— “Stand back! The carriage door is opening! Maintain order!”

Even before disembarking, the area was already in utter chaos. The faces of the soldiers striving to maintain order were drenched in sweat. Compared to the trials of House Apeto or Duke Ta-in—once dubbed the most shocking in Imperial history—today’s situation was far more turbulent.

Before the door opened, Yuder glanced at the crowd outside the window and spoke.

“There must be several times more people gathered here than there are seats in the audience gallery.”

“It’s been centuries since a member of the royal family appeared in court as the accused. Even if they can't get inside, they’ll want to watch from outside.”

Kishiar let out a faint, chilling smile without a sound.

“We’ll have to postpone our overdue conversation. Shall we go?”

“Yes.”

“You may disembark now.”

The soldiers, having finally calmed the crowd, opened the carriage door. Yuder stepped down first, striding confidently onto the ground.

And at that very moment, an utterly unexpected shout rang out.

“The hero of the Cavalry has arrived! Baron Yuder Aile!”

“Yuder Aile?”

“Did they say Yuder Aile? That young man...?”

All eyes in the crowd turned toward Yuder at once.

‘Come to think of it, there were rumors all over the capital saying I seduced the Duke of Peleta or something absurd like that.’

Yuder instinctively prepared to protect the carriage behind him. But nothing happened that required his strength.

Instead, from within the silence of the crowd, an eruption of cheers burst forth like thunder.

“Long live the hero of the Empire!”

“Savior of the Great Forest!”

“Thanks to the Cavalry, my relatives in the South were saved!”

“You are our hope!”

So many people were shouting at once that it was difficult to even comprehend what they were saying.

As Yuder blinked in surprise at the unexpected turn of events, someone appeared behind him to rescue him from the moment.

“Well, it seems many here have spoken the words I’ve always wanted to say.”

Was this what it would feel like if the seasons changed in an instant?

Bathed in sunlight, the man stepped down with a fresh, radiant face, exuding an overwhelming presence.

The crowd that had been cheering ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ for Yuder fell silent and stared blankly at Kishiar without even realizing it.

“Ah...”

There truly exists such a thing in the world as beauty that can render one speechless with just a glance.

Whether they knew who he was or not, if they had eyes, they couldn’t help but stare.

Kishiar swept his gaze over the silent crowd and smiled nonchalantly, as if entirely used to such reactions.

Only after he gracefully walked over to stand beside Yuder did the soldiers snap back to their senses and hurriedly approached.

“Duke of Peleta, Your Grace.”

“I’ve come here today as the Commander of the Cavalry, so I’d prefer to be called Commander, if you please.”

“Ah, yes! Commander. Allow us to escort you.”

Kishiar cast another brief glance at the crowd, which still remained silent. Everyone had expected Duke Peleta and Yuder Aile to vanish from the public eye, but the Duke had acted in a way no one had anticipated.

“Ah!”

Suddenly, the man lightly wrapped an arm around Yuder’s shoulders and raised his other hand high. Beneath his bright smile, a cool voice rang out far and wide.

“The hero of the Cavalry will remember all your words of gratitude today. Please proceed carefully and stay safe!”

The stunned crowd finally felt their blood boil and erupted into a cheer.

“Waaaah!”

With Kishiar’s arm still around his shoulder, Yuder looked up at him. Some among the crowd speculated that his expressionless face must surely hide discomfort or resistance.

But the moment the black-haired man let out a soft sigh and opened his pale lips, that assumption was completely overturned.

“...You have a leaf in your hair. Let’s go.”

With a short remark, the black-haired man neatly removed a piece of leaf from Kishiar’s fringe. He was faintly, but unmistakably, smiling.

Though the smile vanished faster than the eyes could catch under the sunlight, many had already witnessed it.

The youthful hero of the Empire. A commoner who had earned the glory of becoming a noble successor.

Far from the bizarre rumor of him being a seductress who bewitched a royal, he was a refined man with a poised, cool face like a finely-honed blade.

There was no hint of resentment or rejection toward the Duke in his expression. When Kishiar let go of the shoulder he had embraced with laughter, Yuder walked forward beside him. Behind them, the cheers continued endlessly.

