Spring in My Grasp - Chapter 31

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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(31) The Holy Knight Becomes a Lodger in the Annex

But then.
The door clicked open.
“I’m home.”
Again. Today too, again. The Butler’s worries proved utterly baseless.
Despite the King granting him a Castle, a Royal Palace, lands—everything—Alexis, now a Holy Knight, returned to the Annex without fail each evening.
“You finished early today, didn’t you? I left as soon as I could so we could have dinner together.”
Alexis smiled with genuine happiness. The cool, beautiful man with shimmering silver hair and mysterious violet eyes made Rowan’s heart skip a beat as he smiled so purely.
Oh, how dazzling! Rowan wanted to shield her eyes with her hands, but instead she forced herself to speak casually.
“No, are you sure you should be here? You’re a Holy Knight—why do you keep coming to the Annex instead of the Castle?”
Rowan set down the broom she’d been using to sweep the Living Room and wiped the perspiration from her brow. Alexis then calmly removed his coat and replied.
“It’s too vast.”
“But that’s a good thing, isn’t it?”
“No, it frightens me.”
A Holy Knight? A knight blessed by God himself? What could possibly frighten him? Rowan grabbed the back of her neck in exasperation.
“Still, the King granted you that Castle—you should at least maintain it…”
Alexis had already removed his shoes and collapsed onto the cramped sofa of the Annex.
“You can come manage it with me.”
“But…”
“I prefer wherever you are.”
At Alexis’s utterly casual words, Rowan broke into a cold sweat. Suddenly, the Butler’s words echoed in her mind.
—My lady, please come to your senses! You must hold the Young Master close!
Rowan clenched her teeth.
‘I understand, Butler? I’m the one being held!’
She exhaled heavily.
‘I need to leave! If I stay bound like this, I can never escape! But he saved my life—how can I pretend not to know that?’
Yet the sight before her was utterly devoid of seriousness. A Holy Knight, the master of the Castle granted by the King, now lay on the Annex sofa with his head buried in a protruding cushion, asleep in an instant.
“Tsk, tsk… Really, that man is less a Holy Knight and more a dormitory resident of the Annex.”
As Rowan muttered this, Alexis cracked open his drowsy eyes and blurted out.
“What did you say?”
“Oh, nothing!”
I thought he was asleep! Rowan quickly covered her mouth with both hands.
“I’ll just rest my eyes for a moment.”
“That’s exactly why you shouldn’t strain yourself coming here every day…”
Even as she said this, Rowan found herself draping a blanket over him. Her hands kept helping, even as her mind screamed otherwise. She’d heard there was a Temple Dormitory where Holy Knights could rest—why did he insist on exhausting himself by returning to the Annex like this every time?
‘What am I doing? How am I ever supposed to leave if I keep doing this?’
A moment later, I noticed the luggage piled in one corner of the living room. If I was going to leave, I’d need to gather the money I’d saved and my belongings….
“Rowan.”
“Eek!”
A drowsy voice leaked from Alexis’s lips—I’d thought he was asleep. Rowan, who had been staring blankly at the luggage, even dropped the broom in fright.
“Why, why?!”
Rowan cried out, bristling unnecessarily.
“That soup you used to make for me before….”
Alexis’s voice, heavy with sleep, wavered.
“I want to eat that….”
“….”
“I’m hungry….”
With that, Alexis fell completely asleep. In the end, Rowan threw both hands up into the air and cried out.
“Seriously, do they not even feed people at the Grand Cathedral!”
At that, Lea burst into quiet laughter from the kitchen.
“That’s right, Miss Rowan. You keep saying you’re going to leave, but you never seem to find the time.”
Rowan covered her face with both hands.
‘Ugh… when am I ever going to leave!’
***
“What did you say…?”
At the Maid’s carefully delivered news, Audrey’s fingertips stiffened. The golden teacup she’d been holding so gracefully moments before trembled, and tea spilled over the rim.
“That scoundrel who became a Holy Knight… is still staying in the Annex?”
The Maid nodded, gauging Audrey’s reaction.
“Yes, madam. And it seems he’s on good terms with the person in the Annex, or so they say here and there….”
Audrey’s hands trembled violently.
“Keep talking.”
“It’s just that….”
The Maid hesitated.
“Apparently, Master Alexis’s carriage comes and goes from the Annex every morning and evening. Once his duties at the Grand Cathedral are finished, he always sleeps in the Annex before leaving. And I heard from another Maid who happened to see them together that Master Alexis seems to favor that person greatly—”
“Silence!”
Audrey snapped coldly. The Maid flinched at her tone.
