Translator and Editor: Lea and Aki

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Chapter 43

Selena gradually stopped trembling as she held the warm big hand of his.

Kalcion had long hands and his skin color was very fair, so they seemed as delicate as a pen and book, but if you took a closer look, you could see the rough times he’d been through.

Thick joints, veins on the back, and calluses covering the palm.

Selena’s hand began to get calluses because of swinging a sword every few days and nights. However, compared to Kalcion, hers was just a sprout next to an old tree.

She wondered how long he had held the sword to make his palm feel as hard as a tree trunk. The evidence of his skill in the palm of his hand was rather creditworthy than his own confidence.

Selena gently traced the calluses on his palm with her fingertips. She continued, as if she was tearing off lints from a piece of cloth.

Kalcion, who was silent, flicked his finger as it tickled him.

“Ah, does it tickle?”

Without saying a word, Kalcion squeezed his fingers in between Selena’s fingers.

“Ah…….”

It became a tight grip. Selena looked down at her hand in embarrassment. She knew he only did that to temporarily block her from tickling his palm.

‘But, how long is he going to stay like this?’

As minutes ticked by, Kalcion did not untangle his fingers away. The sensation became more and more sensitive.

‘It’d start sweating.’

Kalcion’s sharp gaze was directed outside the window.

The carriage, running at full speed, rattled roughly against the pavement, but the tension seeping in through was as calm as a vacuum.

Selena rolled her eyes to herself in embarrassment. Kalcion was still like an old tree, but if he wriggled by himself, wouldn’t the situation become more awkward?

Her mother would have been furious about her holding a man’s hand so recklessly. But it was too late to let go of his grip now.

A welcoming light touch could be natural.

However, even with that thought, the tension over the hand-holding part didn’t dissipate easily.

***

How long has it been? The stone boundary of the city began to be seen in the distance.

A humble private house built began to come into view as the swaying carriage sank in. They had now entered the well-organized road.

Soon came the images of neat houses lined up on both sides. She could see the clean street scenery with stones on the floors, and even trees began to appear.

“From now on, you don’t have to worry about swords flying in from somewhere.”

They had entered Myong.

In accordance with its reputation as the capital of the Empire, Myong was a splendidly huge city.

Unlike the buildings of Silenza, which had thick exterior walls and high roofs, the buildings in Myong had wider roofs and colorful outer walls. Each house had flowers and trees planted around them, with a small stream flowing along the road.

And the most noticeable were the guards deployed all over the road. They were riding horses in a conspicuous uniform.

“There are a lot of guards.””Myong is a rich place for people to flock from all over the country, so people tend to spend money on public security.””That’s why you said it was safe here.”

With these many eyes of surveillance scattered here and there, even a competent assassin would not be able to pass through.

‘Even with no assassins, there will be a much darker struggle than killing one underwater.’

The beauty of a city’s exterior did not make its residents beautiful.

A person was killed in this beautiful city.

However, the warmth of the sunset melted the cold air from the north that was stuck to Selena’s body. Her nerves that had been frozen due to tension were calmed down by the warm temperature permeating her body, and she felt overworked through the intense training she did all night.

Now that she was far from any dangers of death, she felt relaxed and sleepy.

“Mmm……”

She fell asleep without realizing when she closed her eyes.

Kalcion looked sideways under the weight of a thump on his shoulder and found Selena asleep. Their fingers were still tangled around each other.

She must have been tired. Each time the carriage wheel bumped over a stone, she just shook her head without opening her eyes. Kalcion turned to the window again and remained motionless until they arrived at the mansion.

His shoulders felt stiff as the carriage entered the gate of the mansion. The sun was already setting and the sky was turning dark. Myong was a huge city that made them take half a day to get from one end to the other.

The carriage passed the gate and stopped at the entrance of the mansion. The servants of the mansion, who had been waiting for his arrival in advance, bowed their heads as the carriage door opened.

“Welcome…..””Wait.”

The polite greeting stopped at his order.

Kalcion stepped out of the carriage, carrying Selena, who was still half-awake. The servant approached them quickly, but Kalcion shook his head and walked into the mansion.

“The guest room has been prepared.””There’s no need.”

