Chapter 39
I shook my head and hesitantly stepped back.
Kindness was nice, but when it went too far, it became a problem.
Right now, he was about to offer me kindness to such an excessive degree that it made me panic.
“I-I’m… not cold.”
“What are you talking about? Your face is pale right now.”
That’s your fault!
I felt the words about to slip out and quickly turned my head aside to avoid his gaze.
He took my wrist and pulled me forward.
Without resistance, I was turned around by Tirchen and drawn into his arms from behind.
The coat was perfectly fitted to his size, so it couldn’t completely wrap around me, but it blocked the wind from both sides at least.
“You’ll be warm in no time.”
His voice came from above my head.
I had been in his arms when we left the cave, but it hadn’t felt like this then.
My breath kept catching, so I silently counted numbers in my head and slowly controlled my breathing.
Rumor had it he didn’t have the slightest interest in women, but I was beginning to wonder if that was nonsense.
If you looked at his curt way of speaking or cold expression, the rumors seemed true—but if you looked at his actions, you couldn’t help but doubt them.
He was so adept at handling women, so practiced, that I couldn’t shake my suspicions.
After a moment, the other three came out of the cave.
Teus and Kais were supporting her on either side.
Drenched from head to toe, Delina’s hair was a mess, and though she was shivering, she still glared at me with venom in her eyes.
“Elicia…”
When Teus met my eyes, he spoke my name softly and said no more.
He had looked unwell since the first time we met on the beach, but now his complexion was even darker.
Since Tirchen’s arms were crossed in front of me, I couldn’t move an inch.
I wanted to ask Teus what was wrong, but Tirchen made no move to release me.
“Please let go for a moment. I think I need to speak with Teus.”
A low, displeased sigh came from above my head, but Tirchen did finally loosen his arms.
Once I was free, I walked over to Teus.
“Teus, why do you look so grim? Did something bad happen?”
“No. I just never had the chance to make sure you’ve fully recovered, so… I’ve been worried.”
“You’ve been watching me bounce around energetically since we met at the festival yesterday, and you still say that?”
“I guess… I’ve just been overly worried.”
I understood his concern and laughed aloud.
The Khan Kingdom was only three days away from the Netor Empire, so news of my illness must have reached him quickly.
Since he couldn’t return early because of merchant business, he must have been burning with worry.
If I had heard he was bedridden in the Khan Kingdom, I would have spent sleepless nights worrying too.
“I’m really all better now. I’m so glad I got to meet you here. Let’s finish what we didn’t get to say once we’re back in the capital.”
“Alright. I’ll go ahead and wait for you there. There’s also something I really want to tell you.”
“Something you want to say? Can’t you say it now?”
“I’ll tell you when you return to the capital.”
“Okay.”
Since he wasn’t saying it now, it didn’t seem like anything urgent.
“I think we should end this walk here.”
Tirchen came up behind me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders.
It was a bit uncomfortable to have him keep touching me in front of others, but I decided to bear it—after all, I’d have to get used to it.
But his grip on my shoulder was tighter than necessary.
The mood radiating from him was also noticeably colder than before.
I had noticed yesterday at the festival—Tirchen didn’t seem to like Teus.
Well, Teus’s warmth and Tirchen’s chill were polar opposites, so maybe it made sense.
“Take care, Teus. I’ll see you soon in the capital.”
Afraid the two opposites might exchange words and spark a fight, I quickly said goodbye to Teus.
Before he could even reply, Tirchen lifted me onto his horse.
Watching the two of them grow distant, Teus clenched his fist.
The moment he had heard Elicia’s engagement had been broken, he had resolved to confess his feelings this time—to stay by her side.
But he worried he might already be too late again.
Behind him, Delina’s shrill complaints rang out.
“Uuugh, it’s freezing! I’m going to catch a cold!”
“Oh my, if you catch a cold, that will be quite troublesome indeed.”
His exaggerated gestures didn’t match his tone—Kais’s voice carried not a trace of genuine concern.
“Did you throw your knightly chivalry into a soup pot or something?”
When her words didn’t faze Kais, Delina turned her attacks on Teus.
But with his mind full of thoughts of Elicia, Teus had no energy to deal with her.
“Take care of yourself. I have a long way to go, so I’ll be off.”
“A lady says she’s cold, and you can’t even give her your coat?”
Delina shouted outright now, but Teus didn’t even seem to hear her.
He swung up onto his horse and rode off toward the merchant inn.
While Delina’s attention was on Teus, Kais quickly mounted his own horse.
Sensing his intent, Delina stepped in front of him to block the way.
