The Amber Knight Swears His Love on the Saintess’s Left Hand - Chapter 21

The skin on his back felt taut and strained. His shoulder blades moved with a heavy sluggishness. Any attempt to move his arms only intensified the pain, yet he couldn’t exactly sit there like a frozen statue, devoid of all gesture. Sitting across the parlor table from Quill was the Marquis Claussen, Chairman of the House of Lords and father to Marius.

“My foolish son has caused you a great deal of trouble. For that, I am truly sorry.”

Seeing the Marquis bow his head to the second son of an Earl, Quill waved his hands frantically in a “please, don’t” gesture. Then he winced. It hurt.

Unlike his son, the Marquis was rumored to be a man of character, but Quill hadn’t expected him to come all the way to the Langbart estate just to apologize.

“By rights, this should be a criminal matter. That you allowed it to be settled as a private duel. I have no words to express my gratitude.”

“No, really. It was, for all intents and purposes, a private duel.”

The original plan involved using Commander Geis’s rank as a Duke to force the Claussen gates open. The Knights were supposed to move in officially, taking Marius into custody under the guise of an interrogation. Quill hadn’t intended to break protocol.

…Right up until Nicola came tumbling out of the Claussen gardens, tattered and pursued by dogs.

It was Nicola who had saved the day. If their entry had been delayed by even a moment, there was no telling what Marius might have done to Lynette.

In the end, Quill had broken in through a window alone and unilaterally laid Marius out. Even though they secured Lynette’s testimony and Marius’s confession later, leaping in at that moment made it a private duel.

It was conduct unbecoming of a knight. Quill had been handed a suspension. Geis had laughed, saying it was “perfect timing,” and Sascha had promptly kicked him out of the barracks.

And so, Quill found himself spending six days at the townhouse.

Under the guise of a disciplinary measure, he had been sent home with a stack of paperwork. A grueling mental task of filling one page per day with the phrase “Private Duels Are Strictly Forbidden.” It was, in fact, medical leave.

Beside him, Lynette accepted the Marquis’s apology with a serene, social grace.

Settling the matter as a private duel had been her idea. Thanks to her, the details remained hidden from high society, and they had managed to put the House of Marquis Claussen in their debt. Quill could only look at his fiancée, currently wearing her “social mask,” with growing admiration.

Marius was under suspension as well, currently languishing in the depths of despair at the Marquis’s estate.

While Quill had been unconscious, Marius had come to and been hit by a devastating strike from Lynette: “Among the members of the guard, I never once thought of you as special, Lord Claussen.” Receiving that followed by a polite, social smile had sent him back into a dead faint.

“If my uncle hadn’t approached him, I doubt Lord Marius would have been driven to such extremes. I am sorry that my family circumstances have caused you such trouble, Your Excellency.”

“Lady Ceryes, you need not worry about that. However…”

The Marquis hesitated, then spoke again with a heavy tone after a brief silence.

“If we wish to ask Earl Ceryes to exercise self-restraint, Lord Quill will require a more substantial standing.”

This was a point Quill had felt acutely during the incident. As the Captain of the Second Squad of the Black Knights, Quill Langbart lacked the prestige required to be the fiancé of Lynette Ceryes.

“What if you were to transfer to the White Knights? You could build a network among the nobility—”

“I—”

“That is out of the question.”

Before Quill could answer, Lynette cut in with a firm tone.

“Lord Quill will not compromise who he is.”

“But, Lady Ceryes. If something like this happens again…”

“I will handle my uncle. I will take care of it.”

“If you feel that strongly, why not simply dissolve your adoption? If I lend my support, I can get it through the assembly.”

It was a gesture of gratitude for the Marius situation. It was a generous offer, but Quill saw Lynette’s brows knit slightly.

As I thought, Quill mused as he watched her. He could see strong emotions flickering in every part of her expression now.

A sudden wave of bewilderment made his throat dry, and he took a sip of tea.

Beside him, Lynette looked up, seemingly having made a decision.

“If the adoption is dissolved, my uncle will immediately divorce his wife and move to marry me himself.”

Quill spat out his tea. Spectacularly.

It was a miracle he didn’t spray the Marquis directly.

He scrambled for a handkerchief, muttering an “excuse me” while covering his mouth. The Marquis, for his part, set his trembling cup back on the table. Witnessing the self-control required of a Chairman, Quill wiped the table, sweating from pure embarrassment.

“Has Earl Ceryes… shown signs of such intentions before?”

“It is not lust. It is simply that he is willing to go that far to return to the center of power.”

Quill felt he finally understood why Lynette stubbornly refused to call the Earl “Father.”

“I see. In that case, it would be best to cut ties with the Earl immediately before you officially marry. Though, that brings us back to Lord Quill needing a formidable title.”

The Marquis looked at Quill and Lynette, his stern face softening into a smile.

“I suppose any more than this would be meddling. If you need anything, I shall be your strength. For now, focus on resting your body.”

The Marquis offered his hand, and Quill shook it. It rankled slightly that he owed this to Marius, but an unexpected and powerful bond had been formed.