Chapters 273-274—Are Important to the Leader
[POV Change]
In Rize's eyes, Dayke was a very kind man.
He often became rough in bed, yet beneath that behavior, there was always a sense of consideration for his partner. This kindness continued to shake Rize, and as the days passed, her feelings for him only grew stronger.
'It shouldn't be like this…'
Dayke already had a partner named Agnes. To Rize, Agnes was not only a respected superior but also a leader she valued as much as her own family. That was why Rize forced herself to suppress her emotions.
To protect her heart from being hurt, she asked Dayke to treat her affectionately, just like a lover, for only one night. She decided to keep that brief night as nothing more than a memory and then give up her feelings for him.
But…
'I just can't control myself…'
Once her body had experienced the sweetness of his affection, it could no longer be satisfied. It continued to crave more of Dayke's warmth.
When she was alone, she found herself imagining being his lover. And whenever she saw Dayke sharing a tender moment with the leader, envy would burn inside her so fiercely that she could not sleep through the night.
Her greed grew as she suffered alone, with no one she could confide in. That desire filled her heart until it spilled over and revealed itself in her actions.
"Rize?!"
Dayke's voice trembled with embarrassment. He could neither pull away nor push aside Rize, who suddenly threw herself into his arms in the middle of their conversation.
"Why are you acting like this all of a sudden?"
Even for Rize, it happened in an instant. She had intended only to exchange a simple greeting when she encountered him in the hallway. Yet her body betrayed her, moving uncontrollably under the weight of all the frustration that had been building inside.
However, her problem was that it wasn't just her body that she couldn't control.
"I like you… Dayke."
The moment she felt his warmth, her hidden feelings escaped her lips like air leaking from a crack. By the time she realized what she had done, her voice had already reached his ears.
"What now…"
"I'm sorry! I must have lost my mind for a moment. What I just said wasn't a lie, but please pretend you never heard it. I don't want to disturb the relationship between you and the leader… So I'll leave now!"
"Rize, wait a minute!"
It was from that moment on. After she confessed her true feelings to Dayke and ran away, Agnes's attitude toward her began to change little by little.
The awkwardness showed in her eyes and expressions, as if she felt uncomfortable facing the vice-captain, who had always been her close friend.
Each time Rize saw that unfamiliar look from her superior, her heart ached. Yet she could do nothing, because she knew she was the reason the leader had changed.
'Dayke must have told the leader about my confession…'
A precious relationship with a colleague had been ruined by a single careless act. Rize desperately wanted to apologize to her and restore their relationship, but she was too afraid to face the truth and couldn't bring herself to act.
And so, the uncomfortable atmosphere between the two knights dragged on.
"Captain… Thank you for your hard work at the meeting."
"Ah, Rize… Thank you. Well, that's enough."
Agnes left the conference room in a hurry, as if she was answering stiffly and running away.
Kiella, who had been watching their exchange, walked over to Rize, who was left behind, sighing alone.
"Little one."
"…Kiella."
"What's going on between you two? Did you fight?"
"That is…"
…
…
"You confessed to Dayke, and Agnes knows it, doesn't she?"
Rize did not answer. Instead, she simply nodded while her expression was clouded with tears.
"That's why you two have been treating each other so awkwardly. Honestly, it's frustrating for everyone watching."
Kiella thought that Dayke probably had no idea about this problem. Agnes and Rize acted as if nothing had changed whenever they were in front of him, perhaps because they didn't want to embarrass him with their personal issues.
But if things continued this way, it was only a matter of time before their discomfort became obvious.
"Have you had a proper conversation with Agnes?"
"No… I don't have the courage…"
"Ha."
Kiella pressed her forehead and let out a long sigh. She was not someone who usually interfered with others, but Rize was like her little sister, someone she had known since childhood. She couldn't just turn a blind eye to her suffering.
There was also another reason she couldn't ignore it. She knew very well that if Rize and Agnes didn't face each other and speak openly, misunderstandings and distrust would only deepen.
Just like when she herself once mistakenly thought Dayke had abandoned her.
"I'll bring Agnes here."
"Huh? What? Kiella, wait—!"
Before Rize could stop her, Kiella left the conference room. A short while later, she returned, leading Agnes inside.
She placed the two hesitant elves across from each other, firmly set her hands on their shoulders, and spoke with determination.
"Now, if there's a problem, talk about it honestly and solve it right here. Don't you realize Dayke will be the one in trouble if he finds out you two are behaving like this?"
"…"
A heavy silence filled the conference room.
