Chapter 18
After that day, Roy continued to growl whenever he saw Dalia.
His face always carried the look of utter disgust as if he couldn’t stand her. Yet, he never neglected to bring her the things she needed, delivering them promptly. It seemed he was fighting some kind of fierce battle within himself.
“About Roy… is he going through puberty?”
Dalia asked.
Khalid let out a soft, deflating laugh.
“Roy? Isn’t that something only young humans experience?”
“He may look grown up, but he acts just like a child.”
Khalid thought about her words for a moment before nodding slightly.
“Now that you mention it… he really is still young.”
“He’s a beastman too, isn’t he? Then how old is he?”
“How old do you think?”
“Hmm… definitely younger than me… let’s see…”
Dalia’s serious pondering made Khalid smile faintly. He slid a plate toward her.
“Ah, thank you.”
“Eat plenty.”
“Yes.”
Just like that, thoughts of Roy’s age—something trivial—slipped quickly out of Dalia’s mind.
When she took a big bite of the muffin Khalid had baked, her face lit up with delight. His lips unconsciously softened at the sight. For some reason, his heart gave a faint, ticklish stir.
There was much about this young woman who had saved him that Khalid did not understand.
Why had she thrown herself into saving a complete stranger when she already seemed overwhelmed with her own survival?
‘She does possess divine power, small though it may be. And she carries a holy relic as well. It seems Tempus has been playing one of his little tricks again.’
But that was something he would discover in time.
Strangely enough, Dalia’s sudden intrusion into his daily life was not annoying. If anything, he welcomed it. He wanted to keep filling this mansion with the things she might like, to avoid anything that would upset her, and to preserve this rare moment of peace.
“I have somewhere to be this afternoon.”
“Alright, have a safe trip.”
Her breezy reply made Khalid pause mid-motion as he reached for his napkin. Then, without a word, he leaned forward and brushed something from the corner of her lips with his thumb. Crumbs had smeared across her mouth without her noticing.
Dalia frowned in self-reproach. To eat so sloppily, without manners…
Khalid quickly withdrew his hand, mistaking her expression.
“Was it because I touched you? Forgive me. I still find human etiquette difficult.”
“No, that’s not it…”
When her eyes met his—his shoulders lowered in apology, his gaze quietly searching hers—her words caught in her throat.
Yes, she had been careless. But at the same time, his gesture was far too intimate for a man and woman who were little more than strangers.
Back in her past life, after all she had suffered, she had never let her guard down around men. Yet with him, for reasons she could not explain, she felt… safe. Perhaps too safe.
She knew he didn’t really need anyone tending to him, and yet they spent so much time together anyway.
Why?
‘Why are you so kind to me?’
The question remained lodged in her heart, though she dared not voice it. She was afraid to hear the answer, afraid it might shatter this delicate, unreal balance.
“Then… will you teach me?”
His quiet request carried a boyish tinge, as if he were asking her to guide him.
“…Alright.”
“And, I would like you to come with me this afternoon.”
“Me?”
“Yes.”
“Won’t I just get in the way?”
“No. With you there, things will go more smoothly.”
She tilted her head, not quite understanding. Khalid smiled.
“We’re going to restock your belongings. Starting with a dressmaker. Unless you’d prefer I call one here.”
“I already have enough clothes and things.”
“But they don’t fit properly, do they? You’ll be leaving here soon, and once you’re outside, you’ll need clothes that suit you.”
She glanced down at the oversized clothes she wore. Comfortable, yes—but ill-fitting, like a child swallowed by an adult’s attire. Even in the capital, where fashions varied wildly, she would stand out for all the wrong reasons.
‘I do have a little money… but I should save it for settling down. Better not spend it now.’
After a moment’s thought, Dalia nodded.
“I’ll pay you back later.”
“Didn’t you wish for money as one of your three wishes?”
“I asked to borrow it, not have it given to me. I’ll repay you.”
“Alright.”
“With interest.”
“…Fine. But I’ll collect my interest in something other than money.”
He laughed softly, almost boyishly. She frowned—did he expect something outrageous? Still, before she could question it further, Khalid rose from his chair.
“Finished eating?”
“Yes.”
“They say dragons can live on dew alone, but you really do eat so little.”
“Do I?”
“Yes.”
“Then I’ll eat more next time.”
He took a few steps, then suddenly leaned close behind her chair.
‘Do I still have crumbs on my face?’
Instinctively, she raised her hand to wipe, but he gently brushed it aside. Instead, he pressed his lips briefly against her cheek.
Soft warmth lingered on her skin before she even registered what had happened.
“…”
Her eyes widened. She snapped her head up to glare at him. But his black eyes remained calm, unnervingly calm.
“Come downstairs when you’re ready.”
With that, he left the room, utterly unbothered, leaving her stunned in her seat.
Through the door, she heard Aron’s voice—murmuring reports, Khalid answering in his low tone. The sounds faded down the corridor.
She sat frozen, then suddenly leapt to her feet.
‘What was that?!’
Her chair clattered to the ground.
“Th-That shameless…!”
A one-sided kiss, given so lightly, as if it meant nothing. How could he…?
Flushing furiously, Dalia pressed the back of her hand to her burning cheek. No, this was not something she could simply ignore. If he didn’t understand the gravity of his actions, she would have to make it clear.
She remembered the day he had undressed so casually in front of her—had he already forgotten how she had reacted then?
‘This won’t do. I can’t let this continue.’
Her knife gleamed in her hand as she steadied herself, then calmly finished her meal. Rudeness would not keep her from appreciating a fine banquet, after all.
Once she had composed herself, she straightened her clothes and descended the stairs with firm resolve.
Roy’s sarcastic quips barely registered; her mind was too full of Khalid.
“What’s wrong with her…?” Roy muttered behind her.
Dalia waved him off distractedly, checking her loose sleeves.
“These sleeves are far too big.”
She raised her arms. The wide cuffs slid all the way down to her elbows, leaving her pale forearms exposed.
“It shows too much.”
“Shows what?”
“Ah!”
She spun around. Khalid was standing right behind her.
“You startled me!”
“Sorry.”
He stepped back immediately, expression open and sincere. His simple apology softened her tone.
“Don’t come up so suddenly again. And don’t touch me carelessly. Especially not what you did earlier. Understood?”
“Earlier?”
“At the table! When you—on my face!”
“…That’s not allowed?”
“Of course not!”
Her firm voice made him blink. In truth, Khalid was baffled.
He had only practiced what one of the few humans he’d met—the daughter of the Northern Border Duke—had taught him. She insisted it was the most natural greeting between close companions: to kiss a woman’s cheek.
Apparently, it was a custom only in her region.
‘So that’s why Aron opposed making her Dalia’s attendant. Their customs were too different.’
But Khalid didn’t argue. Instead, he simply nodded, earnest as ever.
“Alright. I understand.”
His expression was so guileless that Dalia’s anger melted away instantly. Her fierce resolve to scold him wavered, leaving her feeling as though she had been dreaming with her eyes open.
‘Fine. He really didn’t know. And he promised not to do it again. It won’t happen anymore.’
“Then, let’s go.”
She stepped ahead into the carriage.
Her stiff, awkward movements creaked like rusted metal. Aron nudged Khalid with an elbow.
“What did you do this time, my lord?”
“Nothing.”
Khalid raised both hands in innocence.
Yet each time Dalia smiled, he still felt the pull—the urge to follow the “northern custom” once more.
But since she disliked it, he could endure.
