For a moment, everything seemed to come to a halt. The slow wind that had been blowing, and the faint chirping of birds in the distance.

All thoughts in my mind had come to a complete stop.

I stared at Ian as if I had forgotten even to blink, or to breathe.

‘How I look at you… What lowly desires rampage in my mind…’

Suddenly coming to my senses with that thought, I started to regulate my breathing. Slowly, my thoughts began to function again.

“So, what you’re saying is…”

Raising my gaze slightly, I swallowed the rest of my sentence. There I was in his eyes, fluctuating like violent waves, yet my face was vivid within those unstable ripples.

“That’s not what I intended to say so suddenly…”

“Did I hear you wrong?”

“So, you’re saying you can’t handle it after all.”

Ian sent me a composed look, as if he had anticipated this reaction, though he wore a wistful smile.

“I actually suspected that…”

‘…you wouldn’t even suspect.’

In the end, Ian was right.

I never dreamed I would hear such words from Ian.

“Senior.”

“Huh?”

“You said you’d buy me dinner, didn’t you?”

Ian, who had gradually closed the distance, gently lowered his head onto the back of my hand.

“Ah, right.”

The warmth was there and then gone. When I looked up at Ian, startled, he met my gaze as if in response.

“How about dinner tomorrow night instead of the day after tomorrow?”

“That’s fine.”

I answered, avoiding his gaze. Despite his ocean-like eyes that I loved, it was difficult to meet them.

“I’ll wait for you in front of the clock tower in the square tomorrow at six.”

His voice, tinged with a faint smile, wrapped around me softly.

I briefly wondered if it was okay to make such a promise, but my head involuntarily nodded, as if I were enchanted by something.

“You can forget what I said today. I’ll properly convey it tomorrow evening.”

The sensation of holding onto my fingertips disappeared, and soon the sound of footsteps grew distant. Only then did I take a deep breath and look around. Ian was nowhere to be seen.

“Did I dream all that?”

In the original work, Ian had zero interest in the opposite sex. Not only the lovely Daisy, but he had also been described as a man who didn’t give anyone the time of day…

Desire, what was that desire?

As I recalled his words, I fanned my face in a hurry.

“He didn’t feel uncomfortable because he didn’t see me as a woman, right?”

Could it be that he acted strangely today because he was jealous of Ernoa and me?

I, who had been standing there aimlessly, finally started to walk. Whether it was the mess inside my head, I found myself stopping after a few steps.

“Even so… does this make any sense?”

Ian, you were not this kind of character.

“What doesn’t make sense?”

Startled by the unexpected interjection, I turned around. Edwin stood behind me, wearing a mischievous smile.

“Ed?”

“Yeah, it’s Ed. But Rose, you…”

Edwin suddenly stopped and scrutinized my face.

“Why?”

“Aren’t you flushed? Your face looks redder than usual.”

“Flushed? Not at all. What’s wrong with my face?”

Though I felt a bit self-conscious, I chuckled as if I had heard something absurd. At this, Edwin squinted suspiciously.

“You’re acting strange today, aren’t you?”

“What’s strange? Good thing I ran into you, I have something to talk to you about.”

Only then did Edwin start to step back, as if he realized what I was going to talk about.

“Right, Rose. I’m really busy right now, so let’s talk next time…”

“If you’re busy, I’ll go directly to the captain.”

“Hold on!”

At my urgent shout, I turned back toward Edwin. Raising an eyebrow as if to say, “Go on,” Edwin swiftly came closer.

“As busy as I am, I have to listen if you have something to say to me.”
A natural smile broke out involuntarily at the well-delivered words.

He really has a way with them.

“I met your uncle yesterday.”

“Uncle? You mean the Riley family?”

“Yes. I told them about you and they said they’ll hurry with the antidote.”

“Really? You’re the only one who worries about me.”

“They gave me this as well.”

As I handed over the silver container and mentioned it was good for pain, Edwin’s face brightened.

If he had mentioned his ankle pain sooner, Gabriel would’ve formally reported it to the royal family, and the Riley family would’ve responded immediately.

Edwin took this roundabout way to get the medicine because he wanted to participate in the subjugation.

That was the only reason.

Even though it wasn’t the outcome you’d hoped for after such a long detour, looking at his excited face, I just couldn’t bring myself to say it.

“Don’t be too happy. My uncle said you shouldn’t join the subjugation.”

“What? Why?”

I conveyed exactly what I heard from Dylan, noticing Edwin’s expression stiffening in a flash before carefully speaking.

“Because the poison from the magical beast is still in your system, you need to detoxify as soon as possible. Why don’t you stay here and focus on treatment?”

Edwin sighed deeply, showing a resigned, hollow smile.

“Nothing’s changed in the end.”

“You can make up for it in the next subjugation.”