“Long live the Cavalry Commander!”

“Long live the Hero of the Empire!”

Only after the two had completely entered the building did the people, who had been too distracted by Kishiar’s beauty and presence, finally notice something.

“Come to think of it... wasn’t the color of the scarf the Hero of the Empire wore the same as the Commander’s coat...?”

—

Yuder followed Kishiar down the VIP corridor, which was out of the public eye, and spoke up.

“Next time you do something like that outside, I’d appreciate a little warning.”

“Did you dislike it?”

If anything, the problem was that it was the opposite.

“I was keeping myself ready to use my powers in case anything went wrong, and I almost used force unnecessarily.”

Others might not have noticed, but the moment Kishiar wrapped his arm around Yuder’s shoulder, a trace of wind energy had leaked out.

Though it immediately dissipated like a gentle breeze before reaching Kishiar, losing its edge, the fact that it had misfired at all was still problematic.

“Oh dear. My apologies. I got a little carried away because I was in such a good mood.”

Kishiar laughed.

“If we keep going this way, we’ll reach the Chief Justices’ waiting room. Want to come in and say hello together?”

“Would that be appropriate for me?”

During the trial for House Apeto, when they had arrived together, Kishiar had gone straight to the Chief Justices’ room while Yuder had headed to the Vice Commanders’ area.

It was only natural—after all, the waiting room of the Chief Justices wasn’t a place just anyone could enter.

“Actually, this was their request. They wanted to meet Baron Yuder Aile in advance, since you’ll be responsible for today’s courtroom security.”

That meant even those of Chief Justice rank could no longer disregard Yuder Aile.

They had determined that he was not some brief spark destined to fade, and judged it beneficial to greet him personally.

Being granted the opportunity to enter the Chief Justices’ waiting room on the day of such a critical trial was a significant elevation in Yuder Aile’s standing.

But Kishiar seemed ready to use this opportunity for another purpose as well.

“If it’s uncomfortable, you don’t have to. But just exchanging a brief greeting could be enough to piss off the Crown Prince. That alone might be worth it, don’t you think?”

Frankly, Yuder didn’t care whether Kachian got angry or not.

But since Kishiar clearly wanted it, he decided to go ahead and greet them.

“Understood.”

The Chief Justices’ waiting room was lavish to the point of extravagance.

Seemingly aware of the gravity of today’s trial, the justices couldn’t maintain their usual calm and were restlessly conversing in small groups.

The moment the door opened, all heads turned sharply.

“Duke of Peleta, Your Grace!”

The four Chief Justices rushed over as one and exchanged greetings with them.

“Welcome.”

“May we ask what His Majesty the Emperor has said regarding today’s trial...?”

“The young man beside you—is he the Baron Aile we’ve heard so much about?”

The three aristocrat-aligned justices remained seated with somber expressions, but even they stood and greeted Kishiar respectfully.

During the previous trial, they hadn’t cared who Yuder was.

Now they introduced themselves with gentle smiles, as if they’d long observed him from afar.

Even those who had once regarded Kishiar as a worthless royal didn’t dare show the slightest hint of disdain.

The scene stirred even Yuder, who hadn’t thought much of it before entering.

‘Indeed... much has changed.’

The Duke who had once been shunned even at palace banquets was no more.

Even without being physically present, he was now someone fully qualified to stand in for the Emperor himself and handle the Chief Justices.

He was the revered Commander of the Cavalry.

After observing it all with satisfaction, Yuder quietly stepped out once he deemed his part complete.

‘Time to head to the courtroom. The path should be... this way, I believe.’

He was walking down the hallway, following his memory, when someone called out to him.

“Are you Baron Yuder Aile?”

Yuder turned his head.

A stranger with their face half-covered by a cloak removed their hat and revealed a delighted expression.

“It is you! I’m so glad to meet you here in advance. I am...”

“Melvern, Crown Prince Ezein’s attendant. I remember.”

“I’m deeply honored that you still remember me.”

Melvern respectfully bowed in the style of Nellarun.