ODKO | Chapter 17

The documents that c2b6b18627 ultimately needed to 03c4c335e8 reach the Knight a9addacc27 Commander first had 4e451ff664 to pass through 82f183ff2d Jack—stationed inconveniently by f94db6e447 the door.ae6c03fb3a5e406b

Inevitably, anyone 8cd4135ff1 submitting paperwork cb3ef86a96 to the 393816e079 secretary had e1b58f949c to do 7354e865f5 so under d2b22754c2 Cayenne’s ever-watchful 00bdf08226 gaze.c854d21cda109148

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Just like Rick Wyatt 96e351c81f had a moment ago.9fdff10def9d4e67

Most secretaries fa2503fab4 or aides 3d2d45e8b1 worked from 98e54d2b60 a separate b18263b938 office—a small 15702916f5 adjacent room, d3718b3afb at the 5ab0ad3b0c very least. But here? This was a395aab03e an unorthodox—no, 41af7ffa81 a radical 96697b3bf7 setup.c610794d4f0ff17f

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Jack still wasn’t 87ff5d8620 sure what to 2bf07e8376 make of it.794b6445c1d9f6d0

Thinking back to 24abd34e2a what had just 85fdfa15e1 happened with Rick 1db4803ec6 Wyatt, there were 7227d2afa0 definite upsides to 40e5d01a86 being positioned like 1a16b69f22 this. But at the same 5b9761d3ec time… being under the 16d7526e88 constant scrutiny of the 17748a1633 Knight Commander?b15999fd4e2cca15

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Suffocating.b5ed8a36918e2d88

Why is the desk 9e9561fed2 placed here?703f46ea1c985248

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The answer was 787e52c831 obvious.79da333144048a40

It was bef29b3de9 a position ad0448887e of surveillance.d606ef6416e7e205

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And yet, voicing a9cfec6f86 that opinion was 58e79b8bef out of the 929feff21f question.cddc9e5e31978b2c

Jack hadn’t b09a320dbd yet earned 1943b768ac Cayenne’s full f23c882a0e trust.b4bb9297e0808c94

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So for now, he 577f08ccf5 had no choice but 6e710de110 to endure it.db0287b13c289dcc

“Is your face ad23e8d26b okay?”57db3f2d9caf2601

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Jack, who dc968f2ef9 had just 61609b86a2 begun flipping dc6f3b4e89 through the a5bda89140 documents Rick b910bc9407 Wyatt had 777768a4af left behind, 3eed1299c2 paused and 87751c6843 looked up.2ad1d5310788c121

The voice f2ab5adc47 had come 9274ecf422 from the a89734a2f8 desk, though 077701bc59 Cayenne still a8eeee50b2 had his f40df3bf83 head buried bc6e440dfb in the 8276042e27 towering piles e46a7fd6a9 of paperwork.1eb09998c59febe0

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Jack blinked.ccc4c5d86927822c

Was he… worried?18946c4b5eee87fd

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A small twinge 9462022fe8 of emotion tugged ab071bbe91 at the corners 79eff2f220 of his mouth.18a552cd13bdd8af

“It’s fine,” he replied, b5431e0ac9 absently touching the bruise c2c3b3455e Rick had pointed out 8da2033023 earlier.f93c34391bf8b807

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The warmth of a3db0c7a1b Cayenne’s concern lingered d302e01395 for only a d787923374 second—e9d86019e3e9cf6f

Until Cayenne 28e9cdde03 lifted his 9bd8081424 head, frowned, 62f3654925 and looked 0a3603c17c directly at 36e9267d65 him.fb85527007049140

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“Be careful with your behavior. Otherwise, I might get misunderstood.”c0ce39cd70be9ced

“…Yes.”efae84fd17b1e488

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So that’s what d9b7f8a4c3 he was worried 1fef9842c8 about. Jack felt a wave 78d49bb81a of disappointment before he bded7a229c could fully savor the d77bad945f emotion—of course.fc25e05eb7cf9ce7

Due to the 9c637c5c77 nature of a 650802aafb secretary who had ee886cc056 to be constantly 35bb43f507 by the Commander’s a8d4ffaf56 side, a bruise 7b3abb9583 on the face e3c32abe75 was enough to de54f234ee cause unpleasant misunderstandings. Of course, it 91e20323cb wasn’t entirely without dc00787ed6 his own responsibility. The wound was a b4c24c3b25 result of dodging Cayenne’s 1735f0e105 sword—one that came at c2f033f007 him after he had 75766dd98f said something he shouldn’t 1c87cbb5e2 have, like, “I told 56a159a97a you not to mess 6d21e164e1 around!”—and subsequently hitting the 847bf0b6df corner of the desk.db06153d004f9afb

