CH:44
Eugenia held her breath.
She couldn’t tear her gaze away from Enrique’s blue eyes staring straight into hers.
‘Such a pretty color.’
They reminded her of the pair of jewels they were wearing.
Cold, yet mysterious.
She felt like she would be drawn into that vortex just by staring at it too long, as if her senses were slipping away.
‘Maybe I already have.’
Yes.
It felt like she was drowning in water.
Weightless, with all strength draining from her body.
She felt like she might simply melt away—if not for Enrique’s two hands, holding her firmly in place.
And then—
Eugenia suddenly felt something hard beneath her buttocks.
Startled, she straightened up. The hair that had been trapping the two of them fell away, and it felt like she was pulled back to reality.
Eugenia glanced behind her.
At some point, she had been seated on the saddle.
‘Even though I struggled so much on my own and couldn’t get up there…’
Eugenia turned to Enrique.
There wasn’t even a hint of strain on his face.
“Thank you. I managed to get up thanks to you.”
She let out a short cough and turned her gaze away.
Once her mind cleared, her face suddenly felt so flushed that she had no choice but to fan herself.
The first to notice her odd behavior was none other than Joshua.
“What’s wrong? Hot?”
“…No, it’s nothing.”
She brushed off his concern awkwardly.
When Joshua didn’t drop his suspicious stare, she lightly bit her lip before releasing it and gave him a scolding look.
“Joshua, you should be looking ahead. You’ll fall if you’re not careful.”
“…Says the one who’s riding a horse for the first time. Hmph.”
As the boy straightened his posture, Enrique spoke.
“Then, let’s head out.”
He took the reins of the horse carrying Eugenia and Joshua and began to lead it.
With that signal, the five of them resumed their journey toward the Empire of Aesa.
But they couldn’t travel for long.
They had departed late, and their time on the road was limited. After all the things that had happened, a lot of time had been lost. Soon, night fell.
“We’ll have to camp here for tonight.”
“Under that tree looks like a good spot.”
Enrique and Elbury quickly found a suitable campsite.
They tied the horses nearby.
“You two worked hard too. Rest now.”
Eugenia and Joshua gathered a large armful of big leaves and branches, while Elbury went to a nearby lake to fetch water.
“Let’s get a fire going.”
Enrique struck a flint, producing sparks.
Even at a glance, he clearly knew what he was doing.
He deftly gathered the branches and leaves and started a fire.
“We’ll have to sleep a bit rough for a while.”
“It’s fine.”
Following Eugenia’s reply, Joshua added solemnly,
“I’m okay too. Just… take care of Sherry.”
At the end of his gaze lay Selmia, her pale face resting quietly.
Eugenia immediately went over to her bag.
‘Good thing I forced myself to bring this after all.’
She pulled out the least adorned dress from her belongings.
Spreading it over the grass, she gently lifted Selmia and laid her down on it.
“Selmia, how about one more dose before bed?”
The girl, eyes still closed, opened her mouth obediently and swallowed the fever medicine Eugenia fed her.
“Ugh, bitter…”
“Good girl.”
Eugenia cupped both of Selmia’s cheeks gently and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead.
“You’ll feel better tomorrow.”
“…Mm. Thanks, sis. And… sorry for being sick again.”
Eugenia tensed slightly.
“I told you not to say that, remember?”
“…Mmh.”
Soon, Selmia’s soft breathing filled the space.
Only then did the others begin to share some jerky and water.
Enrique gave a short order.
“Get some early rest. We’ll be moving again early in the morning.”
After chewing through the tough jerky, Elbury rose to his feet.
“Please sleep first, Miss Eugenia. I’ll patrol the perimeter.”
“Okay. Thank you. If there’s anything I can help with, please don’t hesitate.”
“I’ll take you up on that when the time comes. Good night.”
With Selmia between them, Joshua and Eugenia lay side by side.
Eugenia turned toward Selmia and offered her arm as a pillow.
‘Will I be able to sleep?’
It was her first time sleeping outdoors.
The wide openness of it all made her strangely tense, and she didn’t think sleep would come easily.
‘I mustn’t lose it.’
She clutched the brooch now pinned over her chest tightly as she closed her eyes.
Maybe it was from the sheer amount of tension she had endured throughout the day.
