Chapter 52
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Kyle paused mid-explanation, the query about Miss Diaz hanging in the air just as he’d anticipated it.
A tentative probe followed.
“Caught a glimpse of it yourself?”
Edwin snapped back at the vague remark, irritation flaring.
Kyle met his gaze with bold defiance.
“New Blue Hawks recruits list.”
Edwin had indeed glanced over it, barely scanning the opening sheets and the end.
He relied on Kyle’s meticulous nature, certain the count had vetted everything thoroughly.
Kyle instantly picked up on the silent accusation.
Edwin had only skimmed.
Defiance sharpened in Kyle’s stare.
“That paperwork wasn’t meant for seal verification alone.”
A tirade loomed from Kyle’s tightening expression.
“You would’ve spotted Carolina Diaz leading the roster if you’d bothered.”
Suspicion gnawed at him, given Edwin’s easy approval earlier.
“Carolina Diaz signed on with the Blue Hawks?”
Comprehension dawned on Edwin at last.
“Initially hesitant, she flipped without warning.”
Tension eased from Edwin slightly, relieved it steered clear of private matters.
“Why commit at such an odd hour?”
Kyle latched onto the offhand mutter.
“She chose the Blue Hawks on a whim this very evening.”
Irritation laced Kyle’s retort, resentment lingering over the dismissed preparations.
Edwin extended leniency exclusively to Rina, grasping the dynamic fully.
No one else merited such favoritism.
“Too late for formalities—escort her home, even if impolite.”
The subtext rang clear: Rina warranted exceptions Kyle never would.
Resentment stung Kyle deeply.
“Next round, I’d ship her off regardless, and you’d decry the rudeness anyway.”
Hierarchy crushed any protest, unyielding as ever.
Edwin dipped his head approvingly, then tacked on a sudden afterthought.
“Retrieve that enlistment file.”
Rina’s involvement ignited his curiosity in the dossier.
Kyle swallowed frustration, grateful for the belated attention.
“Filed in the guild quarters. Fetch it now?”
His operations centered there lately, abandoning palace and estate offices alike.
Edwin consented, and Kyle darted off to retrieve it.
This review outpaced the prior skim of edges, yet Edwin’s pages turned briskly still.
Progress halted at Carolina Diaz’s section.
He pored over details with intense focus.
Kyle’s unease mounted alongside the prolonged scrutiny.
The file held no glaring flaws, heightening the peril.
Edwin sensed some intangible flaw.
Fixable objections could mend matters; nebulous distaste offered no path.
Securing talent had proven grueling—each addition invaluable.
Edwin’s features stiffened at the deployment assignments for rookies.
Kyle’s instincts proved spot-on.
“Magical pact sealed today?”
Kyle masked his curiosity behind a grin.
“Scrap it with some pretext.”
The order landed cold and absolute, eyes fixed ahead, brooking no debate.
Disaster struck: forfeiting a standout newcomer.
Kyle ventured carefully, testing the waters.
“Any particular grounds?”
Edwin loathed redundancy, slim odds of elaboration, yet Kyle clung to hope for his prize.
Mental arguments brewed as he awaited.
Edwin dodged directness per usual, delivering a curve instead.
“Notice her posting?”
Kyle highlighted Rina’s role: desk duties in essence.
Hazard compensation tagged along, though for clerical safety it resembled disaster coverage.
Edwin remained unmoved.
Kyle marveled anew at his lifelong companion’s vivid foresight.
“Desk strain or eye strain pose greater threats in the Blue Hawks.”
Vague grudges from past foes might target aides like Rina, Kyle conceded a sliver of risk.
Yet Treasury drudgery mirrored it, arguably deadlier for juniors.
“Plus, it eases your ongoing visits with her.”
The shift brought an unexpected perk.
Kyle prized this bonus above the recruitment win.
Edwin’s anonymity had shielded trysts before.
Circumstances shifted now.
Marriage prospects amplified the stakes.
“Stealth matters, but so do foes probing flaws or spreading rumors.”
Kyle’s urgings swayed Edwin at last.
The oversight had blindsided him entirely.
“For her protection, artifacts or relocation to secure quarters.”
“Select from Imperial Treasury stock—you spot quality better.”
The realm’s wealthiest extended rare bounty.
Kyle plotted armoring Rina against mythic dragonfire, expense be damned.
A warm smile bloomed; his asset secured, hobbies intact.
Treasury raids under her banner promised delight.
Composure restored, a sidelined worry resurfaced.
Edwin’s disguise faltered predictably.
Kyle’s impudence resurfaced post-duty.
“Conceal your true self from her? She’s dense—you’re doomed by dawn.”
The blunt strike hiked Edwin’s and Rina’s silver value in tandem, her likely abed.
“Awareness kills my restraint.”
He’d claimed Everette Rohas’s name casually, never mimicking the man.
Edwin’s resolve crumbled.
Embarrassment urged flight.
“Botch the charade and confess outright.”
Kyle urged with care.
Logic favored honesty over bungled lies in Edwin’s heart.
Timing sabotaged it now.
Nobles craved emperors over knights, he’d presumed.
Rina bucked that tide, favoring steadyborn prospects.
Her leanings held firm, emperor aversion aside.
“I need to handle this right.”
