Let’s not rush things," the Grand Duke finally spoke. "I understand you’re following the procedure based on the witnesses’ statements and the evidence you have."
He paused.
"But think about it. Lady Briar isn’t just a high-ranking court lady. She serves directly under the princess of this kingdom. If what she claimed is true, that she’s carrying out a confidential mission, then there’s a chance this matter concerns the royal family itself and isn’t meant to be known even by her immediate supervisor."
Silence filled the patrol station.
For the first time, the matter was viewed from an entirely different angle. What had seemed like a simple criminal case now carried the possibility of implicating the royal family’s confidential affairs.
The senior guard’s brows creased as he fell into thought.
Kyren noticed the hesitation in the man’s eyes.
"I’m sure you don’t want to find yourself caught in the middle of something like that," he added calmly.
Eric and the rest of his companions turned their attention to the Grand Duke.
At last, Kyren had decided to speak. Had he remained silent any longer, Luke’s determination to protect Agnes would have undoubtedly escalated the situation into something far more troublesome.
One of the patrol guards stepped forward and leaned toward the senior guard. Though he lowered his voice, the silence that had settled over the patrol station allowed everyone to hear his words.
"Perhaps... we could file this as a domestic dispute, Sir," he suggested. "It’s the cleanest solution. Lady Briar can be released without further charges. The victim is willing to let the matter go, and if she’s telling the truth about her mission, we won’t risk creating unnecessary trouble for ourselves."
The senior guard slowly turned toward his subordinate, his eyes narrowing in clear disapproval.
The patrol guard immediately straightened. The confidence from moments ago disappeared as he lowered his head and took a cautious step back.
"I... I was only thinking of what would be best for everyone, Sir," he said hastily. "I didn’t mean to question your judgment."
The senior guard held his gaze for another brief moment before turning back to the group. His stern expression gradually settled, revealing nothing of what he was thinking.
The patrol guard quietly retreated to his place by the wall.
Before the senior guard could speak again, Luke spoke up.
"The solution he mentioned..." he asked, unable to hide the impatience in his voice. "If this is treated as a domestic dispute... will it resolve our situation?"
Beside him, Agnes lifted her head. A faint glimmer of hope flickered across her tear-stained face as she looked at the senior guard, silently waiting for his answer.
"That only works if the two of you are a couple," the senior guard replied. "And by that, I mean a legally married couple."
Noah frowned.
"So... married couples don’t get charged even if one tries to stab the other?"
A sharp smack landed on his shoulder.
"Ouch!"
Rafe shot the knight a warning glare after ’responding’ with his hand.
"Now isn’t the time for that!" he said.
Listening to the question, the senior guard cleared his throat.
He responded, "Every case is handled differently. In this instance, the alleged crime was never carried out. If both parties reconcile and the victim chooses to withdraw the accusation, we can classify it as a domestic dispute instead."
Noah still looked unconvinced, his brows knitted together.
The senior guard let out a quiet sigh as he saw the knight’s expression.
"During every festival, we receive countless reports of husbands sneaking off to entertain themselves, only for their wives to discover it. Arguments break out, tempers flare, and before long, someone is waving a knife or threatening to kill the other."
Several patrol guards exchanged weary looks before nodding in agreement.
"In the past, we treated every report as a criminal case," the senior guard continued. "We’d arrest them in the morning, only for the couple to reconcile by the afternoon and demand their spouse’s release. And for that, they brought the whole neighbourhood, almost causing a riot. The next day, they would quarrel again, and we’d be called back to the very same house."
The patrol guards couldn’t help but nod again, clearly recalling the troublesome memories.
"It became an endless cycle," the senior guard said. "Eventually, the law was amended. As long as no serious injury has been inflicted and both parties genuinely reconcile, we’re allowed to treat it as a domestic dispute rather than pursue criminal charges. It saves everyone from unnecessary efforts."
"Really?" asked Rafe, now interested in the subject.
The senior guard dipped his head and continued, "For the past three days, we’ve been handling more than fifty domestic dispute cases. It gets tiring when we’re expected to act as patrol guards in the morning and marriage counsellors by the afternoon."
