Chapter 24

Is this my room? Erna was exhausted from the planning of the trip, the traveling, and all the talking. She was eager to relax because she needed to be well-rested to be able to prepare a large amount of magic needed to resolve the situation with the creatures. I should go to bed early tonight.

Usually, Erna would stay up until dawn, but her body was drained and her mind was tired. At times like this, it was best to get a good night’s rest. Yawning now, she opened the door and unexpectedly bumped into something with her legs. Who on earth put a block at the entrance to the room?

As she was about to move it, she saw someone’s naked, broad, muscular chest blocking her vision. With muscles that seemed to be perfect, Erna was distracted for a moment but soon remembered where this place was. She was certain that this was her room. Raising her head, Kalion stood before her with a look of bewilderment on his face and the two shouted at the same time, “Why are you here?” And then simultaneously yelled, “This is my room!”

A sudden knock on the door distracted them and Kalion hurriedly put on a shirt and opened the door. The noble couple who owned the mansion was facing them.

“It’s an honor to have you both in our mansion. Please let us know if you need anything,” the old man spoke, and the old lady next to him smiled.

The old lady said proudly, “It’s the room that we decorated with the most care. It may not be as beautiful and comfortable as the castle, but we hope you two can relax while you stay here. And please take good care of the people of Haldis.”

Looking at the elderly couple who were welcoming both of them so sincerely, Erna couldn’t very well complain about sharing a room. The two spoke briefly to the old couple, and once they were gone, Kalion sighed and closed the door.

“So…”

“They gave us one bedroom because they believe we are a couple,” Erna finished his sentence for him. The two understood their dilemma and both placed their hands on their foreheads. It was common knowledge to those in the Grand Castle that Erna and Kalion didn’t get along. However, people outside the castle grounds were not familiar with this. Of course, people working in the castle would go around saying that the two’s relationship wasn’t great, but outsiders considered it to be just a rumor and chose to ignore it as if it were some sort of a conspiracy. Thanks to this, it was not well known by all that they weren’t getting along.

If I had known this would happen, I would’ve advertised the fact that we don’t get along. It was pointless regretting it now though and Erna didn’t entirely mean what she thought. There’s no other room.

On her way up, she’d seen the knights and wizards unpacking and resting in the other rooms. Several people seemed to be staying in one room, to the point that it was a bit crowded, thus she realized she couldn’t take up more space in those rooms, just to avoid Kalion. Eventually, Erna gave up thinking about going to another room and Kalion seemed unwilling to go anywhere else as well.

Erna pointed directly at the sofa in the middle of the room and said, “You sleep over there. I have to sleep comfortably tonight.”

Other couples would give up the comfort of a bed for each other and sleep on the sofa or the floor, but these two were not like other couples. Erna waited for his response, assuming he’d reject her command.

“Okay,” he said.

Contrary to Erna’s expectations, Kalion accepted her request obediently. What’s wrong with him? She looked at him suspiciously, wondering if he’d eaten something that didn’t agree with him. She noticed now that his whole disposition was different from normal. Usually, his irritation would be visible on his face but today he was trying his best to avoid conflict with her. Erna wondered if he’d damaged his head, but didn’t have enough strength to get into an argument with him, which her sarcasm would no doubt ignite.

After washing her dusty body in the bathroom, she strolled back into the bedroom and saw Kalion lying on the sofa sound asleep. It was a beautiful large dark-maroon sofa, but because of the size of his body, Kalion’s legs were hanging over the armrest and his head was awkwardly placed at the other end. At that sight, Erna coldly said, “I’d just sleep on the floor.” Wouldn’t it be better than lying so uncomfortably? I guess the floor might be dirty but that could be fixed by placing a blanket down, but of course, I’m not giving him my blanket.

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She climbed onto the bed, pulling the covers over her and her expression was loosened languidly by the soft quilt, which smelled different from the blankets that she usually slept under. The moment she closed her eyes, she heard Kalion’s voice.

“I’m sorry.”

