Chapter 9
I swallowed my dry saliva and waited for his next words.
“Ha… what am I even saying right now… Forget it. This isn’t something I should say at this moment.”
“Are you kidding me? Say it right now! I’m dying of curiosity, so hurry up!”
Acting on impulse, I jumped up from my chair and shouted. Ricardo, clearly startled by my outburst, leaned back and looked up at me.
Seeing that, I came to my senses again. Right—how could I keep forgetting? This wasn’t a novel. This was reality.
I wasn’t prepared to accept Ricardo’s feelings, and pushing him into a confession wasn’t right. This wasn’t like demanding an answer just because I was curious about the next chapter of a story.
“No. I think I can guess what you’re going to say. It’s fine—you don’t have to say it.”
I shook my head and sat back down.
It probably looked strange to Ricardo, but there was no need to worry. If I tried to please him, it would only make his feelings for me grow stronger.
Sitting with my legs crossed, I tried to suppress the grin that kept creeping up.
Since when, though?
I had no intention of accepting his confession, but the fact that such a handsome man had been secretly into me was undeniably thrilling.
To be honest, I’d had my suspicions before—thinking, Does he like me? Our eyes met often, and sometimes it felt like he hovered around me. There were moments when I wondered, Could it be…?
But the way he always glared at me like he wanted to kill me made me dismiss it as pure imagination.
Maybe he’d been trying to act colder to hide his feelings.
What an emotionally constipated guy…
Still, I liked honest people—those who didn’t hide themselves and expressed their feelings as they were.
In a world where it was hard to tell what was true and what was false, I hoped at least love would be genuine.
And besides, he was the male lead. Was I supposed to compete with Emilia over Ricardo? Just thinking about it was exhausting and completely unnecessary.
I wiped the smile from my face and looked at Ricardo with a pitying gaze.
Perhaps because shadows fell across his handsome face, he somehow looked almost tragic.
Ricardo frowned slightly, studying me as if trying to guess the reason behind my behavior.
This would be a good time to subtly let him know I wasn’t interested. That way, he could give up on me sooner.
Ahem.
Clearing my throat, I glanced at him and spoke.
“Ricardo, I like gentle people.”
In other words—you’re the exact opposite.
Worried he might be hurt, I hurriedly added,
“Ah, but your looks are great. Just not my type… Still, don’t be too disappointed. Maybe your destined person isn’t that far away. Of course, you’ll have to make an effort to find her.”
As I spoke, I watched in real time as Ricardo’s face gradually crumpled.
“You’ll probably need to put in a lot of effort. Honestly, even you know your personality isn’t great, right?”
Finally, unable to take it anymore, he snapped,
“What kind of nonsense are you spouting?”
“See? That tone!”
Hahaha! Terrible. Absolutely terrible!
I laughed heartily, slapping the table.
The more I laughed, the colder Ricardo’s expression became. Sensing the heavy mood, I stopped laughing and blinked.
“……”
In the brief silence that followed, Ricardo pressed a hand to his forehead and bowed his head onto the table.
“You’re seriously a strange one…”
He must have been embarrassed that I’d figured out his feelings. I almost patted his shoulder to comfort him, but stopped myself—I didn’t want to give him false hope.
Carefully withdrawing my outstretched hand, I looked out the window. The moon hung dimly in the dark night sky.
Maybe because I’d seen through his heart, I felt like saying things I usually kept buried.
I might regret this tomorrow, calling it something embarrassing—but I’d always been someone who acted more on emotion than logic.
“Ricardo.”
He lifted his head and looked at me.
His tightly furrowed brows had returned to their usual place, but his expression was still cold.
“There’s something I wanted to say too.”
Ricardo propped his chin on his hand and raised one eyebrow, as if telling me to go on.
Arrogant as ever. And yet, I smiled.
“I don’t dislike you.”
I really didn’t. His jealous stares since childhood, the way he picked fights with me, even his twisted, lacking behavior—it all didn’t feel unpleasant.
“Of course, I don’t like you either.”
At that, Ricardo lowered his gaze and let out a short laugh. It passed in an instant, but it was clearly different from his usual mocking or contemptuous smiles.
Since he rarely smiled at all, I’d once wondered if he was only allowed to smile at the female lead.
He quickly returned to a blank expression and looked at me with slightly raised eyes. His lips parted, as if hesitating over whether to say something.
“…Me too.”
“Hm?”
“I don’t dislike you either.”
I let out a dry laugh.
Liar. Everyone—from his father to the knights—knew that Ricardo disliked me.
