Chapter – 63
“Then Sian took over, apparently. Of course, when I went to the gambling group, everyone spoke about it like it was some kind of legend. No one had actually met you, but they said it seemed like you were pulling the strings behind the scenes.”
“So… I gathered all the local gamblers and merged them into one group?”
She felt utterly wronged—she had never done such a thing, yet it made a kind of sense.
Kyle spoke again.
“We’ll have to figure out why it was written that way eventually.”
“Kyle, you’re not seriously thinking I was actually running a gambling group, are you?”
“Well… I can’t be sure.”
He said it jokingly and smiled, but Di didn’t seem to sense the joke. She looked terrified.
“Ugh, I still haven’t escaped the death threats…”
“What are you talking about?”
“You said you kill anyone who deceives the king, right? Didn’t you? If the priestess was a former gambling gang member, wouldn’t that be straight-up death?”
Di, who found telling the truth the hardest thing in the world, shivered at the thought that she might be executed due to a misunderstanding.
Kyle had meant to scold her for such a terrible joke, but instead, his expression stiffened as he asked Di:
“Do you really think I could actually kill you?”
“Huh? Yeah.”
Her answer, as if it were obvious, made Kyle’s expression noticeably tense. When he didn’t respond, Di misunderstood again.
“Could it be… he really thinks I created that gambling group? Well, I guess it would make sense if the gang said so…”
While she worried about how to explain the truth, Kyle finally spoke after a heavy pause:
“Are you scared of me right now?”
He had never been the type to be particularly charming, but he had always thought Di, who was lively and cheerful, wouldn’t be afraid of him at all. He even considered her a good friend now.
Sure, his younger brother Jin, his constant companion Zeder, and even his long-time friend Rian all flinched when they saw him. But he didn’t want Di to react like that. He wanted to be a man who caused her no unease at all.
He didn’t really know why. He just hoped for it.
When Kyle’s expression grew heavy after asking, Di’s eyes widened.
“Right now? I’m not scared right now.”
She tilted her head, clearly not understanding why he would ask such a thing.
Kyle, unprepared for a reply, muttered something unnecessary.
“Well… my face isn’t very good-looking.”
“When I haven’t done anything wrong, even if you’re the king, I’m not scared of you at all. And your face… it’s not really that bad. Your eyes are fierce, but now I know you’re not a bad guy.”
Kyle’s expression stiffened again, this time in surprise. Di continued:
“Now, when I’m in danger, you’re the first one I think of.”
“….”
Her words made Kyle so happy that a smile spread across his face, but he quickly covered it with his hands. Turning away, he said:
“Don’t lie. When you’re scared, you call Amila first.”
“When I’m scared in the moment, it’s Amila. When I’m scared long-term, it’s you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Kyle chuckled, and Di said:
“So even if I were really the founder of a gambling gang, you wouldn’t kill me, right?”
“I wouldn’t. But are you really you?”
“Definitely not.”
“Right, it would be stranger if it really were you.”
“…So you’re teasing me knowing that?”
Di pouted and pushed Kyle from behind as he walked ahead. A big smile spread across his face.
When they emerged from the forest, Roxanne said she had somewhere to go and disappeared, leaving just the two of them. Kyle pointed to the horse he had tied at the forest entrance.
“There’s only one horse, so we have to ride together.”
“Isn’t that animal abuse?”
“If the horse can’t carry you, how would it pull the carriage?”
He scolded her teasingly and gestured for her to get on. Di grumbled as she struggled to mount the large horse, which was probably harder to get on than she expected.
“When Jin helped me mount a horse, he made steps with his hands. You two aren’t alike at all.”
“….”
“I’m not used to horses, so how could I help?”
Embarrassed by her correct remark, Kyle muttered,
“Did he also complain about animal abuse when you rode with him?”
“Jin’s a beautiful boy. Unlike you, he’s delicate.”
“Right… sorry for not being delicate.”
By the time they reached the border village, there was no suitable lodging, so they went further south, arriving after noon. Kyle, though awkward with women, quickly learned to steady Di when she dismounted the horse.
Di bought a robe at the village entrance and gave Kyle her previous robe, which was too large and heavy for her shoulders. She threw off her wig, and her long blonde hair fell in the sunlight. She shook it out with her hands.
“Ah, feels like I can breathe again. I was suffocating.”
She wanted to buy new clothes, explaining that she had worn the same outfit for days for her disguise and now wanted to clean herself and change. Kyle watched her carefully.
“Then let’s go buy clothes. The market’s close by.”
“Ah, I love going to the market!”
The northeast village market was lively. Di, who liked exploring markets with maids, dragged Kyle into a stall selling simple daily clothes made from a single piece of cloth tied with strings. They were plain, and only the dye varied slightly.
Di held up two dresses, seriously debating which to choose.
“Which one looks better?”
“What’s different?”
“Different? This one’s pale yellow, this one’s mustard.”
“They’re both yellow.”
“Are you colorblind?”
Di looked genuinely concerned. Kyle, unable to tell, noticed her worried gaze and looked away. The shopkeeper noticed them too—they were clearly nobles, buying cheap dresses, which he found strange. And the man insisted the two dresses were the same color, clearly stingy.
After some deliberation, Di chose the pale yellow dress and excitedly told the shopkeeper:
“How did you get this color? So cute…”
“It’s dyed with onions.”
“Wow, that’s amazing.”
Kyle forced himself to pay the price, and they left. Di fiddled with the dress, saying:
“It’s so cute, right?”
“What’s cute about it?”
“Just… cute!”
She pouted at him for not helping, then said:
“I’ll wash up and take a nap first. You go eat.”
“I’m not hungry either, so I’ll rest too.”
They decided to rest at nearby lodging. The first floor was a restaurant, and the second floor had rooms. The winter sea breeze entered through the windows.
Di took a warm bath, dressed in her new clothes, and neatly adjusted the dress’s straps and hem with thread and a needle borrowed from the innkeeper. They slept soundly until sunset, then headed to the market.
Di, refreshed and in new clothes, urged the hungry Kyle:
“Come on. You’ll collapse on the street if you keep going like this.”
Instead of eating at the inn, she led him to a vendor grilling thinly sliced ham on a buttered iron plate.
“I saw this when we bought clothes. Let’s eat this first.”
“Weren’t you dragging me around for seafood?”
“When I go to the market, I try everything. You’ll see.”
She ordered a sandwich layered with grilled ham, basil, and cheese, cut in half to share.
“Here. Appetizer.”
The aroma was incredible. Kyle, starving, took a bite. The strong cheese smell barely mattered once he was hungry.
Di took half and led him to a nearby seafood restaurant. Sitting by the window, she laughed:
“Ha! I wasn’t telling you to escape?”
“Not at all. You know how ridiculous that was?”
“You did something smart for once. What’s wrong with you?”
“Just kidding. I’ll let you go soon.”
“Where do kings learn to be this mischievous?”
Di noticed all the glances from people outside. Kyle smiled in response. She also realized just how much attention he drew from women. Kyle seemed unaware, probably thinking it was normal.
Di pointed to the sky.
“Ah! Stars!”
It was just an ordinary night with stars, but when she pointed them out, Kyle looked too and smiled. Di chuckled quietly at his attentiveness, thinking he was unnecessarily kind. She rested her chin and gazed out at the stars.
