The Wind Calms the Fire - Chapter 35

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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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Episode 35
Luke was originally a Guard Knight in the Emperor’s personal service.
He was a prodigy who won the Swordsmanship Tournament held by the Emperor at fifteen, and received the Knight Badge directly from the Emperor at the youngest age in Imperial history.
So Luke had lived in the Imperial Palace since he was fifteen.
Fifteen is hardly an age to sit still—it’s the prime time for mischief and trouble.
The scandals Luke caused were still talked about to this day.
Luke grinned and spoke.
“When I glanced back earlier today, I noticed a few secret passages still remain intact.”
Carion narrowed her eyes.
“So that’s where you’ve been all day.”
Luke continued as if he hadn’t heard.
“The thing is, there are complications with those passages.”
“What kind of complications?”
“The routes are treacherous. There are sections that require crawling—through stables, sewers, that sort of thing.”
Carion frowned.
She couldn’t very well have him appear before her in the dead of night reeking of filth.
“Since there are only a few emergency exits left, I’d like to conserve them in case we need them again.”
“Is there another way?”
“There is an easier route. The risk of being caught is greater, but surely the Emperor wouldn’t actually kill his own prince?”
“What about you?”
“I live under the prince’s wing, don’t I?”
Even as they were plotting something dangerous, Luke seemed delighted.
Carion watched him smirk and thought to herself.
‘This one is definitely reckless.’
A brilliant future had been guaranteed to the youngest knight who enjoyed the Emperor’s favor.
Yet Luke had cast aside that golden path in an instant and placed himself under Carion’s command.
Most people would not make such a choice.
During the six years Carion had kept Luke with her, she’d come to understand why the Emperor had let him go so readily.
His actions and thoughts were unpredictable; he could not be controlled.
An emperor who needed everything within his grasp understood that Luke was a hunting dog that no leash could hold.
Carion, who had no interest in leashing him at all, was precisely the master Luke needed.
Moreover, she did not dislike his unrestrained nature.
“Let’s take the easier route.”
“An excellent choice. Shall we go?”
The “easier route” Luke led her on was not what Carion had expected.
It was a straightforward exit—secured by bribery.
“You’re doing this the moment you arrive? Heavens, I’ve been anxious since you came to pay respects earlier.”
“What’s between us? How many times have I gone out?”
“When was that? And everyone knows the Emperor has been turning a blind eye.”
“He’ll turn a blind eye this time too. Here, take this.”
The Gate Captain accepted what Luke pressed into his hand, feigning reluctance.
Ten years ago, when Luke was sixteen and craving Night Market roasted chicken, he’d tried to slip out of the Imperial Palace but was mistaken for an assassin, leading to a chase with Guard Soldiers.
After the Palace was thrown into chaos, the Emperor heard of the night’s commotion and said, ‘Leave him be.’
Luke brazenly cited this as an Imperial Order and often made unauthorized nighttime excursions after that.
However, he was not entirely thoughtless about it.
Though he would slip out at night, he would return when the gates opened in the morning.
And he had cultivated connections with several Gate Captains, slipping them appropriate bribes.
“But it looks like you’re not going alone. I can’t allow a companion.”
The Gate Captain spoke while glancing sidelong at Carion, who stood at a distance with her back to them.
Luke leaned close to the Gate Captain’s ear and revealed the companion’s identity.
The Gate Captain’s expression hardened instantly, and without another word, he opened the gate.
Security in the Imperial Palace at midnight was stringent.
Carion and Luke had to go through a similar process four more times before they could finally exit the Palace.
“So where are we headed?”
Luke asked about their destination only now.
“The District 3 Residence.”
Carion had expected Luke to be disappointed upon hearing the destination.
But Luke merely lifted the corner of his mouth slightly and made a soft sound: “Hmm.”
Carion felt an oddly uncomfortable urge to justify herself.
Two rickshaws pulled up before them and stopped.
A rickshaw was a one-person vehicle pulled by a person running.
When traveling short distances with only passengers and no cargo, rickshaws were commonly used.
