Chapter 15: Family Ties and Hidden Loyalties

Shouldn’t a woman disguised as a man at least put on a show of surprise when revealing her true self? Lara was completely unimpressed by the half-hearted act.

If it had been the leading lady, she would have been absolutely shocked—perhaps even asking repeatedly if she really was a woman, her eyes wide with disbelief. But Extrava showed none of that.

“Raan.”

Noticing Lara’s bitter inner thoughts, Diches’s expression softened. He hesitated to grab her wrist before finally speaking.

“Whether Kyung is a man in disguise or simply a man, that gives me no reason to let you go.”

‘They’re both men!’

A gentle tremor in the air made Lara’s finger involuntarily twitch. Lifting her head slightly, she caught sight of his dark eyes—once sharply defined, now softened to the point of seeming to melt.

“I will never give up on Kyung. Considering all the time we’ve shared, isn’t that only natural?”

‘I’ve only been with you for one day, though.’

Lara silently grumbled. Unaware of her inner dissent, Diches’s voice gradually grew heated and impassioned.

“Aren’t we already one? United by a fierce bond, our Knight Order feels more like a genuine family—a closeness where even silence speaks volumes about each other’s discomfort.”

“You’re completely oblivious…”

“The bond between a superior and their subordinate always brings comfort. Even if blood runs thicker than water, our Knight Order isn’t defined by that. If you dedicate your loyalty to me and my Knight Order, you’re already a true member of the family—regardless of gender.”

“So you’re saying that being a woman is important!”

Lara had always suspected that the so-called family-like atmosphere at work was just a pretentious act—until she experienced it firsthand.

“I’ll overlook the fact that you’re a woman, so please don’t leave the Knight Order. Not that I ever intended to let you go.”

“No… I think you’ve got it wrong—I want to quit.”

“That doesn’t matter.”

‘No, I do care!’

Blood pounding, Lara felt like clutching the back of her neck. It wasn’t her decision to join, nor to leave; it felt like she was trapped in an inescapable quagmire of a pyramid-like structure.

At last, when the carriage halted, Lara managed to break away from her superior. If Diches could rescue Lady Elina III, it would be the perfect cliché come to life.

The imposing mansion tucked away in a secluded mountain village promised secrets. To infiltrate the pervert old man’s mansion, Diches swiftly approached via the rear entrance. Fortunately, no one was in sight.

The two easily slipped into the dark corridor. With the lights off, the hall was utterly pitch black.

‘I’ve already seen Elina II, who looks exactly the same, and yet they failed to notice…’

‘Isn’t that practically spoon-feeding her the answer?’

Does God even realize that ‘do as you see fit’ is the toughest part? Walking down the mansion’s corridor with an uneasy smile, Lara suddenly froze at a faint moan echoing from somewhere. Diches stopped too, his face harder than anything she had ever seen.

Lara’s expression stiffened in shock; even the faint moan betrayed that it belonged to Lady Elina III.

“…I cannot forgive this.”

Her words, brimming with a grim resolve, echoed ominously down the corridor—a deep, seething anger that seemed capable of swallowing the darkness whole.

Gripping the hilt of his sword at his waist, Diches set off to find the source of the moan. Lara, hurrying after him, nearly tripped in her haste.

Finally, upon reaching a door, Diches unsheathed his sword without a moment’s pause.

“How dare you plan without including me… I’m getting in on this too.”

‘Crazy bastard!’

Throwing his cumbersome sword to the floor, Diches quickly shed his outerwear and pushed the door open. Lara scrambled behind him to stop him, but the scene beyond defied all their expectations.

“Huff… Huff…”

Lady Elina III lay neatly on the bed, her face drenched in cold sweat. Beside her sat a chubby old man, diligently wringing a cloth with greasy, soiled hands.

“What brings you here?”

The plump old man, who had unexpectedly appeared and placed a damp cloth on her pale forehead, glanced at the uninvited guests. With his double-chinned, surly demeanor and protruding belly, he could have easily been the pervert old man found in any cliched tale.

