About That One-Night Stand Being the Mastermind.

Without realizing it, Litia happily stretched out her hand.

“That person…!”

At once, all the knights’ gazes turned in the same direction.

The man Litia pointed at looked confused for a moment, then instantly showed displeasure, sharply furrowing his brows.

His gaze was so forceful that it felt oppressive, making Litia flinch and shrink her shoulders.

“May I know your name, sir?”

The man, who looked irritated as if he wasn’t happy about being chosen but rather annoyed at why he had been picked, opened his tightly closed lips.

“…Gondor.”

At the same time, Litia’s face lit up.

She hadn’t expected to find him so easily, but there he was!

He certainly stood out because of his build, but she still hadn’t thought it would be this easy. Now all that remained was to recruit him.

Just by looking at his face, she could tell it wouldn’t be easy, but for now, the right to choose was hers.

Trying to persuade him was simply courtesy—she intended to take him as her Temes even if he refused.

That was why she had come all this way.

“May I speak with him for a moment? I won’t take much time.”

With a much more relaxed expression, Litia asked Priest Refe standing beside her.

She also glanced at Gondor, silently asking for his opinion.

Priest Refe agreed without hesitation.

“Of course. I’ll guide you to a place where you can talk comfortably.”

“Ah, it’s fine. Somewhere nearby is okay.”

“Is that so? But you’ll have to talk standing.”

“That’s fine. Five minutes will be enough.”

Gondor’s face crumpled once more, but his opinion didn’t seem to matter from the start.

Priest Refe and Sir Cadis dismissed the gathered knights.

Soon, the knights dispersed like flowing water, leaving only Gondor behind.

Standing alone, he felt much larger than when he was among the others—like a tall, solid old tree.

Were all the people here big? Come to think of it, Caliph had also been noticeably tall.

Looking at Priest Refe and the other knights, it didn’t seem like people of the empire were particularly large either.

More importantly, the knight who called himself Gondor looked far more fierce than she had expected, making Litia slightly worried whether the conversation would go well.

“Ah, um… let’s walk a bit together?”

Litia hurried her steps. Why was he walking so fast?

Though she had been lucky enough to catch her first Temes candidate, the man strode ahead without waiting for her.

As Litia followed while clutching her dress and quickening her pace, he suddenly turned around.

“You said you were looking for a Temes?”

Litia nodded at the tall man.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Then why did you choose me?”

At the question of why she had picked him out of so many knights, Litia smiled gently.

“I think we’ll suit each other well.”

“……”

The man looked like he was about to curse her with his eyes.

She knew he had a strong personality, but facing him directly, he seemed far more resistant than she had expected.

Still, she needed to keep this knight by her side.

Since it’s hard to spit at a smiling face, Litia maintained her smile throughout.

Though it didn’t seem to be working.

“There are many other good knights.”

After sounding as though he sighed, Gondor’s voice softened slightly.

“Yes, I know.”

“There are knights of good lineage, and as you know, many who were mentioned as Temes candidates. You should choose from among them.”

“Yes, I know that too.”

“Then since you seem wise, you should choose one of them. I’m not of good birth, nor am I a knight worthy of your favor. That will be all.”

Gondor bowed deeply, bending nearly ninety degrees, and tried to leave.

“No! Please wait!”

Litia stopped him.

He knew very well that a knight chosen by a Tenia candidate couldn’t outright refuse.

If so, this attitude meant that she was being looked down on—but for now, since the choice was hers, Litia decided to be gentler.

“Yes, please speak.”

“First, I’m Litia. You may call me Lady Mont, or Young Lady, or whatever you’re comfortable with.”

“……”

“I understand what you’re saying, Sir Gondor, but I’ve already made my decision.”

“What?”

“I want Sir Gondor to become my Temes. Your background doesn’t matter. Even if you’re lacking, it doesn’t matter. Though it seems you’re only saying that.”

Confusion spread across Gondor’s face.

“I can also tell that you really dislike me right now. Even so, I want you to be my Temes. The right to decide is mine, isn’t it?”

