of the rear garden, with large pillars sticking out on both sides, so it was a good place to avoid being noticed by others.

As soon as the curtains were closed, Erich strode towards Iona and asked.

“Are you insane?”

"Hmm?"

“Tell me, are you really going to get married? Giving up on your job?”

“… …I don't know why you're so angry, but calm down.”

Answering that, Iona felt why he was acting like Jonas. It was because he was following the same attitude as Jonas towards Yulia.

Actually, Iona didn't quite understand why Erich was angry with her.

What does he have to do with whether she gets married or quits her job?

Erich glared at her and said.

“Don’t get married.”

"That's a request not worth answering."

"Is it because it's the prince's order?"

“… …Yes."

Iona, not confident in lying, avoided his eyes and blurted out her words.

She couldn't seriously talk about the bullshit that she had changed her mind after dying once.

More than anything, it would be difficult for him to hear that she was promoting this marriage for a different purpose.

“Ha, how far are you going to be servile?”

A mischievous laugh erupted from Erich.

He looked at Iona with cold eyes and continued.

“To be loyal to the lord as a knight. well, that's good I can understand that far. But after you abandon your position as a knight because of that order, what the hell are you left with? Was it what you wanted to be, a swordsman with no convictions or honor?”

Until he heard of Iona and the duke's wedding, Erich thought it was just a rumor. Indeed he had never seen Iona's face reflected with a duke in his vacancy.

But he never thought she would bring that man to a ball hosted by none other than his family.

They even seemed quite friendly. As if they were really going to get married.

“I at least… … I thought your affection for the sword was genuine. Even if you are wasting that talent in a strange way.”

After speaking, Erich gritted his teeth.

A shallow sigh leaked from Iona's lips as she looked at him.

Apparently, he seemed to think that Iona's decision to retire was because of Richard's orders.

She knew she might be misunderstood like that, but when she saw his betrayed face, she felt a sense of guilt for some reason.

Iona already had a deep debt to Erich.

Even though it no longer exists, wouldn't it be reasonable to tell the comrades who fought back to back the reason for leaving?

After organizing her thoughts, Iona opened her mouth reluctantly.

“There is a misunderstanding.”

“… …”

“First, His Highness Richard did not ask me to quit the knighthood. No, he knows that I will continue to work as before. So don’t get delusional that I lost my job because of his orders.”

She didn't know if he believed her words or doubted them, but anyway, Erich didn't open his mouth anymore.

Iona slouched loosely, leaning her butt against the railing.

She continued, clasping her hands together in front of her thighs.

“And secondly, I decided to retire… …”

“… …”

“To be honest, since you are young, isn’t the Bertige Imperial Knights a place where you can work for a long time? They give you a lot of money, but it’s easy to throw away your body when you are used well.”

Unable to deny it, Erich bit his lip.

Considering that even the leader was screaming at the heavy workload every day, it was safe to say that no matter how successful she was, she had no future within the Knights.

No, to be precise, there was no comfortable future.

Turning her head to the right, Iona concluded her words while peering into the splendid decorations on the outer wall.

“I just went around and around the same spot for too long… …. Now I want to do something I couldn't do before. That's why.”

Erich suddenly recalled the conversation he had with Saskia at Iona's euphemistic explanation.

“Actually, I can understand your feelings.”

It was the day Iona first announced her retirement to him.

When Erich, who belatedly visited Saskia, asked what she was doing, she pondered for a long time before saying this.

“We know how much Iona suffered in that beggarly corner of the house. But marriage is about starting a new family. If she says she wants to have a proper family this time, what right do we have to stop her? I have no choice but to cheer.”

“Isn’t it a marriage that she can’t expect anything from in the first place? She doesn't have to quit her job just because of that!”

“No, she can’t help but retire. It's because she can't become a proper married couple with the duke while working for the crown prince."

“The crown prince may have secretly ordered her to retire.”

“Well, then it’s not something we can touch. She will still be satisfied. It's an order from 'that' prince, you know?”

Erich gritted his teeth. After a while, he finally opened his mouth and asked.

“Then what about us, what about those of us left behind?”

Saskia, who looked into Erich's swaying eyes, sighed deeply and said,

“Sir Erich, let’s be honest. You are sorry and I'm sorry too, yes. But you are not thinking about stopping the marriage itself, are you?”

“… …”

“In the first place, there are only two reasons why you are anxious to stop other people from getting married. you are sick to your stomach having met a great spouse, or you just don't like that person getting married. In a way, the essence of everything is jealousy? Erich, would you like to meet the duke and rise in status?”

“… …”

“Can it be?!”

“… …”

“Then you don’t like Iona getting married.”

Saskia, who came to a simple conclusion, kicked Erich out before he could even answer.

Leaving the office that day, Erich internally denied Saskia's words and laughed again.

Even at this moment when he faced the face of the person involved, Iona, his thoughts had not changed much.

Jealousy, can it be?

He was just dissatisfied with the fact that his superior was trying to abandon his subordinates and units without any sense of responsibility.

Even so, she was a really beggarly boss.

In order to follow the prince's order, she didn't care what kind of trouble others were in, and she herself rolled in the dirty manure field so that he couldn't even curse at her.

As a knight in the royal family, she routinely committed despicable acts such as assassination and torture, but she did not receive a penny more in return for the work.

She was a contradictory person.

She had never abused her power for her own sake, taking on all the dirty work that a corrupt clerk would do.

She was always so determined in that mud.

In a way, it was natural. She had no interest in others, and she cared even less about herself even than that.

So that was why he was curious.

The day will come when he will be accepted as a colleague by her. Even if not as much as crown prince, would it be possible to become a meaningful existence to her?

With that in mind, he had always waited for her to change... …

'You said you wanted to do something you couldn't do before? Shit, what the hell is that?'

He looked into Iona's eyes as if seeking an answer.

But, as usual, her red eyes didn't show the slightest agitation.

As if it was really nothing to throw them away.

Erich gritted his teeth.

He had always wanted Iona to let go of the prince, but not this way. He had never wanted a change like this.

“I don't understand. Please explain so I can do it.”

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