Chapter 54
Late at night, Khalid stood before her door, a trace of tension in his shoulders.
He was there to finally discuss the matter of his power—something they had postponed by mutual agreement.
When there was no reply even after he knocked, Khalid quietly opened the door so as not to startle her.
There she was, curled up in her blanket in the middle of the bed.
‘She must be really tired.’
He’d been afraid she might still be upset with him for some reason.
Then, Dalia stirred and slowly sat up. Still dressed in her nightclothes, her drowsy eyes told him she had just been about to fall asleep.
Lately, Dalia had gotten into the habit of reading in the library instead of bringing books into her bedroom, but judging from the open atlas beside her pillow, she had clearly been absorbed in her reading tonight.
“Am I too late?”
“Hmm… a little.”
Normally, she would have said it was fine and invited him in. This time, however, she simply glanced at the book and gave a small nod.
“Then maybe after you wake up…”
“No, it’s fine. I was going to the temple early in the morning anyway.”
So what would be best, he wondered.
She looked tired, and she would be leaving early tomorrow.
As he debated whether to postpone their talk again, Dalia spoke first.
“I think it’d be better to go to the temple before we talk.”
“Alright.”
Khalid simply nodded in agreement. Dalia studied him for a moment, then softened her tone.
“You seem to already have an idea what I want to talk about. You can wait a bit longer, can’t you?”
“Of course. But I’m worried about you. Take Roy with you.”
She hesitated at that.
She wanted Roy and Mary to get along while she was away—but she also wished for some time alone.
‘From what Mary said, Viscount Bourbon and Siray seem to be lying low for now. After that failed kidnapping and the thugs disappearing, they won’t dare act rashly again. If they try anything, it’ll probably be after I return to the capital.’
“Could you maybe assign someone else trustworthy to escort me instead of Roy?”
Khalid’s face grew serious.
“…You can’t?” she asked carefully.
If he insisted there was no other option, she’d relent and bring Roy anyway, understanding his concern.
But after a brief pause, Khalid snapped his fingers. When he opened his hand, a small pendant necklace lay there.
“If anything happens, just press this.”
“Is it a magic tool? Or a holy relic?”
Curious, Dalia tapped the pendant lightly, and Khalid gently fastened it around her neck.
“Even if it’s something small, don’t hesitate to use it. Alright?”
“Yes. I will.”
Then, for some reason, Dalia hesitated before lying back down.
“Then… good night.”
She closed her eyes right away, pretending to fall asleep.
Khalid lingered by the bedside, unsure. Dalia knew he would never climb into her bed without permission.
‘What if she has another nightmare…?’
More than wanting to stay beside her, he was simply worried.
“…”
He wanted to stay close, to watch over her, to comfort her—but Dalia firmly, wordlessly indicated that he should leave.
At last, Khalid hesitated, then quietly turned away. As he gently shut the door, he whispered,
“Good night.”
The door clicked shut.
Dalia stayed buried in her blanket until his footsteps faded completely—then her eyes popped open.
‘Ugh, honestly…’
The young lady who once had memories with Khalid turned out to be the daughter of the noble family that had saved him.
‘And she was just a child back then, not that it makes it any easier to hear…’
Judging by the fact that Khalid had even thought of hiring that young lady as one of her maids, there really was nothing between them.
Still, no matter how logically Dalia explained it to herself, she couldn’t stop the little flicker of irritation that rose up when her guard was down.
In this life, she had sworn to be honest about her feelings—to pursue what she wanted as long as it harmed no one.
‘But still, blurting it out like this would be ridiculous. It’s such a childish, unreasonable emotion.’
Groaning, she kicked her legs under the blanket a few times, then yanked it back up to cover her head and forced her eyes shut.
Meanwhile, Mary, tidying her own room with a cheerful hum, heard a faint noise outside and turned toward the door.
“My lady? …Oh, it’s you. Good evening.”
Her face lit up when she saw Khalid standing there.
