Chapter 35
“No.”
At his firm voice, Elia swallowed faintly and lowered her gaze, though her eyes still held a trace of reluctant longing.
“Oh my, won’t you try some? This wine is one we brewed ourselves. The name is so romantic, too.”
“A romantic name, you say?”
“Hehe, it’s called An Unforgettable Memory.”
“Ah, that truly is a beautiful name.”
Elia gazed at the wineglass with eyes that sparkled like a child staring at candy, her desire even greater than before.
A sweet scent drifted up from the wine. It didn’t seem like a fruit wine, but it had a curiously refreshing, almost sharp fragrance.
With Elia between them, a subtle war of nerves brewed between Skadi and Felix.
Felix kept his large hand wrapped around the glass, resisting Skadi’s continued urging.
Then Elia murmured and gave one of his thick fingers a gentle tap.
“…Just a little.”
Felix stared at her in surprise, his gaze boring into her, and there was even a faint flush along his neck.
Taking advantage of the slack in his grip, Elia quickly snatched the glass and took a sip.
“Wow!”
The liquid touched her tongue, soft and sweet like its scent, before sliding down her throat.
Skadi burst into laughter at the sight of her wide-eyed surprise.
“Haha. I’ll have to go brag now that even the Grand Duchess has approved of our wine.”
Felix clicked his tongue shortly, displeased with Skadi’s amusement, but when Elia looked so blissful enjoying the taste, he couldn’t bring himself to stop her.
By the time she had slowly drained the glass, Lucas came up and whispered something into Felix’s ear.
Meanwhile, at the table across from Elia, the noise was reaching a fever pitch. The men there weren’t just talking loudly—they were practically shouting at each other.
It sounded like playful banter, but with their big voices, they clearly didn’t know how to keep the volume down.
“You think you can even do this? Look at this!”
“Why wouldn’t I be able to?! Even you can do it!”
Whik, whik.
Whether from drunkenness or bravado, they began spinning thin knives in their hands, showing off tricks. One man even grabbed three more knives, juggling them between his hands.
It was while they were watching the blades arc through the air—
“Uh-oh…?”
“Careful! Hey—!”
A slightly younger-looking man who had been trying to copy the others dropped his knife. The blade spun through the air in a neat parabola—straight toward Elia.
I— I need to move…!
But startled, she couldn’t react in time. She squeezed her eyes shut and threw her arms up to cover her face.
Clang!
In that instant, a shadow and a wave of warmth enveloped her.
When she opened her eyes, Felix was holding her in his arms, shielding her. And standing right in front of him was Skadi, holding a silver tray—apparently having deflected the knife with it.
A heavy silence fell over the restaurant. The men who had been playing with the knives stood frozen, their faces ashen.
Bang!
Grinding her teeth, Skadi slammed her palm against the table.
“Are you out of your mind? Do you have a death wish?”
“S-s-sorry!”
“…I apologize.”
The men, pale as death, bent deeply at the waist in apology. Skadi snatched the knife from the table and strode toward them.
Felix’s brows knitted as he glared at Skadi with eyes full of menace.
But when he felt the trembling woman in his arms, his gaze immediately softened with concern as it shifted back to Elia.
“I—I’m fine. I’m not hurt. You protected me…”
As his searching gaze swept over her, Elia gently pushed at his chest and stammered,
“…You should step outside for a moment.”
His face looked the same as usual, but his voice had dropped to a dangerously low register.
“…Are you angry?”
By then, Skadi had grabbed the collar of a man with light brown hair, dragged him forward, and threw him to the floor.
“Kneel. Beg.”
“I-I was wrong! I’m sorry, madam!”
The man trembled so hard his voice shook as he bowed his head repeatedly.
“My subordinate made a terrible mistake, Your Grace, Lady Lloyd.”
“Please forgive me, madam, I was truly at fault.”
“No, I…”
Elia glanced between the man and Felix with uneasy eyes.
