Chapter 76
“Shall we head in?”
Adi offered a response. With eight people and four available rooms, a simple two-person split was the logical move. Between her options, sharing with Roy felt like the path of least resistance.
“Absolutely not!”
Bert’s exclamation startled both Roy and Adi. His face drained of color as he fumbled for an excuse, stammering that such an arrangement was out of the question.
Roy watched the outburst with a look of pure confusion, unable to fathom Bert’s intensity. Adi, however, had a fair inkling of the reason. Still, she wished he would just stay quiet; if they made a scene, her secret identity as a woman was more likely to be exposed.
“Perhaps Adi could have a private room?” Bert suggested.
“Excuse me?”
“I mean, there is a smaller space available. The Night Watchmen utilize this cabin when they patrol the forest. If the group is large, people just squeeze in wherever—even the closets.”
Billy frowned at the suggestion. “Honestly, Bert, suggesting she sleep in a cupboard when there are actual beds seems a bit cruel, don’t you think?” Joel nodded in silent agreement beside him.
Bert felt like screaming. These men only spoke that way because they were in the dark. There was no world in which a man and a woman should be bunking together. Furthermore, their Duke was standing right there, his crimson gaze seemingly burning with a fiercer intensity than usual as he took in the scene.
Yuls, who had been observing the debate with his arms folded, finally broke his silence.
“Adi.”
The group fell silent, their attention snapping to the Duke.
“Over here.”
It was a command she had heard countless times. Adi obeyed instinctively, crossing the floor to stand before him. As she stopped in his shadow, a smirk played on Yuls’s lips. The icy sharpness in his eyes had melted into something far more tender. He reached out, draped an arm over her shoulder, and pulled her close.
“Adi stays with me.”
“……”
“I require a personal guard, regardless.”
Bert breathed a secret sigh of relief, thinking that was a much safer outcome. Those who understood the truth likely felt the same, leaving only Billy, Joel, and Roy to wonder why the seating chart had shifted so strangely.
*
A proper meal was organized by Joel. The cabin was well-stocked, allowing them to enjoy a dish that felt like a luxury after the days of choking down dry jerky and travel rations while trying to keep Adi hidden.
Despite the generous portions Joel prepared, the food vanished quickly. He scratched his head, admitting he might have underestimated the appetites of eight grown men and knights.
Everyone ate with gusto, including Adi.
While Bert was used to her appetite, Gavin and Ivan watched her in stunned silence. It was certainly not the delicate portion one might expect from a lady. Gavin, in particular, looked almost offended that Adi was out-eating him.
Once the meal concluded, the group retired. Billy handed out fresh garments for the following day, noting that despite the tight quarters, eight beds for eight people was a rare comfort.
Ultimately, Adi followed the Duke into their shared room.
Inside, she found two twin beds that had been shoved together to form a single large platform. Confused by the arrangement, Adi gripped the frame to push them apart.
The furniture didn’t budge. It was crafted from heavy, solid timber that felt rooted to the floor. Giving up on the task, she looked at Yuls. “I’ll take the floor,” she announced.
Yuls stared at her as if she had lost her mind. “Guard.”
“Yes?”
“Do you honestly believe I have designs on you?”
“No, sir.”
“Then do you intend to make a move on me?”
“Certainly not.”
“Then stop being difficult and go to sleep.”
His bluntness left her with no room for further argument.
Still, the prospect of a restful night was laughable. Lying right next to the Duke, Adi found her mind racing, sleep a distant hope.
She kept her blade within reach. While an ambush in this deep forest seemed improbable, the weight of the steel offered her a sense of security. Beside her, she could hear the steady, rhythmic pull of Yuls’s breath.
She found his ability to drift off so easily with someone else in the bed baffling. Monitoring the rise and fall of his chest, she concluded he was truly under. Adi rolled onto her side, watching his back.
In the beginning, he had been a mere boy in her eyes, but his rapid transformation into a man was becoming her new normal. She tentatively reached out toward his back, her fingers hovering just inches from his skin. Even without touching him, she could feel the heat radiating from his frame. Despite the mild evening, he felt like a furnace.
She pulled her hand back and turned away. Staring at him made her too restless. As she adjusted her blankets, the rustle of the fabric caused Yuls to momentarily open his eyes. His lids soon drifted shut again, masking his thoughts behind those red depths.
The cabin grew still, save for the distant sounds of snoring and soft breathing. Then, a sharp snap broke the silence. It was a miniscule noise, but Adi’s eyes flew open.
