Chapter 174

“What?”

“A date. No, that’s not it. I was asking when you’re going to get married.”

“Ah… Ha. Ha. Ha. Married…?”

Frozen as if struck by an 8th circle ice magic spell mentioned only in legends, Logan could only roll his eyes around as his body stiffened.

While feeling Eileen’s gaze from the side, the only thought coming to his mind was one word.

‘Marriage?’

To be honest, he had completely forgotten about it.

He had always been focused solely on the tasks that lay ahead, running forward day after day.

In a situation where one could even end up dead in 5-6 years, how could one afford to imagine a different future?

Of course, when he first attempted to recruit Eileen, he had considered marrying her.

A lady knight who might become a superhuman in the future.

He had thought her worthy of such consideration for her value.

However, the problem arose as they spent more time together, and special feelings developed.

‘Can I really establish a proper family, with all these things I still have to do?’

If he cherished her, then all the more.

‘Shouldn’t I avoid that?’

As these thoughts reached a crescendo, Logan’s face turned rigid.

And then…

“Ah, I just remembered something I forgot. Please, excuse me for a moment…”

With an unconvincing excuse, he vanished like the wind.

“……”

“……”

For a while, the two stood frozen with blank expressions.

As the color of Eileen’s face changed in shades of redness, Padric cautiously started speaking beside the flustered lady knight.

“Did I… make a mistake, My Lady?”

“No, not at all, Father.”

Relieved by Eileen’s unexpectedly calm voice, Padric sighed.

“It’s Prince Logan who made the mistake.”

However, Eileen’s subsequent chilling tone left him no option but to gulp.

‘Oh, son… you better start apologizing non-stop.’

Praying for his son’s well-being, who had just fled the scene, Padric discreetly escaped the aftermath of the bomb he had thrown.

‘What kind of foolishness…’

Although he escaped the situation, even he couldn’t help but think how ridiculous his excuse had been.

Why did he run away instead of calmly explaining and persuading?

“Pathetic…”

Having unwittingly ended up outside the castle, Logan stopped and sighed, and just then, he saw Eileen approaching from a distance.

As he instinctively thought of running away again, Logan forced a wry smile and, taking a deep breath, braced himself to face her, expecting to hear a great deal of scolding.

But Eileen’s reaction was unexpected.

“That’s the first time I’ve seen the Prince so flustered.”

Somehow, Eileen’s first words and smile reassured him, and he felt even more pathetic for that reassurance.

“……I’m sorry. I must have looked pretty foolish.”

“It’s alright. I was a bit startled too. But I didn’t think of running away like the Prince.”

“……I apologize.”

“I didn’t want an apology. What’s important is what we do from here on out.”

“Yes?”

Absentmindedly, Logan asked back, to which Eileen replied with a smile.

“Marriage.”

“Ah…”

“Even if we can let it go today, in the future, the elders’ nudging will only get worse. You can’t keep saying you’re too busy to postpone it, can you?”

“That’s… true.”

“At least we need to set a date to avoid such situations from arising again.”

At her words, a shadow passed over Logan’s face again.

Noticing his expression, Eileen’s face also hardened momentarily, but soon, she cautiously asked again.

“Prince Logan…”

“……?”

“Do you… have someone else in mind to marry besides me?”

“No, absolutely not!”

Caught off guard by her direct question, Logan blurted out loudly without thinking.

“That’s a relief. I also don’t have anyone else in mind.”

“Really…?”

Their eyes met for a moment.

The two of them stared at each other blankly for a while before bursting into laughter without warning.

“To be honest, at first, I was really angry.”

After laughing for some time, Eileen broke the ice.

She looked up to the sky with a slight smirk, seeing the slightly perplexed Logan.

“It felt like I was rejected by someone I thought of… as my marriage partner.”

Lovers.

Even though it was obvious to anyone that’s what they were, it was the first time they’d used such a word to describe themselves, causing both the speaker and the listener to blush slightly.

“It wasn’t rejection…”

“That’s when it suddenly occurred to me. Did I come here because I truly wanted to get married?”

Logan, who was about to make an excuse, flinched.

“I’ve seen my dreams become reality, and I’ve even overcome the chilling reality that I hadn’t anticipated. Maybe that’s why, without realizing, I had grown complacent in the present and started to rely on the Prince…”

Eileen’s gaze, which was looking up at the sky, locked onto his face again.

“Do I look pathetic?”

“That’s not possible.”

Pathetic is me. Not you.

He wanted to say that, but…

“Well, I don’t want to deny my feelings. You gave me a chance, Prince, and because of that, my reality changed. I am grateful, and I wanted to repay that by helping you… and that made me come to like you.”

“What?!”

Struck by her sudden confession, Logan could only freeze in astonishment.

“Of course, I assumed we were meant to get married, so I never asked. Prince Logan. Don’t you like me?”

“I, of course, like…”

His true feelings suddenly burst out, leaving him blushing in embarrassment.

Seeing his reaction, Eileen laughed heartily again.

“Ahaha. That’s good. Phew, I was actually really nervous.”

