A knight’s armor is fundamentally a high-end item.
Equipment is something that should be tailored to its user, and for elite knights, the best in the empire, ordinary gear holds no meaning.
“But look at the state of it now.”
Noel pointed at the completely dented armor, and with her words, Aiden felt his back rapidly growing damp with sweat.
Even someone with no particular combat prowess could easily tell that the atmosphere Noel was exuding wasn’t normal.
“Do you know what this means?”
“What does it mean?”
“It means that if it weren’t for the armor, Gael would have died instantly. From just a single punch you threw carelessly without even assuming a proper stance.”
Noel continued with a faint smile.
“That’s absurd. Gael is considered a standout even among ordinary combatants.”
“……”
“Even a knight, no matter how skilled, wouldn’t achieve such a result from a single, reckless attack.”
He wished she’d stop with the compliments.
His mouth was getting parched.
“Now that I think about it, there’s only one person I can imagine pulling off such a feat.”
“…Is that so?”
“Yes.”
Noel’s smile widened a bit, and then her lips parted again.
“It’s me.”
“……”
“The pure white energy you just unleashed from your body is the purest of all energies. With that level of output, it’s possible.”
“That’s…”
Aiden trailed off.
Honestly, it was a difficult scene to explain.
Even for those called geniuses, knights are a group that can barely stand shoulder to shoulder with their peers.
And the pinnacle of them is someone who has honed their abilities their entire life, mastering this pure white energy.
So now, this woman was asking indirectly:
How on earth is someone like you able to wield the essence of a skill I’ve spent a lifetime perfecting?
“Explain yourself, Aiden Kellermain.”
The more she spoke, the faster Aiden’s back grew damp.
Though Noel’s face was smiling, her eyes weren’t smiling at all.
“Who are you, really?”
Suppressing the sensation of his throat tightening, Aiden barely managed to reply.
“You saw my records, didn’t you? I’m really nothing—”
“Are you referring to those cover-up records? Yes, I saw them. I did.”
Tap, tap—
Noel lightly tapped her arm with her fingers as she spoke.
“…Excuse me?”
‘Cover-up records? What on earth is she talking about?’
Aiden blinked in confusion as Noel continued calmly.
“Why do you think I went out of my way to bring you of all people?”
‘Why is she asking me that, when I don’t even know the answer myself?’
The person most curious about this was Aiden himself.
Fortunately, Noel wasn’t the type to drag out an explanation.
“If you really wanted to hide your identity, you should’ve left at least one flaw. You should’ve played your little game moderately so I could believe it.”
“What do you mean—”
“Aiden. No matter how big a criminal is, they get caught at least once. No matter how lucky or skilled they are, inevitably, they slip up at least once. That’s life—no matter how wise someone is, they could still be blindsided at any moment. But—”
Noel’s gaze became even colder.
“Here’s a person claiming to be a mediocre con artist, yet in over ten years, he had never been arrested, not even once investigated.”
“……”
“Judging by your track record, you’ve managed to avoid all the major incidents, and if anything seemed remotely dangerous, you pulled out before it escalated, didn’t you?”
“……”
“Isn’t that basically admitting you’ve ‘known’ which dangerous situations to avoid all along?”
Aiden’s mouth fell slightly open.
…Well, that was true.
In reality, when working outside the law, it’s only natural to get tangled in some major incident at some point.
He had certainly put all his effort into dodging anything dangerous.
Of course, it was probably a stroke of luck made possible because he had knowledge of the original story.
But the fact that Aiden had been desperately running away to avoid getting involved in anything dangerous shouldn’t be a reason to overestimate him.
“That’s why I brought you here.”
The problem is that this person is maintaining a completely different attitude.
“No matter who we place as the husband in this fake marriage, it’s bound to be a difficult role to handle. There’s no one among the people I know who could manage it.”
Noel added as she placed her teacup down with a clink.
“Never having failed means that no one knows the limits of your ability. It’s like we can’t see the ceiling. So I brought you in, half as if I were scratching off a lottery ticket.”
‘Well, I get it. There’s some logic to it.’
But the reality behind those records is just the result of him desperately struggling to stay out of sight and avoid getting entangled in the main storyline.
He never imagined it would come back around like this.
There’s a limit to how much better a situation can be interpreted than reality.
Aiden opened his mouth to try to explain.
After all, he had years of experience in professions that involved smooth-talking. He could probably come up with a plausible explanation…
“I feel like I hit the jackpot, judging by how well you handle your abilities.”
…If not for that.
He had ended up displaying a scene that didn’t match his supposed history at all.
Aiden’s mouth shut tight like a clam.
“Aiden. I’d prefer to handle this peacefully. The fact that you have more ability than I expected is actually good news for me.”
Noel’s eyes, which had been faintly glowing until now, shot up to meet Aiden’s gaze.
That alone was overwhelming.
If a physical force existed in her gaze, it felt like just meeting her eyes would cut him down.
“But I do want an explanation for what I just saw. That pure white energy—whether you know it or not—has quite a lot of history behind it.”
