Chapter 80
For a brief moment, countless thoughts flashed through Aileen’s mind.
Could the dream she just had be real?
Was it a warning? A prophetic dream?
With those thoughts rushing in, Aileen quickly climbed out of bed.
The cold floor under her feet felt especially sharp as she hurried to the window.
“…It’s torches.”
The building wasn’t on fire.
Torches placed all around made it look that way from a distance.
Knights and soldiers were gathered, fully equipped, as if ready to depart somewhere at any moment.
The man on horseback near the entrance was none other than Chester Lowell—Baron of Demicalon.
Could Prince Theorn have acted already?
“This fast?”
Last night, after finishing her conversation with him, she had walked Sub-Baron Dorian out.
She fell asleep afterward and woke up to this scene.
It wasn’t even early dawn yet—the sky was still pitch-dark, like the middle of the night.
“I can call you to the border.”
“How?”
“You’ll see later.”
Aileen tried to calm her racing heart and looked at Hwickan, the wooden bird resting beside her bed.
The bird stared back as if ready to respond the moment she called.
“…I’ll ask later, later.”
But instead of calling him, she grabbed the shawl hanging over her chair.
The dream’s afterimages still clung to her mind.
She wouldn’t be able to calm down until she confirmed Cedric was fine.
She quietly opened the door—click—and stepped into the hallway.
The noise from outside sounded much clearer now.
Aileen walked slowly through the hallway, heading toward the central entrance… and froze.
Cedric was already there.
Unlike Chester, who was fully armored, Cedric wore only his usual clothes.
“He’s safe.”
Of course he should be—but Aileen felt such overwhelming relief that it surprised even her.
He didn’t seem to notice her standing quietly at the end of the second-floor hall.
“If supply routes are cut off and you say you need emergency provisions, then…”
Before he could finish speaking, Cedric suddenly sensed her presence and looked up.
Their eyes met immediately.
He paused only for a second, then finished his orders quickly without even blinking.
“…Handle the rest yourselves. Report any updates on repairs immediately.”
“Yes, sir.”
The knight stepped back with a bow.
Cedric took the stairs two or three at a time and approached her.
Close up, he smelled faintly of smoke, cold metal, and something heavy and warm beneath it all.
Her heart began to pound again.
“What happened?”
“One of the only paths leading to a border fortress got blocked because of an avalanche. They’re temporarily cut off, so my uncle decided to return to the territory just in case.”
The atmosphere was noisy but not tense.
Even the knights downstairs were chatting casually.
“…Ah, I see.”
“This kind of thing usually doesn’t happen this late in winter…”
Cedric leaned against the railing, frowning slightly, then spoke casually.
“But it shouldn’t cause any big problems. It borders Arwin anyway.”
The moment Arwin was mentioned, Aileen knew.
This was Theorn’s doing.
Of course nothing serious would happen—because Theorn had caused the avalanche himself.
“What if real damage had happened…?”
She hadn’t imagined he’d go this far just to “call her to the border.”
She silently swore she would never again accept his proposals without knowing what they were.
While she tried to pretend she was simply observing the busy scene, Cedric’s arm brushed lightly against hers—warmth touching her sleeve.
“Go back to sleep. You must be tired. It’s still the middle of the night.”
“What about you?”
“I’ll escort my uncle out of the fortress and come right back.”
Well… at least one goal had been achieved:
Getting Chester out, when he otherwise might have stayed until spring.
“Cedric.”
She had confirmed he was safe. She knew nothing terrible was happening.
So, logically, she should go sleep, then question Theorn in the morning—after her mind cleared.
“…Why?”
She stopped him as he turned away.
Her hand hesitated in the air, then hovered near his chest.
“Come back safely.”
“I’m not going far. I’ll be right back.”
“Just… come back.”
Maybe it was fatigue, or maybe that awful dream still clung to her like thorns.
But the burning image from her nightmare had sunk deep into her bones, refusing to let her go.
She didn’t want to release the warm, solid reality in front of her.
Her hand slid upward, hesitating—and then she wrapped her arms slowly around his neck.
“Be careful. With everything.”
“…Did something happen?”
Cedric found himself bent down, unexpectedly holding her in return.
Aileen had never hugged him first. Ever.
He had carried her before, yes—but this? A real embrace?
“No, nothing happened. I just had a bad dream.”
Her breath brushed his neck, strangely ticklish, and he tightened his hold around her waist without thinking.
Too tight?
But Aileen didn’t seem uncomfortable.
While he stared at her hair brushing his face, he suddenly remembered her words.
Cedric finally gathered his thoughts.
“You had a nightmare?”
“…Yeah.”
Her voice trembled slightly.
That was when he realized—her whole body was trembling, just a little.
