ISGJV 57

Chapter 57

Chapter 9. Journey

It seems that when a person is too shocked, it’s hard even to make a sound.

I was experiencing that for the first time.

‘W–Why is he in the same bed as me?’

Of course, it wasn’t the first time I’d slept in the same bed as Edmund.

There was even a time when he barged into my bedroom, saying he wouldn’t let me sleep in order to prevent an assassination attempt.

But all I remember from then is being tormented by sleep deprivation while constantly on edge, wondering when an assassin might appear.

I have no memory of us sleeping side by side like this.

‘And on top of that… Edmund is holding me tightly?’

My body went rigid like stone from the tension.

I rolled my eyes around to look at my surroundings.

It seemed that after I collapsed, we thankfully managed to arrive safely at an inn in the next town.

I was horrified, thinking it was just Edmund and me, but thankfully that wasn’t the case.

It was a room with four beds.

On the two beds beside us, Willes and the nursemaid were sleeping.

Both of them must have been utterly exhausted, because they lay there like the dead without making a sound.

I’ll say it again—the room had four beds. One was empty.

‘Then why did he leave his own bed and lie down in mine, giving me a heart attack like this?!’

I couldn’t even twitch a finger, let alone breathe properly.

Because I was afraid Edmund might wake up.

But he was holding me so tightly that it seemed impossible to get up without waking him.

So, I…

‘Ahh…’

I just gave up.

My condition wasn’t good anyway, so I had no strength in my arms or legs.

And, though it’s embarrassing to admit, honestly, seeing Edmund’s deeply sleeping face from so close was rather nice.

I never imagined I’d get to confirm just how pretty Edmund is from this close.

‘How can his nose be so high, and his jawline so sharp? Ah, his eyelashes are still silver. You can really tell up close. I should tell him to be careful.’

His face, still bearing traces of youth, was beautiful enough to draw admiration.

And so, it made me sigh in regret all the more.

‘His eye color, too… I want to see it.’

This was such a rare opportunity to admire a beautiful young man up close, but with his eyes closed, it felt like I was only seeing half of it.

Edmund’s eyes were a deep red.

In the light, they were a scarlet like a blazing dawn, and at night, they were like rubies draped in a black veil.

What color would they be now, as dawn was just beginning to break?

I suppressed my rising curiosity.

‘He looks tired—I can’t wake him.’

And so, I was forced to “view” the young man’s face from the zero-row seats for quite a long time.

Until the blue darkness outside the window receded and sunlight slowly began to pour in.

A ray of light that seeped through the gap in the window slowly extended like a feeler, trying to fall over Edmund’s eyes.

‘He’ll wake up because it’s bright.’

He must have been utterly exhausted after carrying me along, too.

Trying my best not to disturb the sleeping boy, I gently moved my hand to cast a shadow over Edmund’s eyes.

At that moment, a swift hand grabbed mine.

Like a wounded beast reacting sensitively to someone threatening it.

“Ah!”

At the same time, Edmund’s remaining arm pulled me desperately into his embrace.

As if he wouldn’t let me be taken away.

Or as if he would protect me no matter what.

Because of that, I ended up pressed far too closely against Edmund.

“…?”

His eyelids fluttered open, revealing red eyes that reminded me of the light of a newly born sun.

Rather than surprise or embarrassment, I actually felt a slight sense of awe.

That was how beautiful the boy’s eye color was.

Still half-asleep and confused, Edmund met my gaze head-on.

His breath scattered over my lips.

Edmund blinked vacantly for a moment, then soon broke into a bright smile.

“Cassia!”

That smile was the kind of emotion only someone who had encountered the brightest and most beautiful thing in the world could show.

In the face of such overwhelming and blind goodwill, there was only one response I could give.

All I could do was smile back and nod.

“I slept for two whole days?”

The news I heard after everyone woke up was shocking.

“Then we need to leave quickly—!”

As I tried to get up straight from the bed, Edmund forcibly grabbed me and made me lie back down.

And beside him, the nursemaid practically breathed fire.

“No, miss!”

“Do you want to collapse again?!”