Luke slowly turned towards Agnes.
Around the table, the others followed his gaze.
The court lady looked back at them, her fingers tightening around the fabric of her dress. She didn’t need anyone to say a word. The look in their eyes told her everything they were thinking.
However, instead of answering, Agnes lowered her gaze and hesitated.
"Can we... discuss this first?" she asked softly. "Luke and I... please."
Noah’s mouth fell open.
Even after being backed into a corner with no other way out, she still wanted to discuss.
"Seriously?" he blurted. "You’re still thinking about discussing? Unbelievable!"
Agnes blinked in surprise at his reaction, but before she could respond, Eric spoke.
"Please allow them some time to talk," he said to the senior guard. "Reconciliation can’t be forced. Both parties have to agree to it willingly. Otherwise, we’ll probably see them back in this patrol station before the day is over."
A few patrol guards exchanged amused glances, silently agreeing with the remark.
"I agree," Kyren added. "A proper discussion allows them to reach a mutual understanding. It won’t do anyone any harm to give them a few moments."
The senior guard inhaled deeply.
Among the men, the Captain of the Blue Mantle Company possessed the bearing of someone accustomed to leadership.
He spoke little, but every word was deliberate and precise, carefully weighing reason, consequence, and the interests of everyone involved. It was hard to ignore such thoughtful judgment.
"Fine. You may go to the adjacent room. But don’t take too long. And if I hear something strange, I won’t be this lenient again," the senior guard decided, nudging his chin to a door on the right side wall.
Luke didn’t waste another second. Without asking for her permission, he grabbed Agnes’s wrist and pulled her along, leading her toward the adjacent room.
"W-Wait...!"
Agnes stumbled after him, caught completely off guard by his sudden action. Before she could protest further, Luke ushered her inside and shut the door behind them.
Seeing this, Eric abruptly rose from his seat.
"I’ll join them."
Noah and Rafe turned to him, their eyes widening.
"What for?" they asked in unison.
Kyren merely cast him a calm glance, as though curious to hear his answer.
"To serve as the peacemaker," Eric replied matter-of-factly. "If we leave those two alone, they’ll bite each other’s heads off long before either of them manages to say the word ’apologise.’"
Without waiting for anyone’s response, he hurried after them and disappeared into the adjacent room.
"This is going to be an even bigger drama... Trust me," Noah muttered, crossing his arms as he leaned back in his chair.
Rafe glanced at the tightly shut door before looking at Noah.
"I sincerely hope not."
None of them spoke again. They simply stared at the closed door, silently hoping the conversation inside would end peacefully.
***
Agnes yanked her hand free from Luke’s grasp, her face clouded with distress.
’Slap!’
A sharp sting spread across Luke’s cheek.
He could have avoided it. With his reflexes, stopping her hand would have been effortless. Yet he remained still and accepted the blow.
Perhaps she needed an outlet for all the fear and frustration she had endured. If striking him would ease even a fraction of it, then so be it.
"This is all your fault!" Agnes hissed, keeping her voice low enough that it wouldn’t carry beyond the room. "If you hadn’t followed me, none of this would’ve happened!"
Luke gently rubbed his burning cheek but offered no rebuttal. For once, he simply let her vent.
At that moment, the door creaked open.
Eric stepped inside. His gaze shifted between the pair before settling on the red mark on Luke’s cheek.
"Whoa," Eric remarked with a grin. "You already received the ’reconciliation gift’ before the discussion even started?"
"That’s not funny, Eric," Luke replied, shooting his second-in-command a stern look.
Eric immediately raised both hands in surrender.
"My mistake. I didn’t mean anything by it." He shrugged. "I only came because I had a feeling this was exactly how it’d start. Looks like my instincts haven’t failed me yet."
"He deserved it!" Agnes snapped.
"No argument there," Eric said with a nod. "Our captain is specifically displeased with his action. I wouldn’t have blamed you even if you had stabbed him. That little knife wouldn’t have done much to him."
Agnes frowned.
"It’s a dagger, not a knife! And I almost stabbed him in the heart!"
