Chezare’s question was very different from when he asked it on the day the manor collapsed. Back then, it seemed as though he was trying to scare Catherine away, but now, he was asking her sincerely. He wanted to know if she could handle it.

“Imperial knights are sanctioned to kill. If they give a reasonable explanation for doing so, everyone will accept it and move on.”

“Are you saying they’re going to kill me?”

“If you must put it like that, yes. It’s only natural.”

She could see no trace of deceit in his eyes, but Catherine couldn’t believe it was true. She hadn’t had many opportunities to see the great imperial knights in her entire life. Even in high society, she’d only run into them a handful of times. And yet another one of those rare encounters had surfaced today, and on top of that, it might mean her death.

What do I do? Surely Chezare had a way to get rid of them. Otherwise, how could he be so calm right now? Yet Catherine’s pride was so great she couldn’t bring herself to ask him.

Chezare’s blue eyes fixed on her as he waited for her answer. Instead, Catherine turned on her heel and walked briskly down the stairs.

“You’re not thinking of packing your things and moving out in this weather, are you?” he called after her.

“This is my home,” she replied. “Why would I run away from my own house?”

Chezare caught up to her in no time, given that his legs were so long he only needed one stride for every two of Catherine’s. She flung open the door to a storage room on the first floor and angrily blustered, “Why are you all after my house?”

“You all?”

While Catherine dug around in the small room, relying on feeling alone, Chezare leaned in the doorway with crossed arms. “To me, you’re basically all the same,” she replied. “I’m just trying to have a peaceful life, and you’re all getting in my way.”

“Hmm, that hurts my feelings,” he said. “Have you already forgotten how I made you lunch?”

Catherine leaned in farther and continued feeling around. Fortunately, she soon found what she was looking for: a large, unwieldy shovel nearly too thick to even hold in one hand. She pulled it out carefully, then swept past Chezare out of the storage room. In the meager light of the distant lamp set in the hall, his face seemed filled with far more shadows than light.

“You know something?” she asked. “Every time I ask you why you’re here, you never give me a straight answer.”

The corner of Chezare’s mouth twitched upward. “There are some things in the world you’re better off not knowing.”

“Fine. Then why were you outside in the rain last night?”

“Will you be upset if I don’t give you a straight answer again?”

Catherine narrowed her eyes and turned her back to him. For someone who insisted on hanging around her, he sure had a lot to hide. Well, if he didn’t want to say, Catherine wasn’t going to pry. The whole affair just made her annoyed.

Catherine stood in front of the manor door, through which she could hear the storm raging outside. Gripping the shovel in both hands, she listened intently.

“Hold on, are you planning to do what I think you are?” Chezare called to her.

Those bastards were barging into her house. That makes this self-defense.

The door opened, and the wind and rain swept into the house. Heavy boots thumped against the floor. Two cloaks so black they seemed to blot out their surroundings emerged into the room. Catherine swung her arms toward the hoods that towered above her. Or at least, she tried to.

“Huh?”

The problem was that Chezare was holding her arms down. Blinking in confusion, Catherine slowly turned her head. Two icy eyes glowered down at her from a very close distance. Chezare, still holding both of Catherine’s wrists in his hand, muttered, “I can’t make heads or tails of you.”

At that moment, the cautious approach of the boots stopped. Catherine turned back to face the intruders.

“Who are you?” one of them asked in a deep, scratchy voice. Surprise flashed across their faces only to be quickly suppressed. Catherine also noticed them take a slight step back as if readying themselves for combat.

With a thwack and a cry, one of the intruders’ heads slammed into the door, and the man slumped to the ground.

“You’re not in your right mind,” Chezare said.

The other intruder couldn’t escape meeting the same fate. Before Catherine could fully comprehend what was happening, Chezare had given the knight a swift kick to his shin, and he fell flat on his face.

“There’s etiquette when calling on someone,” he continued.

The men both groaned.

Unsure of what to make of the situation, Catherine slowly lowered the now-unneeded shovel. These men were mighty imperial knights. Just by looking at them, she could tell how large and powerful their bodies were. And yet, they were knocked down by a single punch and a single kick from Chezare?

“I believe that normally one should ring the bell and receive the resident’s permission to enter,” Chezare said.

He slammed the door shut and nodded at Catherine. She could tell he was instructing her to stand back, which she did. How could such a handsome man be so violent?

Chezare’s face seemed almost bored, although his actions and eyes betrayed his temper. “What do you think, fair knights?” he asked in a voice so cold it was almost unrecognizable. The men were frightened by his words and struggled to their feet. They quickly removed their hoods and stood at attention in front of the door.

