Ibnel stepped back from Shuher, as she hadn’t really expected an answer anyway. It wasn’t unpleasant to see him flustered, seemingly unaware of it himself.

“Then I’ll leave the nobles’ protests to Your Majesty. Even if I try to help, you won’t even pretend to listen. So I’ll really be going now.”

The moment Ibnel turned her back and was about to take a step, Shuher suddenly grabbed her hand that was behind her back.

Ibnel stopped at that touch and looked at the hand holding hers before asking him.

“Do you have something more to say?”

Flustered by his hand reaching out without realizing it, Shuher quickly racked his brain for a plausible reason.

“Let’s go… together. Since work is done.”

“Yes, let’s do that.”

Since their destination was the same anyway, Ibnel nodded willingly. Then, pointing to his hand that was still holding hers, she said.

“I understand, so you can let go of this hand now.”

At those words, Shuher hurriedly released her hand. Then, leaving behind the mountain of work still remaining, he left the office with Ibnel.

“The air seems to have gotten much colder than when I first came to Karies.”

The air touching her skin felt noticeably cooler than before. It seemed winter would arrive soon.

Shuher looked at Ibnel’s attire and spoke in his usual gruff voice. It might have been a worried nagging.

“You won’t be able to endure Karies’ winter in that outfit.”

“Indeed, even the things I brought from Aodin in preparation won’t be of much use.”

“Surely Emil must have prepared clothes for you.”

“Ah, she brought enough to fill the dressing room and more.”

As he had ordered before, Emil had brought everything from casual clothes to training outfits, shoes, and even accessories that Ibnel could wear in Karies, filling the dressing room to the brim.

The amount was so overwhelming that Ibnel was just bewildered. She asked several times if all this was really hers. Lia, on the other hand, was busy being delighted by it.

“Perhaps you don’t like them?”

“That’s not it. It’s just too much, and they prepared such nice things. It’s more like I hesitate to wear them, you know? But I should wear them, if only out of consideration for Emil’s efforts.”

Shuher was about to say that he was the one who should receive that consideration, but thinking better of it, he held his tongue.

“Ah, I met Dabian earlier today. He came to the training grounds with Lord Demil. After watching them train, we went together to the palace where Dabian stays.”

At that point, Ibnel suddenly burst out laughing. His gaze turned to her at the sound.

“Why are you laughing?”

“No, I just remembered what Dabian said. He said Your Majesty was affectionate. Honestly, it’s the first time you’ve heard such a thing, isn’t it?”

Shuher’s silence spoke of his agreement. Affectionate was a word that could never suit him. Though he surely knew this fact himself, strangely, her laughter felt like it was mocking him.

“You seem to be enjoying it too much.”

“No, thinking about it, I can understand. You immediately picked up the barefooted Dabian then, didn’t you? Honestly, when I saw that, I also…”

“No.”

At the too adamant voice, Ibnel stopped abruptly in her tracks. Shuher, who had stopped accordingly, was looking down at her intently. Even showing a slightly displeased expression.

Breaking the silence that had fallen due to the interrupted conversation, she asked with a puzzled look. What did he mean by ‘no’ when she had seen it with her own eyes?

“Back then, you clearly picked up Dabian and carried him to the carriage, didn’t you? Wasn’t it because he was barefoot and you were worried he might hurt himself more?”

“I clearly said no earlier too.”

“If it’s not, then it’s not, but why are you getting angry?”

Having asked lightly, she couldn’t help but question him when he reacted so seriously. Seemingly realizing his own reaction, Shuher hurriedly started walking.

Ibnel hurriedly followed behind him, throwing out the question she still hadn’t received an answer to.

“Then why did you do that? If it’s not that, there’s no reason, right? Ah!”

At that moment, Shuher suddenly stopped, causing Ibnel to bump her face into his back. Realizing she was too close to him, who had turned around at some point, she took a step back.

“This is because Your Majesty suddenly stopped…”

“Is that so important?”

“It’s not that it’s important, I’m just curious. Are you perhaps embarrassed?”

The conclusion Ibnel had reached was simply ridiculous from Shuher’s perspective. Embarrassed, was she really saying that to him?

She seemed to have already drawn her conclusion, speaking as if it was no big deal.

“Why be embarrassed about such a thing? If I had the strength, I would have done the same. When I look at Dabian, it’s like my protective instincts are stimulated, I feel like I want to protect him. But when I talked to him, I realized he’s not just a weak person. Even though facing monsters must be scary, he said he would do his best in his role.”

“That’s enough.”

Shuher firmly cut off Ibnel’s words as she kept praising Dabian endlessly. Somehow, he didn’t want to hear any more. Even though they were outside, he felt stifled as if trapped in a narrow space.

“Ah, I talked too much, didn’t I?”

