About Things That Haven't Occurred Yet - Chapter 1About Things That Haven't Occurred YetChapter 1
1. Concerning Dominic
“This makes no sense at all.”
Those were the first words from Heather as she stormed in, her face flushed red with indignation.
Dominic packed his belongings without much of a reply. Frustrated by his silence, Heather stepped up beside him and pleaded.
“This assignment is unjust. It is clearly unfair.”
“……”
“Everyone thinks so, Captain! You hunted down the dragon! You’re the first Slayer in a thousand years! Yet the King does this…!”
“He is the King regardless.”
“……”
“Who are we to add our own words to the King’s decision?”
He said the words out of a knight’s duty, but Dominic knew just as well that it was unjust. Only a fool wouldn't.
For a knight captain—a hero of Genomes who had slain a dragon and led the war to victory—to be assigned to guard Mont Palace was utter nonsense.
Under the pretext of serving as an escort knight to a concubine, it was no different from an exile. And even if it was escort duty, it was an insult to Dominic all the same.
Favored by the King or not, her origins and the rumors surrounding her were notorious.
In the first place, why would a royal concubine who never once set foot outside even need an escort?
Moreover, none of the guards sent there had ever emerged in one piece. That was why Heather was acting out like never before.
Ordinarily composed and rational, she could not easily quell her fury.
“I know little outside the sword, but I know this much for certain. The King fears your power, Captain.”
“No matter how great a knight's power grows, he remains just a knight.”
“To put it bluntly, this is jealousy! It’s a power struggle to keep you in check! You know this, don’t you? How the public sentiment lies regarding the King! In contrast, Captain, you have the support of the people as well as the Council.”
“The Council of Genomes doesn’t always see eye to eye with the nobility. It is merely a gathering of the public.”
“Are the nobility not knights as well? There is hardly a knight who doesn’t revere you, Captain. No, there are none! You are the hero who slew the dragon and saved the country!”
“And I am the King’s knight.”
Dominic added curtly,
“Nothing more, nothing less. Return to where you belong, Dame Heather.”
Heather bit her lip and stepped back, a suffocating frustration welling within her chest. Her Captain had always been like this.
He never crossed the boundary he drew within his clean-cut, razor-sharp reason. And that line was nothing more, nothing less than loyalty to the King.
The knight named Dominic was the kind of man who would die protecting the King even if the world were to end tomorrow.
Yet if asked whether Dominic genuinely revered the King, Heather did not think so either. It was merely a natural, perhaps dreadfully mundane and primitive loyalty.
There was no other way to describe it. Clenching her jaw, Heather repeatedly opened and closed her fists.
Before she knew it, Dominic had finished packing all his belongings and was closing his bag. The unwavering motion of his hands seemed to tolerate no restraint.
Watching the stubborn back of her Captain, she clasped her hands behind her back and declared respectfully,
“……We will always remain here. We will be waiting for you.”
Her parting words sounded almost like a warning—that he must return in one piece, without fail.
To that, Dominic could offer no definitive promise.
***
Befitting its name, Mont Palace was as beautiful as the moon.
Intricate patterns were carved into the white walls, and the marble-tiled floors were immaculate, without a speck of dust. The sheer volume of floral arrangements lining the edges of the walls bordered on excessive.
As if that were not enough, an elaborate sculpture stood dead center in the massive hall.
His gaze tinged with a faint weariness, Dominic looked toward the far end of the hall.
A broad, spiral staircase leading to the upper floor flaunted its elegance. Each tier of the stairs was decorated with blossoms as well.
Letting out a silent breath, he turned his head toward the expansive window. A neatly constructed stone wall encircled the vast garden, completely shutting out the outside world.
Even for the palace of the King’s favored woman, it was too much.
Having spent so long on the battlefield, Dominic found such a place utterly foreign.
Regardless of his wealth, he was fundamentally a rigid knight who held frugality as a virtue.
To indulge in such luxury when the war had only just ended—Dominic clicked his tongue inwardly.
The room the maid guided him to was also excessively spacious and opulent.
Having declined the maid’s offer to help unpack, Dominic was finally left alone. Yet the solitude brought him little satisfaction.
The Captain of Legenon always had comrades, rivals, subordinates, and enemies.