Eric’s brows lifted in surprise before he slowly turned toward Luke.
"Really?" he asked. "Did the lady catch you that off guard, or have your skills grown rusty from all that time away from the battlefield?"
Luke frowned.
"I was trying to save her! She took advantage of the situation!"
Eric chuckled before raising a hand to stop the argument from escalating.
"All right, all right. Let’s not spend the next hour arguing over who was right and who was wrong. We’re here to solve a problem, not create another."
His gaze moved from Luke to Agnes. Both wore equally frosty expressions.
"Now then..." he said. "Will you agree to pretend to be a married couple?"
He paused before looking at the court lady.
"Lady Briar... forgive me for asking, but you aren’t already married, are you?"
Agnes appeared hesitant at the unexpected question before shaking her head.
"No."
Eric nodded once.
"Good. Then this plan is still possible."
"Seems like we don’t have much of a choice anyway," Luke muttered, turning his gaze to Agnes.
The court lady immediately turned her back on him, still fuming.
"I didn’t create this mess, yet I’m the one paying the price for it!" she grumbled. "And who would ever want to be his wife? Even if it’s only pretend."
Eric pressed his lips together before clasping his hands behind his back. He couldn’t deny that the young woman had every right to feel wronged.
"I know this isn’t fair to you, Lady Briar," he said, his tone turning serious. "And as Luke’s superior, I’ll make sure he gives you a proper apology and explains everything after this."
He paused before continuing.
"But right now, our priority is getting everyone out of this patrol station without dragging anyone else into trouble—especially you."
Agnes remained silent.
"You also said you have something important to discuss with Joseph," Eric added. "Luke has already agreed to this idea. The decision now rests with you."
Agnes let out a frustrated huff. She shot Luke a sharp glare before turning back to Eric. Much as she hated to admit it, his reasoning was difficult to refute.
"...Fine," she finally relented. "But on one condition. You will let me speak to your healer without interfering... and I want him punished for everything he did."
She pointed an accusing finger at Luke.
The knight looked at the court lady with widened eyes. The words were already on the tip of his tongue, but before he could voice his protest, Eric placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Alright," the second-in-command knight said before Luke could speak. "We agree to your first request. As for the second..." Eric gave his companion a brief sidelong glance. "I’ll make sure he receives the punishment he deserves."
Then, he looked back at Agnes.
"You have my word."
Agnes felt some of the tension leave her shoulders.
Throughout the conversation, Eric had remained calm and fair, never once showing any intention of taking Luke’s side simply because they served under the same company.
His manner of speech and composed bearing reminded her of the noblemen she often met within the royal palace. Somehow, that was enough to convince her that he would honour his promise.
"Good," she said with a firm nod. "Let’s get this over with. I can’t wait to walk out of this place."
"Fine with me," Luke replied, though the reluctant look on his face suggested he had yet to accept the punishment Eric had just promised on his behalf. "Let’s go."
"Hold on." The second-in-command knight raised a hand before either of them could head for the door. "Before we go back out there, we need a story."
His eyes were fixed on the pair.
"For what?" Luke asked. "We’ll just tell them we’re married, got into a foolish argument, and have now reconciled. End of story."
Eric shook his head.
"If only it were that simple." A faint smile appeared at the corner of his lips. "I’ve spent numerous hours drowning in paperwork just to register the Blue Mantle Company in Sabel. Trust me, this city documents everything."
His expression turned more serious.
"From what I’ve seen, the senior guard won’t simply take your word for it. He’ll ask for proof... your marriage certificate."
"Ah..." Agnes froze before lightly slapping her forehead.
"Of course. Almost everything in Sabel has to be registered." She let out a frustrated sigh. "Lying about many things might be possible, but not a marriage."
Her shoulders slumped once more.
Beside her, Luke equally looked troubled. But, unlike the two of them, Eric remained remarkably composed.
"Leave that part to me," he said with a reassuring smile. "I already have a way around it."
Both Luke and Agnes looked up at him.
"You two only need to follow my lead."
Luke frowned.
"How?"
"Here’s what we’ll say...," Eric began.