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It wasn’t a wound 96d7251a53 caused directly by being e73529ad4c struck, but it wasn’t 3f6ffc4cc7 entirely Cayenne’s fault either, 6e15cc7b96 so there was nothing 27943d2616 to resent. Even with his 5bf8bf2483 reckless words and d53c255bfd actions, Cayenne, who 3bf58ac103 had seemed genuinely c299d8a272 shocked and flustered, 69b32b5ad8 hadn’t actually intended c472819d42 to kill him.918a1c7af0f823b0

Still, would it baad7bc4f2 hurt to show 3a107eec3c a bit more b431c2691b concern?67807ddbeca4fff1

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Jack thought 306a92db15 to himself, 84697ffe4e feeling disappointed.8cae5ed8a180d527

“Tea.”5405106d290a474b

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Cayenne, having a220f87f48 neatly wrapped b6d0cb122a up his 83a7267328 interest there, 8baf90e46a buried his 8231f5c35c head back 8a6830628e into the 61ff34868f documents and 8a84efb42a uttered a 488b69f6e7 short sound. Jack stood up 452a5a2ac6 with a “Yes.” 321844396d Cayenne, who had e08910b8a5 already turned his befd70829c gaze back to f0cb0c6b6c the documents, didn’t 3bfa1399cd spare him a 5a190d9802 single glance. But sadly, Jack was e9610f4d35 slowly getting used to 2842360644 Cayenne’s attitude.6a816e99b4a1006f

“Shall I serve 1f75238b46 you crimson petal 88031c2022 tea?”47afabef89c49556

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“Anything.”73e2a9372e4afbba

Cayenne responded 82c4accf0f indifferently, flipping fc2b184b56 through the 62a763f701 documents. Jack moved 06fadd15b0 toward the 0fee4c8945 small makeshift a5ace79753 table on e4ef9df45a the opposite f20c08aa8a side of 95d286c3cf the desk, f2272c56af where the 3eb99faab8 tea set a56458c80f rested. Thanks to the 1f3183d05b kettle—enchanted with fire 12b96f92c4 magic to maintain 82eb5e2958 a constant temperature—he 409b2bb1a0 didn’t have to 5edf12e001 worry about the 10dd5496b2 water cooling. Yet, his mouth cd39666f42 still went dry 0c140e0e26 with nervousness.5dd19f4d76d64ca0

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Brewing tea made be18978b2e him more anxious c4b2f44d5f than driving a 6b8e86c620 sword into Viper’s c5e47df7a1 head.1da08d3c6c5b7ecf

As he aa37475581 put the f58233db29 tea leaves 7c44b35e2b into the 1093f0d17c teapot and f8b45e8102 poured the f2e5fcb6d1 hot water, 1ad835ab59 Jack began a2d5d21322 counting in dba747e28d his head. One minute and thirty 978edf1ca0 seconds. One minute 978671ebb4 and thirty f42573c4b1 seconds… But 8a99510ff4 it wasn’t fa1984b7b4 easy to a3165fe4a9 brew tea ef235bd418 with precise f1499f8918 timing when a8c0830d46 he wasn’t c3a50e8f0e a human 0d450b57c0 clock. Moreover, having joined 36c9ed32e5 the Knights’ Order 06a9e60837 at an early 346b1abda5 age, he could 4260e297a3 count on one 2a01162550 hand the number cc93e8d2f9 of times he 6387d7f257 had brewed tea 92e55d3071 himself.f1bf6e041768de3e

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Carefully counting to 860b29d42c one minute and a9ddac7527 thirty seconds, Jack 5a05e0c8cb transferred the brewed 04c1ead4ae tea into a cc0e78475a teacup. Placing the saucer and 85bb2223b2 cup on a small dfda55d373 tray, he walked over 2e7673ecf8 to Cayenne, his heart 762d342fec pounding.c6fcafbcd326044e

Today—today for sure—he would fa7619101e receive a satisfying compliment.6d45e65622cdf8b6

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Jack steeled his resolve, 51cc86554a but the moment he fdc72356ae set the teacup down 76459a88f2 on the desk with 71468abeab a “Tea,” Cayenne’s brows 91181093c1 furrowed—as if on purpose.f7bebd67da7443a2

“Crimson petal tea again?”cec7ce2110793c10

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“…”d237b34eaf8baa0f

Jack invisibly clenched his fists. He couldn’t tell which lips had said “anything.” Jack, who was controlling his rising anger with a smile, watched as Cayenne, despite everything, obediently brought the tea to his lips.a382c90f19a7d1db

