34 A Knights Vow (1/2)
TILLY smiled when Kiho swiftly took his jacket off and gently draped it over her shoulders.
The captain did it without saying a word, but with enough confidence that said he knew exactly what he was doing.
[That's sexy, Kiho.]
”I hope you don't mind,” Kiho said while they were walking arm by arm in the riverside. ”For the record, I have nothing against your dress. It looks nice on you, honestly. But your back is exposed and I'm afraid you'd catch a cold.”
”The dress looks good on me?” Tilly asked with a playful smile. ”Really?”
”Yes,” the captain answered without missing a beat. ”You look even more elegant and confident whenever you wear the dress that you like best.”
The ambiance was already romantic because the river was sparkling thanks to the spirit gems in the water. Plus, there were floating lanterns around to guide the passersby like them. No wonder they weren't the only couple taking a stroll in the area.
Thanks to Kiho's words, their date night had turned more romantic.
She liked how supportive he was to her choices, especially to the way she dressed. Even in her past life, she enjoyed wearing clothes that were deemed ”too revealing” in that world. But the captain never asked her to cover up. When a nobleman tried to touch her because according to him, she was ”asking for it,” Kiho beat him to a bloody pulp.
The captain even told everyone that her clothes were none of anyone's business.
[He protected me even though I was a horrible life. Is it possible that Kiho loved me during our marriage? Was he in love with me before he met Lucina Morganna?]
Too bad she couldn't remember if she had happy moments with Kiho and Winter before.
”I like your mindset, Kiho,” Tilly complimented him. ”Thank you for being supportive of my choice of clothes even though they're a bit unconventional.”
”Maybe it's because I wasn't born and raised as a noble,” Kiho said. ”I lack the etiquette that you learn at childhood so I don't know how you're supposed to dress. But since I've been travelling outside the empire since I was a child, I've seen other cultures that are different from the ones we have here in Moonchester Empire. That's probably why I became open-minded.” He paused for a while. ”But respecting women should be basic.”
”Kiho, you're an angel.”
[What a respectable king. I stan you, Captain. From now on, I'm your number one fan.]
”Thank you but I don't want to be praised for doing something that should be basic,” the captain said in a shy voice.
”Not everyone can be as decent as you so you deserve the praise,” she insisted. ”You're admirable, Kiho.”
”I am nothing compared to you, Tilly,” he said. ”You're the real angel. If I were you, I don't I could easily forgive the people who purposely spread malicious rumors about me.”
Ah, right.
She showed compassion to Lady Belington and the other ladies who begged for her forgiveness a while ago. Even if she wanted to punish them, she couldn't do that in front of the emperor and the reporters. She would look like a b*tch if she turned down the ladies' apology after they knelt down and bowed their heads to her.
Plus, she already got her revenge when she invited the reporters. Tomorrow morning, everyone in the empire would know that she was only a victim of malicious rumors. That she was bullied by her fellow noblewomen.
[It would be a disgrace to the nobility but if those little b*tches didn't want to be humiliated, they shouldn't have bullied anyone in the first place. That's karma for them.]
”I didn't forgive them because I was kind,” Tilly admitted to Kiho. ”I only did it because I didn't want to look like a bad person. Don't you think I'm petty for calling the reporters and making a big deal out of this?”
”The nasty rumor that you got involved in wasn't petty,” he said firmly. ”I would never believe such rumors and I know that we don't owe anyone an explanation. But I also don't want people to talk gibberish about you. You're the kindest, the loveliest and the most beautiful lady I've met, Tilly. I won't allow anyone to disrespect you in any way.”
She knew that he was being serious.
And she just heard that Kiho froze the knights in Baroness Alphonse's mansion. The baroness's servant was the one who saw her and Captain Denver in Mount Elea but the servant quickly ran away so she didn't see the whole thing. When Baroness Alphonse heard the servant sharing the gossip with the other maids, she told her servants to spread it to other servants.
[House Alphonse belongs to the Noble Faction and their family also has a mining company. No wonder she used the rumor to try and destroy my reputation. Maybe the baroness was hoping that House Prescott's business will go down with me.]
”What are you thinking, baby?” Kiho asked. ”You suddenly fell silent.”
”I was just thinking about Baroness Alphonse,” Tilly said. ”My father called a while ago. He said that a letter from the baroness addressed to me was delivered to our mansion. It seems like Baroness Alphonse haven't yet heard that I've already moved into you residence.”
”The baroness will probably negotiate with you,” the captain said. ”She'll probably offer you compensation to appease you. What do you plan to do, Tilly?”
”I'll ask for a property as compensation,” she said, then she stopped walking when they reached the dock by the river. Since it was already late at night, the boat rental was closed. But going there was still worth it because the river looked beautiful with all the lights around. ”She has a piece of land here at Moon River area. That would be perfect for the café that I'm planning to open soon.”
”You're already thinking about a new business?” Kiho asked, obviously amused. ”That's amazing, Tilly.”
”Thank you,” she said with a soft laugh. It was cute how Kiho looked at her as if she was the most amazing person he had met. ”I don't want to stop at opening a jewelry store. Aside from a café, I also want to have my own dress shop.” She looked up at him with a serious look on her face. ”Kiho, my goal is to be the richest woman in the empire.”
Because that was the only way she could protect Kiho.
Even if the captain inherited her father's title as a duke, it wouldn't change the fact that he was a commoner. He would never be truly accepted in the high society. And the captain didn't really care about his status. He was looked down because of his attitude.