The Amber Knight's Vow to the Saint's Left Hand - Chapter 3.1

As expected—perhaps inevitably—Quill found himself returning to the barracks, much to Zasha’s exasperation.

He cared for the Langbart family, truly. And yet, ever since the incident at his twelfth birthday celebration, he had built a wall between them himself. It wasn’t that he was indifferent to Lynette, but the idea of abruptly moving his life into their household unsettled him.

His brother Lars, who managed the royal palace library, occasionally stopped by for a visit. As always, Lars maintained his usual demeanor, offering brief updates on Lynette’s well-being. Sometimes, he also delivered letters from her—along with curses written by their younger sister, Adele.

Lars never told him to come home. Quill was both grateful and guilty about that.

Adele’s latest note read: “May a sudden downpour of strawberry torte descend upon my heartless elder brother.”

If such a thing were to actually happen, it would be nothing short of catastrophic.

Before he realized it, more than half a month had passed since the engagement.

In that time, Lynette had already visited the sanctum four times.

It seemed she needed to return to the Holy Sword far more frequently than Quill had anticipated.

Lying back on the stiff barracks bed, he read through her latest letter.

It opened with the customary seasonal greetings and ended with a polite inquiry about his health.

The meticulously neat handwriting was so rigidly formal that he could easily picture her—her ever-serious expression as she carefully composed each word.

And just as he was about to lose himself in thought, his door was unceremoniously flung open.

Zasha had knocked, but clearly saw no reason to wait for a response.

“Would it kill you to wait for an answer?”

“Oh, come on. Like doors even exist between us, Quill. Anyway, I came to deliver a message—Commander wants you in his office. You’ve got a visitor.”

“A visitor?”

Could it be Lynette?

Quill immediately sat up, prompting Zasha to smirk knowingly.

“If you’re that curious, why not just visit home once in a while?”

“It’s only natural to be concerned about one’s fiancée.”

“Not accusing you of anything. Just making an observation. Unfortunately, your visitor isn’t her. It’s someone a lot more troublesome.”

“Troublesome?”

Quill frowned, and Zasha’s expression darkened slightly.

“The Earl of Celies. Commander Gies is standing by as well.”

Inside the commander’s office sat a man who bore no resemblance to Lynette whatsoever.

His severe countenance alone would be enough to make Adele burst into tears on sight.

He was far older than Gies—perhaps nearing fifty—with a receding hairline and deep furrows permanently etched between his brows. His eyes, sharp and scrutinizing, assessed Quill with undisguised appraisal.

“I apologize for arriving unannounced. I have sent my daughter several letters, but she refuses to heed them. I had no choice but to come in person.”

The Earl wasted no time with pleasantries.

His direct approach made it clear what kind of situation this was.

Quill remained silent, watching to see how things would unfold.

“I will be blunt. I ask that you annul the engagement.”

The heavy sigh that followed did not come from Quill—but from Gies.

The Earl’s keen ears caught it, and he immediately turned a sharp gaze toward him.

But a battle-hardened veteran like Gies was unfazed by such things.

He met the Earl’s glare with effortless composure.

Quill, on the other hand, felt a strange unease settling in.

He knew why Gies was here—he had taken it upon himself to act as a parental figure in this situation.

At twenty-five years old.

Twenty-five.

Still, Quill straightened his back, placing both hands on his knees.

As a son of Langbart.

As a knight personally chosen by Gies.

He would conduct himself with the utmost decorum.

“I was informed that the engagement was Lady Celies’s wish. Furthermore, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince himself granted this union. I do not have the authority to annul it of my own accord.”

“Do not take it so rigidly, Sir Langbart. This is for your own sake.”

“My sake?”

“You are already a man under public scrutiny. I cannot stand by and allow my daughter’s selfishness to drag you into unwanted scandal.”

“Scandal? What do you mean?”

“Surely you can imagine. The rumors have already spread beyond the capital.”

Quill clenched his fists tightly over his knees.

Once again, Betzirath’s bl00d clung to him.

No doubt, the rumors claimed that he had somehow forced this engagement upon Lynette through coercion or manipulation.

It wasn’t unexpected.

The moment people learned that Lynette Celies was engaged to Quill Langbart, there were bound to be those who twisted the truth and spread whatever narrative they pleased.

That was precisely why the engagement had been kept a strict secret until the day she left the sanctum.

Barely half a month had passed, and already, the nobles were laughing behind Quill’s back.

This was the price of securing a fiancée beyond his station.

“Rumors are just that—rumors. And given everything that happened during the exhibition match, the capital seems to view it rather favorably, wouldn’t you say?”

At Gies’s interjection, the Earl of Celies wore an expression of feigned pity.

“No one would dare mock the king’s decisions while standing in the shadow of his throne.”

“Ah, as expected of the Old Order. Harsh as ever toward His Majesty.”

Should these rumors continue to spread, doubt would inevitably fall upon the royal family as well.

The Saintess, who was meant to wed into the royal line, was instead betrothed to a man of Betzirath’s bl00d.

All it would take was a single stone thrown into the water, and the tides of public opinion could shift.

For a fleeting moment, Quill considered something.

Perhaps these rumors could work to his advantage.

If he were seen as a man who schemed to seize the Saintess by entangling the royal family, then even if the engagement were annulled, no noble house would dare propose a marriage to him ever again.

It wasn’t as if he had any reason to cling to this engagement at the cost of his own reputation.

The only thing that gave him pause was the wound that annulment might leave on Lynette.

“If the engagement is dissolved, wouldn’t that put Lady Celies in a difficult position?”

“The Marquess of Klassen’s son has taken a liking to her.”

Quill nearly dislocated his jaw.

Beside him, Gies let out a long-suffering sigh and tilted his head toward the ceiling in exasperation.

“Surely… you don’t mean Lord Marius?”

The Marquess of Klassen had three sons.

Clinging to the hope of a miracle, Quill asked, only for the Earl of Celies to respond with a self-satisfied nod.

“Despite being the heir to the marquessate, he has graciously accepted the perilous duty of leading my daughter’s guard. I am deeply grateful to him.”

Images of Marius, barking like an enraged pup as he swung his sword, flashed through Quill’s mind.

When this engagement had first been arranged, he had briefly wondered if things might have been simpler had she been betrothed to Marius instead.

But now, faced with the reality of Marius standing at Lynette’s side after an annulment, Quill felt a surge of inexplicable fury.

Surely, there had to be someone better.

The White Knights were filled with noble heirs of respectable lineage—why did it have to be Marius?

He could almost hear the grating voice now, reverently calling her Saintess, Saintess, as if she were still some untouchable deity.

His fingers tapped irritably against his knee.

“You needn’t worry about my daughter’s future. You may simply annul the engagement and be at ease.”

“I refuse.”

“…Oh?”

The Earl’s severe features slackened slightly, taking on an almost comically bewildered look.

Even Quill himself was startled by how instinctively the words had left his mouth.

But he didn’t back down.

Instead, he rose from his seat.

“I entrusted Lady Celies with an oath bracelet. Only she has the right to break it. This is not a matter for either Your Excellency or myself to decide.”

“W-Wait, Quill—”

“Training is about to begin. I’ll be taking my leave!”

He turned on his heel and shut the door behind him with a decisive slam.

Behind him, Gies’s roaring laughter echoed through the halls.

This was no laughing matter.

Why had he been so stubborn about this?

Even Quill himself didn’t know.