Morris’s answer was beyond what Dorinya had expected.
Because she truly had never considered this point.
She had only thought about Morris escaping and then working with her from inside to overthrow Elvira’s rule.
She really hadn’t thought about what Elvira—once Morris escaped and she descended again into madness—would do.
At best, Elvira would probably throw a raging fit, then send the entire special squad to capture the escaped Morris.
At worst, she might, in her terrible mood, execute the guards responsible for watching him.
Although Morris’s escape wouldn’t necessarily mean people would die, the possibility certainly existed.
And someone as upright as Morris naturally couldn’t allow such a thing to happen. She should have realized this.
Yet, she hadn’t considered it at all, and only realized when Morris brought it up in person.
It seemed her current state was indeed not great. She should have anticipated this much earlier.
“…I understand. Then let’s keep things as they are for now. But, please, when you do decide to escape, you must let me know—I’ll assist you from the shadows.”
Honestly, Dorinya didn’t care how many enemy soldiers died. After all, those guards were just Elvira’s lapdogs, all her enemies.
But she respected and understood Morris’s choice.
After all, she couldn’t force Morris to run.
So, collecting herself, Dorinya only nodded gravely to Morris, then decided not to bring up the matter again.
It was her own lack of consideration; she had no intention of blaming Morris.
She could only blame herself for forgetting Morris’s sense of responsibility as a knight.
“Sorry. Even though you, Miss Dorinya, are still worried about my safety.”
She didn’t plan to say more, but her thoughtful consideration instead made Morris feel guilty.
Feeling somewhat awkward, Morris could only lower his head and apologize.
“There’s nothing to apologize for. You have your own reasons—it’s only natural. Let’s move on to the next place.”
Dorinya’s attitude was exceedingly serious, and after dropping that line, she strode away toward another area.
Morris had no idea if she truly accepted his choice, or if she was merely hiding her displeasure, and so could only follow helplessly.
If possible, he still wanted to know what Dorinya truly thought.
If Dorinya was only pretending not to care but was actually upset, then it was entirely possible she’d become his enemy out of dissatisfaction—and that was the last thing Morris wanted.
But first, she always wore a solemn and unsmiling expression. Second, she had a black mask covering the lower half of her face, making it extremely difficult for Morris to guess her real feelings.
Actually, Morris was being too pessimistic.
Dorinya was neither angry nor dissatisfied.
She was merely thinking, then let’s wait a bit longer. After all, Morris hadn’t outright rejected her.
And for some reason, upon hearing that Morris didn’t intend to leave so soon, she—who should have been disappointed—instead felt happy.
As if Morris’s staying here was somehow better for her.
—Could it be that she wanted to spend a bit more time with Mr. Morris?
As she walked ahead, Dorinya pondered this strange feeling of hers.
Don’t be fooled by the fact that she had done such things to Morris when he couldn’t move—she only thought that if she were ever exposed and sacrificed, it’d be pitiful to still be a virgin.
So she gave herself to the knight she’d admired since childhood.
She hadn’t really thought much about that time she secretly tasted him.
With absolutely no experience in romance, Dorinya couldn’t understand her feelings at all, so she found no answer.
It was just as Dorinya and Morris were lost in their own thoughts that someone approached, making both have to temporarily pause and greet this important person.
It was none other than Hivelinde, who had hastened to finish her own matters out of concern for Morris.
“Lady Hivelinde, do you need something?”
Though both were trusted aides of the queen, Hivelinde was a marquis in this country, while Dorinya was only a captain—their statuses completely different.
So, when Hivelinde suddenly stopped in place as she approached Morris and Dorinya, Dorinya too halted at a respectful distance and bowed.
Behind her, Morris didn’t greet Hivelinde, but he also stopped and waited for the two women to speak.
“…Miss Dorinya, seeing you so strictly carrying out El’s orders makes me very relieved, but you can leave things to me from here. You’re free to rest now.”
The marquis, with her expression cold but voice pleasant, said something that was completely unexpected by both Morris and Dorinya.
Both were slightly taken aback.
“I’m afraid I must refuse, Lady Hivelinde. I was ordered by Her Majesty to escort Sir Morris around the palace. You have no authority to give me orders—unless your words just now are Her Majesty’s wishes?”
Dorinya, the first to speak, furrowed her brows ever so slightly.
She stared straight at Hivelinde in her pitch-black formal dress, her tone far more severe than when chatting privately with Morris.
“…No, it’s not El’s order. This is my personal request. Is that not allowed?”
Most people couldn’t withstand the sharp gaze of Dorinya, like a drawn sword.
But Hivelinde, unaffected, remained composed and aloof, casually tucking a stray lock of crimson hair behind her elven ear.
So elegant, she first glanced sidelong at Morris with those dragon-like vertical pupils, then returned her gaze to Dorinya.
Her look made it clear she wanted to do something with Morris.
That glance, perhaps alluring to others, gave Morris the feeling of a frog being stared at by a snake—a sudden, intense sense of danger.
Recalling how she was the first to do such things yesterday, Morris had every reason to suspect the marquis wanted to find a place to devour him again.
Not that Morris disliked Hivelinde—her beauty was outstanding, and her figure superb—but he wasn’t ruled by lust, and getting more involved with Hivelinde would surely be discovered by Elvira sooner or later.
He didn’t want to walk willingly into a love triangle, so he quickly and silently took a small step back, signaling he didn’t wish to be alone with Hivelinde.
“Regrettably, Her Majesty’s order is absolute. Please give up.”
Both women noticed his move.
Dorinya had no reason to accept orders from anyone but the queen, and upon seeing Morris’s action, she became even firmer, attempting to get the marquis to back down.
Dorinya and Hivelinde were not close—at best, colleagues.
But Dorinya had heard Hivelinde’s reputation; the dragon lady known as the “Crimson Demon” loved tormenting others most of all.
If she handed Morris over, there was no telling if the man would be whipped and abused by this woman.
How could she possibly accept such a thing?
—I’ll be the one to protect Mr. Morris’s safety!
At this thought, Dorinya’s eyes grew even sharper, not budging an inch.
Completely unaware that, in fact, the marquis before her was thinking much the same thing.
—…This is bad. Looks like Mr. Morris is being bullied by this inflexible swordswoman. I have to help him.