Until now, it didn’t seem like Edriss had made up his mind, but for now, he decided to return to the territory, Lobero.

After making simple preparations and going outside, Terminus had already taken out two horses and was waiting.

“Terminus!”

“Lady Cecilia of strong will, you finally did it.”

“Of course. It’s all thanks to Ternya.”

I exchanged high-fives with Terminus. Perhaps because we had suffered together, there was a sense of camaraderie.

“Your joy is my joy. Both of your faces are sparkling like the winter dew under the morning sunlight.”

“That’s… because we rested well and ate well.”

I scratched my neck awkwardly.

“Well, anyway, I’m relieved. If Cecilia had missed this territory, she would have suffered a lot again.”

“I’ve heard the story. I want to thank you for protecting Cecilia and accompanying her. It’s an honor for the family. But please don’t leave like this again. I felt like I suffered standing between you two.”

“I’m sorry, Terminus.”

“It’s okay. I didn’t mean to hurt Lady Cecilia’s tender heart. Greetings are over, shall we depart? There’s a mountain of things to do ahead.”

Terminus laughed heartily.

“Okay!”

I climbed onto the horse. The two men stared at me blankly.

“Why?”

“That’s Lobero’s words.”

“Haha, Cecilia. It seems you enjoyed riding with me. I would gladly accompany Cecilia…”

“Oops!”

I quickly got down and changed my words. Then, I glanced at Edriss to gauge his reaction.

“No… I got used to it.”

I chuckled awkwardly.

It seems that Edriss is not pleased with me riding Terminus’s horse so naturally, judging by his expression.

“Did you find it comfortable and enjoyable to ride with Terminus?”

“…”

Throughout the ride, I brought up that topic.

How many times was it already? One, two, three… Yeah, it’s the sixth time.

I pretended not to hear and fixed my gaze into the distance. Whether I spoke or not, Edriss continued talking alone, holding the reins with one hand.

“It’s not to say that it was wrong. I know it was an unavoidable choice, and it made you more comfortable. But even so, with me here, riding Terminus’s horse according to his words…”

So, he felt extremely upset, hurt, and even a bit of betrayal towards me, whom he trusted, and he was suddenly overcome with a feeling of resentment towards Terminus for trying to convey those emotions…

I already said everything earlier. Stop it.

I turned my upper body to look at Edriss.

“Why are you suddenly staring at me…”

Before Edriss could finish speaking, I pulled him closer and gave him a kiss on the lips.

“I like you, Edriss.”

Edriss’s eyes widened a bit.

“You know that I really like you a lot, right?”
Idris closed his eyes without a response, then opened them again.

I looked ahead again. Oh, I thought my waist was about to break.

At that moment, Idris pulled me even tighter around my waist. Then he buried his face near my neck. I could hear the strong heartbeat from his chest.

“Don’t say such things, especially when we’re on horseback.”

“Why?”

I raised my head to look at Idris. When Idris lowered his gaze, our eyes met. Intense emotions were boiling in his pupils.

In that moment, the conversation abruptly came to a halt. The words grumbled discontentedly.

“What’s going on?”

Terminus, who was following us, also stopped along with us.

“Let’s take a short break.”

“Now? It’s a bit early to set up camp.”

“I’m tired. Right now.”

Idris jumped off the horse from his words. Then he reached out to me.

“Why…”

The moment I saw Idris’s gaze, I felt like I knew without asking further.

“Well, it can’t be helped.”

Poor Terminus, who didn’t know English well, prepared for camping.

“I’ll go get firewood.”

Idris casually made that excuse and then dragged me into the forest. After Terminus was out of sight, Idris stopped in his tracks.

“Idris, even if you’re like that, Terminus is working, and we’re the only ones doing this…”

The next words disappeared into Idris’s mouth.

Even the moon and starlight were hidden by clouds, making the surroundings very dark. Occasionally, animal sounds echoed in the forest, and the wind was chilling, but in front of the fire, it was warm.

“Is it really that good?”

Terminus suddenly asked. Idris, who was about to sip from his cup, hesitated.

“What are you talking about?”

“Cecilia’s words.”

Idris glanced at his lap. Cecilia was
“Even if I want to turn off my concern, you’re always in front of me, so I can understand. Do you know that you’ve been stroking Cecilia’s hair without a break? It will wear out. Do you know how lonely I am alone?”

Contrary to his words, Terminus, who was smiling happily, seemed to be enjoying it. Idris ignored his empty words and filled his cup with alcohol.

“If it’s so good, don’t leave from now on. What kind of suffering is this for me alone?”

“I appreciate this very much.”

Idris sincerely thanked him. Terminus shrugged his shoulders.

“But what should we do from now on?”

“What do you mean?”

“Originally, our alliance was until the fall of Servian.”

“Oh, right. Now that the whole nation knows the villainy of Servian, we can say it’s over.”

“Are you also planning to compete for the king’s position? If so, I won’t stop you.”

“You won’t be able to stop even if you hear it.”

Terminus offered his cup. Idris chuckled and clinked glasses with him.

“Since other people are afraid of me, maybe you’ll be a better king than me.”

“What, a
“If I were to be the king, I wouldn’t be leisurely helping you and Cecilia right now.”

“What does that mean?”

“Actually, I never sincerely wished to become a king from the beginning. Just protecting my territory and my people is more important.”

“Are you supporting me?”

“Yes.”

“For what reason?”

Terminus shrugged his shoulders.

“It’s the same as before, but rather than supporting you… I trust Cecilia, whom you don’t love. As long as she’s with you, you won’t harm this world.”

Idris smirked.

“Yeah. At least that much is certain.”

Then he looked down at Cecilia. The slow and regular sound of her breathing was pleasant to hear. Idris pulled the blanket up to cover her neck.

As Terminus said, he couldn’t know if he was the person who could become the king.

But at least, as long as Cecilia was by his side, he would do everything in his power to protect her from this unloving world.

“That’s enough.”

It seemed like Cecilia’s voice could be heard.

“Look at that. Laughing alone while looking at Cecilia again. I can’t drink alone because it’s pitiful to see Cecilia without a lover.”

Terminus grumbled and drank all the remaining alcohol. Then he quickly prepared.

“Look, there’s Roberto!”

He pointed ahead.

“Yeah, we’re almost there.”

“Finally! Wow, I want to go back to the mansion quickly, soak in warm water, lie down on a comfortable bed, and sigh.”

Except for the time spent searching for Idris, the return journey took a total of four days.

One night of camping and three nights in shabby accommodations.

The condition was a mess.

Riding a horse for a long time felt like his waist was about to break.

Clothes turned gray with dirt, and the hair, left untouched and scattered at will, was tied into one tightly. The messy hair hung unattractively. Still, the mood was good.

Idris was by my side, and we were about to arrive at Roberto soon.

Once there, I would first immerse myself in warm bathwater, lie down on a bed, and sigh.

However, those expectations crumbled into pieces the moment we arrived at Roberto Mansion.

As soon as the large gate opened, the horses that brought us stood still.

Heron, who had heard the news of our arrival from afar, came running.

“Lord Idris…!”

It was strange. Why was Heron, who was always calm…?

A bad feeling crept over Idris.