And the problem was…
He was suddenly, painfully aware of how close their bodies were.
Her breathing.
Her heartbeat.
Everything felt too close.
It’s just a comforting hug. Calm down.
But that thought failed immediately.
It was Aileen.
Aileen never leaned on him like this.
“What kind of dream?”
“…It’s nothing.”
“You don’t want to talk about it?”
“…Yeah.”
She nodded, and the slight movement tickled the side of his neck.
Cedric lost his focus again.
Aileen, warm and soft and so close, in his arms—
And her clothes were thin.
He had told her so many times not to walk around in such light clothing in winter—
His thoughts stumbled to a halt.
His mouth felt dry. His breathing quickened.
When he inhaled deeply to steady himself, her scent filled him completely.
Not overly sweet, not strong—
A gentle, lingering scent that made people unknowingly turn back for another whiff.
He leaned down unconsciously, burying himself slightly into her hair—
He wanted to memorize this scent forever.
“Cedric. I can’t breathe.”
Like being snapped out of a spell, Cedric instantly let go and stepped back.
“S-sorry.”
Maybe he really had held her too tightly.
Aileen’s face was slightly flushed, maybe from not breathing properly.
“Are you okay? You don’t look well, maybe you should—”
“I’m fine.”
When he leaned closer, Aileen lowered her head, letting her hair hide her face.
An unfamiliar, delicate silence slipped between them—
Not uncomfortable, but thoughtful, like they were both searching for the right words.
“If you don’t want to be alone, you can stay in my office. I’ll come right back.”
He said it awkwardly, remembering how he used to sit with Diana until she fell asleep when she was little.
“…Okay. I’ll wait. Come quickly.”
He expected her to reject it, annoyed by fussing.
Instead, she quietly accepted and walked away first.
Left alone, Cedric ran a restless hand through his hair and then let it fall again.
“Why am I acting like this…?”
His heart pounded wildly, refusing to calm down.
Maybe it was just exhaustion.
A good night’s sleep would surely fix it.
He watched her dress hem disappear down the hallway before finally turning around.
* * *
With unexpected tasks popping up one after another, Cedric’s return was delayed.
By the time he finally came back, the sky had begun to brighten—the early morning light creeping in.
“Aile—…”
He pushed open the office door—and completely froze.
As expected, she’d been tired.
Aileen had fallen asleep sideways on the long office sofa, hair scattered everywhere.
She was so defenseless like this that it almost hurt to look at her.
“You should sleep in your room…”
Cedric unclasped his cloak to place it over her—but stopped.
Up close, he could see her softly parted lips, her faint breaths.
His gaze drifted without meaning to.
He knew he should just put the cloak down and leave.
He knew that.
Instead, he gently draped the cloak over her and sat down beside the sofa, unable to walk away.
If only she looked peaceful like this more often…
Aileen was always serious.
She carried the weight of the world on her shoulders.
Maybe that’s why he always ended up doing silly things in front of her—to lift that burden, even just a little.
If she wouldn’t let go of her troubles, he wanted to take them from her.
He didn’t want anyone else to take them.
He wanted all of her worries for himself.
Just then, the firewood in the fireplace snapped loudly—crack!
“Huh—!”
Aileen jolted awake, clutching the cloak tightly.
Cedric flinched, too.
He leaned back quickly, pretending he hadn’t been staring at her.
“It’s okay. Just the firewood.”
“Ah…”
Cedric hurriedly lifted a letter in his hand.
“A message came from Ribbonsher.”
“Ribbonsher?”
“I thought it would be better if we read it together.”
“You read it. It sounds important.”
As she slowly sat up, Cedric opened the envelope and skimmed the letter—
Then suddenly stood up.
“…Ha.”
“What is it? What happened?”
“See for yourself.”
Even from far away, the handwriting looked elegant.
The signature wasn’t from Jeon—it was from Ribbonsher’s butler.
Aileen took the letter and quickly read through it.
There wasn’t much written.
Just that Jeon refused to leave his room and wouldn’t be able to come to Lowell—explained as politely as possible.
“How can he lock himself away and refuse to come out? He is supposed to be the head of Ribbonsher!”
“Well…”
“Aileen.”
Cedric expected her to agree immediately, but she didn’t.
She even had a faint smile on her lips.
“You’re stubborn too, you know.”
“I don’t behave like this.”
“Do you remember the first and second time we met? I had to go find you both times.”
“That’s different.”
Cedric felt honestly wronged, but Aileen wasn’t listening.
She tapped her lips lightly with the folded letter, already lost in thought.
“Aileen.”
The words “I had to go to you” echoed ominously in his mind.
Before she even spoke, Cedric already knew her answer.
“…I’ll have to go to Ribbonsher.”
