BSRF 09

Chapter 9

I swallowed dryly and waited for the next words.

“Ha, what am I even… Forget it. This isn’t something I should say right now.”

“Are you kidding me? Say it already! I’m dying of curiosity, so hurry up!”

In my agitation, I shot up from my chair and shouted. Startled by my outburst, Ricardo leaned back and looked up at me.

Seeing that, I came back to my senses.

Right, I keep forgetting. This wasn’t a novel anymore—it was reality.

I wasn’t even prepared to accept Ricardo’s feelings, so pushing him toward a confession wasn’t right. I couldn’t force him to answer just because I was curious about the “behind-the-scenes story” like in a novel.

“No. I think I already know what you were going to say. It’s fine, so you don’t have to say it.”

I shook my head and sat back down.

It probably looked strange from Ricardo’s perspective, but there was no reason to care. Even if I tried to make him like me more, it would only raise his affection toward me anyway.

Crossing my legs in my seat, I tried to suppress the smile slipping out.

Since when did he start liking me?

Of course, I had no intention of accepting Ricardo’s confession, but the fact that such a handsome man had secretly liked me was honestly exciting.

Actually, there had been a few times before when I’d reasonably suspected, Does he like me? Our eyes kept meeting, and sometimes it felt like he hovered around me for no reason.

But his gaze had always been so sharp, like he wanted to kill someone, that I figured I was imagining things.

He probably tried to act even colder to hide his feelings.

What an awkward idiot….

Still, I liked honest people. People who expressed their feelings openly instead of hiding themselves.

In this place where I couldn’t tell where truth ended and lies began, I wanted at least love to be genuine.

Besides, he was the male lead. Was I supposed to compete with Emilia over Ricardo? Just imagining it sounded exhausting and unnecessary.

I wiped the smile off my face and looked at Ricardo with pitying eyes.

Maybe because shadows had fallen across his handsome face, he somehow looked almost sorrowful.

Ricardo frowned slightly as he observed me, probably trying to figure out the reason behind my behavior.

It would be better if I subtly made it clear that I wasn’t interested in him. That way, he could give up on me sooner.

Ahem.

Clearing my throat, I glanced at Ricardo and said,

“Ricardo, I like kind people.”

Which was very far from you.

Worried that my words might hurt him, I quickly added,

“Ah, but your looks are excellent. You’re just not my type… Still, don’t be too disappointed. Maybe your destined person isn’t that far away. Though you’ll probably have to put in some effort to find them.”

As I watched Ricardo’s expression gradually crumple in real time, I kept talking.

“It’ll probably take a lot of effort. Honestly, even you know your personality kind of sucks, right?”

Unable to hold back any longer, Ricardo asked,

“What kind of nonsense are you even spouting?”

“See?! That tone right there!”

Hahaha! That’s terrible. Absolutely terrible!

I burst into loud laughter, slapping the table.

The more I laughed, the colder Ricardo’s face became. Reading the sinking atmosphere, I stopped laughing and blinked.

“……”

In the brief silence that followed, Ricardo pressed a hand to his forehead and lowered his head onto the table.

“You really are strange….”

It seemed he was embarrassed that his feelings had been exposed. I almost patted his shoulder to comfort him, but stopped myself because it might give him the wrong idea.

Slowly withdrawing my hand from the air, I looked out the window. The moon hanging in the dark night sky cast a faint glow.

Maybe because I’d realized the other person’s true feelings, tonight made me want to say things I normally kept buried inside.

Tomorrow, I might regret it and think I’d embarrassed myself. But I’d always been the type to act according to my mood rather than reason.

“Ricardo.”

At my call, Ricardo lifted his head and looked at me.

The tightly furrowed brows from earlier had already returned to normal, yet his expression was still as cold as ever.

“There’s actually something I wanted to say too.”

Resting his chin on one hand, Ricardo raised one eyebrow as if to say, Go ahead.

Such an arrogant attitude.

And yet, I grinned.

“I don’t hate you.”

I didn’t dislike him. Not the gaze that had envied me since childhood, nor the provocative tone he used with me, nor even his twisted behavior born from some hidden emptiness.

“Of course, I don’t like you either.”

At those words, Ricardo lowered his eyes and gave a short laugh.

It passed too quickly to catch clearly, but it definitely wasn’t his usual sneer or mocking laugh.

Since he hardly ever smiled, I’d thought maybe he had some sort of setting where he could only smile at the heroine.

Ricardo soon returned to his blank expression and looked at me with slightly narrowed eyes. He parted his lips as if hesitating whether to speak or not, then stayed silent for a long moment.

“Me too.”

“Hm?”

“I don’t hate you either.”

I snorted at that.

What a liar. Everyone—from his father to the knights—knew Ricardo hated me.

It was honestly amusing watching him deny even the past just because he’d belatedly realized his feelings.