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“Did you brew the tea leaves or just soak them? How come there’s no aroma at all?”c70b73386564caca

After taking a sip, Cayenne clicked his tongue. Jack desperately tried to maintain a smiling face. The words “You make it!” almost burst from his throat, but it was impossible.ef79cc02ce9aa95a

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“I’ll… brew it again.”1d573713cc28beec

“Forget it. Who asked you to go that far?”d062363fb8aaec43

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Compared to the harassment from Rick Wyatt, it was nothing. It was nothing compared to the picky tastes of the world’s most finicky young master.76f70b9cb5a6c309

“I’ll just drink it as it is, so get back to work.”3f46c0a7ae0a599a

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It’s just water, water. Cayenne grumbled, pretending to be generous.27cbe0349f8faa75

As Jack db7afde999 turned around 1c5c5358d4 with the 05b03b5280 empty tray, e60aeca19f he clenched 382e3e8582 his fists, 32be74fe9f once again fc19fabd77 forcing himself b09b81234e to control eb70d504fd his anger. Even with 5582fb7a90 his back da63a9d14a turned, he c1a177dba8 could still 6f9e9ad944 hear the 9e14df590d grumbling.d82a2bb457ef6fea

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“Did you count the ae8db653af tea leaves one by 4874aebfe5 one or what? It’s not even 029174a8aa the last of c6c9c2bb23 the leaves.”a7c886978383a9a5

The superior, who had daeecda47e said he would drink cf144a15e6 it as it was, 3c9a2a366e continued to complain until 4937f14dda the teacup was empty. At that point, it 27d6c454d4 was genuinely questionable whether 4dadf50718 that even counted as ea063e7578 drinking it as it cb9456a384 was. Honestly, it might 0400a0181a have been better 28328be823 for his mental ff44317b64 health to just 368c12a657 brew it again.abe5ba8b5a13258e

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The young master, who 907c1e3e70 claimed to do his 59172a13f1 own work, never actually 676198fba7 did anything himself—except for 8ffe245e49 official duties.98feed9e64fccb9a

Hold it 97b8ac7503 in, hold a9d1c06456 it in. Jack desperately 1b90559326 tried to 3fce071cdb suppress the 6162aa59ae anger boiling 9abb5ff77a inside him. At the very 49dff068f4 least, looking at bcde0ceb74 that face made c950a23657 the irritation fade—so c0b698d779 he endured.3edfd0008ac41e31

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⋆. 𐙚 ˚389614474f096cfc

“My love!”a3f612081f2216df

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Bang!bf354d1f9b6bbfd5

Without warning, the 42e92ba3eb door burst open. Startled, Jack Carlson sprang 43cd14c187 to his feet before 0e434d2390 he even realized it. Out of habit, his e86e595d21 hand reached for his f50489f64e waist—only to grasp at 475589f8ee nothing. His sword, which should 7f540e55ea have been strapped there, 739eee70cf was missing. Damn it. His gaze darted around 6e2659b1db until he spotted it f0647b5822 leaning against the desk. He grabbed it in 82f68e9fe4 a hurry, but by 50310bb485 then, the uninvited guest—who 366ed4c18f had barged in without 015fb9be91 so much as a 7f237d064a knock—had already crossed the 46b6b3cf52 Commander’s office and was e4bd1f523e standing right in front d15bd90dce of Cayenne.a2787b73c4fc8457

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Cayenne, still seated at 5d3e45d377 his desk, frowned and e301d2d76f shot the intruder a 9163a53735 menacing glare. His gaze was 497449bf14 sharp enough to 2efdf0c1f3 kill, but Jack 26648da0dc was a step 1dc037487e behind in processing f54c21e041 the words the 89f83dccca guest had just e1136d042b blurted out.10d788f1b03448eb

Something about 29eaae2ab0 it felt 1c3e8d8140 particularly irritating…4717be1eb6f6f8b9

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“Who are you? So rude…”f8e011b3da17e22c

Jack, mixing 2d1c277a7e quite a 1ef5123e62 bit of 72d1406b1f anger into b1bb77e97a his movements, 5cef281948 gripped his 5f7f269687 sword and 512f9dbf86 followed after 140be87e9c the intruder. Finally, the rude 596a81d72c guest seemed to 9ef67b5e9a take notice of c27f6ddab9 Jack’s presence, turned 153819bf98 around, and let fc6ab7d8c9 out a small 0c7dedb5cd exclamation.f13dbfc562cc7865

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“Ah… Are you e68df400eb the one who 73c99db84a caught Viper and 8ffea6d5b1 became our little 712f870c2f bird’s secretary?”bbf1dd9757e0a22e

