The Amber Knight's Vow to the Saint's Left Hand - Chapter 3.3

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Marius clenched his jaw so tightly that his teeth groaned under the pressure.

He watched as the Saintess disappeared into the sanctum, burning the sight of her back into his memory.

Even now, he could not accept her engagement.

The Saintess was meant to marry into the royal family. That was tradition.

That was why Marius had gracefully stepped aside.

No one had been closer to Lynette than him. No one had protected her as he had during their two-year journey.

He refused to believe that she had lost her emotions.

Lynette had always shown him kindness, always smiled at him.

Those beautiful blue eyes had softened only for him.

If not for that wretched tradition, he would have whisked her away at once.

He knew she wanted him to.

He had endured this bitter frustration for too long.

And now, she was engaged—to him.

A Black Knight.

A bastard fostered by those red-eyed barbarians.

“The Saintess must feel the same way.”

This engagement was nothing more than a ploy by the royal family to bolster the influence of the New Order.

On the day Marius had been appointed as her personal guard, Earl Celies had spoken to him personally.

“Please, I beg of you—protect my daughter.”

The Earl was an influential figure within the Old Order.

He had feared that, because of his daughter’s lineage, the royal family would neglect her.

His concerns had been proven right.

The royal family had cast the Saintess aside under the guise of adapting to the times, forcing her into an engagement with a tainted, lowborn knight.

Marius gripped the hilt of his sword.

“I will save you. I swear it.”

An Unexpected Visit from the Crown Prince

After enduring Earl Celies’s sudden intrusion earlier that day, Quill had found himself wandering back toward the townhouse without much thought.

But what awaited him there was far from peaceful.

The Crown Prince and Princess had come to visit.

It was not often that a royal casually called upon an earl’s residence.

Leonard, it seemed, had heard about the morning’s incident from Gies and correctly deduced that Quill would return here.

A keen intuition indeed.

Now, in the townhouse’s reception room, Quill sat alongside Lynette, his parents, and the royal couple.

The topic at hand was one that made Quill want to bury his head in his hands.

“A soirée?!”

Crown Princess Julianna beamed, nodding enthusiastically at his outburst.

“It needn’t be an official presentation, but wouldn’t it be lovely for the two of you to attend a soirée together? Show everyone how close you are.”

Close?

Quill cast a glance at the elegant doll seated beside him.

According to Gies, Lynette’s composure during the exhibition match had been well received.

Though many had opposed such an unconventional engagement, public sentiment had shifted after witnessing that event.

Now, it seemed, the royal family wished to extend that approval beyond the capital.

“And your solution is a soirée.”

“I will host it personally and ensure a carefully selected guest list. What do you think? After all… it was in your notebook.”

Julianna’s gaze rested on Lynette’s hand as she placed her own atop it.

The Saintess and the Crown Princess must have formed a strong bond, beyond mere titles.

Lynette considered the offer for a moment before speaking.

“I have no objections. However… whom should I ask to escort me?”

Quill’s elbow slipped off the armrest.

What on earth was his fiancée saying?

“I would prefer not to be the kind of man who allows his fiancée to attend a soirée alone.”

“Oh? You mean you’ll be attending as well, Sir Quill? A soirée?”

By now, Quill had learned.

Lynette’s outlandish statements were not deliberate.

They were simply… her.

With a resigned exhale, he turned to her.

“Lady Celies, what exactly does your notebook say about soirées?”

Lynette reached for the pocket slit in her gown, retrieving the small notebook she always carried.

Without any hesitation, she flipped through it as if reviewing a daily schedule.

Among the expected entries—waltzing, choosing a dress, trying alcohol—one stood out.

“Receiving jewelry as a gift.”

“That should count as fulfilled, given the oath bracelet, shouldn’t it?”

“No, it does not.”

“That wouldn’t count.”

“Quill, that absolutely does not count.”

Julianna, Leonard, and his father denied him in unison.

His mother merely pressed her fingers to her temple, looking as though she were developing a headache.

Meanwhile, Lynette, apparently fascinated, murmured,

“Oh, so that’s how it is.”

Across the room, Nicola, waiting quietly by the wall, gave Quill a my poor master look.

He had no allies here.

Even though Lynette herself seemed entirely satisfied with the oath bracelet.

Was this really about fulfilling her wishes?