The butler whispered, but Kalcion went straight to his room. The butler followed him with a hasty bow.

Kalcion, who laid Selena on his bed, said to the butler with his back still turned away from him.

“I’m afraid her clothes are uncomfortable. Let the maids in to change her clothes into a sleeping attire. I’ll take a walk around the mansion.””Yes, sire.””Try not to wake her up.””Duly noted.”

Kalcion walked out of the room with the butler bowing after him. Then, he checked the faces of each guard in front of the door.

“Your Excellency.”

The knights on guard greeted him. Just before Kalcion left Silenza, these men were sent to Myong in advance to check the mansion, take a rest, and wait for him.

“I’m sure you have heard the news. About an attack performed in secret.””Yes, as soon as we heard of the news, we did a thorough search on the inside and outside of the mansion, and sent out all the people who were hired with unclear guardians. The building’s sentry system has also been reorganized and put on alert.””Hmm.”

Kalcion nodded and moved back. Naturally, three guards followed him.

The distribution and movement of personnel were prepared in all cases. Even if three people left the place along with Kalcion, the remaining guard lines would be reconstructed accordingly.

With such a thorough escort network, Kalcion was confidently able to say that the capital was safe. Even if the royal forces were mobilized to invade the area, there was a way to escape from the mansion and return to the North.

However, with Selena’s appearance, things could be a little difficult. That was the reason why Kalcion was now going around the mansion to check it thoroughly.

Kalcion’s sharp eyes checked every corner of the room and every corner of the hallway. By the time the inspection of one corridor was completed, Dion returned after completing the arrangements of the knights he had moved with.

“We have received a report of a changed layout and movement.””Still, check it out one more time.””Yes.”

Kalcion was not, in fact, the caretaker of the security. He didn’t need any security because he was the strongest.

Once, when an incredibly trained assassin crossed the front porch of his mansion, the first person to notice it was Kalcion. When the security guard, who noticed it a step later, came to Kalcion’s room to report, he had already dealt with the situation and was wiping the blood off his sword.

“Rest assured. Miss Selena’s room has been checked more thoroughly again.”

Dion said as he went back to the room after inspecting every nook of the mansion.

He knew Selena was pretending to be Kalcion’s lover for the purpose of finding the criminal. So, it naturally came to him that it might be inconvenient for the both of them to use the same room all the way around because of security.

The reason why he said it was because Selena was moved to Kalcion’s room, wherein she fell asleep as soon as she was laid on the bed. It was his kindness that there was no need to be uncomfortable anymore.

However, Kalcion shook his head.

“I’ll wait for a few more days.”

There was no reason to protest against Kalcion’s opinion. Dion bowed his head and stepped back.

Selena was sleeping soundly until Kalcion returned to the room after washing up and got ready to sleep.

The maids did change her clothes and even clean her up, but she was still asleep. She couldn’t fall asleep when she was afraid, but once she fell asleep, she wouldn’t wake up until after a long time. Now that he remembered, she even slept quite soundly in his office the other day until sunset.

Whether she moved while sleeping or due to the maids, Selena was sleeping in the middle of the bed, her limbs stretched out all over the place.

‘Hmm.’

Left, or right?

Kalcion, after agonizing for a while, lied down on her left. Since they were sleeping in the same bed for security reasons, there was only one way for her to feel safe. And it was by sleeping in his arms.

***

When Selena woke up and blinked her eyes open, she first found herself lying in a very comfortable position.

Her arms and legs were thrown in all directions, with pillows on all sides. There was nothing unusual. It felt fortunate to be alone and scattered cozily on the bed.

“Haaa-mm…….”

Selena stretched with a big yawn.

“How long was I asleep…..”

Scratching her head, she slipped out of the bed and opened the thick curtain covering the window. The sky was dim as the sun had not risen yet.

Having had enough rest, her body felt healthy and she felt her energy restored. When she went to the bathroom attached to the room, the growl in her stomach announced her hunger with great enthusiasm. She couldn’t wait for the maid to come in with food because if she waited a little longer, her belly would turn into a bugle.

“Where’s the rope……. Bell? Is there no bell? Should I just call for them?”

She didn’t know how she could call for the maids because it was her first time waking up alone, but then, the door creaked open.

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