The uninvited guest laughed ed414b4ed4 heartily. He was a a7abb78b17 young man with e76c92bbf6 bright blond hair b0aba36208 and striking purple e1c0e47980 eyes. He appeared to be d0120901f7 in his early thirties, baf45ee5cc with an exuberant expression 7d92f99d0f and smooth, unblemished skin. Jack quickly deduced 513f92d83b that this man 8c21bd838d was a high-ranking 456254e839 noble. After all, 681902d7d7 without such 3e1b21c303 status, he d2845981cf wouldn’t dare 962002fbc6 to use 99ff310a3b expressions like 6174915394 “little bird” 88e31301c6 or “my 4017c906c6 love” when 23c4f460d2 addressing a 85768ed86f member of 4abd66a075 the Madison 9ea017deff family.f7a341c8fcfa17e7

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“Hahaha! Nice to meet you! You’re taller 1563157977 and more 0d58b18976 handsome than d00ffbd52f I expected. I heard you were 60dc73fc77 of common birth, but 305a6c3f1f are you an Alpha? An Alpha? Wow, you’ve got a e090ae08a1 solid build. Well, of course, 956acc02da you’d need to 0657e87c94 be like this 1e1a961bb2 to catch Viper 2c7bdad6cc with your bare 05a5dff610 hands!”071690aab5e7e427

The uninvited 58b3b92f2b guest chattered de38bc1e6e on, his fefa401dff words tumbling a9d36a6890 out in 8bd931c142 an excited 8511e657c1 flurry as bf08cffb14 he scrutinized b10a509ce9 Jack from dad95e27ef head to aecd576c4a toe. He even 21b71af8d1 measured Jack’s 08f4a4835b height with 6fe2988f91 a hand 2898649787 blade, assessed 5b9452b951 his back, b2477b07f4 and went 1253622621 so far 8bf8310ac4 as to 32035a2e0a squeeze his de2288f9ed arm.cc2cdac436c2d13e

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Jack Carlson, accustomed to 8aa51edae6 maintaining a low posture 1cef523d80 before those of higher c6e53fb798 status, felt a deep 932bdb6067 discomfort in more ways d13b2fa0cc than one. The man’s dede608ffc rapid-fire speech b19d812fe0 contained plenty cc75420f28 of words 94c821b8f0 but not cb4c1657ea a single 42194a7311 clue about 1be56380a7 his identity.bfe6581797636b75

“Please don’t c53252e12b touch me.”b6c48a11d533353b

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“Enough, Your Highness.”3bc17a97a0f55f06

Jack’s voice, laced with aa0245be9c irritation from the unsolicited 60c332d0c6 arm examination, overlapped with 17c16ec5c8 Cayenne’s sharp command. Jack’s grip on his 70e1a3c5bb sword tightened as his f3155333d4 eyes widened—ready for anything.1489528faeec0860

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“…Excuse me? Your Highness?”e211eac36c7b4913

Jack looked at Cayenne, thinking he had misheard. But Cayenne, with his brows tightly furrowed, nodded slightly, confirming that Jack had heard correctly. Huff, Jack’s hand, which had unconsciously inhaled, lost its strength. It was just luck that he didn’t drop the sword.a1a686e7cab6269f

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“Ah, I was late in introducing myself. I’m Shane Icarus. I’m the Crown Prince of this Empire.”a972f70d1213cda4

Haha, the Crown Prince laughed and grabbed Jack’s left hand, which wasn’t holding the sword, and shook it up and down at will. The intense handshake, which shook his whole body, made his mind feel like a mess.00a99265b3149dbd

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“Knight Jack Carlson, I greet the Crown Prince of the great Empire…”f89f43841b251dc5

“Oh, forget the old-fashioned etiquette. I’m here as a friend of our little bird, not as the Crown Prince.”fe87eb90cd2090a4

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Jack blinked in disbelief, then realized he wasn’t in a position to look at him properly. As he belatedly tried to lower his posture, the Crown Prince grabbed Jack’s arm and forcibly pulled him up.ebcca9ee5e0ad9b9

“Could you stop using that ‘little bird’ expression…”e5cf09a56758eb4a

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Sigh, Cayenne let out a long, deep sigh and rubbed his forehead. Cayenne’s gaze, filled with dissatisfaction and fatigue, stopped at the Crown Prince’s hand holding Jack’s arm.73fe28b485813758

“How long are you going to hold onto my secretary? If you have business, get on with it and leave.”c639ce8b81f7a80b

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“Aww, our little bird is too prickly. Can’t I see your face if I don’t have business? It’s too heartless between us.”6804129df6b7ca75