PDHTFV 40

~Chapter 40~

The mood in the department turned colder than a snowy northern winter—maybe even colder.

No one even dared to breathe. The other members weren’t used to seeing Yushen like this, and I was nervous that something might go wrong between him and Idelia.

“The Day of Prayer is coming soon, so we’re very busy.”

Yushen’s words sounded sarcastic to me. Was it just me?

No—it wasn’t just me. The other members’ faces turned pale, too.

He was clearly scolding Idelia, saying, “How can you be thinking about tea parties with such an important event coming up?”

‘Yushen, I didn’t know you could say something like that!’

He was always known for being gentle and soft, especially in Luche. I never thought he’d be so sharp, especially with Idelia. Instead of backing down, he was showing his claws.

I couldn’t quite understand his reaction. It’s not like he has feelings for Idelia yet, and nothing’s really happened between them. Sure, Idelia used to follow him around a bit too much, but that’s not enough reason for this.

Maybe it’s my fault? Maybe I’m the reason they’re not getting along?

It was possible, but I quickly shook my head.

If their feelings had changed, that would mean Yushen liked me or someone else—but that wasn’t possible. Yushen didn’t like me, and as far as I knew, he’d never met another woman privately.

No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t find a reason.

But the more I thought, the more worried I got.

‘Yushen, don’t treat your future girlfriend so harshly! What if you hurt Idelia and she chooses Henry instead? Both my new life and yours would be ruined!’

I couldn’t let that happen. No matter what, I was going to fix things between them.

To calm the awkward situation, I felt like I should step in.

Since Idelia had come here for me, maybe if I acted like I wasn’t upset, things wouldn’t get worse.

But Idelia was faster than me.

“…I’m honored the captain worries about me!”

Idelia answered with a bright smile, though her mood was a bit darker than before.

If I were her, I’d be too embarrassed to say anything, maybe even stop liking him altogether.

But for Idelia, love was more important than pride.

I felt a little sorry for her.

‘Honestly, with Idelia’s looks and status, she could meet anyone she wanted!’

Yushen wasn’t a bad choice, but if it were me, I’d want someone who actually liked me back.

But Idelia was determined to love the one she liked, not just anyone who liked her.

‘It’s a shame, but I can’t change her mind for her.’

I sighed quietly.

When I looked up again, Idelia’s eyes met mine. She frowned for a second, then quickly put on a big smile and spoke to Yushen.

Listening, I could tell she didn’t want things to get worse between them—she was ready to back down for now.

I felt relieved. But then, Idelia looked at me again, her blue eyes flashing with a strange intensity.

“…Well, I’ll see you next time. I think you’d make a great friend for Idelia.”

Everyone in the room knew she didn’t mean it.

But no one could call her out on it. If she claimed she didn’t mean anything by it, that would be the end of it.

After saying that, Idelia left the department.

I didn’t know what the others thought, but for me, it was a good thing. Now I had a reason to meet her again.

Every time Idelia visited, I’d try a new strategy to win her over.

‘And while I’m at it, I should help her change some things about herself.’

Besides her selfishness in love and her mischievous personality, Idelia was actually kind and warm—she could easily be loved by everyone if she changed just a little.

I was determined to help her become less selfish. If I could change that one thing, people would see her differently.

“…Are you all right?”

Lost in thought about Idelia, I was startled when Yushen came over and asked gently.

He was looking at me with worried eyes, afraid Idelia might have hurt me before he arrived.

It was surprising to see him care, but I guessed he was just worried as a member of Luche.

“I’m fine. Nothing happened.”

Yushen nodded silently.

He probably knew, too, that Idelia wasn’t the kind of person to hurt anyone, even if she could be a little harsh.

Without saying much more, I left, wanting to escape the stares sticking to me and Yushen.

Luckily, he didn’t follow. I guess he had the same idea.

But after leaving the office, I realized I had nowhere to go, so I wandered down a quiet hallway.

I found a sunny bench, sat down, closed my eyes, and tilted my head up to the sky.

“Sigh…”

There was a lot to think about today.

Now that I’d met Idelia, I’d finally met all the main characters from the original novel.

It made me wonder how this world’s story would unfold. Would things change because of me? Would new events happen because I was here?

‘Of course, I want things to follow the original story…’

But I realized that might not be possible. Just being here had already changed things.

There were new rumors about me and Yushen, and now Yushen and Aydin knew about the cardinal’s upcoming death.

That was already enough to change the story’s flow.

From now on, I had to try not to interfere more than necessary. But it was hard, since I didn’t know how much I could change without breaking some invisible rule.

Even though I knew telling Yushen and Aydin everything could save Abrelshud, I still couldn’t do it.

I rubbed my face with my hands.

It was starting to feel like this novel was becoming my real life.

Lately, Yushen had been feeling like his insides were twisted in knots.

He knew exactly why. Certain scenes made it worse every time he saw them.

“Oh? I can carry it myself…!”

“I just want to help.”

He watched as Letitia struggled with a huge stack of papers, and Aydin took about a third to help her.

Yushen’s eyes narrowed.

Normally, Aydin wouldn’t follow a subordinate around or help with simple chores.

He’d also seen Letitia and Aydin together quite a lot lately, and every time, it made his stomach twist with jealousy.

After seeing it happen so many times, he finally realized what was going on.

He didn’t like it. He didn’t like seeing Aydin helping Letitia, or Letitia slacking off.

But there was something that bothered him even more…

‘Why does she use polite speech with Aydin, but only talks casually to me…?’

Letitia always spoke politely to Aydin, but used informal speech with Yushen. He imagined she would do it no matter what, unless he reminded her to be careful around others.

He also didn’t get why they called each other by name.

Last time he asked, Letitia said it was just because no one else was around.

‘But now…’

The more he thought about it, the more annoyed he felt. He was especially shocked by this new discovery, and it made him feel even more upset with Letitia.

Now that he’d found the cause, the solution was simple: he’d confront both of them.

But—

“…Why can’t I find them?”

After making up his mind, it was like Letitia and Aydin had vanished into thin air. The Luche building was so big that you could go days without running into someone unless you tried.

He usually saw them a couple times a day, but now, when he needed to, they were nowhere to be found.

He felt frustrated, but also a bit relieved. Maybe if he couldn’t see them, his feelings would settle down.

But it didn’t help. He was even more distracted than usual.

In the end, Yushen decided to go to their department and sort things out.

But his plan totally failed.

“…Saintess Idelia?”

He ended up seeing Idelia picking a fight with Letitia, and Aydin was nowhere around to stop it.

He managed to get Idelia to leave, but he still didn’t get to talk to Letitia or Aydin.

Everyone he wanted to scold had disappeared from his sight.

It seemed like he’d have to put up with this frustration for a few more days.