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Chapter 11
Why isn’t he following us for once?
Dana turned around with a faintly surprised look.
Her supervisor, Tony, had a temperament similar to Leighton’s—
someone who puffed himself up endlessly around those weaker than him.
But the Tony of now stood frozen in place, unable to move,
his face unmistakably pale with fear.
Just then, a gentle voice drew Dana’s attention.
“Senior, how is the business trip going?”
“Oh, I guess this is your first time, Edwin.”
At some point, the two had reached the fountain and sat down on a bench, spreading out their lunchboxes. Dana explained the details of this trip.
“As you heard earlier, we’re going to check on the knight orders affiliated with the Empire. Most of the medical work will be handled by the palace physicians, and we’ll just be delivering potions and conducting surveys.”
She smiled lightly.
“It’s mostly just a formality.”
“I heard we’re visiting the Rune Knight Order. Are we going into monster-infested areas?”
“We won’t go that far. We’ll just meet the knights at their base. That’s how it’s always been.”
“I see.”
So they’d start with the sentries.
Edwin pictured the knights standing guard.
They were all people he himself had selected.
What were my criteria again…?
There really hadn’t been any strict criteria.
He thought he’d stationed the ones who talked nonstop by themselves, figuring they’d get bored standing in one place all day.
Or the ones who talked to dolls.
Even now, that was an excellent choice,
Edwin thought, nodding in admiration of his own judgment.
“The north will still be cold,” Dana said, recalling her past work there.
“Even in spring, the snow was piled up to my ankles.”
“That must be really tough for you.”
At Edwin’s words, Dana laughed.
“And you? Won’t it be tough for you?”
He answered with a silent smile.
After years spent rolling around in the north, he was already used to it.
“If you get tired while walking, just cling to me.”
“What am I, a child?”
“You always slip on snowy roads, Senior.”
How did he know that?
Dana’s eyes widened.
Snow was rare in the capital, so she often slipped on the unfamiliar snowy paths in the north.
“How do you know that—mmph!”
A piece of bread was suddenly pushed into Dana’s mouth.
It was Edwin.
After that, Edwin kept feeding her one thing after another.
Dana had no chance to speak and could only chew whatever came in.
It’s delicious again today.
For Dana, who had to eat the same food every day, the things Edwin brought were the height of luxury.
Each time he pushed another bite toward her with his fork, her expression changed in colorful ways, and Edwin smiled in quiet satisfaction.
This feels less like affection and more like I’m being fed…
Dana swallowed and felt strangely unsettled.
Then an angry voice rang out.
“See?! I knew it!”
The man trembling with rage was Tony.
“You two are dating, aren’t you? That’s why you rejected me!”
Before Dana could even turn her head, another piece of bread was placed into her mouth.
“I’ll handle the talking. You just eat, Senior.”
“You will?”
“Senior should only look at pretty things.”
That only made Tony even angrier.
“So you’re saying I’m ugly?”
Edwin rose slowly and walked toward Tony.
Being a head taller and far more solidly built, he exuded an oppressive presence.
Edwin’s long eyes curved gently.
His smile was so dazzling it was hard to tell whether the light came from the sun or from him.
Tony, momentarily dazed, snapped back to his senses.
“Hey, Dana! You shouldn’t date a guy just because he has a pretty face!”
“It’s not just his face, though?”
Edwin cut him off.
Tony sized him up from head to toe, taking a long moment to do so.
Edwin took a step closer.
“Tell me,” he said.
“What?”
“You knew Dana always ate lunch here, didn’t you?”
“……”
“With sandwiches that were practically going bad.”
“……So what?!”
“And you knew she worked overtime every day.”
“……”
“And all the grueling business trips fell on Dana. You were always busy avoiding them.”
“S-so what about it?!”
One corner of Edwin’s mouth lifted.
The ever-smiling rookie’s face darkened with killing intent.
As he approached, a shadow fell over Tony’s head.
“While Dana was going through all that—what were you doing?”
“……That was Dana’s own choice—!”
“Who said otherwise?”
Edwin shrugged.
“I’m telling you to think from Dana’s point of view.”
“……”
“A superior who lived comfortably, pleasing others when things were hard, and then suddenly proposed without any warning.”
“……”
“That’s what you are.”
Nothing flustered a person more than a sudden confession—
especially from someone they had no feelings for.
Tony’s face flushed, then darkened.
“You—you! I’ll spread rumors about you two! Not even focusing on work, just fooling around with romance—”
“Get that straight.”
Edwin clicked his tongue.
“I’m the only one who likes Senior Dana.”
A one-sided crush.
He patted Tony’s shoulder lightly.
He didn’t want Dana to get dragged into trouble by being accused of “romance games.”
“Now go. I still need to finish my meal.”
Edwin said coldly.
At that moment, Tony shoved Edwin aside and rushed toward Dana.
The sudden action snapped Edwin’s restraint.
His hand shot toward the back of Tony’s neck—
a ruthless movement, like when he dealt with monsters.
Heat surged from his fingertips, forming fire.
Just then, a calm voice rang out.
“Senior Tony.”
At Dana’s voice, Edwin stopped his attack.
He had almost shown her an unsightly side of himself.
Tony, meanwhile, looked flustered when Dana stepped forward.
Soon, he shouted bitterly,
“What am I lacking?! Why won’t you accept me?!”
It was pathetic, plain and simple.
Dana sighed, then spoke clearly.
“Stop whining so pitifully.”
“Pitiful—?!”
“And… why did you think I would obviously accept you?”
“Well, that’s because—!”
“I hate how petty you are. You only step forward when it’s time to flatter someone.”
“……”
“And I’m sick of hearing you judge passing women. Stealing your subordinates’ achievements is ridiculous, too.”
“I didn’t steal them—we worked together—”
“And I want a better life than this. If I married you, I feel like I’d just keep living the same life over and over.”
“Stop… stop…!”
Tony, who had been listening in a daze, finally burst into tears.
“What’s wrong with you? You’re gentle and kind!”
“I wasn’t gentle. I was just too tired to bother talking.”
“……”
Tony looked more shocked than he had when facing Edwin.
“Do you really… hate me that much?”
“Yes.”
“You’re making me cry…”
“Then cry.”
“Hic…!”
In the end, Tony wiped his eyes with his sleeve and ran off.
Talking so much made her thirsty.
Dana sat back down on the bench and drank her apple juice.
Watching her, Edwin laughed out loud.
“Why are you laughing?”
Dana asked after finishing the bottle.
“Because it’s new.”
Edwin’s laughter didn’t stop.
Maybe he, too, had thought the same as Tony—that Dana was just kind and gentle.
But she also had this firm side.
She wasn’t indifferent—she was just tired.
Dana was multifaceted.
Even the way she snapped back without backing down was lovely.
“I really do like you a lot, Senior.”
By now, Dana wasn’t even surprised by his sudden confessions anymore.
Oh—right!
She suddenly remembered something.
“That magical device I mentioned last time. Could I borrow it today?”
“Of course. Just say the word—I’ll bring you anything.”
Edwin replied gently.
Borrowing a magical artifact that even high-ranking nobles struggled to obtain so easily—his connections were impressive.
Dana smiled brightly.
“Then please get me a video recording orb.”
At her request, Edwin stood up immediately.
He didn’t even ask how she planned to use it.
Not long after, a carefully wrapped magical device was handed to Dana.
She marveled at how fast it was.
“Thank you. I’ll take good care of it.”
“Use it comfortably.”
Even roughly, if you like.
He smiled softly at Dana.