A few minutes later, Kiella was still standing with her arms crossed, refusing to interfere further. Finally, Rize gathered her courage and opened her mouth.
"…Captain."
"…"
"You probably heard from Dayke about what I did."
Agnes lowered her gaze and gave no reply.
Even so, her still posture seemed to signal that she was willing to listen to whatever Rize had to say.
"I'm sorry. I should have been grateful just for being able to spend time with Dayke, but I became presumptuously greedy. From now on… I won't even come near him."
The vice-captain's voice trembled with sincerity.
After quietly listening, Agnes finally opened her mouth.
"Dayke hasn't told me about it yet. He probably kept it to himself out of consideration for you."
"Then…"
"I happened to pass by and saw you hugging him… and confessing your true feelings."
"I see…"
As Agnes raised her head to look at her, Rize immediately lowered her gaze. She had decided to look her superior in the eye and apologize sincerely, but when the moment came, her courage faltered.
Then came an unexpected response.
"Vice-captain, you don't need to apologize. Rather, I should be the one apologizing. …I'm sorry."
"Yes?"
"It's only natural to develop feelings for Dayke when spending time with him. I did too. But I let my own greed make me want to monopolize him."
"No, that isn't greed. Isn't it natural for you to want that as Dayke's lover…?"
Despite what Rize said, Agnes firmly shook her head.
"No. I've thought about this for a long time. I even knew the answer to solve this situation. But I wasted too much time hesitating, trapped by my own small-mindedness."
What was the answer that could resolve this?
As Rize waited anxiously, Agnes finally spoke again.
"I hope you can also feel the happiness of being loved by him. Of course, Dayke's thoughts matter more than anything else, but I believe he can love us equally."
"B-but isn't it normal for humans to mate as a pair? If I get involved, won't it make you uncomfortable, Leader…?"
Rize faltered as she was unable to finish her sentence. At that moment, Kiella, who had been silently watching, grabbed her shoulder.
"Hey. Agnes is telling you it's better for everyone to get along than to keep this awkward distance. And that 'pair bonding' is about humans. We're elves—it doesn't matter if our way of loving is different."
"…"
Even with Kiella's encouragement, Rize still hesitated.
Seeing her Agnes added softly.
"In the past, I would have been jealous of Dayke's closeness with the other elf sisters. But not anymore. I realized that you, vice-captain, are just as important to me as Dayke is."
"Captain…"
"Let's go see him tonight. I'll tell Dayke how I feel and ask him to love us together."
"Is… is that really okay?"
"It's okay."
Tears welled in Rize's eyes as complicated emotions tangled in her heart.
Noticing that the mood was growing heavy again, Kiella patted Rize on the back and spoke cheerfully.
"Good! Then go and talk it out properly. And don't say anything strange just because you're crying for no reason."
"Kiella, you should come too."
"What? Me?"
Agnes nodded.
"Hasn't Kiella been sharing that kind of relationship with Dayke for quite some time?"
"Well… I'm fine."
"It's fine if you don't refuse. If it's you, Kiella, I would gladly accept it."
"No! That's not what I mean…"
"Then why are you acting like this?"
Until now, Kiella's cheeks had been calm, but they suddenly flared bright red.
"I'd rather be a bitch than a lover… like I am now."
Her answer was something neither Agnes nor Rize could have ever imagined. Because of that, both of them were left speechless. They were unable to react for a long moment.
…
…
[MC POV]
At night… The moonlight was streaming through the window. I was lying in bed and lost in thought.
Rize's sudden confession from a few days ago still lingered in my mind. She had asked me to pretend it never happened, yet after that day her attitude toward me grew more and more awkward. Even between Agnes and Rize, I could sense a subtle tension building, something I could no longer ignore.
'What should I do?'
To be honest, Rize was an elf with many charms as a woman. She carried herself with sharp discipline while fulfilling her duties as vice-captain, a striking contrast to her usual somewhat sloppy personality. That difference made her stand out all the more.
But no matter how attractive she was, the undeniable truth was that I already had a partner named Agnes.
'I can't hurt Agnes.'
In the end, the only path I saw was to speak honestly with Rize and make her understand that I could not accept her feelings.
Knock…! Knock…!
Just as I resolved myself, I heard a knock at the door.
"Who is it?"
"Dayke, it's me."
"Agnes? Wait a moment."
I stood and walked toward the door to greet her. But as I turned the handle and pulled it open, I froze in embarrassment at the sight before me.
"Rize… you're here too."
In the hallway, the two elves were standing side by side. Their awkward glances toward each other revealed the weight of what had brought them here.