“You’re just going to leave me here alone?”
“Your coachman is waiting up on the hill. Wouldn’t it be better to take the carriage instead of riding? You’d be warmer that way.”
Following his pointing finger, she saw her carriage parked above.
The slope they were on was too steep for it, so the coachman was looking down at them from above.
“Then take me up there.”
“That’s not a good idea. If my back gets soaked because of you, I’ll catch a cold too, won’t I?”
“So you want me to walk all the way up there?”
“I’ll go up and send the coachman down.”
While she was glancing up the hill, Kais turned his horse.
“Please wait here for a moment.”
Before she could block him again, Kais quickly rode off.
By the time the coachman came running down the slope, Kais was already riding toward the villa.
When Kais had shrunk to the size of a fingertip in the distance, the coachman arrived in front of Delina.
“Give me your coat.”
“…Pardon?”
The coachman blinked, confused.
“I said give me your coat! I’m freezing!”
At her sharp shout, the coachman hastily stripped off his outer garment.
“Y-Yes, my lady!”
Delina snatched it from his hands and pulled it over her head.
All the way to the carriage, the coachman had to endure her endless griping, and once inside, her maid took over the thankless duty.
Even after a hot bath back at the inn, Delina was sniffling under the blankets.
“This is all because of that Mares woman. I was colder, so why did she get to wear His Grace’s coat? I won’t let this go. I’ll remember this and make her pay!”
That night, the maid attending her also caught her cold, and in their shabby inn room, the sound of sniffling lasted until morning.
With the sea turning crimson in a beautiful sunset, I sat across from Roena at the tea table.
When we returned to the villa, Tirchen had gone into the study and hadn’t come out.
His arms had been warm when he blocked the wind for me, but the chill in his demeanor had never thawed.
Roena poured tea into the pre-warmed cup and slid it toward me.
She was five years younger than I was, but her knowledge of tea was astonishing.
“Most young ladies don’t know much about tea, but you’re impressive, Roena.”
“Actually, I’m more interested in plants themselves than tea.”
“Plants?”
“Yes. The tea I gave you before wasn’t a typical tea, you know.”
I nodded automatically as she spoke.
I had never heard of such a strange tea—it was more like medicine than a beverage, considering its effects.
“Did you study medicinal herbs?”
“Yes. I was fascinated by how mixing different things could create entirely new effects. I started with ordinary medicinal herbs, and now I have my own special methods.”
“You’re not making poisons or anything like that, right?”
“I don’t make poisons, but I do know which plants contain toxic components.”
Speaking about herbs, Roena exuded the air of an expert.
It wasn’t an easy feat even for adults, so she seemed truly remarkable.
“If you’re interested, I can teach you too.”
She offered kindly, but I shook my head.
“No, I like drinking tea, but I don’t want to make it myself.”
“Then from now on, I’ll make your tea for you. Just tell me anytime what kind you want.”
“Thank you.”
“What are you thanking her for?”
Kais, coming in from outside, had caught the tail end of our conversation and approached with a curious look.
Tirchen, who had been shut away in the study all afternoon, was with him.
“We were just talking about tea.”
“Oh, that! Be careful.”
“Careful?”
“Never drink Roena’s untested experimental blends. I once drank one and ended up glued to the toilet for three days. Even now, I break into a cold sweat just thinking about it.”
“Haha, I’ll take your advice to heart.”
“Hmm, Lady Elicia, you have such a lovely smile. You should smile like that all the time.”
My cheeks warmed at Kais’s compliment.
I knew full well he was only being polite.
I wasn’t putting any deeper meaning into his words, but I wasn’t used to compliments, so even a casual remark like that made me happy.
Maybe to others I looked foolish for it.
I turned my head to hide my awkwardness—and met Tirchen’s gaze.
He was glaring at me so coldly it made me flinch.
From where Tirchen stood, Elicia and Kais didn’t seem particularly close.
There was nothing in their conversation that was worth being bothered by.
At first, he listened without any feeling.
But when Elicia blushed and smiled shyly at Kais’s words, an unpleasant surge welled up inside him.
Even recalling their exchange, there wasn’t anything to criticize.
Is she really that happy just because Kais called her pretty? It’s not even anything new—why is she blushing over that?
He couldn’t understand why such a trivial thing was getting under his skin.
“Do you want some tea too, brother?”
“No. I feel more like drinking wine.”
Irritation he couldn’t explain made Tirchen sharper than usual, even toward his sister Roena.
“Did something upset you? Should I make you a calming tea?”
“I said I want wine.”
Tirchen’s voice grew even more curt.
Roena’s smile quickly faded.