Or was it more about showing the world how a fiancé should behave?

Quill still had much to learn about his role.

“Understood. I’ll return here the night after tomorrow when I’m off duty. It may be a bit late, though.”

“Are you busy?”

Lately, there had been an increase in monster sightings around the capital.

It was unusual for this time of year, but still preferable to autumn, when they were prone to madness during mating season.

Yet, something troubled Quill far more than the frequency of the attacks.

For some reason, the monsters were heading directly for the capital.

They weren’t attacking along the roads from the Aschefallen Mountains, nor causing scattered damage as they usually did.

Their movements were disturbingly deliberate.

And stranger still.

Every time, without fail, their eyes sought him.

Among the Black Knights, they lunged for Quill above all others.

Could his red eyes somehow be drawing them in?

His gaze met Lynette’s.

For the first time in a while, Quill forced a smile to cover his unease.

“Spring is a busy season for administrative work. Don’t worry about me—three days from now, let’s take a walk through town.”

Lynette studied Quill for a moment, then quietly nodded and closed her notebook.

The gathering concluded with the soirée scheduled for three weeks later, and the group saw the Crown Prince and Princess off.

Just before stepping into the carriage, Leonard motioned for Quill to approach.

As Quill neared, it was Julianna who spoke first.

“If possible, I’d like you to stay at the townhouse tonight.”

“I had planned to, but may I ask why?”

“Lynette went to the sanctum again today… Please be kind to her tonight.”

Leonard pulled his wife close as her expression darkened.

“It’s not something we can force upon her.”

“I know… You’re right. I’m sorry.”

Quill wasn’t entirely sure what had prompted her concern, but he inclined his head in acknowledgment of her apology.

Leonard clapped a hand on his shoulder.

“It seems you’re managing better than I expected.”

“I wouldn’t say that.”

“At the very least, you’re treating her as an ordinary noblewoman. That alone proves you were the right choice.”

Satisfied, the Crown Prince stepped into the carriage, and with that, they were gone.

Quill watched them go, feeling oddly left behind, when Lynette quietly appeared beside him.

“You seem to be on good terms with His Highness.”

“My birth mother once saved him—along with my brother, Lars. That’s why he looks out for me.”

Or perhaps, more accurately, like a brother.

His mother, Olga, had saved two lives.

One was Lars.

The other was the Crown Prince, Leonard.

Quill didn’t know the full details, but it was her actions that had ultimately led to his adoption into the Langbart family.

“You seem close to the Crown Princess as well.”

“We often met at tea parties for young noblewomen. I admired her like an older sister. That’s why, when the time came, I boldly asked her to help arrange my engagement.”

It was one thing for the Crown Princess to make a request of him, but this particular request…

“Be kind to her.”

There had been something almost mournful in Julianna’s expression, as if she saw Lynette as a younger sister in need of protection.

Quill found himself wondering—

“Is the duty of the Saintess so harsh?”

A two-year pilgrimage with the Holy Sword, offering prayers for purification.

Even now, she must have been praying in the sanctum.

Yet, he had no real understanding of what her role truly entailed.

At his question, Lynette lowered her gaze, then masked it with a faint smile.

“Once you grow accustomed to it, it’s nothing at all.”

Her arms folded lightly across her torso, as if holding herself.

The spring night carried a lingering chill.

Without a word, Quill shrugged off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders.

“Let’s head inside. I’ll ask Nicola to prepare some tea.”

“That sounds lovely.”

For a fleeting moment, Lynette seemed about to smile—

Then, just as quickly, the expression vanished.

Instead, she raised her left hand slightly, offering it to him.

Her sincerity in the gesture made something within him stir—just slightly.

“By the way, Sir Quill, are you any good at waltzing?”

That feeling immediately plummeted back to solid ground.

“…At the very least, I’ll make sure you don’t feel the need to raise your left hand in surrender.”

He answered honestly.

Lynette glanced around the empty garden before tugging lightly at his sleeve.

Quill bent down to listen, and her soft breath brushed against his ear.

“I’m the same. So, if it all goes terribly, please just pick me up and spin me around.”

With complete seriousness, Lynette demonstrated by twirling in a waltz stance.

At a time like this—if she did have emotions—

Would she still wear that ever-serious expression?

Or would she smile, teasing and playful?

Quill held back a chuckle.

It was something he would like to see for himself someday.