His words made Erna wonder why he was suddenly talking to himself so strangely. Then, after a while, she jumped up and said, “Did you just say that to me?”

“Is there anyone else in this room besides you?”

“No, but…” A word of apology was not something Erna expected from Kalion and then she remembered a part of her body that had been throbbing all day. She lifted her loose top slightly, which resulted in showing her chest and she could still see a light imprint of his hand. She looked at Kalion, who was sitting up, and asked, “What are you sorry about?”

“I apologize for the unsympathetic management of your thighs, stomach, and chest.”

It was good to know that he knew exactly what he’d done wrong, however, him speaking without hesitation like that, made Erna feel embarrassed. She glanced down again and looked at her chest. I’ve been too busy to even think about it!

As Kalion spoke, everything that had happened the night before flashed before her eyes; how she’d felt helpless under his touch, and how all the sensations she felt had multiplied in intensity. Even though Kalion wasn’t near her, she felt a sharp pain in her chest and stomach again. Is it pain? Just thinking about it made Erna’s body weak and her fingertips and toes tingle. She wanted to curl her legs as a sharp sensation passed through her lower abdomen.

Kalion, whose head hung low, said, “If I were to make an excuse… I honestly thought it was a dream. That would never have happened if I had known it was real.” The word “never” was said with a particularly powerful voice.

“Oh?” It sounded to Erna as if he wouldn’t have done such a thing if he’d known it was her. “Wow, I wonder what you do in real life to have stuff like that happen in your dreams.”

“No! What I meant was…”

She cut him off bluntly, “That’s enough. There’s no need to apologize. It’s disgusting and annoying to think about it again. And…” Erna said, pointing to the striped carpet on the floor between the bed and the sofa, “if you step over that carpet, you’re dead to me.”

*

At the crack of dawn, Orpé was pacing in front of Erna’s room. If they were at home in their caste, she would have knocked on the door and without hesitation walked into the room to open the curtains and wake Erna up. But the room in front of her was not only for Erna but Kalion as well. When she’d discovered that the two were to share a room, Orpé had wanted to go to the owner of the mansion and request another room for Erna, but Cedric had prevented her, saying that it could be an opportunity for the two of them to get closer. An opportunity? A chance for two people who don’t get along to strangle each other? But Cedric had tried to convince her saying, ‘You know, these days, the two are starting to care about each other. I also asked the maids in the castle and they said the two seem to have started sharing a bedroom.’

Cedric had gone on to tell Orpé all the information he had found out. Usually, maids were trained to keep their mouths shut, even more so, Cedric, Kalion’s lieutenant, should know better. Private information was meant to be kept a secret.

Cedric wouldn’t give up that easily. Finally, that stone-type man is warming up, with a bit of motivation. I need to help him! If Kalion knew what Cedric was thinking, he would most likely blow his head off for interfering, but Cedric was sneaky and was consistently looking for an opportunity to help. Then, when they’d arrived in Haldis and found a mansion to stay in, Cedric had realized that this was the perfect opportunity to help Kalion.

So, even though Erna and Kalion had been assigned separate rooms, he’d changed the arrangement and made only one bedroom available to them. And, he’d also then informed Orpé that he’d done this on purpose and asked for cooperation. As Cedric left without any explanation, Orpé didn’t stop to question him.

Erna usually had a hard time getting up in the mornings, unless Orpé came in to wake her. To make things worse, Erna had done a lot of work yesterday which would’ve made her easily fall into a deep sleep. I need to wake her up though as she needs to attend a meeting to prepare the magic. Startled by the opening of the door in front of her, Orpé looked up and saw the man in the doorway. “Prince Kalion?” There he stood, looking several times more exhausted than he had the day before.

*

Erna stretched and yawned, looking at the wide window next to her as the bright morning sun streamed through it, warming her face. She got up and approached the window, looking out at the beautiful lake situated at the bottom of a towering green hill, “It’s so pretty!” The picturesque lake and city would’ve been a serene setting, had it not been for the creatures.