~Chapter 103~
Aisha had ridden on a horse driven by Kilian before, but today it felt different.
‘Last time, he rode like a total maniac. I thought I was going to throw up.’
She remembered it well—the day they left the Winters’ mansion and went to a cabin far away to avoid Roselia.
That day, Aisha had gagged on the horse more than once, and Kilian had looked terrified that she might throw up on his clothes.
But today was different.
Kilian didn’t ride like a madman, and he didn’t suddenly speed up or stop. He just went at a steady, maybe even slow, pace.
‘Now that it’s like this… Oh, I’m a little nervous?’
Back then, she didn’t care about being nervous—she was just trying not to vomit. Aisha let out a quiet laugh.
‘Well, maybe that’s normal. My feelings have changed now.’
Now, Aisha understood exactly how she felt about Kilian.
She liked him.
She enjoyed being with him, and even talking nonsense with him was fun.
Sometimes when Kilian got annoyed or angry, she found it cute. And… when she remembered how he had saved her from Belmore just a few days ago—
‘He was really cool…’
Aisha, who was resting gently in Kilian’s arms, sneaked a look at his face.
‘Honestly, isn’t he the best-looking guy in Draxion? Belmore is supposed to be the male lead, but he’s just flashy and sneaky.’
She grinned, as if she couldn’t even remember ever liking Belmore Ellington.
‘Wait, where are we, anyway?’
She suddenly looked around, trying to focus.
“Are we really going to see a doctor?”
“What?”
“This road goes to the market. I know because I used to have a workshop in Harlem district and came here a few times.”
Something was off. Kilian was the most powerful noble in Draxion, and she’d never heard about him getting treatment at the market.
‘Is there some famous doctor I don’t know about?’
Aisha wondered.
“I never said we were going to a hospital, Aisha Ashton.”
“What? Then where are we—?”
Aisha was about to ask when Kilian’s horse suddenly jumped with a loud neigh.
“Ahh!”
Aisha screamed in surprise.
“Wait, there was an obstacle—”
She hugged Kilian tightly without thinking.
“….”
“….”
The horse calmed down right away, but now the air between them was very awkward.
‘We’re way too close!’
She was practically pressing her face into Kilian’s chest. She could feel his strong chest muscles through his thin shirt and heard his heartbeat. Aisha quickly pulled her red face away, embarrassed.
Kilian, on the other hand, was frozen stiff like a mannequin.
“I’m sorry. I was just a little startled.”
“….”
“That… this horse is very smart. It can jump over obstacles on its own. Ha, ha.”
“….”
“Um… Duke?”
Did she make him upset? Aisha tried to figure out Kilian’s expression, but he looked as blank as ever, so she had no idea what he was thinking.
But for some reason… his ears seemed a little red…
“When we arrive…!”
Kilian suddenly spoke loudly.
“You’re really going to like it.”
“What? Like what?”
“It’s a place full of things you’ll like!”
“No, I mean, what is—?”
“Actually, you should hold onto me again. There are a lot of obstacles on the way to the market.”
…Were there really that many obstacles?
Aisha looked confused, but she didn’t refuse Kilian’s offer.
She carefully wrapped her arms around his waist. She could feel that Kilian’s body was a little tense.
‘…Is he nervous?’
Could Kilian Winters really be nervous?
Last time he was just worried she’d throw up on him.
‘Wait a second… Maybe…’
Maybe Kilian’s feelings for her had changed a bit too?
Her heart suddenly started racing like crazy, even though she knew it was risky to get her hopes up.
But Aisha wasn’t the kind of person to let fear get in the way of a good thing right in front of her.
‘Whatever. As long as I’m happy right now, that’s enough.’
She was an adult. She wouldn’t miss this chance!
“Um, I’m just holding you tightly because I’m scared. You understand, right? After all, you said it was okay. Right?”
“…Yeah.”
Aisha moved closer, and Kilian’s ears turned even redder, but she didn’t notice. Her face was buried in his chest.
Their exciting moment riding together didn’t last very long.
Before they knew it, they reached the entrance to the market. Kilian helped Aisha down from the horse.
“It’s been a long time since I came to the market.”
It felt like ages since she had a proper outing. Last time she only saw Hilda in the street for a few minutes.
“But today… the market looks kind of different?”
There were a lot of people—more than usual. Even some nobles.
Aisha narrowed her eyes. Kilian, who finally seemed relaxed again, looked at her and smiled.
“There’s an event.”
“An event?”
“I told you you’d like it. Come on, follow me. Oh, wait…”
He subtly reached out his hand to Aisha.
“There are a lot of people.”
“If we get separated, it’ll be a headache, right?”
Aisha stared for a moment at Kilian’s big, rough hand with scars and calluses.
“Of course, if you don’t want to…”
Aisha didn’t say anything.
Instead, she squeezed his hand tightly.
Kilian’s hand was rough, but very warm.
Like the spring sunlight shining over her head right now.
Kilian smiled softly. His ears were still as red as possible, but he didn’t even notice anymore.
“Let’s go.”
“Okay.”
Hand in hand, Aisha and Kilian started walking forward.
Both of them smiling the same smile.