She had already heard from Dalia how kind Khalid had been, and her spirits were high.
“Thank you so much for everything. I’ll never forget your kindness—”
“Now.”
“…Pardon?”
She hadn’t even finished her sentence. His reply came so quickly that she blinked in confusion.
“I’d like you to repay that favor now.”
He had come to a maid’s room in the middle of the night, asking her to return a favor—her lady’s supposed lover, no less.
‘What in the world…?’
Seeing her puzzled expression, Khalid quickly clarified.
“…It’s about Dalia.”
“Yes, yes! What about my lady?”
“She might… get lonely trying to fall asleep by herself. Could you stay with her tonight?”
Mary tilted her head, even more confused, and Khalid swallowed a sigh.
He considered words like frightened or troubled, but those felt too intrusive into Dalia’s private matters.
“Just… make sure she’s comfortable, that she’s not looking for anything she needs. Keep her company until she’s asleep.”
“Ah, I see. So that’s what this is about.”
Mary’s easy understanding made Khalid’s face relax slightly—until she turned toward Dalia’s room and said brightly,
“You don’t have to worry about that! Roy set up a pull cord for her to call me whenever she—”
She pointed toward where the cord should have been.
But her finger hung awkwardly in midair.
“Eh?”
Tilting her head, Mary walked closer and looked up at the ceiling.
‘Wait a minute… it’s gone?’
She distinctly remembered watching Roy install it earlier that day, pestering him the entire time with advice.
‘What? Did he take it down again? When? Why?’
As she stared at the ceiling in bafflement, Khalid cleared his throat behind her.
“Ah, well, there’s—never mind. I’ll go now.”
“Alright. I’m sorry to bother you so late. Just for tonight, please.”
“No trouble at all. I’ll stay with her until that thing gets reinstalled.”
Ordinarily, even the most pampered nobles didn’t like being watched while they slept—not because it was inefficient, but because showing one’s unguarded state felt too vulnerable.
‘My lady might not mind, but still… that Roy boy really is unreliable.’
Inwardly, Mary’s opinion of Roy dropped even lower.
“Thank you for telling me. I’ll go to her right away.”
“Good.”
Relieved, Khalid turned to leave. Mary gave him a polite bow.
“Then please have a peaceful night.”
Despite Roy’s carelessness, seeing how devoted Khalid was—worrying even about Dalia’s rest—set Mary’s heart at ease.
“Though really… what did he mean, she’s lonely?”
Soon after, Mary walked into Dalia’s room—just in time to see her lady kicking off her blanket, then pulling it back up again in frustration.
She began to understand why Khalid had looked so troubled.
“Hmm, my lady? I’m here.”
“Oh! You’re here. What brings you at this hour?”
Caught red-handed, Dalia forced a nonchalant smile and tried to straighten the hopelessly crumpled blanket.
“…It’s not working.”
No matter how she smoothed it, it stayed a mess.
Mary rested her chin on her hand and sat beside the bed.
“Something wrong, my lady?”
“No, it’s nothing…”
But when their eyes met, Dalia’s shoulders slumped.
It was impossible to maintain her composure under Mary’s teasingly warm expression—the same look she’d given Dalia since she was little.
Mary waited patiently as Dalia opened and closed her mouth a few times before finally burying her face in her hands.
This love between her lady and that “sir” of hers was clearly not ordinary.
‘To think my calm, composed lady could look like this…’
After a long pause, Dalia inhaled deeply and finally confessed.
“The truth is…”
Since she and Khalid had agreed not to reveal his true identity to Mary for now, Dalia glossed over the details, describing things as if he were simply an ordinary man with certain duties.
Mary listened intently at first, but as the story went on, the corners of her lips began to twitch… and by the end, she was trembling with suppressed laughter.
“…You can laugh,” Dalia said grumpily.
That was all the permission Mary needed—she bent double beside the bed, laughing softly until she nearly fell to the floor.
Because, really, her lady was just too adorable.
