Chapter 50
“……Pardon?”
“Isn’t this a terrible date? I mean, for a lady.”
What kind of question was that to ask so bluntly? Odelia stared at Gideon in disbelief. He asked it so calmly that she didn’t even feel offended—just completely speechless.
Then Alan quickly cut in.
“How can you say something like that, Gideon? You’re making Lady Odelia uncomfortable. My deepest apologies.”
Alan looked sincerely flustered as he bowed his head toward Odelia. Watching him, Odelia tilted her head slightly.
“It’s fine.”
Then she picked up her beer mug and gulped it down. The cool liquid ran down her throat, and the empty mug landed on the table with a hollow clunk. She was used to speaking in circles and saying things politely. But being asked so directly for once—it was almost refreshing.
“Well… It’s true that everyone knows I’m looking for a husband,” she said. “So yes, I suppose I have to marry someone eventually.”
Gideon chuckled.
“Still, that condition is downright childish and petty. Instead of thanking the hero, they’re making marriage a condition and delaying any reward? Unbelievable.”
“Do those snobbish nobles ever bother you? Look down on you?”
“Anyone who tries that should get their nose smashed in, seriously.”
A few of Alan’s friends chimed in jokingly, and soon the atmosphere turned lively. The tavern was full of drunken laughter and noisy chatter.
Odelia sipped her drink, surrounded by the cheerful crowd, but her body wasn’t feeling quite right that day. Even after just a few glasses, her cheeks were flushed. Setting her mug down, she noticed that Alan and Gideon had disappeared somewhere.
Maybe I should get some air.
She rose quietly from her seat and stepped outside.
The night air was cool, and the chill seemed to clear her head. The sky was dark now, scattered with twinkling stars.
Odelia lifted her gaze toward them absentmindedly. Maybe it was the alcohol, or maybe it was just the stillness of the night, but something about it made her feel a little sentimental.
Then her eyes dropped to the strip of cloth still wrapped around her ankle.
Her ankle—once sprained earlier that day—was fine now. But she couldn’t stop staring at that bandage the mysterious man had tied for her.
She hadn’t even seen his face properly, yet somehow she couldn’t shake the feeling that it had been Calix.
‘How ridiculous,’ she thought. ‘As if he’d show up every time I’m in danger.’
Even she knew it was absurd.
But there was a reason she couldn’t help hoping.
“Let me do it.”
“You’re shaking from the pain. Stay still.”
It was during one of the battles.
She’d been wounded in almost the exact same place—not from a sprain, but from an enemy arrow grazing her ankle.
“It’ll hurt. You’ll have to bear it—I need to pull it out.”
“…Ugh…”
“If I don’t, you’ll never walk properly again. So I have to do it now. If it’s too painful, lean on my shoulder. Don’t look—it’ll only make it worse.”
Somehow, in her delirium, she’d actually buried her face against the Crown Prince’s shoulder. She’d been half-conscious from pain, but she still remembered the way his hands had wrapped her ankle, bandaging it with steady, careful movements.
And the touch of that man earlier—it had felt exactly the same.
That was the problem.
“Haa…”
If it really had been him, she’d be angry rather than grateful.
Because he kept confusing her—making it impossible to hate him properly.
As she sighed under the starlight, a faint rustling came from the woods nearby.
Probably the wind… or a small animal, she thought.
But then—
“Haah… can’t breathe… ah…”
A stifled groan broke the silence.
That voice—it sounded like Alan’s.
‘Don’t tell me he’s collapsed from drinking? Or—worse—been attacked?!’
Heart pounding, Odelia crept closer, careful not to make a sound. Pushing aside a few branches, she caught sight of two silhouettes.
Two people—locked in a kiss.
Gideon and Alan.
Odelia froze. Her mind went blank.
Was she really seeing this?
She just stood there, staring at them in disbelief.
The soft sound of their lips meeting filled the quiet forest, and Odelia couldn’t scream, couldn’t run—she just stood rooted to the spot.
Maybe… maybe I saw it wrong. Maybe they tripped and fell, or… maybe Alan was choking and Gideon was giving him mouth-to-mouth…
Even though she knew how ridiculous it sounded, her brain clung to any excuse it could find.
Then—crack!
Her foot snapped a dry twig.
The sharp sound sliced through the silence. Gideon’s head whipped around instantly.
Their eyes met—his gaze piercing through the dark.
Alan, still dazed, followed Gideon’s gaze and turned toward her.
“Why… you…”
Before he could even finish his sentence, his face went white.
Odelia bowed quickly.
“I—I’m so sorry! You were gone so long, I thought maybe you’d been attacked, or, or—no, of course you wouldn’t be! That was presumptuous of me! I’m terribly sorry!”
Tripping over her own words, she clutched her skirts and bolted toward the tavern.
She was panting by the time she looked over her shoulder—only to gasp as she saw the two men chasing after her, eyes flashing with intensity.
‘What the—why are they coming after me like that?!’
They looked so frighteningly fast that Odelia honestly thought she might die if they caught her. She didn’t care that her shoes were slipping off—she just ran faster and faster until she reached the waiting carriage.
Without hesitation, she yanked the door open and climbed inside, slamming it shut—
—or almost.
Bang! Gideon’s hand caught the door before it could close.
“Lady Odelia. I’m sorry.”
His disheveled hair and the dangerous glint in his eyes made her heart leap to her throat.
“Don’t!”
Alan’s desperate shout echoed from behind.
Then Gideon reached out toward Odelia—
—and crack!
The one who went flying was Gideon himself.
“Gideon! I told you not to! She’s a hero, remember?!”
Because Odelia, acting on instinct, had ducked and thrown a solid punch straight into his face.
She stood there, fist still clenched, watching warily as Alan helped the dazed Gideon to his feet. A thin line of blood glimmered at Gideon’s lip.
“We didn’t mean to frighten you,” Gideon said, brushing his hair back. “It seems there’s been a misunderstanding. I just… didn’t want to let you leave without explaining.”
Odelia hesitated, then finally spoke.
“Then… come inside. Let’s talk.”
The two men looked visibly relieved but still awkward, exchanging glances before asking timidly, “Are you sure that’s all right?”
When Odelia gave a small nod, they climbed hesitantly into the carriage.
Odelia, still tense, sat across from them. Silence stretched on for a long moment.
Then Alan finally began to speak.
Just as she’d suspected—the two were lovers. They’d been together for years, hiding their relationship under the guise of friendship.
They usually kept a low profile, but tonight—perhaps because they’d drunk too much, or maybe because they were simply in high spirits—they’d let their guard down.
And for that, they sincerely apologized for startling her.