“Uh, that…”

“Well, anyway, that’s good enough. As long as our hearts are in tune with each other. Let’s discuss marriage a bit more. Even if we postpone it.”

With a wink, Eileen’s demeanor was still so confident, and as she slyly held his hand, Logan felt strangely reassured, as if his mixed-up world were now set right.

He felt an urge to readily nod, yet…

“The more I think about it, the more it seems like a bad idea.”

“Why not?”

“There’s a lot I need to do. It’s only going to get busier in the future. Even if I get married, I won’t be able to devote myself fully to my family. I’d probably be the worst husband.”

Yet, as he spoke his heartfelt concerns…

“That’s all?”

Eileen’s reaction was odd.

Her expression seemed incredulous.

“Yes?”

“Is that really all you’re worried about?”

“No, it’s not that simple, I’ll be even busier for at least another 5-6 years…”

It might be that we’ll all die if I can’t keep up with the amount of work that needs to be done.

He nearly said something so fatal but swallowed his words, when Eileen’s simple response turned his argument on its head.

“Then, with all that busy work ahead, you’ll need a stable home to do better, won’t you?”

“……Yes?”

He hadn’t thought about it that way.

“Because of the busy work ahead, don’t you need a stable home to do better?”

“That’s… Eileen would suffer too much…”

“Why would I suffer?”

There wasn’t a hint of wavering in her gaze that stared straight at him.

“A good husband is someone who knows he’s busy and reflects on it. And that busy work will be for our territory, for us to live better, right? It’s clear that I’ll be busy too. You don’t think I’ll quit being a knight and sit around at home once we’re married, do you?”

The firmness in her successive statements left no room for hesitation and soothingly calmed Logan’s restless heart.

“Ha… I’ve really been foolish. I worried that something might go wrong for you because you’re associated with me.”

“You’re joking, right? I’m already part of the Maclaine family. As a knight, as a betrothed, my reputation is already established in the kingdom. What difference does it make now if we don’t get married?”

Eileen’s voice, colored with disbelief, pierced his heart.

Uh…?

Is that so?

Well, come to think of it, it seems that way…

Suddenly, he found his previous worries laughable and let out a chuckle.

“Stop worrying for nothing, and let’s set a wedding date, say next year? By then, we can find another excuse if need be. We’ll pick a better day, when we’re less busy, and we both have more room in our hearts.”

Impressed by her words, Logan looked at Eileen with a fresh perspective.

The man who ran away at the mere mention of marriage.

Such an embarrassing excuse.

‘She must have been angry… ‘

How disappointed she must have been.

How angry she must have felt.

Yet here she was, trying only to comfort him.

Such behavior was likely also consideration for his constant avoidance.

Sighing softly, Logan took her hand.

Startled, she reacted to his warm touch, which felt so reassuring that his sincere reply naturally flowed out.

“I was wrong. That was foolish of me. I’m sorry.”

“Are you going to keep saying the same thing? Now…”

“That’s why. Let’s get married.”

“…What?”

Eileen looked at him, surprised.

Seeing her blushing face, feeling sorry yet again, Logan’s heart warmed.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

So he spoke more firmly.

“Let’s get married. Not with the intention of looking for excuses, but seriously this time.”

Feeling foolish about worrying over nothing just moments ago, Logan had one regret.

“Really?”

“Yes. I mean it.”

With a simple sentence, Eileen beamed with happiness, and Logan, seeing her joy, could finally be certain.

‘I was just afraid.’

Afraid that all this would disappear one day.

Afraid that I couldn’t fulfill my responsibilities.

I work to prevent all these things, yet I feared I might fail.

‘I will succeed. I must. So…’

Grasping her hand tightly,

“This moment, too, I will protect.”

“Thank you. And…”

Holding the precious person in his arms, feeling each other’s heartbeat in this moment, so it continues forever.

“I love you.”

“…?!”

To always remember this tender kiss.

As they walked through the fields, the sunset was behind the couple.

Their faces, flushed like the sunset, showed no intention of letting go of each other’s hands, and their steps, heading back, were slow even without conversation.

After walking for a while,

When the town’s people came into view from afar,

The man finally spoke up.

“Still, we should probably have the wedding after we’ve sorted out the territory’s affairs.”

“What?!”

“I won’t make you wait long. Just wait a little longer. There’s still so much to do.”

The woman’s face puckered slightly, and the man’s back broke out in a cold sweat.

Fortunately, she quickly nodded.

“That’s okay. I mean, that much is…”

“Thank you.”

“But that dangerous thing you mentioned, are you really going to keep it a secret until the end?”

“…I’ll tell you when the time comes. I don’t want to worry you for no reason.”

“That already has me worried, you know?”

“I promise. I’ll tell you when the time is right.”

“Okay. I’ll hold you to that promise.”

The day he officially proposed, and she accepted.

The man had no ring in his hand, but the woman’s face couldn’t be brighter.

After that day, the people of Maclaine Town saw Logan and Eileen together much more often.

“We should get them married soon.”

Watching his son and his girlfriend with a contented smile, Padric’s observation became a familiar scene.

Around that time, Leena Wolves came to visit Maclaine.