Exhaling a deep sigh, he turned his steps away. Even taking a step forward due to regret wasn’t easy, but he forced strength into his steps.

It was a fleeting moment when he was just taking a step. Caliph, unexpectedly catching a familiar scent lingering around his nose, couldn’t help but stop in his tracks.

His thoughts were preempted by his body, which turned backward almost involuntarily. Then, his eyes, busy searching for the source of the scent, landed on someone.
Without the need to search, she appeared right in front of him. He walked towards her with wide strides as if captivated by something.

“Eve.”

He reached out towards her without hesitation, almost closing in as if he would hold her in his arms, touching her cheek that somehow looked pale. At that moment, she faintly lifted a smile.

“I didn’t call you, how did you know I was behind you?”

“I could smell your scent.”

“My scent?”

“Yeah.”

Caliph nodded with a stern face. She, who seemed a bit surprised by the unexpected answer, soon smiled again.

“I don’t know what scent it is, but it seems like I wanted to take a step closer to me just with the scent. Why did you just leave?”

“…I thought I might confuse you more.”

To Ibelia’s somewhat mischievous question, Caliph gave a truthful answer without adding any falsehood.

Although he momentarily hesitated on whether he should respond in a way that would match her effort, he ultimately didn’t want to lie to her.

After all, hasn’t he told too many lies already?

Caliph now felt that lying was in vain. Even if it was a well-intentioned lie.

“…Did Felix tell you?”

“Yeah.”

“It seems like the two of them are quite close, more than I thought.”

Ibelia suddenly pursed her lips. To Caliph, it sounded like an answer indicating that her heart was hurt, and he tensed for a moment.

“So, you came all the way here at this hour because you were worried about me?”

Ibelia asked with a somewhat sulky expression. Not knowing how to take that, Caliph paused for a moment before nodding his head.

“…Yeah.”

“Really, it’s not great.”

Ibelia sighed and spoke. Caliph’s pupils shook uncontrollably. It felt like his heart sank suddenly. He quickly moved his lips to make an excuse.

“Eve, I just wanted to make sure you’re not worried…”

“Not you, I mean me.”

Suddenly, Ibelia gently squeezed Caliph’s hand. Caliph’s gaze involuntarily turned towards the place she grabbed him.

Perhaps due to excessive tension, her words and actions were not easily understandable. Moreover, her slightly pained expression made him feel uneasy. After a while, she parted her lips.

“I always end up causing you worry. I don’t want to do that, but…”

Caliph unconsciously narrowed his eyebrows. After hearing the reason for her distress, it still wasn’t easy to understand.

Feeling the need to read her mind, he, who had been immersed in that thought, soon moved his chin, which had been slightly raised.
Caliph retorted with a firm tone. Perhaps due to his tone, even his expression appeared cold. It seemed like he completely failed to understand why she was upset. Because of that, Ibelia couldn’t help but feel bewildered.

“That’s right.”

“I like that I can worry about you without hiding it. Why do you dislike that?”

Before her words could finish, his question added on. It completely blocked Ibelia’s words.

Forgetting that she needed to say something more, Ibelia stared at him intently. His eyes, filled with no gaps, were entirely sincere. It even seemed like he welcomed worrying about her.

In that moment, Ibelia couldn’t hold back a bitter smile. What was there to worry about to the extent that he wore such a genuine expression? She couldn’t help but realize that she couldn’t know his true feelings.

The slight laughter gradually turned into an affectionate smile. Ibelia, with brightened lips, hugged his waist tightly. Then she whispered softly.

“Do it like this from now on.”

“…From now on?”

“Do this whenever I worry.”