Their faces were as clean-shaven as imperial knights’ faces should be, and attractive, but pale with fear.

“Uh, your...”

“This is rather brazen of you.”

At Chezare’s words, the man who had been kicked in the leg opened his mouth as if to speak, but closed it again. They seemed to be following the code of military discipline.

Why are they being so formal to Chezare? Oh, right. He was the grand duke.

“Creeping into someone else’s house like mice, are you?” Chezare continued in an even tone. “What have the imperial knights come to?”

The hall fell into silence. Catherine wanted to remind Chezare that he had snuck in without permission too, but the quiet atmosphere was strangely threatening, and Catherine couldn’t gather the nerve to speak. Besides, Chezare had put himself in harm’s way for her.

Did he really do it for me? We’re not really that close, are we? Either way, she knew to stay out of it this time, so she tiptoed behind Chezare’s back and hid. Membership within the imperial knights was the greatest honor a young noble could hope for. They were the face of the imperial throne, and only children from the greatest families of the most worthy character and standing were selected. The guard was composed of the emperor’s thirty-three favorite aristocratic youths. This meant that they were on a fast track to reaching the pinnacle of society.

Catherine felt dizzy when she thought about how she had almost been killed by them. But judging by their reactions, I don’t think I have to worry too much. Catherine studied their faces. They were clearly afraid of Chezare. Even in this pitch-black room, they had recognized him by his voice alone. It seemed hard for them to even breathe in his presence. While Chezare stood staring at them, they didn’t even dare blink. Several seconds passed. Sweating profusely, the brown-haired knight finally spoke.

“Um, Your Gra—”

“Chezare.”

His tone of voice made it clear that if they didn’t call him by his name, they would taste his fist again. The brown-haired knight maintained his composure but swallowed hard enough that Catherine could see his Adam’s apple bob.

“We apologize. We didn’t realize we’d see you here, Cheza—” Stopping midsentence, the knight glanced again at him. “Chezare, sir.”

“Chezare, ‘sir’?”

The man appeared proud of himself for handling the situation so well until Chezare responded, and his face froze again.

Through the man’s expression, Catherine could tell he was confused by what was being asked of him.

“Say that again,” Chezare responded. “What did you call me? Chezare, sir?”

The difference in status between them was abundantly clear, and the knights already seemed exhausted from trying to please this man.

“I meant, I didn’t realize you’d be here... Chezare.”

The words came out sounding very awkward. Even though the knight was calling him by name, he was still too stiff and formal.

“What are your names?” Chezare asked.

“I’m Damian Rodria.”

“And I’m Cassin Cloan.”

Their aristocratic names suited them perfectly.

“I see. Sir Damian and Sir Cassin,” Chezare repeated their names with little interest. “I’m rather certain neither of you wish to be reported for trespassing.”

This was the same warning Catherine had given him when they first met. She stared daggers at his back, feeling like he was making fun of her.

“We came on His High—”

“His,” Chezare corrected, again.

The brown-haired knight, Damian, swallowed hard—also again.

“We came on his orders to investigate the area.”

“You came to a house where a woman lives alone?”

The knights looked over at Catherine, who had finally spoken. They examined her thoroughly, as if wondering why she was still there. However, their looks weren’t particularly friendly, and she began to feel uncomfortable. Fortunately, Chezare shifted, blocking her from their view, so Catherine could only see his wide back.

“Look here, Sir Damian. Are you going to try to tell me you didn’t know you were trespassing?”

“We were on a secret mission, so we couldn’t help...”

The knight trailed off midsentence, and silence fell over the hall yet again. Since Catherine was hidden behind Chezare’s back, she couldn’t read the knights’ faces. Not long after, Chezare slowly stepped to the side, and when the two knights saw Catherine, this time they bowed.

“We apologize for our impoliteness, miss. We beg for your forgiveness.”

“We’re sorry, miss.”

Some silent exchange had clearly taken place between them and Chezare, because their reaction this time was extremely polite.

“It’s fine, I guess,” she replied.

What in the world had Chezare done?

“Um, may we be so bold as to ask you a question?” asked Sir Cassin, who until now had kept his head quietly bent.

“Why is His Gra— I mean, Chezare here?”

Chezare immediately answered, “Do I need a reason to visit a woman’s house?”

The knights’ mouths fell open. Apparently unconcerned with closing them again, they turned to look at Catherine. They ogled her as if staring at a mythical creature of some kind. Of course, Catherine felt just as shocked as they did.

“But thanks to you unwelcome guests, my evening with my lover has been ruined. And just as things were growing passionate as well... How do you plan to make it up to us?”

The knights appeared to be completely frozen over.

Trust me, I know how you feel, Catherine thought.