Thinking he was annoyed, Ibnel finally closed her mouth tactfully. As she quieted down, Shuher started walking again.

Feeling her presence following behind him, he recalled the situation at that time. He couldn’t bring himself to tell Ibnel the truth. That he had stepped in because he couldn’t bear to see her trying to take off her shoes for Dabian.

So strictly speaking, it wasn’t for Dabian, but for Ibnel.

As she watched Shuher walking ahead with his back turned, a thought suddenly occurred to her. So she opened her mouth, forgetting even her promise to stay quiet.

“It seems you’ve developed at least a little faith in me.”

Shuher stopped, but this time there was some distance between them, so there was no unfortunate collision. She slowly walked up to stand beside him before stopping.

Unlike before, he looked at her with a rather serious gaze. Why was she talking about his faith? Despite the coolness in his black eyes, Ibnel calmly met Shuher’s gaze.

“Are you going to say it’s presumptuous?”

“What if I do?”

“Then you’re late again this time too. Your Majesty walked ahead of me, showing your back to someone with a gun. Even though it’s loaded.”

Although there were only two bullets in it, so pulling the trigger wouldn’t immediately fire a bullet, it was still enough reason to be cautious. But he boldly showed his back.

“Doesn’t that mean you trust me that much?”

Moreover, it was now a night with few people around. It meant that no one knew what might happen in the worst case.

Thinking that way, Ibnel felt a strange emotion looking at his broad back. The thought that perhaps he was acknowledging her without even realizing it himself.

Shuher hadn’t been aware of his own actions at all until she brought it up. As Ibnel said, it was a situation where he shouldn’t let his guard down, yet he naturally showed his back to her.

“This time you’re not saying it’s not true.”

When she asked about the incident with Dabian, he had said no without even giving her room to breathe, but now he neither confirmed nor denied it. Ibnel smiled pleasantly at this.

“It would be better not to get too excited.”

Feeling like his inner thoughts had been exposed by that expression, Shuher deliberately spoke more harshly. In his heart, conflicting feelings about her clashed strongly.

Ibnel, both the enemy of Karies and the savior of Karies.

The two incompatible words seemed to be visible in her.

“I’ll take that as advice. But let’s make one thing clear while we’re at it.”

“What on earth are you talking about?”

“From now on, the choice is mine.”

He immediately understood the meaning of those words too. Just as she had chosen to stay here, she would also choose when to leave by her own will. Impudently, she was now trying to stand on equal footing with him.

“Is that a threat?”

“Let’s call it a confirmation. For now, my desire to stay here is strong. But as Your Majesty knows, human affairs are unpredictable.”

“So you’re saying that feeling could change.”

“That’s right. People’s hearts can change even in a very short time.”

Ibnel couldn’t guarantee that this current resolve wouldn’t change either. That’s why she wanted to make that part absolutely clear.

Shuher thought it was rather fortunate that she was being honest. It was much better than hiding her true feelings for no reason.

“But you know that what I said applies to Your Majesty too, right?”

It was the same for Shuher that his heart could change in any direction. Of course, he couldn’t be absolutely certain that would happen.

He suddenly felt the urge to disrupt her triumphant expression. So he abruptly grabbed Ibnel’s wrist and pulled her towards him.

Ibnel’s face was full of bewilderment as she was suddenly almost embraced by him. She pulled at her captured wrist, but couldn’t easily escape his strong grip.

Then a terribly low voice was heard by her ear.

“Then remember this clearly. I never let go of prey that has fallen into my grasp, Ibnel.”

At the voice that seemed to penetrate to the depths of her heart, Ibnel slowly raised her head to look at him. The moment she met his black eyes of unfathomable depth at close range, she froze in place.

‘Too close.’

His hand holding her wrist was strangely hot, and unlike before, she couldn’t move. The sound of Shuher softly calling her name seemed to keep lingering in her ear.

Her heart beat a little faster than before, but it wasn’t because she feared the man before her.

When Ibnel, belatedly coming to her senses, pushed Shuher away, he stepped back easily despite it not being a strong force. She unnecessarily touched her ear where his breath had reached, trying to speak nonchalantly.

“Those words don’t scare me anymore.”

But contrary to those words, there was a slight tremor in her voice. Ibnel hurriedly walked away, leaving him alone.

Shuher could see that she was flustered. He felt an inexplicable sense of elation, as if he had won a competition. Then, looking at her retreating back, he suddenly muttered.

“Isn’t it the same for you too?”

Even though the conditions were the same with Shuher carrying a sword, she showed her back to him without any hesitation. Did that mean, conversely, that Ibnel trusted him too?

The moment that thought occurred to him, a gentle smile appeared on his lips. In the darkness, unnoticed by anyone.