Shing.
“There’s no need for that. I have no intention of forgiving you.”
Felix cut her off and drew the sword at his hip, leveling it at the man’s neck.
“Wait! Your Grace! No one was hurt, was they? Please calm down.”
“Calm down? You could have been hurt right in front of me. How could I possibly calm down?”
The burly man quaked as the blade bit lightly into his neck, a trickle of blood sliding down. He might actually kill him—
“…Please give my subordinate a chance to atone for his mistake.”
Skadi, who had been standing beside the man, dropped to her knees and bowed deeply. Her men, still drunk, followed suit one by one.
Unable to watch any longer, Elia clutched the sleeve holding Felix’s sword.
“Fel, I’m really fine. Please?”
Felix looked at her with a pained expression, as if he couldn’t understand her.
“See? They’re sincerely apologizing.”
“You almost died just now.”
“No, I didn’t. Not with you right beside me.”
“You really are…!”
“Fel, please!”
At her earnest plea, Felix raked his hair back and swallowed down his fury.
The room was heavy with silence, everyone holding their breath.
After a long pause, Elia reached out her hand to Skadi, still kneeling.
“…I’m grateful for your help, Lady Lloyd.”
Even after drinking, Skadi bowed without a hint of disorder.
She really knows exactly how to smooth over a situation like this. Is that how she gained everyone’s trust and became the head of a merchant guild?
Elia understood at least part of Skadi’s thinking, but she simply wanted to let it go. There was no need for Felix to stain his hands with blood, especially since there was no malice and they had received an apology.
Behind her came Felix’s sigh and the rough sound of his sword sliding into its scabbard, as though to show he didn’t approve.
“You—come with me for a moment.”
His brusque tone made her nod immediately, and he seized her wrist, pulling her outside.
“…What were you thinking, forgiving them?”
“It’s not that—I just didn’t think it was worth taking someone’s head over.”
“No, it was worth more than that.”
At his flat assertion, Elia let out a small laugh.
“…Even in a situation like this, knowing you were angry on my behalf makes me strangely happy. It’s just my selfishness—I didn’t want you to dirty your hands.”
“….”
“Is that way of thinking unbecoming of a Grand Duchess?”
“Yes. You can’t afford such naive thoughts, even if it’s because of me.”
Felix repeated his “no” with firm resolve, then turned away with a heavy sigh. But Elia’s soft touch on his arm stopped him in his tracks.
“Sigh… you won’t even let me get properly angry. Fine, the party’s over. You don’t object, do you?”
“Of course not, Fel. I think the party ended ages ago.”
She cast a brief glance at the unusually quiet door, about to suggest they return, when—
Clunk.
The door opened and Skadi stepped up to Elia.
“Lady Lloyd. I’ve been thinking about how to settle this matter, for the sake of our relationship.”
“Ah, yes.”
“It’s hard to know how to beg forgiveness for such rudeness on our first meeting. So, I’ll put it down as a debt.”
“A… debt?”
Skadi nodded silently, then bowed again.
“And I sincerely apologize.”
When she straightened, her gaze was steady as she met Elia’s eyes.
“Oh, no. It’s fine. In all the chaos earlier, I didn’t even get to thank you. Thank you for saving me, Skadi.”
Felix’s brows were still furrowed, but Elia found Skadi’s composed manner oddly likable.
“If you have time, could we have a private chat?”
“…At this hour?”
“There are things I’d like to discuss, just between us.”
A faint tension seemed to pass between Felix and Skadi.
This might be a good chance to learn more about Skadi.
“Since it’s a bit dangerous at night, why don’t we all go together?”
“….”
Felix met her gaze without answering for a moment. When she looked at him pleadingly, he finally shook his head in resignation.
“Fine. If it’s only for a short while…”
Felix muttered the words while casting Skadi a slightly wary glance. The only one smiling between them was Elia.