“That’s impossible!”
Yet Audrey’s fury was already beyond control. Her eyes burned crimson with rage.
“Ha, this is absurd.”
She pressed her forehead and let out a laugh. But it was a laugh as thin and brittle as ice.
“Called a scoundrel, and then he becomes a Holy Knight—I thought perhaps he’d finally come to his senses, but he’s still holed up in that Annex?”
The handkerchief in her grip twisted and wrung mercilessly.
“Of course that’s how it is. That scoundrel’s level doesn’t extend beyond that.”
The lace fabric crumpled into an ugly, distorted mess.
“And on top of that… Rowan. That worthless woman is still clinging to his side?!”
Audrey’s lips trembled. A burning hatred toward Alexis and Rowan was boiling up inside her.
High Society was consumed entirely by talk of Alexis. The Holy Knight of the Papal Authority, the man upon whom the King himself had bestowed a sword. Every noblewoman whispered his name, scheming for an opportunity. So Audrey had nearly stopped attending the social gatherings she once frequented. Everyone mentioned their marriage to her. When someone even suggested she put in a good word with Rowan, she nearly stormed out of her seat.
‘They treated her with such coldness at the wedding, and now he stands beside her? What is the meaning of this!’
The more she thought about it, the more insulted she felt. Audrey’s chest churned with rage and jealousy.
“The family overlooked his conduct so readily, and now he dares call himself a Holy Knight! The fact that he keeps that woman at his side….”
Her words trailed off. Audrey clenched her teeth and stood before the mirror, staring directly at her own reflection. Beneath the elegant mask of a noblewoman, her true nature writhed like a viper.
“Very well. Then I shall have no choice but to act myself.”
Audrey’s eyes gleamed with lethal intent.
***
The Central Hall of the Grand Cathedral.
Sunlight streamed through luminous stained glass, as though heaven’s blessing itself descended upon the holy temple. Sacred hymns echoed softly, and clergy and nobles alike held their breath, their eyes fixed upon one man.
“Alexis Adrian Glister.”
The High Priest’s voice resonated with solemn weight.
In his hands lay a small jeweled casket wrought of gold. As he opened it, a dazzling blue gemstone within caught the sunlight and sparkled brilliantly. No larger than a palm, it radiated a subtle holy power that rippled outward, making the hearts of all who beheld it tingle with reverence.
“This gemstone is a sacred relic symbolizing divine authority and the Kingdom’s official recognition. Only a Holy Knight acknowledged by the Temple may possess it. Through this, you shall prove to all that you are God’s sword and the Kingdom’s shield.”
The High Priest approached and placed the gemstone into his hands. In that instant, the entire hall stirred. Nobles gasped in wonder, and Priests’ eyes glistened with emotion.
“You are henceforth the keeper of this gemstone.”
At those words, Alexis knelt and bowed his head.
Yet his true thoughts were entirely different.
‘It resembles Rowan’s eyes.’
The blue radiance of the gemstone resting in his palms pleased him greatly.
‘How delighted would Rowan be to see this?’
The moment the gemstone’s blue light flowed across his palms, his mind filled entirely with Rowan’s face.
The way she smiled in the vegetable garden, wiping sweat from her dirt-smudged hands.
The way she cleaned her plate even when the food was unappetizing.
The way her eyes sparkled at the market as she devoured her steak.
‘She’ll probably say, “Wow, what is this? It’s so beautiful!” and then I’ll… I suppose I should shrug casually and say, “It’s just yours.”‘
A faint smile tugged at Alexis’s lips. He couldn’t bring himself to say it resembled her eyes—it would be far too embarrassing.
He forgot the reverent gazes surrounding him and gripped the gemstone tightly.
‘I wish this would end soon. I want to go home.’
In this moment, the man proclaimed as the Kingdom’s Holy Knight felt more impatient than anyone.
For the joy on Rowan’s face when she received the gemstone in the Annex mattered far more to him than any grand symbol of the Kingdom or Temple.
***
The entrance to the Annex burst open with a violent bang.
“Oh, you startled me!”
Rowan and Lea, who had been in the midst of preparing a meal in the Kitchen, jumped in alarm.
“This is absolutely infuriating.”
The one who had flung open the Annex’s door was none other than Audrey.
‘Again?’
I exhaled a silent sigh. I quickly gestured to Lea, instructing her to head upstairs to the Second Floor. Lea hurried away with a troubled expression. Only then did I turn to face Audrey once more.
‘Is this your home?’
Today, Audrey wore a more elaborate dress than usual, and its glittering ornaments seemed to mock me. Her lips were already curved into a sharp sneer.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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