Seeing him deny the past after only now realizing his feelings felt ridiculous.
Still, I decided to be generous and let it slide. There was no need to start our journey off on the wrong foot.
“Alright, I get it. But it’s late, okay? I’m tired, so could you leave now?”
After politely sending Ricardo away, I sprawled out on the bed, limbs splayed.
I thought I’d fall asleep immediately, but strangely, my eyes wouldn’t close.
That night, I tossed and turned for a long time before finally drifting off.
By dawn, it seemed rain had fallen briefly overnight. The air outside the window was clean, and the ground, still damp, glistened.
Thankfully, it had only been a passing shower. Small puddles dotted the ground, but the sky was clear, as if it had never rained at all.
To stay on schedule, we’d need to move more briskly. After finishing my preparations, I quickly left the inn.
The knights were already assembled outside. Ricardo stood slightly apart from the formation. I greeted him with a glance and mounted my horse.
Then I turned to Kiern, who stood beside me doing nothing.
“Why aren’t you on your horse?”
“Commander, there’s a problem.”
A problem? I really didn’t want our schedule delayed.
Frowning slightly, I asked,
“What kind of problem?”
“Last night, after drinking, there was a small altercation. It seems they took revenge by stealing one of our horses. My horse is gone.”
“Do you remember what they looked like?”
“Yes. I plan to issue a wanted notice as soon as we reach a city.”
“Hmm… Can we get another horse?”
“I tried, but this is such a small village. It hasn’t been easy. Should I look a bit more?”
If we offered extra money, we might find one—but it could take time, and there was no guarantee we’d get a horse suitable for a long journey.
“It’d be better to get one in the next town.”
Kiern asked with a troubled look,
“Then… how should I travel?”
“Hmm…”
I frowned and looked around. The other horses were already loaded with supplies, and riding together would slow us down.
Then my eyes landed on a magnificent horse nearby.
Hiiiii-hing!
Even its neigh sounded impressive. It was nearly twice the size of an ordinary horse, its glossy coat immaculately groomed. With legs that sturdy, it could easily carry two people.
A true steed among steeds.
Smacking my lips, I sent a heated gaze toward its owner.
To reach the village within two weeks, crossing the forest was the fastest route. But forests were easy to get lost in, so someone familiar with the terrain had to lead the way.
Fortunately, I’d been through this forest several times before, so I took the lead. Using the map I’d studied the day before, I navigated our path.
As I scanned the surroundings for possible shortcuts, a dissatisfied voice sounded behind me.
“Isn’t this a bit strange?”
Turning around, I saw Ricardo and Kiern riding together on the very horse I’d been drooling over earlier.
Holding back laughter at the odd pairing, I asked,
“What’s strange?”
“Well… shouldn’t the lightest person—the commander—and I be riding the same horse?”
“As you can see, I have to find the way. I don’t have room to carry you too. And do you think chances to ride a horse like this come often?”
You should be thanking me.
With that thought, I gave him a playful wink.
Kiern, clearly annoyed, sharply turned his head away.
I turned to Ricardo, who held the reins with a blank expression, and thanked him.
“My thanks to you as well, Young Duke. I didn’t expect you to agree… That was kind of you.”
“I just didn’t want the schedule delayed over something trivial… that’s all.”
He probably couldn’t refuse since it was my request. Honestly—so bad at being honest.
I lightly shook my head and returned my attention to the forest.
Deciding it was safer to stick to familiar routes than risk getting lost on a shortcut, I turned my horse and rode on without looking back.
The forest was vast, meaning we’d need to camp there for nearly a week. Days passed without proper bathing, sleeping on hard ground.
Even so, Ricardo never complained and worked well with the others, so the schedule progressed smoothly.
After reaching the next village and securing a horse for Kiern, we traveled another week before finally arriving at our destination.
Even at full speed, we arrived later than expected.
Under the dark night sky, the village lay silent—without even a single light.
Even considering the hour, the silence was unnatural. I halted near the village and quietly addressed the knights.
“I’ll go in and check things out. You stay hidden, and if I don’t return soon, then move.”
“Commander, I’ll come with—”
I stopped Kiern.
“If you go, who’ll command the knights?”
At my signal toward the others, Kiern bit his lip, then nodded and stepped back.
Moving silently, I circled the village, surveying the interior.
Through the darkness, I spotted a faint light deeper inside. Something was moving slowly around it.
Carefully, I crept closer, holding my breath.
Squinting, I tried to make out what it was.
Villagers…?
And at the center of them—
There was something enormous.
.