“…That’s correct. But didn’t you see who the other Tenia candidates chose?”

“Yes, I did. They filled their quotas completely—with very impressive people.”

“And even so, you want to choose me? Why?”

Gondor asked with genuine curiosity.

Normally, candidates complained even after narrowing down Temes candidates, asking if there were no better knights. Yet here she was, asking an ordinary holy knight to become her Temes.

It made no sense.

Tenias were usually noble young ladies who liked people who treated them warmly and humbled themselves.

Above all, Gondor hated nobles.

He knew that being a holy knight meant protecting the temple and nobles alike, but he hated bowing his head.

That was why he was openly showing his displeasure.

He had even intended to provoke her—thinking it would be better to be punished for insulting a noble lady than to become a Temes.

He had heard the rumors too: that the Mont Duke’s daughter was weak-hearted, overly cautious, and quick to cry at the slightest fright.

Everyone in the empire probably knew it.

After all, no one living in the empire didn’t know the Mont ducal family.

During holy knight training, they even learned the Mont family genealogy—there was no way he wouldn’t know.

Yet the woman who introduced herself as the Mont Duke’s daughter kept smiling brightly, saying she knew everything and still asking him to become her Temes.

It was absurd.

Who was this woman? Was she really the Mont Duke’s daughter he’d heard about?

She said she had already seen all the candidates who had chosen their Temes.

The reason Gondor resisted so strongly was because she was the most promising Tenia candidate.

Her holy power was palpable even up close, and her bloodline was impeccable. Aside from her supposedly weak disposition, she lacked nothing—it was practically a foregone conclusion.

If she were merely a candidate who would drop out, that would be one thing, but if he became the Temes of someone who would certainly become Tenia, he would be bound to her even afterward.

And he didn’t want that.

He hadn’t become a holy knight out of deep faith. He had become one solely to support his family, acting as the head of the household.

Thanks to his natural build and skill, he was selected as a holy knight and could make a living—but becoming a Temes would disrupt his life.

He would have to live solely for the Tenia, making it difficult to care for his younger siblings.

“I think we’ll suit each other well!”

“……”

She smiled innocently, deflecting his irritation as if it bounced right off her.

For a moment, he wondered if something was wrong with her head.

She flinched occasionally, but she didn’t seem afraid at all.

“I have many shortcomings.”

“I know.”

“As I said, I’m of low birth.”

“I said I know.”

“I lack loyalty.”

“Hm, I didn’t know that, but now I do.”

Gondor finally ran out of things to say.

“Still, I need you, Sir Gondor. Instead, I’ll offer you a condition.”

“A condition?”

“Please be my Temes only while I’m a candidate. After that, I’ll give you full freedom to decide.”

“…What do you mean?”

“If I fail as a candidate, then what I said won’t matter. But even if I become Tenia, I’ll give you the choice of whether to remain as my Temes.”

“What are you saying—”

“In return, while the candidates are on the pilgrimage, you must fully protect and support me. While you’re my Temes, I won’t spare any support for you. The same will apply to the other Temes I choose.”

At Litia’s calm words, Gondor frowned and fell into thought.

Among the activities of the Tenia candidates, the pilgrimage was the most difficult.

They had to leave the capital, face magical beasts, and live a life completely opposite to the sheltered one they’d known.

She seemed to understand that well.

He had never seen a Tenia candidate make such an offer.

He couldn’t tell what she was plotting.

“Then wouldn’t it make even more sense that it doesn’t have to be me?”

“No. It has to be you, Sir Gondor.”

“I truly don’t understand.”

No matter what, the decision lay with the Tenia candidate. He had tried to intimidate her, but now she was even offering conditions and asking him to consider them.

Naturally, he became more suspicious.

If not that… did she have feelings for him?

Noble ladies occasionally came to confess to him, so it wasn’t impossible.

“Have you been watching me for a long time?”

He asked, letting that thought slip into his tone.

“No, today’s the first time we’ve met!”

Litia answered brightly.

Gondor had nothing more to say.