Still, since I was generous, I supposed I’d let it slide. There was no need for things to become awkward on the very first day of the journey.

“Alright, fine. But it’s late, okay? I’m tired, so could you leave now?”

After politely chasing Ricardo out, I flopped onto the bed and sprawled out.

I’d thought I would fall asleep the moment I lay down, but strangely enough, my eyes refused to close.

That night, I tossed and turned for quite a while before finally drifting off to sleep.

It seemed to have rained briefly during the early dawn.

The air outside the window looked clean, and the ground, not yet dry, was damp.

Thankfully, it had only been a short shower. Here and there puddles had formed from the rain, but the sky had already cleared as if it had never rained at all.

To continue traveling according to schedule, we had to move even more quickly because of the delay from the rain.

After getting ready, I hurried outside the inn.

The knights were already lined up in formation waiting. And standing apart from the group was Ricardo.

I greeted him with a glance before climbing onto my horse.

Then I looked at Kiern, who was standing blankly beside me, and asked,

“Why aren’t you riding?”

“Commander, we have a problem.”

A problem? I really didn’t want the schedule delayed.

Frowning slightly, I asked,

“What problem?”

“Last night, after some drinking, there was a small fight. I think those bastards took revenge by stealing one of our horses. My horse is gone.”

“Do you remember what they looked like?”

“Yes. Once we reach the castle, I plan to put out a wanted notice immediately.”

“Hm… Can’t we get another horse?”

“I tried, but this village is so small that it’s difficult. Should I keep looking?”

Even though it was a small village, we could probably get a horse if we offered enough money. But there was no telling how long that would take, and we might not get a horse good enough for such a long journey.

“I think it’d be better to get one in another village.”

Kiern asked with a troubled expression,

“Then… how am I supposed to travel?”

“Hmm….”

I narrowed my eyes slightly and looked around.

The other knights’ horses were already loaded with baggage, and having Kiern ride with someone would probably slow us down.

Then my gaze landed on a horse showing off its powerful muscles.

Hiiingh!

Even its neigh sounded majestic. The horse looked twice the size of a normal one, its glossy coat perfectly groomed. Judging by its sturdy legs, it looked more than capable of carrying two people with ease.

Truly a magnificent horse among magnificent horses.

Smacking my lips, I turned an eager gaze toward the horse’s owner.

To reach the village within two weeks, crossing through the forest was the faster route.

However, the forest was difficult to navigate, so someone familiar with the area had to lead the way.

Fortunately, I had been here several times before, so I was guiding everyone at the front. Using the map I’d checked yesterday, I confirmed our location.

And while looking around for a possible shortcut, a dissatisfied voice came from behind me.

“Isn’t this a little strange?”

Turning around, I saw Ricardo and Kiern riding the magnificent horse I’d been drooling over earlier.

Trying not to laugh at the incredibly mismatched combination, I asked,

“What’s strange?”

“Well… shouldn’t the lightest person, meaning you, Commander, be the one riding with me?”

“As you can see, I have to find the way. I don’t have the luxury of carrying you too. And do you think chances to ride a horse like that come often?”

You should be thanking me.

With those words, I playfully winked.

Kiern immediately turned his head away as if irritated.

I offered my thanks to Ricardo, who held the reins with his usual expressionless face.

“My thanks to you as well, Young Duke. I thought you’d refuse… but you showed kindness.”

“I just… didn’t want the schedule delayed over something trivial.”

He probably couldn’t refuse because I asked him.

Seriously, he really couldn’t be honest.

Lightly shaking my head, I turned my attention back to the forest terrain.

I decided it was better to follow a path I already knew rather than risk getting lost while searching for shortcuts.

And with that, I turned my horse and rode off without looking back.

Since the forest was enormous, we had to camp there for nearly a week.

We couldn’t wash properly, and we had to sleep on hard ground every night.

Even so, Ricardo followed along without complaint, and he worked well with the other knights, so our journey progressed smoothly.

After arriving at the next village, Kiern managed to obtain a horse, and after another week of travel, we finally reached our destination.

Even though we had pushed ourselves as hard as possible, we arrived later than expected.

Under the dark night sky, the village was silent without even a single light visible.

No matter how late it was, the silence felt excessive.

Stopping near the village, I surveyed the surroundings before speaking to the knights in a hushed voice.

“I’ll go in and check things out. You all stay hidden, and if I take too long, then move in.”

“Commander, I’ll come too—”

I stopped Kiern as he tried to follow.

“If you go, who’s going to lead the knights?”

At my glance toward the members behind him, Kiern bit his lip before nodding and stepping back.

Suppressing every possible sound, I circled around the village and observed the inside.

Through the darkness, I spotted a faint light deeper within the village.

And around that light, something was moving slowly.

Unable to make it out clearly, I held my breath and crept closer.

Narrowing my eyes, I strained to identify the source of the movement.

Are those villagers…?

And at the center of the people stood something enormous.