MMFB 49💘

CHAPTER 49

“I’m sorry, but there’s no sign of Lenak waking up. Even before you came, Miss Renata, I called him several times. He didn’t answer—just snored.”

“What an annoying brother.”

“Well, he must be really tired. Can’t blame him, honestly. He came straight down south with me right after we entered the country.”

“And guzzled down half the cellar’s wine. The way you’re putting it, I can’t even blame him now.”

I grumbled under my breath.

Even I had dozed off during a bath—how exhausted must Lenak have been?

He wasn’t a knight like Cassian. He didn’t have that kind of stamina, so maybe this was inevitable.

“Looks like we’ll have to postpone the secret meeting until tomorrow. Once Lenak wakes up, we can all properly scold him together.”

Cassian tried to act unaffected, but I could tell he was tired too.

Seriously, why did the two of them have to drown themselves in wine?

Because I missed Izar so much, I was irrationally blaming these two instead.

I wanted to see him so badly that I’d lost all sense of judgment.

But unlike Lenak, I couldn’t exactly grab Cassian by the collar and tell him to get a grip.

Left with no better option, I nodded in agreement with Cassian. He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.

“Don’t be too disheartened. A day’s delay won’t make him disappear.”

“But it might make his trail even harder to follow.”

“…Didn’t you say the man believed to be him is working as a mercenary? As you know, the demand for monster extermination has surged recently. Lenak will likely send people to areas with high monster activity. That’s probably what tonight’s conversation was going to be about.”

As I stood there, shoulders slumped, Cassian—unusually—kept talking.

If his guess was right, Lenak would’ve laid out the plan in more detail tonight.

Seeing Cassian trying so hard to comfort me actually helped lift some of the heaviness inside.

Then I suddenly remembered something.

“Now that I think of it, there’s something I forgot to mention. When I saw Izar… no, I mean that mercenary—”

“Shh. How about saving the rest of that for when Lenak wakes up? We should talk about this together. This isn’t the right place for a deep conversation like that.”

Of course, Lenak was always cautious. He’d probably send scouts not only after the mercenary I saw but also across different regions to trace Izar’s whereabouts.

Still, the man I met…

His voice, his build—they resembled Izar’s too closely.

I was about to share these swirling thoughts with Cassian when he suddenly placed a hand over my mouth.

He leaned toward me and curved his eyes in a playful smile.

“If you agree with me, just nod. Then I’ll move my hand.”

This guy—he doesn’t normally act like this. Was he… drunk?

His face was a little too close for comfort, so I instinctively stepped back.

Then I gave a small nod. Cassian lowered his hand and straightened up.

“Hmm… Well, I think we should call it a night. It’s getting late.”

If I’d known it would end up like this, I should’ve just gone to bed early too.

I wasn’t mad at Lenak anymore, but I still felt grumbly with nowhere to direct the blame.

Cassian looked down at me through half-lidded eyes.

“Alright, Miss Renata. Let me escort you to your room.”

“No, I’ve got some things I want to think over alone… so I’ll pass. But thank you.”

“You know, I’ve started to feel like you’re quietly building a wall between us.”

Where’d the formal tone go all of a sudden?

That confirmed it—he was definitely drunk. Better wrap this up quickly.

But I did have one lingering question for him.

“Well, it’s because you’ve been saying strange things lately. Like how my smile is pretty, or how your heart flutters—”

“That was Lenak’s… no, never mind. Half of it was sincere.”

“Lenak’s… what about him?”

“Miss Renata, you’re stunning. Just talking to you is an honor.”

I didn’t know how to respond to that unexpected confession.

But beautiful young ladies are hardly rare.

Cassian had been Lenak’s friend, and back in Varkalia, our only interaction had been the occasional greeting.

So hearing that he’d thought about me this way all along—it surprised me.

“But you were always surrounded by the twin royals, making it nearly impossible just to say hello.”

He murmured like he was talking to himself.

His gaze was on me, but it felt like he was lost in some moment from the past.

“Oh… I didn’t know. Is that why you approached me at the funeral?”

“Maybe. You were rarely ever alone.”

Cassian’s eyes curved again. He looked genuinely tired now, stifling a yawn behind his hand.

At this point, I wasn’t confused anymore. I just accepted it with a silent, “So that’s how it was.”

People can’t control their feelings, after all. As long as he didn’t come on too strong, it was fine.

“You should get some sleep. You said you’d be touring the estate with Lenak tomorrow.”

“Yes. Might as well deal with some monsters while I’m here, too.”

“Then… I’ll be going.”

“Alright, Miss Renata. Get back safely.”

He spoke slowly and turned just slightly. Cassian stayed leaning against the wall, as if waiting to see me off.

I walked down the corridor, fiddling absently with my hair. I could feel his gaze on my back but pretended not to notice.

When I turned the corner and was finally out of his line of sight, I let go of my hair.

Then, for no real reason, I looked up through a large window in the hallway.

The night sky was pitch black, scattered with silver stars.

Where are you right now, Izar? What are you doing?

I missed him.

I wanted to touch his soft, silvery hair. To run my fingers over the small mole beneath his eye.

But Izar, why didn’t you recognize me?

At some point, I’d become convinced that the mercenary I’d seen had to be him.

Even though I hadn’t even seen his face properly.

The thoughts kept coming, one after another, until I found myself near my bedroom door.

Sleep. I need to sleep first.

I exhaled deeply and dragged my hands down my face.

Then, lifting my head, I froze.

Khalid was standing in the shadows, leaning against the wall next to my door.

“Where were you?”

His voice was low and stiff. It was too dark to read his expression.

I swallowed dryly.

“I asked where you were.”

“I just went for a walk… What about you? What are you doing here?”

“You didn’t want to go out with me earlier.”

His gaze clung to me, heavy and damp. The excuse I’d blurted out sounded weak even to me.

But I didn’t have a better one.

I avoided his eyes in silence. Then he stepped forward and blocked my path.

“Renata, you’re lying, aren’t you?”

“No, I’m not. Why would I lie about that…? Why are you grilling me like this?”

“If you were just walking, you’d be coming from downstairs. But the way you came—”

“…What are you talking about? Move, I’m tired.”

“…You came from the direction of Cassian’s room.”

I could guess what he was thinking. But what he suspected hadn’t happened.

Instead of answering, I sighed.

“It’s not what you think.”

I tried to move past him, but he stepped in front of me again.

“…What is with you? You’re acting really weird today, you know that?”

From the way he’d hugged me so tightly when we reunited, to the way he never took his eyes off me during dinner, to how he kept talking to me and smiled more than usual…