Chapter 026

Time passed quickly, and finally, the day to depart for the territory arrived.

On the morning of departure.

“Madam! It’s time for you to wake up.”

I groggily opened my eyes, squinting from the sunlight that had fallen on my eyelids, and slowly got out of bed.

Watching the maid busily arranging the curtains, I absentmindedly turned my head to look at the empty side of the bed.

“His Grace left early this morning.”

The maid, noticing my gaze, quickly informed me of Evan’s whereabouts.

What a diligent man he was.

I couldn’t help but be impressed by his physical strength, as he never missed his early morning training.

“Madam, please wait a moment. I’ll bring you some water to wash your face.”

“Alright, thank you.”

While waiting for the maid, I suddenly noticed the vase placed by the window.

It was the last gift from May.

“I should remind them to change the water while I’m gone.”

I picked up the vase, intending to move it to a sunnier spot by the window.

Thud.

“Ah…!”

I nearly lost my balance as my foot caught on the luggage bag placed at the foot of the bed.

Fortunately, I didn’t fall, but the water from the vase spilled over, splattering refreshingly across the bed.

“…..”

Looking at the flower petals scattered over the wet bedsheet, I was momentarily at a loss for words.

Anyone looking at this scene would think something extraordinary had happened here last night.

“What should I do with this?”

Flustered, I picked up the flower petals and tried to manage the situation as best as I could.

Knock, knock.

At that moment, the maid who had gone to fetch the washing water returned to the room.

“Oh my, Madam. What happened?”

Seeing my flustered state, the maid quickly approached and asked.

Startled, I pointed to the bedsheet, trying to appear calm. 

“Well, could you tidy up the bed a bit? The water from the vase spilled and made a mess.”

“Ah, yes…!”

I noticed that her cheeks grew increasingly red as she saw the wet bedspread.

I could guess what kind of misunderstanding was unfolding in her mind, so I tried to add that it wasn’t like that, but I quickly gave up.

‘Explaining would only make it seem stranger.’

If I had known this would happen, I would have just left the flowers as they were.

“Ahem, don’t worry. I’ll clean it up right away,” she said with a bright smile, expertly masking her expression, before taking the bedspread away.

ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚

Leaving my uneasy feelings behind, I made my way to the estate’s open area.

Once there, I looked around and spotted Evan talking to a knight near the carriage.

“Good morning.”

I greeted him lightly, and he responded with just a nod.

I watched him for a moment before climbing onto the carriage.

Soon after Evan mounted the horse, the knights nearby also began preparing to depart.

“Then let’s get going.”

I climbed into the carriage first and waited for him, expecting him to join me. But when I saw Evan mounting a horse instead of getting in the carriage, I opened the window.

“Aren’t we supposed to ride in the carriage together?”

“The roads are complicated, and there could be unexpected dangers, so I’ll be going this way.”

“I understand,” I nodded, leaning my head against the window frame.

I felt my hair blowing gently in the wind as it spilled out of the window.

“It’s dangerous to have your head sticking out of the carriage,”

At that moment, a large hand suddenly reached through my hair, carefully tucking every strand back inside.

Surprised by his unexpected gesture, I quickly looked up, only to find myself meeting his gaze up close.

He, too, seemed taken aback by the situation, his expression clearly flustered at how naturally he had touched my hair.

“Let’s get going now.”

Quickly withdrawing his hand, he turned his body and sped away from me.

As I stared blankly at Evan’s receding figure, I muttered in a low voice.

“Why does he keep looking so cute?”

No matter how I thought about it, it seemed to have started three days ago. The very day he left in anger over my slip of the tongue.

Or more precisely, it began the moment I saw his face, flushed red, in stark contrast to his fierce expression and voice that could make my knees buckle.

Since that day, Evan had gone back to being his usual distant self, as if he had never blushed at all. But within me, new feelings that I hadn’t noticed before began to build up.

‘I want to see that face again.’

The desire to see that face again crept up on me, surprising even myself.

At that moment, I saw Evan finishing his checks and heading toward the carriage.

Even though he couldn’t possibly see the dangerous thoughts I was having, I hastily pulled myself back inside the carriage.

“Let’s depart.”

A moment later, Evan’s voice came from outside the carriage.

ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚

Rumble, rumble.

It had been about six hours since we left the capital.

Now, all I could see outside were green leaves.

While the sight of the lush forest was initially soothing, watching it for hours had become tiresome.

“Ugh…”

My body, unaccustomed to such a long carriage ride, was signaling that it had reached its limit.

I immediately moved to the window and knocked.

Evan, who was riding beside the carriage, noticed my pale complexion and quickly halted his horse, shouting, “Stop the carriage.”

Once the carriage came to a complete halt, I dashed out and grabbed a nearby tree to soothe my churning stomach.

“Are you alright?”

As I was catching my breath while patting my chest, Evan approached from behind and asked.

“Yes. It’s getting better now that I’m on solid ground.”

I replied as I plopped down on a nearby rock.

“We’ll rest for a bit before continuing.”

He silently gazed at my tired face before turning back toward the carriage.

Soon, he returned with a thick blanket in his hands.

“The sun is about to set, and the wind will get colder.”

“Thank you.”

I couldn’t help but smile as I accepted the blanket, appreciating his thoughtful gesture, but he responded in his usual indifferent tone.

“If you catch a cold, it will delay our schedule, so I’m just being cautious.”

“Yes, I suppose that’s true.”

‘At this point, I’m used to it, so it’s not surprising anymore.’

Quickly shifting my focus elsewhere, I wrapped the blanket around myself and casually asked him,

“How much longer until we arrive?”

“At this pace, it’ll take about five more days.”

‘Five days in a carriage?’

Just hearing that made my back and hips ache already.

“Ugh…”

I groaned as I pounded my sore back with my fist after six hours of being jostled in the carriage.

Noticing this, Evan, who was still standing nearby, called over a passing maid.

“Bring a water bag with warm water, long enough to wrap around her waist.”

“Y-Yes! I’ll get it right away!”

The maid, glancing back and forth between me and Evan, suddenly turned red and dashed away.

I realized she was the same maid who had entered my room that morning.

Evan raised an eyebrow, looking curiously at the spot where the maid had disappeared.

He seemed confused by her reaction.

‘I can guess why she acted that way, but…’

“Ahem.”

But I decided it was best not to explain what had happened that morning, as it would only make the atmosphere awkward, so I chose to remain silent.

After resting for about thirty minutes, thankfully, my stomach and sore back felt much better.

Since we had a long way to go, I slowly got back up and climbed onto the carriage again.

We continued traveling for some time until the carriage stopped again as the sky began to darken.