"I’ll do whatever it takes," I said, the oath escaping my lips before doubt could find me.
He leaned forward, his smile sharpened into provocation. "Words are cheap. Action decides everything."
We locked eyes—his filled with challenge, mine with a stubborn fire I could not extinguish. For a moment, neither of us moved. Then he chuckled low, nodding, as if amused by what he saw.
"Very well. Since Lady Alice has chosen to abandon her formalities, even if only for now, her noble privileges will be set aside. Instead—she will be newly appointed as a knight."
My chest tightened. "That means..."
He cut me off with a deliberate, heavy pause. "Change your question, Julies Evans. Ask yourself this instead—are you prepared to march into battle at her side?"
The answer was already forged inside me, burning hot and unshakable.
"Yes. Always."
The Duke’s eyes narrowed, searching my face as though he could strip away the mask and peer directly into the marrow of my soul.
"Always, you say," he repeated slowly, each syllable heavy as iron.
"Fine words. But words have felled more men than blades. What you declare here will not vanish into thin air. The day will come when the weight of your promise drags you into the mud—and on that day, we shall see if you still dare to say always."
His tone was calm, yet every word coiled like a snake, daring me to flinch.
"I do not flinch from mud, my lord," I answered evenly. "If it is for Lady Alice, I will crawl through it gladly."
Hans, unable to restrain himself, burst forward. "This insolence is intolerable! Duke, please allow me to deal with this fool of a servant—"
"Quiet, Hans," Alice cut in, her voice like frost.
The steward froze mid-step. His eyes darted between Alice, me, and the Duke, confusion written plainly across his wrinkled face.
Meanwhile, the Duke only chuckled low, stroking his beard. "So, Julies Evans would crawl, bleed, and perhaps even die... all for my daughter?"
"Yes," I replied without hesitation.
"And what if she falls? What if she dies before your eyes?" His tone sharpened, stabbing at my resolve. "Would you follow her into the grave? Or would your loyalty die with her?"
My throat tightened, but I forced the words out like steel hammered from fire. "...If Lady Alice falls, then so do I. There is no separation in that."
The Duke’s smile faltered—not from doubt, but as though he had stumbled across something more dangerous than he had bargained for. For the first time, he studied me not as a mere servant, but as something... other.
Alice’s lips curled faintly at my answer. Her eyes gleamed with a satisfaction she did not bother to hide.
"Father," she said smoothly, "you ask too many questions for a man who already knows the answer. Julies has already proven his loyalty, time and again. Why continue to test him as though he were a stranger?"
The Duke tilted his head, exhaling slowly through his nose. "Because loyalty that burns too brightly can also burn down the house that shelters it."
Silence followed, taut as a bowstring.
Finally, he stood, his presence filling the chamber like an approaching storm. "Very well. If you are determined to tie your life to hers, then so be it. But remember this, Julies Evans—" His eyes bored into me, sharp enough to draw blood.
"Should you falter. Should you bring shame to her name, or to mine. I will not hesitate to cut you down myself."
I bowed deeply, my voice steady even as sweat clung to my back. "Then I will simply make certain, my lord, that you never need raise your blade against me."
A long pause, then a booming laugh erupted from the Duke. It rolled through the hall, shaking the very air.
"Good! Good! I like your spirit, boy!" His eyes turned to Alice, gleaming with something unreadable. "You’ve chosen well, daughter. Let’s see how long this one can last at your side."
Alice inclined her head gracefully, but when her eyes flicked toward me, I caught the faintest glimmer of a smile—a rare, approving smile, sharp and fleeting as lightning.
The Duke lowered himself back into his chair, finally waving his hand in dismissal. "That is enough for today. Go. Prepare yourselves. The world does not wait for those who hesitate."
I rose slowly, the tension in my body refusing to ease, even as relief trickled into my chest.
Alice’s voice, calm and clear, carried across the chamber. "Come, Julies."
I followed at her side, my steps heavy with the weight of what had just been decided.
I was no longer merely her servant.
Whether I liked it or not, I had just bound myself to Alice Draken as if by oath, as if by chains forged of fire and steel.
And the Duke had seen it.
Worse—he had approved it.
-----:
...And that’s where my flashback ended.
Not long after that meeting, I departed for Balant Fortress with Lady Alice and the other knights. The days leading up to the journey had been tense, but once the command came, everything moved with frightening speed.
To my relief, the Duke hadn’t stripped me of my role as Alice’s personal attendant, despite his sharp words at the time. In fact, what followed was... unexpected.
Rather than removing me, he conferred upon me a new title—Alice’s war aid.
It sounded far more dignified than it felt. In practice, it meant my duties had expanded, not lessened. No longer just tending to her daily needs, I was now responsible for her logistical support in battle—supplies, communication, coordination.
The weight of it pressed down on my shoulders, but at the same time, a strange sense of pride flickered in my chest.
Alice Draken was not a woman who allowed weaklings to linger by her side.
If she—or even the Duke—acknowledged me in such a role, then I had no choice but to live up to it.