🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 71
Even after the shadow of the gigantic monster swallowed our enemies, we couldn’t leave that spot.
To be precise, I wanted to hurry back to the safe zone. But Calix didn’t seem to have any such intention.
He sat on the ground, pulling me into his arms, and wouldn’t let go.
“Let me go.”
I grabbed his wrists that were tightly wrapped around my waist, trying to pry them off, but it was impossible.
Instead, Calix deliberately tightened his arms, as if teasing me.
“What should I do?”
He murmured, burying his face between my neck and shoulder. His black hair brushed against my skin, tickling me.
“What now?”
I answered sulkily.
“I feel so happy I think I might go crazy.”
“Well, sure. I guess you would, since you just came back from the brink of death.”
At my reply, a faint, deflated laugh escaped him.
Then a black snake slithered around my ankle. The cold touch startled me, and I shook my leg wildly, but it didn’t fall off.
‘What the hell is wrong with this guy!’
In the end, I gave up trying to make Calix listen to me—he never did anyway.
‘That red rain… was it my Estella?’
When the raindrops touched my body, my wounds healed completely. Since magic I didn’t know couldn’t just fall from the sky, it must have been a divine power.
If you weren’t born with Estella, you weren’t supposed to manifest it later. So why had it suddenly appeared?
‘And how do I even use it?’
I whispered several times for the rain to fall again, but nothing happened.
‘Could Olivia’s power have turned from light to rain?’
Maybe she had been watching from behind a tree and saved us secretly. But if that were the case, why wouldn’t she show herself now?
And then, why had Calix’s Estella suddenly become stronger? Everything was too tangled to make sense of.
“Oh, right.”
While my thoughts chased each other in circles, I suddenly remembered something important.
‘My orb!’
I reached for the leather pouch tied to my waist, but it was gone. I had no idea when I’d lost it.
“Ah…”
Do you know how hard I worked to get that? The endless struggle flashed through my mind, and belated frustration came crashing over me.
It was all, all because of—!
“You damned idiot!”
It wasn’t entirely Calix’s fault. But right now, I couldn’t help resenting him.
I punched his thigh with all my strength. A short cry rang out through the forest.
Whether the hit worked or not, we were soon back in the safe zone.
There was some commotion over my disheveled state, but it quickly quieted down. Since Calix said he would take care of everything that followed, I didn’t bother myself further.
“Ellieee…”
I hugged her tightly, shedding tears of relief.
Then came more than an hour of Ellie’s scolding, full of worry. Only after enduring all of it was I finally allowed to enter the family’s tent.
Compared to the mansion, it was unbearably uncomfortable, but to me, it felt like heaven.
‘Finally, I can breathe.’
I stretched out my legs on the cot and hugged the pillow tightly. After surviving such a close call, I felt like I could fly.
But I couldn’t fall asleep right away.
‘What about Calix?’
A nagging unease made me toss and turn.
No matter how many times it happened, death always gnawed at a person’s mind.
I’d faced death more than once myself, so I understood that feeling. It wasn’t something you could endure alone.
Judging by how he hadn’t wanted to leave my side after the attack, Calix must still be shaken.
‘And when I was like that, he was always there for me…’
A groan slipped from my lips.
‘Ugh, fine.’
I finally got out of bed. Throwing on a robe over my clothes, I stepped out of the tent.
‘I’ll just check if he’s okay and come straight back.’
The sky was already dim. The nobles must have returned to their tents, for only the patrol knights remained outside.
“Lady.”
Allen, stationed in front of Calix’s tent, spotted me and greeted me.
“May I go in for a bit?”
“Yes, of course.”
With his cheerful permission, I slipped past him and entered the tent. Inside, Calix lay quietly, the lamp still lit.
“Why haven’t you turned off the light?”
I muttered, sitting at the edge of his bed like some schoolteacher.
“I left it on because I thought you’d come.”
“What nonsense.”
I pressed his forehead with my finger, and he frowned.
“So you’re fine after all. You had me worried for nothing.”
I spoke curtly out of annoyance.
Calix’s eyes widened in surprise, as if he were about to launch into a lecture.
“You know…”
And right on cue, he started.
