“At least I, standing here now, have done nothing wrong.”

A smile took its place on Evenel’s face, a smile that had not been seen for the past several days, as she laid out everything she wanted to say to Shuher.

She regretted not doing so from the start.

“Ah, there’s one more thing I must say.”

She walked over to Shuher and rested her hand on his hip.

“Is it so difficult to ask if I’m okay?”

She didn’t expect a word of thanks. But when one has been through a mess dealing with monsters, isn’t it possible to at least ask if they’re fine or injured?

‘Yes, only my mouth would hurt if I thought about it.’

Since Evenel wasn’t expecting a response, she started to retrace her steps.

Shuher just stood there, watching her walk away. But he couldn’t come up with a reply to her final question.

Whenever he was with her, he found himself at a loss for words, and even his natural anger seemed to quiet down.

What more could he say when he had moved to save her?

Perhaps among the many faces he had encountered so far, he felt he had truly seen her. Not a person of Aodin, not a member of the Istella House, but just Evenel.

When Shuher turned back, he found Evenel standing in front of a tragically deceased horse. Carefully, she closed its unperceived eyes with her hand.

“I feel sorry. I grew fond of you during our training together. If I hadn’t brought you, none of this would have happened.”

Despite mumbling in a voice tinged with guilt, he remained stoic.

“We need to leave soon. The smell of blood could attract more monsters.”

“Do you really have to say that now? I’m still grieving.”

Whether she had fully returned to her usual self, Evenel brushed off Shuher’s words lightly. At that moment, Demil approached the two.

“Here you are. Are both of you alright?”

“Yes. Was there no trouble there?”

Upon hearing their changed tones, just a few hours apart, Demil nodded with a shaken face. He wondered why they seemed so cheerful when they had encountered monsters.

Arriving back at their original spot, Shuher hastily ordered the knights to prepare for departure. While hurrying, the knights kept stealing glances at Evenel.

They had heard that she saved Sean, but no one dared to approach her. Though it was clear that they should be thanking her, it seemed they couldn’t, perhaps due to their pride.
Demil approached her first at that time.

“Are you hurt? You have a wound on your face.”

“I got injured while running aimlessly in the forest. It won’t be a problem getting to our destination. Ah, also, thank you for the past few days. You’ve been very attentive.”

When Evenel Istella openly expressed her gratitude, he couldn’t find the words to say. Ironically, he was the one who should be saying that.

She had effortlessly helped them through a crisis, but like the others, he couldn’t easily bring himself to say thanks.

“It was merely to avoid delays in our schedule.”

“But still, you, Lord Demil, were the only one who did so. Even now, you’re asking if I’m hurt.”

Perhaps because she was used to being ignored, even small words and actions from him felt incredibly significant to Evenel.

“That’s why I’m grateful.”

Demil ultimately walked away from her, unable to come up with any response.

As they were preparing to depart, an unexpected problem arose for Evenel.

“Hold on, what about me? I have no horse.”

Having lost her horse due to a monster attack, she was without a means of transportation.

As everyone glanced around, reluctant to delay any further, one of the knights raised his voice.

“Shan, ride with Her Highness.”

“Me?”

“You bear some responsibility too.”

Unable to say no, Shan accepted. He might not have known it, but he was partly the cause of what had happened, and it was thanks to him that he could save his own life.

“Please ride with me.”

Recognizing she had no other option, Evenel approached the horse that Shan was on.

“Please mount.”

As she reached to take Shan’s extended hand, a voice halted her action.

“Ride my horse, Lady Evenel.”

Dismounting, Shuher gestured for her to come.

Evenel genuinely wanted to refuse. Riding with him would definitely be uncomfortable. She’d rather ride with Shan.

“If you’re worried, you could go with Lord Demil and…”

“There’s no time.”

At his firm voice, she finally approached Shuher and hesitated momentarily before mounting his horse. Shuher followed and sat behind her, grasping the reins as they quickly set off.

The wind was even harsher than before as they led the group, brushing past Evenel’s face.

‘Still uncomfortable.’

Evenel felt oddly tense due to the presence she felt directly behind her, a tension that Shuher also sensed.

“Stay still. You’re annoying.”
“You could have just left me with Commander Shang or Commander Demil. I wouldn’t have run away. If I were going to, I would’ve done it long ago.”

“Weren’t you planning on doing just that when you took the horse into the forest in the early morning?”

“Absolutely not… Did you know I went into the forest?”

Evenel couldn’t help but ask, surprised. She thought he had been asleep too.