Here, however, there was nothing. Though assigned as a concubine’s guard, there was nothing to guard in the first place.
The King doted on his consort so dearly that he had bestowed upon her the deepest, most magnificent palace.
A place blocked on all sides by towering walls. A place where practically no one entered or left, save for the King. This palace was brimming solely with the King’s love.
“Sir Knight.”
A gentle voice from beyond the door shattered Dominic’s reverie.
“May I come in?”
“……Who is it?”
“The master of the palace.”
The slender voice was laced with amusement. Dominic’s brow instantly furrowed.
He had never imagined the royal concubine would come to his room in person. Nor was it proper etiquette.
Composing his surprise, he walked over and opened the door.
Through the gap, soft golden hair fluttered into view.
“Am I interrupting you?”
Her blue eyes curved into a subtle, smiling crescent.
Dominic answered stiffly, “Not at all.” Despite his far from welcoming demeanor, the woman did not mind.
“I am Adelheid. I cast aside my family name long ago. I truly wished to meet you, Captain Legenon.”
Her whispering tone was remarkably fragile and light.
It was the very voice that the cruel, merciless King had praised so lavishly.
As the young, beautiful face smiled at Dominic, dimples bloomed at the corners of her cheeks.
Every guard who had entered Adelheid’s service had been punished under the pretext of losing their hearts to the King’s woman.
Whether that was true or false remained unknown. It was merely the justification. In any case, they had all been the King’s knights. The King’s knights……
At the end of his trailing thoughts, Dominic felt a wave of revulsion.
Though it was a hazy, aimless emotion, the sensation was unmistakable.
Whether the previous guards had truly fallen for the woman before him or not seemed hardly important.
That lukewarm disgust was directed primarily at the person standing right in front of him.
“……I am Dominic Legenon. I have been tasked with guarding Your Highness.”
“There is no need to be so stiff……. Say, Captain Legenon, won’t you spare me a moment of your time? I have so many things I am curious to ask you.”
He wanted to refuse, but he could not. Hiding his displeasure, Dominic gave a reluctant nod.
At that, Adelheid smiled brightly and led the way. Their footsteps echoed rhythmically down the high-ceilinged corridor.
It was truly a vast, magnificent, lavish, and desolate place.
“Do you like the palace? I pushed the maids a little when I heard the Captain was coming.”
“It is a beautiful palace.”
“It is a beautiful place. A beautiful place indeed.”
“……”
“If there is anything uncomfortable, please tell the maids. They will listen to your words very well. The arrival of a handsome knight is a joy to them, after all. The only men they can see are the King and my guards.”
“Are they not allowed to leave?”
“You could say that. Ah, but I must ask that you refrain from casual conversations with the maids. It might sound close to an order, but I do not wish to give you commands.”
Dominic did not bother asking further.
There was no reason to show more than a passing interest in Mont Palace.
He had no intention of lingering here for long.
He had a place where he rightfully belonged, and there were people waiting for him.
No matter what other title he was given, Dominic was still the Captain of Legenon.
“Still, they are girls who will leave one day. Though I do not know when that will be.”
Her skirt billowed like soft waves with every light, swaying step she took.
As they stepped through the glass doors of the conservatory, the warm scent of lush greenery washed over them.
It was a greenhouse of considerable scale. One could hardly fathom how much it cost to maintain such a place.
Walking along the path paved with multicolored stones, Dominic looked down at the hem of Adelheid’s dress.
In the center, encircled by vibrant flora, stood a white table and chairs.
Having instructed a maid to bring refreshments, Adelheid took her seat.
The moment Dominic sat opposite her, she rested her chin on her interlaced fingers and spoke.
“I heard you killed a dragon.”
“……I did.”
“To see the legendary Slayer with my very own eyes. You have no idea how much I wanted to meet you. When I heard you were coming as my guard, I was overjoyed beyond belief.”
Adelheid’s eyes narrowed into a slow, gentle curve.
“Will you tell me the story of how you killed the dragon?”
It was a question he had heard to death. Countless people had asked the first Slayer in a thousand years. How did you enter the Mountain of Time?
How did you kill the dragon? How was there not a single casualty? Just how did you do it? Adelheid was asking the very same thing, and he felt only weariness.
Whenever he received this question, Dominic always began with the same words: 'It was nothing special.'