Yet, judging by his earlier actions, he was far from that. Lara glanced at the bed to see Lady Elina III still in her official uniform—looked more like careful caregiving than any misconduct.

‘She doesn’t seem like a pervert at all. This is anti-cliché…’

‘Are you seriously trying to frame her?’

‘This is about her life, you know.’

Despite thoughts of irreverence toward the gods, Lara could no longer hesitate. To save her brother, she had to act.

“Even if you didn’t realize she was a noble lady, it’s still a crime. Whatever drove you to such acts…”

“Ahem, let’s discuss this outside. It definitely isn’t urgent enough to wake a sick person.”

In the meantime, a brief conversation passed between Diches and the old man before they both slipped away. Fortunately, Lara seemed to have been left out of their plans.

Seizing the opportunity, Lara locked the door and began rummaging through the room—from the bedside drawer to the large wardrobe. In the bottom compartment, she discovered the neatly folded underwear of the old man.

Though she hesitated to pick them up, thoughts of her dear, kind, warm brother—the enemy’s brother in a twisted way—pushed her onward.

Gripping the edge of the underwear, Lara swiftly moved toward the bedside. She paused, wondering if placing them on Lady Elina III’s head might make her seem like a pervert.

‘Better to place them like this.’

Gently, Lara draped the underwear over Lady Elina III’s shoulder, an act that could easily be mistaken for that of an eager pervert.

Then, for a flawless alibi, Lara slipped out the window and re-entered through the back door, pretending to have just visited the restroom as she pulled out a lace handkerchief to wipe her hands.

In the corridor, Diches and the old man were deep in conversation.

“Even if we buy slaves, 108 of them is a hard sell. How do you plan to explain this?”

“…At this point, I have no choice but to tell everything.”

A look of regret overtook Reverend Lechal’s face as he began recounting his tale in a dejected tone.

“I had a daughter. She died at the tender age of seventeen after a long illness. I was widowed soon after and left completely alone.”

Lara quietly approached, murmuring, “The water pressure is weak here…” before becoming absorbed in his story.

“I had no idea how to spend the rest of my life alone. Despite my wealth, I couldn’t shake the emptiness. Then, on the day I resolved to follow in the footsteps of my wife and daughter, fate delivered a slave right into my home.”

“…Swallow.”

“Now, she’s my adopted daughter.”

Lara and Diches exchanged equally shocked glances.

“At just sixteen, she was sold into slavery and barely managed to escape when the carriage stopped. I took her in and raised her as my own. I often wondered if this is what true happiness felt like, had my daughter lived.”

The old man’s smile was contagious, lighting up his greasy, unattractive face as though he had transformed into a benevolent monarch. His golden, slightly crooked teeth shone like a symbol of wealth.

“Then one day, my adopted daughter confessed that she felt guilty for being happy on her own—that she couldn’t ignore the suffering of her trapped friends. She wept, wishing more of them could be rescued. How could any parent not act?”

Lara, using the handkerchief to dab her eyes, couldn’t help but shed a few tears. Her eyes had long since reddened.

“The thought of children being locked away, treated as less than human at such a young age, broke my heart. I then spent my entire fortune buying slaves.”

“Huh… I never expected such a story.”

“It was inevitable—one rescued after another, until there were 108. But I’m truly happy. As long as I can fool the slave market, I don’t care what the world says about me.”

His tone was laced with firm resolution.

“I will care for them until the day I die, ensuring they can dream and live better than now. That is my life’s goal. So, Your Grace, I simply cannot be taken away… *cough*.”

Clinging to the hem of Diches’s clothes, Reverend Lechal collapsed onto the floor, and Lara couldn’t help but join him in tears.

He truly was a sentimental pervert—a man whose touching story managed to move everyone deeply. It was the first time Lara had seen someone so overcome with emotion, tears streaming until her eyes stung.