“You’re the one who looks like you’d break a bone from just tripping. You get out of breath after a little running, don’t you? If you exercise too hard, you can’t get out of bed the next day. And if something happens, you brood over it for ages, right? Always stuck on the same thought?”
“Well…”
His rapid-fire accusations were all true, leaving me speechless.
“Hmph.”
Instead of defending myself, I just snorted and turned away.
When I plugged my ears to block him out, he finally stopped nagging.
Taking advantage of the silence, I pulled something out of my pocket.
It was the handkerchief I had embroidered together with Ellie before the Hunt Festival.
Perhaps it was too late to give a charm for safety, but better late than never.
“Here, take this.”
I had meant to hand it over with sincerity, like a precious gift. But looking at his smug face, the mood evaporated. I just wanted to give it and leave.
Calix accepted the handkerchief without fuss. Then I pulled out another one.
“Give this to your sister.”
I doubted he’d deliver it properly to Roselle, but since it bore the imperial crest, he couldn’t just throw it away either.
His brows knitted as if to refuse, but then he seemed to think better of it and took it.
Watching him, I stood up.
“Alright, I’m going now.”
Before he could say anything, I tried to dart outside.
But a strong hand grabbed my wrist.
“Leaving already?”
“Of course. Why would I stay longer?”
At my firm reply, Calix glanced around, then fixed his gaze on me.
“Forget everything I said earlier. It was all just bluff.”
He suddenly said something absurd.
As I stood still in confusion, he smirked crookedly.
“Actually, I don’t feel so great.”
He lifted his eyes pitifully, his tone mischievous.
“If I stay like this, I might have nightmares.”
His added words sent unease prickling through me.
“I don’t think I can sleep alone tonight—I’m too scared.”
Even before he finished, I knew what he was about to say. I tried to pull my wrist free, but he wouldn’t let go.
“I’ll just leave—kyaa!”
I shrieked as I toppled onto the bed, barely catching myself on the sheets before falling flat.
But it looked exactly as if I had fallen on top of him.
“W-wait…!”
In an instant, he pulled me sideways with overwhelming strength. I ended up lying face-to-face with him, whether I liked it or not.
Our breaths mingled, brushing directly against each other. My face burned hot.
We were so close that I could count his long lashes, see clearly that his eyes were a deep, romantic crimson-black.
“Just stay until I fall asleep.”
His whisper was low and earnest, making it hard to tell if he was serious or not.
“Huh?”
But then he smiled slyly again, making it clear it was all a ploy.
‘I never should’ve come here—never!’
He looked perfectly fine to me.
‘I shouldn’t have assumed he was like me.’
I tried to roll off the bed, but he immediately pulled me back, arms wrapping tight around my waist.
“I’ll be good.”
He murmured against my back, the vibration of his voice running through me, making me shiver.
Then he actually went quiet. All I could hear was the slow, steady sound of his breathing, as if he really were falling asleep.
Stay until he fell asleep? How was I supposed to escape when he was holding me this tightly?
‘Unbelievable.’
I shut my eyes, pretending to comply.
‘Once he’s asleep, I’ll slip away…’
I clenched my teeth, thinking about pinching his nose in revenge, and waited for him to drift into dreamland.
…When I finally came to, it was because of an irritating birdcall in my ears. My eyes flew open, and I sat up in a rush.
I was supposed to have been lying at the edge of the bed, yet somehow I was in the dead center. Covered snugly by a blanket. My hair was a wild mess, proof I’d slept soundly.
‘I must be insane.’
Looking around, I saw I was still inside Calix’s tent. Pale sunlight filtered through the seams of the fabric.
‘No, definitely insane.’
Thankfully, Calix wasn’t beside me.
I hastily smoothed my hair with my hands, praying my face wasn’t swollen, and carefully opened the tent flap.
I bit my lip hard enough to draw blood and darted glances all around.
It was closer to dawn than morning. No one was around except a drowsy guard at a distance.
I tiptoed straight back to my tent. When I locked eyes with my guard outside, I gave him a sheepish smile.
‘Can’t I just… restart everything?’
Never in my life had I wanted so badly to hit a reset button.