The next voice was Edmund’s.

The momentum of the two of them was truly terrifying.

If I insisted any more on leaving immediately, it felt like they’d make me stay put and rest for a full week.

Edmund sat down close in front of me and spoke in a serious voice.

“Thanks to the plan you came up with, my uncle probably thinks I’m dead. And it’s already been over twenty days since we escaped the villa.”

“But we’re still not sure whether we’re truly safe. We don’t know if he really believes we’re dead, or if he has doubts and is tracking us.”

I was serious.

At the very least, I didn’t want to become a burden to the group—or rather, to Edmund.

“So we need to run as far away as possible while we have even a little leeway. We don’t have the luxury of wasting time like this.”

“…And what if you collapse again?”

That was definitely something to think about.

Among the group, my stamina was the weakest, and in the end, I had collapsed after pushing myself too hard.

It was only natural that Edmund was worried about the schedule being disrupted.

With a stiff expression, I declared,

“Don’t worry. I won’t ever get in your way.”

At that, Edmund’s pretty face twisted.

“That’s not what I mean!”

“Huh?”

“I’m not worried about you being a burden to me.”

Edmund paused briefly, then continued.

“I’m just worried about you. Nothing else matters.”

It was hard to answer that right away.

Something unknown boiled hotly in my chest, rising toward my throat and the corners of my eyes.

I was happy that even when I was holding him back like this, he still put my well-being first.

I could feel that, at least to that extent, Edmund truly cared about me.

So in the end, I couldn’t hold it in, and my eyes became a little damp.

Edmund panicked and asked,

“W–What is it? Are you okay? Did I say something wrong?”

But even to himself, it probably didn’t seem like he’d said anything strange.

“I–I think I said it properly this time. Did it sound like I was angry? I’m not angry at all.”

“No. It didn’t sound like that. It’s just…”

“Just?”

“I’m happy.”

I couldn’t help but answer honestly.

It was the first time anyone had spoken like that, purely out of concern for me alone.

I was moved and happy that my goodwill and generosity had come back to me exactly as goodwill and affection.

I realized it anew.

My heart wounds still hadn’t healed.

The wound from being betrayed by someone I trusted and cherished was still there.

Because of the situation of possessing a character in a book, I hadn’t had the leeway to think deeply about it, and I’d tried to forget it on purpose—but still.

Edmund seemed to finally relax at my answer.

Then he began speaking to me passionately. It was clear that these words were filled completely with the boy’s true feelings.

“At the villa, you were always the one protecting me. You were the one who made the plan that got us here, and the one who carried it out.”

Edmund wasn’t wrong.

I had tried to protect Edmund, and I had worked to help him escape.

This child was deeply grateful for that fact.

He was full of pure gratitude, joy, and concern.

“So I promise. From now on, no matter what happens, I’ll protect you.”

He was simply misunderstanding that everything I’d done for Edmund was out of pure goodwill.

I felt a slight ache in my chest.

That was why—though not everything—I spoke honestly.

“I had my own reasons, too. I did it for myself. To survive.”

I had thought that if I helped Edmund safely escape the villa, the power that had brought me into this world might send me back.

Even so, Edmund continued to smile. There wasn’t the slightest trace of doubt in his eyes or expression.

“I know. Even so, the value of what you gave me doesn’t fade. It doesn’t mean that the sacrifices you made for me didn’t exist.”

“……”

My throat tightened, and I couldn’t continue.

Perhaps noticing how I felt, Edmund, uncharacteristically, tried to make me laugh.

He spoke in as playful a tone as he could manage. That was usually my role, not Edmund’s forte.

“I told you before, didn’t I? That I should stay by your side so you don’t get scammed.”

Because of that, it was very awkward.

But the added words sent all other thoughts and impressions flying far away.

“For life.”

“…For life?”

Edmund replied as if it were obvious.

“Of course. You’re my wife, and…”

As his sentence grew longer, Edmund’s cheeks gradually flushed red.

Even so, the boy finished what he wanted to say.

“…I’m your husband.”

It felt as though the weight of that meaning thudded down on my heart.