Chapter 90
Chapter 90. Welcome Banquet for the Envoys
She always thought about it. But Heinz, who usually exuded the air of a mature man, looked like a boy in full bloom whenever he burst into laughter like that.
Henelone really liked that look. Maybe that was why she smiled, even through her embarrassment.
“Isn’t it hard? Take a break,” she said.
Heinz barely suppressed a chuckle at Henelone’s question and shook his head with a faint smile. He needed to do it while he could. He didn’t know when he’d get another chance.
“Just a little more.”
“Already?”
Surprised, Henelone tilted her head and peered into the garden through the gap beside Heinz. The wild weeds had been cleared quite a bit.
Seeing that, Henelone stuck out her tongue in her mind. Maybe staying out of the way had actually helped.
“That’s amazing. It’s hot, so let’s rest for a bit.”
“Hm.”
Heinz replied vaguely, his face slightly stiff at her praise. He also wanted to enjoy some quiet time in the library, but things weren’t going well.
Remembering last night’s talk with Dietrich, Heinz hesitated before speaking.
“I don’t think I’ll be able to come to the library for a while.”
“Huh? Why…?”
“I’ve got something else going on. I think I’ll be sent on a business trip.”
“What kind of business trip does a library security guard take?”
Henelone asked, lips parting slightly in surprise. A guard’s job was to keep the library secure at most. What kind of business trip was that?
With no real excuse, Heinz just shrugged.
“While I’m gone, another knight will take over here.”
“I don’t really need anyone else.”
Henelone muttered, her lips curling in displeasure. She had been alone even before Heinz started guarding the library. Now, having someone else around would only make her uneasy. She didn’t want just anyone. She wanted Heinz.
They had only just gotten closer, and there was no time to enjoy it. Discontent and worry swirled in her restless heart.
“…You’re coming back to the library, right?”
Heinz gave a faint smile and reached out to pull her closer. Caught off guard, Henelone stumbled and placed a hand on his damp chest to steady herself.
Their bodies pressed together by the windowsill, and heat rose where they touched.
“Of course.”
His face leaned down, casting a shadow over hers. The sunlight caught in his sweaty, tousled black hair, making Henelone briefly shut her eyes. Her lips, dry with thirst, parted slightly.
As she slowly opened her eyes again, regret lingering in them, she found Heinz looking down at her with a teasing smile.
“Don’t do anything sneaky again.”
“I—I won’t!”
Henelone, flustered, slapped his bare chest with the hand still resting there. His moist, copper-toned skin stuck against her palm, making a sharp sound.
Thinking she might’ve hit too hard, she quickly rubbed her hand and looked away.
Heinz smirked and caught her hand, pressing it firmly back onto his chest.
“You can touch as much as you want. I’ll let you.”
Their lips, still aching with regret, met again in a deep kiss. Thirsty mouths soaked in each other’s taste.
In that sweet kiss, a longing they couldn’t yet name quietly bloomed.
***
‘Why does the library feel so empty?’
Henelone wondered as she held the doorknob, staring into the room that somehow felt chilly, even in the middle of summer.
Heinz was a fairly diligent guard and usually arrived before her to turn on the lights.
She had spent more time with him than she ever had working alone in this old library. Maybe that’s why she had gotten used to it. Now, in the dark, the library felt hollow for no reason.
‘He said he’d be back soon.’
He just had to do his job. He’d definitely return. But… would he really come back?
Heinz had answered confidently, without hesitation, yet Henelone couldn’t shake a slight unease.
He was the empire’s hero, a duke. It was strange that he had come to this rundown library as a guard to begin with.
If he’d truly been cast out by the emperor, as the rumors in the capital claimed, she might not feel this anxious.
But the emperor and Heinz she had seen in Brenicke were nothing like the rumors. The solid trust between them was what made her uneasy.
“…I didn’t expect him to stay here forever anyway.”
“Ahng? Young Lady, are you throwing me away already?”
“Ahhk!”
Henelone, murmuring to herself in the quiet, bitter afternoon, jumped at the sudden voice of a stranger behind her.
She hadn’t sensed anyone nearby. When had he even gotten there?
Clutching her startled heart, she turned around to see a man with fiery red hair swaying like flames, glaring at her.
“S-since when… No, who—who are you?”
The man, seated with legs crossed and holding some unidentifiable piece of grass, looked unruly and sharp at first glance.
He had thick eyebrows that angled upward and narrow, piercing eyes. A long, harsh scar traced from his right temple, down across his cheekbone, and stopped just above his lip, half-hidden under his tangled red hair.
Henelone’s gaze lingered on the scar, and she took a small step back without realizing it.
“You’re really alone. Oh? You’re not afraid, young lady?”