‘Uh… well, yeah, it does look that way.’
– Skill Info
[Weaver of Fate]
<Copied Skill>
[Noel Astria Simus]
Heart of Pure White
※Unique – Only this character possesses it!
[It boasts the highest efficiency of all energy cultivation methods, requiring tremendous effort and sensitivity for mastery. This energy cultivation method is an ability passed down directly from Noel’s master, honed to the extreme.]
Even if Aiden himself saw someone else suddenly using an energy cultivation method that had been passed down to him directly, he’d be left wondering what was going on.
‘I can fully understand how she feels.’
“So, I suggest you speak up quickly. Otherwise, I’ll have no choice but to draw my sword.”
‘Correction. I can’t understand her at all. Why is it coming to this?’
“Gael’s way of thinking isn’t always right, but you can tell the truth of the path he’s walked when you cross swords with him. I can get a rough idea of how you acquired those skills just from that.”
As Noel said this, her hand played with the sword at her waist, and the already clammy back of Aiden’s neck grew cold.
Though her face still bore a smile, the intent behind her words, hidden between the lines, was clearly genuine.
This woman would definitely draw her sword and strike him down if he didn’t give a satisfactory explanation.
‘But how exactly should I explain this? How could I possibly tell her that I’ve been transported into a game and that I somehow managed to copy her skills as part of a perk?’
“Are you keeping silent as a sign of agreement?”
‘But I have to say something. Otherwise, I might really die.’
And with that thought echoing in his mind, Aiden heard a clicking sound in his head.
It was the sound that always rang whenever he faced a “client.”
Switching into business mode, convincing someone that he was just an ordinary con artist…
That ship had sailed. It was time to let that go.
There was no way Aiden could come up with an explanation that would convince Noel right there.
In that case, the only remaining option was…
‘I’ll have to lie.’
That’s what he’s always done, after all—lying to survive.
Aiden’s mind began to race.
All the knowledge from the ‘original story’ that could help in this situation poured into his head.
The essence of being a con artist is deceiving others, and the essence of deceiving others lies in provoking their emotions.
So…
When considering everything about Noel Astria Simus, Aiden focused on what keyword would shake her the most.
And what surfaced was…
“Well…”
Even to himself, the words he was forming felt more instinctual than logical.
“It seems like you don’t remember the old days, do you?”
“What?”
“Like when you were a child.”
He dropped those words casually, almost as if they were unintentional.
A hint of sadness, a subtle touch of wistfulness—he made sure to convey those emotions in his tone.
Even Aiden himself wondered what on earth he was saying.
Of course, she wouldn’t remember. They had never even met before.
But the moment Aiden said those words…
Noel froze in place.
Her eyes flickered for a moment, and her expression briefly twisted before cracking.
She quickly regained her usual composure, but…
In that fleeting, barely perceptible moment, Aiden caught the gap.
‘This woman…’
Based on the information from the game, it seemed that some ‘event’ had caused her to lose part of her childhood memories.
He didn’t know what the event was, as the game never covered that much detail.
‘What’s important is…!!’
She really had lost her memories, and more importantly, she had never told anyone about it.
There would’ve been no reason for her to.
So…
If Aiden could just insert himself into that gap of information, into something only Noel herself would know, that alone would be enough.
Just knowing information that the real person couldn’t recall would significantly boost the credibility of his story.
“…What are you talking about, Aiden?”
Her attempt to hide her confusion showed that this ridiculous lie was somehow working.
It was only natural for her to react this way after having one of her deepest secrets touched upon.
Right now, her mind was probably swirling with all sorts of theories about Aiden’s true identity.
And just that was enough to serve as a perfect shield for him.
After all, right now, the most important thing was simply to survive this situation.
So, the next step was…
“Oh, it’s nothing. I just didn’t expect you’d really forgotten….”
He let his words trail off, as if explaining would be pointless if she didn’t remember herself.
And just from that, Noel’s expression stiffened. She could no longer hide her agitation.
“I’ll be taking my leave now, Lady Noel.”
In other words, this was the perfect moment to say something vague and make a run for it.
Aiden’s voice, full of melancholic tones, lingered in the air.
“And next time we meet, I hope you’ll greet me a bit differently.”
Noel would never know what that was supposed to mean.
Because—
‘I have no idea either…!’
Even Aiden himself had no clue what kind of nonsense he was spouting!
But anyone could see that this was the perfect moment to quickly escape the room.
Feeling Noel’s bewildered gaze on his back, Aiden strode out.
***
That was yesterday.
A whirlwind of chaos had swept through his life on the very first day of his new job, leaving him utterly exhausted.
Now, he was holed up in his private room, refusing to see anyone.
[Skill Info]
[Weaver of Fate]
[Only you know the truth of this world. Build bonds with key characters from the main story to unlock new rewards!]
[Noel Astria Simus]
[Bond: Level 2]
– You can now copy one additional skill.
_<Copied Skill>_
– Heart of Pure White
It’s a good thing.