“You don’t need to rush. Just keep it as quiet as possible. As for where we’re going…….”
Carion watched Luke speaking with the rickshaw driver, her gaze sharp and unreadable.
Luke wasn’t ordinarily the type to be so perceptive and quick-witted.
Without being told, he’d said exactly what she needed—which made her uneasy rather than grateful.
“We’ve arrived.”
The rickshaw driver set them down before the District 3 Residence and departed.
The mansion’s main gate was locked tight.
Luke vaulted over the wall and opened the gate from inside.
“Come in.”
“……All right.”
“Do you know where it is?”
“Where what is?”
“The princess’s bedchamber.”
Carion spun to face Luke.
Luke didn’t even look at her.
“Hmm.”
He peered seriously into the dark depths of the mansion.
As though determined to find where the princess’s chamber lay.
“That’s not it.”
Carion managed only those few words.
Nothing else came to mind.
Luke merely shrugged as he spoke.
“Shall I call Orbin?”
It sounded as though he were saying ‘as if you could stop me.’
She might have done better to protest or laugh nervously, but that wasn’t happening now.
Carion felt humiliated—seen through by this simple-minded fool.
When Carion said nothing, Luke continued.
“We can’t very well knock on every door, can we? In my estimation, there’s a high probability it’s one of these three—this one, this one, or this one.”
Luke pointed to each of the three second-floor balconies in turn.
“Why?”
“Because distinguished guests are typically given second-floor rooms with balconies. Especially when the guest is a woman. Rooms with good sunlight are premium quarters. And there must be no tall trees blocking the windows. Only these three rooms meet the criteria.”
Carion found herself recalling Luke’s origins.
This wild, untamed creature was nonetheless born into the Empire’s most prominent noble house.
He would have learned such things naturally from childhood.
“If I slip in and check among those three……. Huh?”
Luke made a sound of surprise.
Carion’s eyes widened too.
One of the three balcony windows Luke had narrowed down—the innermost one—swung open.
Carion walked forward as though drawn by a spell.
She could see a figure emerging onto the balcony, looking around.
‘The princess.’
When their eyes met, he felt a tremor he couldn’t begin to describe.
Seeing her startled face, he wanted to laugh aloud.
During the rickshaw ride home, he had worried.
He’d fled the Imperial Palace, yes, but what came after troubled him.
It was well past midnight—she would surely be sleeping soundly.
Knocking directly on her bedchamber door seemed improper, and sending someone to wake her seemed worse still.
He had come here purely to survive.
She had no obligation to help him, regardless of time or place.
‘How, then?’
He’d faced this question countless times.
How was it that this woman appeared in his moment of need and offered her hand?
The moonlight was bright enough to see her expression clearly.
She appeared ready to speak, then paused to glance around.
Whispered words would go unheard; spoken aloud, they would carry.
Carion stepped back.
He drew a sharp breath and ran.
He launched himself from the ground and gripped the protruding stone edge of the first-floor awning with one hand.
His suspended body swayed in the void.
He hauled himself up by sheer arm strength, rising onto the awning.
From its edge, he launched himself forward again.
Both hands caught the balcony railing.
Every motion was fluid, unhesitating, until he pulled himself up and over the rail.
Tap.
Carion landed lightly on the balcony.
He steadied his breathing, which had grown rough, and spoke.
“Forgive me if I startled you.”
Lea couldn’t think of what to say.
Without meaning to, she held her breath as he suddenly vaulted up and came to stand before her.
Her heart hammered against her ribs.
She gazed up at his handsome face, shadowed in moonlight, her mind gone blank.
A gentle breeze brushed her cheek as if to tease her back to her senses.
Startled, Lea seized the hem of his clothes and pulled him into the bedroom.
Luke, grinning from where he watched, muttered to himself.
“Quick as a squirrel, she is.”
To think he got to witness such a fine show from the front row.
‘All to myself, no less.’
Luke savored the thought most of all — that this was a secret only he knew.
That rigid pedant Cedric and Orbin, who fancied himself the cleverest, could never dream of it.

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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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