Kyle sat alone in his dimly lit room, his injured hand resting on his lap.
The bandages were neatly wrapped, and the wound itself wasn't particularly severe—but sothing about it bothered him.
His mind replayed the Head Knight's question from earlier.
"Why didn't you dodge?"
At the ti, he had answered without thinking.
"I didn't see the need to."
But now, sitting in the quiet of his room, he wasn't so sure.
Everything in his mind and body told him to avoid that strike.
It wasn't just instinct—it was pure survival training.
Yet, at that mont, he had chosen to stand still.
Not because he was slow. Not because he was incapable.
But because sothing deeper told him not to move.
His fingers curled slightly, his nails pressing against his palm as he tried to understand.
Had it been a calculated decision? A gamble?
No.
It was… sothing else.
A feeling he couldn't quite place.
Sothing told him that letting the Head Knight land that attack was what she needed.
As if she needed proof—sothing tangible—that she was stronger.
Kyle closed his eyes and let out a soft sigh.
'That was out of character for .'
He wasn't soone who acted on feelings. He was always logical, always calculating.
So why?
Maybe it was because he had gotten soft. Or maybe it was the job of finally having soone match him in a fight and make his life less boring.
Or maybe the reason was as simple as Kyle's interest in the head knight. But it was not sothing he wanted to spend much ti thinking about.
Kyle shook his head, deciding to drop the thought.
'Whatever it was, it was a one-ti thing.'
It wouldn't happen again.
Kyle had a purpose in his life and that was to drag the gods down and make them acknowledge him and his existence.
With that final thought, he lay back on the bed and closed his eyes.
Tomorrow, they had a long journey ahead.
______
Kyle did not expect the head knight to make good on her promise, nor did he want her to. But the head knight was determined to make good on her words and she proved it the next day.
The next morning, the group gathered at a small wooden table in the inn's dining area.
Kyle sat down, feeling relaxed for the first ti in a while.
The al was simple but warm—freshly baked bread, a bowl of thick stew, and a pitcher of juice.
As he reached for his plate, sothing unexpected happened.
A gloved hand swiftly reached out and grabbed it before he could.
Kyle paused.
His golden eyes flicked up to see the Head Knight—expression unreadable—taking his plate and beginning to serve his portion.
'...What is she doing?'
He didn't say anything, but his brows raised slightly in silent question.
The Head Knight, as usual, remained stoic, calmly placing food on his plate as if it were normal.
Kyle decided to let it go.
He had no problem serving himself, but if this was her way of repaying a debt, then so be it.
But soone else in the room was not as forgiving.
Kyle didn't have to look far to feel the burning glare from across the table.
lissa was seething.
Her hands clenched into fists beneath the table, her lips biting back words.
Her body was rigid, and her expression was tense, as if she was barely restraining herself.
Bruce, noticing the volcanic rage building in her, subtly reached out and grabbed her arm.
"Calm down,"
He muttered in a low voice.
lissa snapped her head toward him.
"What?"
She hissed.
Bruce's grip tightened slightly.
"Think before you do sothing stupid."
lissa clenched her jaw, forcing herself to breathe.
Was she overreacting?
Perhaps.
But watching the Head Knight get so close to Kyle made her skin crawl. However, there was no reason for lissa to feel like that. Especially toward another male.
It wasn't just anger.
It was sothing else.
Sothing worse.
Jealousy.
lissa suddenly felt a wave of realization crash over her, making her stomach churn.
She was jealous of the Head Knight.
And the worst part?
She had no idea why.
She had been with Kyle the longest. She had trained under him. She had fought alongside him.
So why did this newcor—this knight—get to act so familiar with him? And not only friendly. Sohow, it seed like the head knight was interested in her master and that rubbed lissa the wrong way.
A troubling thought crossed her mind.
What if—
What if the Head Knight's presence changed sothing in Kyle?
What if he started seeing things differently?
What if, by spending too much ti with the Head Knight, Kyle…
lissa shook her head violently.
'What am I even thinking?'
Her thoughts had gone into dangerous territory.
She gritted her teeth, still feeling uneasy.
The Head Knight finished serving Kyle, then sat back down, completely unaware of the silent battle happening across the table.
Kyle casually picked up his utensils and began to eat without a care.
lissa, however, still watched.
Her heart pounded.
A single, ridiculous fear kept whispering in her mind—
'What if this man changes my master's sexual orientation? I need to do sothing before I lose master…I an, before master does sothing that will cause him trouble in the future.'
The thought alone made her visibly flinch.
Bruce, who had been silently observing the entire ti, simply let out a deep sigh.
He decided, right then and there, that this wasn't his problem.
If lissa wanted to glare at the Head Knight like a jealous wife, that was her business.
As long as Kyle was fine, Bruce didn't care.
lissa, however, wasn't so easily appeased.
She needed to do sothing—anything—to reaffirm her place beside Kyle.
After all, she could not allow her master to go down the forbidden path. And even if he did, lissa needed to make sure the head knight was the last person her master would feel interested in.
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