It’s definitely a good thing.
Because what he did yesterday worked so well, he even got a free skill copy out of it.
There’s no downside to it, really.
Sham Marriage
– You have been selected as Lady Noel’s spouse.
Maintain your contract with the other party until the end!
—
[A related event will soon occur.]
Except for this part.
‘What is this related event about?’
Frowning, he glared at the notification.
No matter how he looked at it, the words didn’t give him a good feeling.
It definitely felt like another life-threatening danger was on its way.
‘Should I gather more abilities?’
Honestly, he wanted to avoid getting involved in any fights, but when a warning is as blatant as this, it would be foolish to just sit back and wait.
‘But from whom?’
He couldn’t exactly go back to Noel and get another skill from her.
After what happened yesterday, it would be awkward to even face her.
As Aiden pondered who might be a suitable candidate, the surrounding area suddenly became very noisy.
“His Highness, Prince Daniel, will be arriving soon!”
“Everyone, finish tidying up and clear out! Don’t get caught in his sight!”
Peeking his head out into the corridor to see what the commotion was about, Aiden noticed that someone of high status was visiting.
The Imperial Headquarters was the nerve center of the empire’s army, so all sorts of people came through.
However, a member of the royal family was certainly a rare guest.
As the prince strode confidently down the corridor, staff members of the Imperial Headquarters quickly stepped aside to clear his path, which was impossible not to notice.
Aiden’s eyes narrowed slightly at the sight.
‘If he’s royalty from the Holy Kingdom…’
Aiden mentally flipped through the game’s lore.
The powers wielded by the Empire’s members were ‘Qi’, granted by Karva’s authority, while the powers wielded by the Holy Kingdom’s members were ‘Divinity’, granted by Seor, the god of purification.
And those who wielded divinity best were the royalty, those closest to the source of that power.
‘…Should I give it a try?’
If building relationships resulted in skill copies, it wouldn’t hurt to get acquainted with someone like that.
If the connection worked out, great. If not, no big deal.
Since he held the title of Noel’s spouse, exchanging a greeting and having a brief conversation shouldn’t be considered a major offense.
With that thought in mind, Aiden puffed out his chest and approached the prince, who was walking down the corridor.
Naturally, he positioned himself to intercept him and said, “It’s an honor to meet you, Your Highness. I am…”
But the moment he extended his hand.
Slap!
His hand was violently swatted away.
The prince’s voice, filled with disgust as if he had just seen a cockroach, followed immediately after.
“Get away, you filthy thing.”
…Life sure is tough.
Aiden quietly chewed over this thought as he looked at the person who had just slapped his hand away.
It was a young man with an oily, smirking face, his features exuding arrogance and entitlement.
‘…Now I understand why everyone was trying to get out of here before he arrived.’
With a temperament like that, it’s no wonder people reacted the way they did.
“One kneels on one knee when greeting royalty. How does a fool like you not know that and still walk these halls?”
‘Wasn’t that tradition abolished a long time ago? These days, even royalty would face backlash for demanding something like that.’
“I am the seventh prince of the Holy Kingdom of Craven. Name’s…”
‘Well, doesn’t matter. I’ll just call him ‘Slick’ in my head.’
Aiden mentally snipped the words he just heard and thought that nickname suited the prince perfectly.
Based on what he had just said, it was obvious he had done something quite significant.
“And judging by your commoner-like behavior, there’s no need to even ask about your lineage.”
‘Wow.’
In just a few seconds, he had managed to display the full measure of his awful personality. Aiden’s temples began to throb as if they were about to burst.
“Your Highness, I believe it’s unwise to underestimate this man so lightly.”
Even the fully armored guard standing beside the prince tried to intervene, likely concerned by the situation.
Of course, Slick’s face immediately twisted into a scowl.
“Shut up. Who told you to interfere?”
“But, Your Highness, this man—”
Hearing the guard’s quiet words, a crooked smile spread across Slick’s face.
“Oh.”
It was a condescending smile, as if he had just heard a ridiculous joke.
“So, this is the one they brought in? Lion-heart’s man, huh?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
As the guard responded, Slick’s unpleasant gaze swept over Aiden from head to toe.
“This guy?”
“They didn’t even acknowledge my request, but picked this guy as her spouse?”
From the way he talked, it was clear that this guy had originally had a deep interest in the position of Noel’s spouse.
A vague realization dawned on him.
[Sham Marriage]
[You have been selected as Lady Noel’s spouse.]
[Maintain your contract with the other party until the end! A related event will occur soon.]
The “related event” mentioned here…
‘Could it be that it’s connected to the troublesome royal standing right in front of me?’
It seemed that Aiden had walked right into it while trying to prepare for whatever was coming.
‘Ah.’
Aiden Kellermain.
On day one, he faced a friend of his spouse who drew a sword on him. Now, on day two, he had managed to get into a conflict with a foreign royal.
‘Ah.’
There was nothing left to do but sigh.
Cliche Novel 