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Chapter 21
A short while later, Edwin, freshly washed and neatly groomed, stepped out of the room.
In the lodging’s lobby stood Dana, her face filled with anxiety.
The way she was worrying so much about him was truly lovely.
When Dana spotted Edwin, she rose from her chair.
“You must be hungry. You climbed the mountain since dawn.”
“You too, senior. Let’s head to the dining hall.”
Between receiving treatment and washing up, they had already spent a great deal of time.
Everyone else had finished eating by then.
When they went to the dining hall for breakfast, it was nearly empty except for a few knights.
They were knights who had gone monster hunting with Edwin and thus eaten late.
Upon noticing Dana and Edwin, they hurriedly shoved bread into their mouths.
“Cough! Cough!”
One knight, unable to swallow properly, left the dining hall with bread still clenched in his mouth.
The remaining knights lifted their soup bowls and gulped them down all at once.
Fearing even a chance of making eye contact with Edwin, they rushed out of the dining hall.
“What’s wrong with them?”
Dana watched them with a baffled expression.
Edwin gracefully scooped up a spoonful of soup and said,
“They got scolded by you earlier, senior.”
“…Are they acting like that because they’re scared of me?”
Every one of those knights was at least two or three times her size.
Edwin spoke with a serious face.
“I hear the captain here is very kind and usually lets his subordinates off easily.”
“So they got scolded for the first time and now they’re like this?”
They weren’t children, for heaven’s sake…
‘Am I actually scary when I’m angry?’
Dana tilted her head.
It seemed she gave off a sharper aura than she had thought.
For some reason, realizing she had a strong side made her feel good.
Confidence filled Dana’s clear face.
Holding back laughter, Edwin poured her some water.
He didn’t forget to brush away the bread crumbs stuck near her lips.
Meanwhile, contrary to Dana’s misunderstanding, the knights headed to the training grounds with weary expressions.
“Wow, good thing we came early to eat.”
“We almost wasted all the food!”
They were simply worried that Edwin’s public display of affection would completely kill their appetites.
“They’re really leaving this morning, right?”
“Yeah. Just taking potion-related suggestions and leaving.”
“No one’s going with them.”
At that, everyone nodded as if it were obvious.
The palace physicians headed to the infirmary for medical consultations, while Dana and Edwin went to the conference room.
Inside was a large table surrounded by sofas.
Despite the spacious room, there were only the two of them.
Edwin ignored all the empty seats and sat right beside Dana.
Dana naturally accepted his closeness.
The man who had followed her everywhere since his first day no longer felt awkward.
Being with Edwin from morning until late at night felt completely natural now.
Since childhood, Dana had believed her heart was empty.
Perhaps because of that,
the chilly wind drifting through her heart and the lonely silence were familiar to her.
‘But when I’m with Edwin, I don’t feel that way at all.’
Being with him felt like being filled with soft cotton.
Her chest tickled, and a quiet smile kept slipping out.
‘If this ends with Edwin just like this…’
The moment that thought reached her mind, Dana’s face froze.
It felt as though cold water had been poured over her head.
“Edwin.”
She called his name clearly.
“Yes, senior.”
As always, Edwin looked at her warmly.
“The period I said we’d meet… it was one week, right?”
“…Yes. You gave me a week.”
“A chance? I wasn’t testing you.”
She had never meant to test him.
She had only wanted to feel warmth, even for a short while.
“I know. But I wanted to prove myself.”
“…Prove what?”
Edwin only smiled faintly instead of answering.
Dana’s expression was complicated, unlike her usual self.
Edwin pretended to be calm, but all his attention was focused on Dana.
Why had she suddenly brought up the one-week period?
There wasn’t much time left in the promise they’d made.
Realizing that made his mouth go dry.
It felt like he’d been drifting through a clear sky only to crash straight into the ground.
He poured her the tea prepared on the table.
A gentle chamomile scent filled the room.
Just as Dana had expected, not a single knight came by all morning.
Once work ended, the two entered the gate with the palace physicians.
In an instant, amid shimmering white light, they returned to the underground level of the Magic Department.
Since Layton couldn’t stand his subordinates wasting time—even if he himself didn’t mind—they headed straight to the Potion Management Division.
“Let’s report quickly and head home.”
“Yes, senior. You must be tired.”
Dana smiled at that.
It was a comfortable, natural smile.
They had definitely grown closer since the trip.
Edwin felt satisfied by that, yet the complicated look he’d seen on Dana’s face earlier kept resurfacing in his mind.
Hiding his unease, he opened the office door.
“We’re back.”
“……”
“……”
No one responded.
The office was strangely quiet.
Kira looked at Dana with a worried expression.
Sensing the awkward atmosphere, Dana scanned the room.
Her eyes met Tony’s.
He was staring at her with a strangely resolute gaze.
It was Layton who broke the silence.
His aggressive voice was directed at Edwin.
“Hey, rookie!”
“Yes, sir.”
“I hear you like Dana?”
He asked with a mocking tone.
Only then did Dana grasp the situation.
Tony, after being rejected by her, had immediately run to Layton.
And he must have badmouthed Edwin mercilessly.
With that loose tongue of his, he likely spread the rumor throughout the office.
It was truly childish and despicable.
The employees pretended to focus on their work while listening intently.
Edwin replied calmly.
“That’s correct.”
Layton had thought he’d caught him off guard, but the rookie remained unfazed.
So Layton decided to nitpick relentlessly.
“Drop those useless feelings! They interfere with work!”
“I’ll handle that myself.”
The indifferent reply grated on Layton’s nerves.
This time, he shouted at Dana.
“He’s just pining after you on his own! You’ve got a perfectly good man—what are you even doing?”
A good man? Surely not…
Dana’s brow furrowed.
Layton shouted, spittle flying.
“Look at Tony! He’s diligent, upright—how much better can you get!”
Ha. So the two of them had talked beforehand.
No wonder Kira had been looking worried.
Layton glanced around at his subordinates, forcing a reaction.
“You all think so too, right? They’d make such a great pair!”
“…Yes, I suppose…”
“Y-Yes, that’s right…”
Since she wouldn’t accept his confession, they were forcibly creating an atmosphere.
Satisfied, Tony barely suppressed his smile.
His twitching lips looked almost frog-like.
At that moment, Edwin smiled brightly.
Despite his beautifully curved eyes, the atmosphere around him was chilling beyond measure.
Even Layton, who had been talking nonstop, fell silent.
Edwin’s cold voice rang out low.
“Our senior really has no pride.”
His red eyes turned toward Tony.
“Getting rejected wasn’t enough—you even went crying to your superior about it?”
At the mention that Tony had already been rejected, the employees exchanged shocked glances.
Tony’s face flushed red with humiliation.
Edwin took one step at a time toward Tony.
“What are you even doing? It’s pathetic.”
Just walking toward him was enough to make it hard to breathe.
Tony’s legs gave out; he couldn’t even stand up from his chair, only stare at Edwin.
His body trembled violently with fear.
There was no way he could withstand the killing intent of Edwin, who had spent years on the battlefield.
And that killing intent was directed solely at Tony.
The administrators who didn’t know Edwin well looked at the terrified Tony in confusion.
Unable to watch any longer, Layton shouted at Edwin.
“Hey, rookie! Who do you think you are, stepping in like this?”
Anyone would think you were her lover!
Layton sneered openly at Edwin.
At that moment, Dana’s lips parted, addressing everyone.