Contrary to her worry, Eugenia soon fell into a deep sleep.
She didn’t know how long she had slept.
But faintly, in the distance of her dreams, she heard a voice.
Wait… for the day I return…
There was a rhythm in that voice—like a song.
A song…? Who’s singing?
No, what exactly was it saying?
Keeping her eyes shut, Eugenia tried to listen again.
But the sound didn’t return.
All she could hear was the rustle of leaves in the wind and the soft crackle, crackle, crackle of the campfire.
‘Did I imagine it?’
But it really had sounded like someone was singing.
Somehow, sleep had completely slipped away.
‘What was that, really? Just a dream?’
Eugenia tossed and turned in thought.
‘But it didn’t feel like a dream…’
Does it matter? Most dreams fade the moment we wake up anyway.
‘Ugh, whatever.’
She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to fall back asleep.
But the sleep that had already fled wouldn’t come back so easily.
‘Should I just get up?’
After twisting and turning a bit more, she gave up and let out a long breath, then sat up.
Looking to her side, she saw Selmia and Joshua fast asleep, facing each other.
Eugenia gently touched Selmia’s forehead.
‘Thank goodness. No fever.’
She should be better by tomorrow.
Relieved, Eugenia straightened her posture.
And then—she locked eyes with Enrique, who was sitting across the fire.
She had no idea how long he’d been watching.
“Why are you up?”
“Just… couldn’t sleep.”
Eugenia mumbled like a sigh and then walked over to sit beside him, keeping a respectful distance.
She poked at the campfire with a long stick and asked,
“You’re not sleeping either, Lord Enrique?”
“Someone has to stay awake.”
He was standing watch.
‘But he must be tired from leading the horses all day…’
Eugenia lightly bit her lip, then spoke again.
“Then let’s switch. I’ll watch the fire. You should get some rest. You’ll be walking again tomorrow, after all.”
“No need.”
He refused curtly.
“Still…”
“Even if I lay down, I’m more likely not to sleep.”
Eugenia turned to him in surprise.
“Don’t tell me you have insomnia?”
Enrique silently nodded without any change in expression.
“Since when?”
“Hard to say. It’s been long enough that I don’t remember.”
Eugenia’s brow furrowed slightly deeper.
“That’s not good. You must be exhausted.”
Enrique let out a soft chuckle and tossed another log onto the fire.
No one had ever spoken to him like this before. Eugenia felt refreshingly different.
Meanwhile, Eugenia was frowning as if she were suffering from insomnia herself, pondering deeply.
‘The sound of doors opening at night, the figure stretching outside… it was all because he couldn’t sleep.’
It all finally made sense.
‘I heard the door open at least a week’s worth of nights. He must be extremely fatigued. No matter how healthy he is, if this keeps up, it’ll be bad for his body…’
“Oh! I almost forgot.”
“…?”
“Could you wait a moment?”
Eugenia stood up.
She took care not to wake the others, tiptoeing silently.
‘It should be here somewhere…’
She reached deep into her bag.
After rummaging around by feel, she grabbed something firmly.
“Found it.”
She whispered to herself with a bright smile, holding two small bottles.
Returning to Enrique’s side, she started bustling around.
After heating up the water Elbury had brought earlier, she placed dried leaves into a cup.
Enrique, quietly observing, finally asked,
“What’s that?”
“Dried mint leaves. When you steep them in hot water, it helps ease fatigue.”
She poured the warm water into the cup and handed it to him.
“Please try it.”
Enrique carefully received the cup.
He didn’t drink immediately—he first brought it to his nose and savored the scent.
“Smells nice.”
“Right? It would’ve been richer if I roasted them, but I didn’t have time. Just plain dried leaves, but still drinkable.”
Enrique took a sip.
The cooling sensation spreading down his throat was quite satisfying.
As he took a few more sips, Eugenia spoke again.
“Oh, and Lord Enrique—you get headaches too, don’t you?”
Enrique turned to her, eyes slightly widened.
“How did you know?”
Steeping her own cup of tea, Eugenia smiled slightly.
“Most people with insomnia also suffer from migraines. It’s all because of sleep deprivation.”
She took a small sip and then handed him another small bottle.
“Here, take this.”