Another sound followed—the unmistakable crunch of leaves. This wasn’t the random movement of the wind; it was the deliberate step of a living thing.
Rustle. Rustle.
The sound of cloth catching on undergrowth reached her ears. It was heavy and obstructed, unlike the clean whistle of a breeze.
Adi bolted upright, her right hand locking around the hilt of her sword.
Suddenly, a massive presence surged outside. The cabin was being surrounded. A shadow appeared at the window. Adi reached for her throwing knife by habit, only to remember that Count Grimaldi had confiscated it. Thinking fast, she lunged over the Duke, reached the window, and drove her blade through the opening. The intruder recoiled.
“Bert! Roy! Wake up!”
Adi’s voice tore through the room. Yuls was already upright.
“Your Excellency, get to safety!” she urged.
Instead of fleeing, Yuls seized her hand and pulled her toward the exit. Adi, who had planned to hold the window while he escaped, found herself dragged along in a daze.
The shout had done its job. Bert and Roy were out of their beds with steel in hand, while Gavin and Ivan were already in defensive positions.
Ivan threw his weight against the door to bar entry, but an intruder shattered the window. Figures clad in dark tunics and crimson capes surged inside, blades bared. For a tense second, Bert and Ivan held their swords to the strangers’ throats.
The standoff lasted only a heartbeat before the tension broke.
“Emil?”
“Bert?”
The voices were flat with sudden relief.
“Dammit, you nearly gave us a heart attack,” someone muttered.
“We should be the ones saying that. You weren’t supposed to be here for another week. How did you make such good time?”
“Plans changed.”
The newcomers were clearly allies. The lethal atmosphere evaporated instantly. Adi and Roy lowered their weapons, the adrenaline fading.
Ivan unlatched the door. More men filed in, their eyes scanning the room until they landed on Yuls. They had expected a child, but they found a man who bore a striking resemblance to their master—only fully realized.
“Your Excellency?” a voice asked, trembling with shock.
“The curse is lifting,” Bert explained. “It isn’t fully gone, but he’s returned.”
Though their faces remained hidden behind masks, the relief in the room was palpable.
“We are honored by your return,” the man named Emil said, bowing low. The others followed suit, their voices echoing in a synchronized chorus of loyalty. “We will provide safe passage to the estate immediately.”
Yuls didn’t offer a verbal reply. He simply smiled with the easy confidence of a ruler returning to his throne. Adi slid her sword back into its sheath while Roy watched the newcomers in awe.
“The Night Watchmen,” Roy whispered. These were the legendary elite of Woodpecker.
The South was a revelation. It was far warmer and more arid than they had anticipated, devoid of any lingering dampness. The sun was fierce enough to draw sweat, yet the moment one stepped into the shade, a crisp, refreshing breeze took over.
The air here was nothing like the heavy humidity of Pallesa or the biting, dry chill of Grimaldi. The landscape was painted in vivid, saturated hues. It felt like the tropical heaven soldiers often spoke of during their leaves.
Word of the Duke’s arrival had traveled fast. A massive crowd had gathered at the gates of the territory to herald his homecoming. Watching the reception, it was clear that Yuls held the same status here as the royal family did in the capital.
The Woodpecker estate itself was staggering. It was less of a manor and more of a sprawling fortress-palace, seemingly rivaling the Pallesa Palace in its sheer scale.
The moment they crossed the threshold, the senior staff vanished back to their posts. This was their home, and they moved through the halls with practiced ease.
In contrast, Adi and Roy stood rooted to the spot, looking utterly lost. The Duke gave them a brief look before disappearing into the depths of the mansion.
A pang of isolation hit Adi, followed by a strange sense of letdown, though she scolded herself for feeling that way.
“Adi, Roy,” Bert called out, breaking her trance. “Follow me. I’ll show you the layout.”
He led them toward the military wing, situated to the north of the primary residence. The area opened up into vast training fields that bordered a dense forest.
Bert explained that because Woodpecker’s conflicts often occurred in woodland or at sea, much of their drill work happened among the trees. Roy’s expression brightened; this was exactly the kind of environment he thrived in.
After a quick tour of the mess hall, administrative offices, and other essentials, Bert took them to their living quarters. The knights were housed on the second floor of the main building to ensure they were always close for escort duty.
Bert mentioned that these rooms were temporary and that they could choose to live in the external barracks later if they preferred. As it turned out, Adi’s new quarters were situated directly adjacent to Roy’s.
