Chapter 052
Evan, who had been looking down at my face for a while, turned his body back toward the path he had come from and spoke.
“It’s getting dark, so the path will be hard to see. Please follow carefully.”
“Oh, let’s go together.”
As he said, the path was hard to see in the middle of the pitch-black forest, so I hurriedly chased after him.
‘If Evan hadn’t come to meet me, I wouldn’t have been able to find my way back alone.’
Even though it was a forest close to the castle, it felt unfamiliar enough that I could hardly believe I had walked this path during the day.
I was carefully stepping to avoid the tree roots, but eventually, I stumbled and nearly fell.
“Ah.”
The fact that I had exhausted my stamina throughout the day probably contributed to my weak legs.
“Evan, just a moment.”
I stopped and was rubbing my aching leg when Evan, who had been watching me, said something.
“Do you really want to push your body that hard?”
There was a hint of displeasure in his voice.
“Yes. I’m really enjoying this right now. It feels new every day to be able to do something for someone else.”
Evan was silent for a moment after my immediate response.
Just then, I saw him bend down and present his back to me.
As I quietly gazed at Evan’s broad back, which stood out even in the darkness, a low voice came through the shadows.
“If you keep going like that, you’re going to trip over a tree root. It might be uncomfortable, but it’s better to be carried.”
“Oh… Okay, then. Excuse me.”
After a few seconds of feeling foolish and flustered, I quickly composed myself and approached his back.
As I slightly bent my legs and climbed onto his back, I felt my field of vision rise dramatically.
“Ugh.”
Startled, I cautiously moved my hands, which were resting on his shoulders, to tightly wrap around his neck.
“I-I’m sorry.”
Feeling like I was holding on too tightly, I relaxed my arms.
“It’s fine, just hold on tight like before. We’re going to go down quickly.”
“Okay…”
As I wrapped my arms around his neck again, Evan began to walk down the forest path at an impressive speed.
For a moment, I was surprised by his quick and precise movements, but soon the warmth of his body and the gentle swaying combined to overwhelm me with unbearable drowsiness.
Perhaps I was feeling more fatigued because I had used energy I hadn’t tapped into all day.
‘This is comfortable…’
Noticing that the strength in my arms, which were wrapped around his neck, was slipping away, I felt his hands firmly grip my thighs, and that was the last thing I remembered before losing consciousness completely.
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
After three full days dedicated to potion-making, I finally completed the potions for those in Delling Street.
And today was the day.
I decided to accompany the knights who deliver necessities and food from the castle once a week.
Clunk, clunk.
As I walked alongside the enormous cauldron being carried in the cart, someone approached me from the side and spoke up.
“Madam, is the downhill path difficult for you?”
Turning my head, I saw Roman with a worried expression.
“Not at all. You can stop worrying now, Roman.”
I gave him a slight smile to convey that there was no problem at all.
Only then did Roman seem to relax, stepping back while telling me to let him know anytime if I felt tired.
It seemed he was still concerned about my decision to walk alongside the other knights until we reached Delling Street.
‘My legs hurt, but I didn’t want to ride alone in the cart.’
It wasn’t exactly a pleasant outing.
“By the way, I thought the Duke would be coming with us, but he seems very busy with work.”
“Excuse me?”
“If it weren’t for work, the Duke would surely want to accompany you, Madam.”
As Roman spoke, I could only look at him with an increasingly puzzled expression.
‘Why is he watching my reaction while he talks?’
His demeanor resembled someone trying to soothe a disappointed person.
Listening to Roman’s continued remarks, I nodded and finally spoke up.
“I’m glad I didn’t ask Evan to come along.”
“…What?”
This time, I saw a look of surprise spread across Roman’s face.
“As you said, Evan is a busy person.”
“B-but today is a special day since you’ve put in so much effort over the past few days. The Duke would surely have happily accompanied you.”
Knowing that I had worked hard for the people in Delling Street, Roman’s eyebrows drooped in genuine sympathy.
I didn’t quite understand what was so unfortunate about it, though.
‘Hmm, maybe I should have asked him?’
As I watched Roman, who seemed more upset than I was, the events of this morning suddenly came to mind.
It was when I had lunch with Evan before heading to Delling Street.
“I’m glad the weather is nice today. Food always tastes better in sunny weather.”
Since it was the day I would finally present the potions I had carefully crafted, I found myself speaking more excitedly than usual in front of Evan.
His mouth opened as he listened attentively to my chatter, just as we were finishing our meal.
“…Is that all you have to say?”
He had looked so pleased, even chuckling a bit while listening to me at the start of the meal, but suddenly he seemed taken aback as he asked.
“Something to say… Ah!”
As I pondered whether I had forgotten to mention something to him, I clapped my hands together and opened my mouth slightly.
“I’ll work hard and come back!”
With both hands clenched into fists and a determined expression, I greeted Evan, who also tightly clenched the hand he had resting on the table.
Recalling what had happened at lunch, I thought again that I was right not to ask him.
“After all, he’s someone who would be busy even with ten bodies. I can’t trouble him unnecessarily.”
“That’s true. The Duke is indeed a busy person…”
Roman awkwardly chimed in with a chuckle that trailed off.
“So that’s why he seemed so down earlier…”
Then, in a voice barely above a whisper, Roman muttered something.
“Excuse me? What did you say?”
“Oh, it’s nothing. Ah! There’s Delling Street over there.”
Following where Roman pointed, I turned my head and saw the entrance to the street.
As we officially entered the street, I was greeted by a scene that hadn’t changed much since my last visit.
As we moved deeper into the center of the street, I spotted the knights who were already waiting.
At that moment, one of the knights spotted me and rushed over, greeting me with a stiff demeanor.
“Hello! I am Paul Quenti, the captain of the guard responsible for the safety of Delling Street.”
“Nice to meet you, Captain Paul. I’m Dahlia Ballestain.”
“Yes. It’s an honor to meet you, Madam!”
It was understandable that he would be nervous meeting the lady of the territory suddenly, but his voice was far too loud.
“Captain, could you lower your voice a bit? And please call me by my name if possible. I’m not here to be treated like a guest today.”
I wanted to avoid causing any unnecessary commotion in the street just because I had arrived.
At my request, Paul spoke in a quieter tone, as if mixing in about seventy percent of the air.
“Got it. Please follow me.”
As I followed his guidance, I could see the bustling center of the street preparing supplies.
“We provide meals every day, and essentials are distributed like this once a week.”
While explaining the supply situation, Paul suddenly continued with a bitter expression.
“Though, most of it goes unused.”
It is said that those who have no attachment to life do not voluntarily come to receive food and necessities, no matter how much is offered.
Fortunately, when it comes to food, perhaps due to hunger, those in need will eat a little if it is handed to them directly.
midori
thanks! evan: my wife didn’t invite me to see her big day!