Betrothed to My Sister's Ex

Leaning on my desk with my elbows, I held my head in my hands and groaned.

“Ah... it’s over...”

“Thank you for your hard work, Lord Ruifeng. Shall I make you some tea?”

“If you don’t mind, I can bring some snacks from my room.”

The two knights who came to fetch some documents offered their words of comfort. I smiled and waved them off.

“Thanks, I appreciate it. I’d be even happier if it were cute girls saying that.”

“Please don’t make unreasonable demands on a group of men.”

“You should at least have the spirit to cross-dress for the tired knight commander.”

“If you say that, you’re just going to lower my evaluation if I actually do it.”

“No, no, I’ll give you a proper reward. If it suits you, you get promoted one rank; if it looks nauseatingly bad, you’re demoted two ranks.”

“You’re trying to kill me!”

Pretending to tremble, the two burst out laughing. I sighed seriously.

“What a coarse, unlovely laugh. I’m not saying you have to cross-dress, but at least consider a sex change.”

The two knights laughed even harder.

Hmm, so rough and unrefined... well, it’s better than having a sour face.

Perhaps seeing through my true feelings, the knights exchanged glances and then smiled softly.

“Since Lord Ruifeng arrived, the knights order has become livelier. Holding festivals at the fort, interacting with the citizens—it’s been fun.”

“Back when the previous commander was here...”

They trailed off, and I gave a wry smile.

“Ah... my older brother was pretty rigid.”

Formally, the commander of the Dilz knights order is a sibling of the royal family, but if the territory is distant or they have a residence far away, it’s just a name. That’s actually the usual case. When my uncle was the previous commander, the one actually running things was my brother, Lionel.

When I turned eighteen, he patted me on the shoulder and said, “The kingdom knights after the war are all slackers; I’ve kept them in line, so don’t let your guard down either.” I nodded along, but knights are human too—they need breaks, and I opened the fort to the citizens partly with that in mind.

“He’s not just rigid, his face and heart are made of steel! Not training, but punishment!”

A young knight said indignantly.

“Whether you’re a rookie or feeling unwell, the daily quota doesn’t change. If you don’t meet it one day, it’s added on to the next, with collective responsibility. And supplies were always cut back; no sweets given. When Lord Lionel was in charge, everyone was on edge; it was like working in a prison.”

“Oh dear, I guess I was spoiling you all quite a bit. I’ll double the quota following my brother’s example.”

I joked, but the knights just laughed. They were used to my jokes by now.

“Lord Ruifeng assigns duties and evaluations based on each knight’s abilities. That’s why everyone finds it easier to work and stays motivated. If you wanted, you could make those evaluations more haphazard and you wouldn’t have to groan over paperwork.”

Being praised so directly made me feel awkward. For a moment, I considered thanking them sincerely, but—

“Yeah, yeah. With those dark circles under your eyes, messy hair, and shabby glasses and room wear.”

“You’re so wrapped up in work without caring about appearances, ruining the face once called the most handsome prince in history.”

“To be honest, you kind of deserve it.”

“I’d love to show that shabby look to all your fan girls.”

…….

Half-closed eyes, I looked down at myself. It’s true I’d been buried in work for days, pulling two all-nighters at the end, exactly as they described.

Smiling brightly, I held up the freshly completed evaluation sheet.

“Steiner and Rockwell lose points, no promotion this year.”

“We all deeply respect Lord Ruifeng, the knights commander!”

The two men clung to me pleadingly, but I brushed them off with a smile.

It’s been five years since I became commander. At some point, this fort became a much more comfortable place than the royal palace.