Chapter 34
Chapter 34
"You’re not telling me to come?"”
“No.”
Nina slightly lifted herself up and looked at Adrian.
“It seems certain that Clairon is there, so I think we can use it as a bargaining chip. It will take time to find it, though…”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Nina flopped back down on his leg.
“Well, if I leave it to Young Master, there’s nothing to worry about.”
Adrian twirled her pigtails, wrapping them around his fingers and wrist.
As she turned, the smooth hair slipped away.
“What are you doing?”
“Nothing.”
Adrian replied with a straight face. Nina grabbed her hair with both hands and smoothed it down, speaking as if giving advice.
“You can’t go alone.”
“I know that much. I’ll take Louis and some soldiers. I want to find Clairon while I’m there.”
“Lord Louis, me, and some soldiers should be enough.”
“Did I mention your name just now?”
“You’re going without me?”
“Yes.”
“What? Leaving Young Master’s Nina behind? That’s absurd.”
Nina jumped up, and Adrian said,
“You have a schedule tomorrow.”
“What schedule do I have tomorrow? I have no schedule!”
“Tomorrow is the day we select the Jet-Black Knights.”
“Ugh, it can be postponed for a day or so…”
“There are those who have been waiting for a week.”
“That much patience…”
“The people below the castle are uneasy because armed men are wandering around.”
“Even so, Young Master alone…”
“I’m not alone.”
“Leaving only me behind.”
“I’m leaving Jin behind too.”
Nina pouted at each answer that came back. She collapsed on the sofa, pretending to cry.
“I only think about Young Master, but Young Master only thinks about leaving me behind. Young Master doesn’t care about someone like me, right?”
Nina spat out the words sullenly.
“Actually, you’re thinking I’m a nuisance, aren’t you? You’re trying to send me far away, aren’t you? You’re so mean, really.”
Adrian’s movements stopped abruptly. Nina still had her face buried in the sofa.
He reached out and stroked her cheek, then moved further down and lifted her chin.
Feeling that the atmosphere was somehow unusual, Nina squeezed her eyes shut and didn’t open them.
“Nina La Dell.”
The voice calling her was unexpectedly sweet and warm.
That’s why Nina thought she had made a big mistake.
“Don’t care?”
Nina slowly opened her eyes, but her pupils were only focused on the lower diagonal direction.
“Should I really care?”
Nina slowly tried to pull her head back, but Adrian didn’t let her go.
“No…”
Nina answered softly, and Adrian whispered.
“Look at me and talk.”
“That’s…”
Thinking that it would be a little scary to make eye contact, Nina still fixed her gaze in another direction.
“Why? Weren’t you trying to see me go crazy?”
Suddenly, her pupils darted towards Adrian.
“Now you look.”
He let go of her and lightly stroked her hair. For a moment, Nina was at a loss for words and stammered.
“Adrian.”
“Why?”
“…Nothing.”
With a deep sigh, Nina shook her head.
Adrian’s pink eyes stared silently at Nina.
Unlike Nina’s golden eyes, which danced like sunlight shimmering on the surface of a lake, his eyes were as still as almond blossoms bathed in moonlight at night.
Nina also looked back at him, then turned her gaze away and got up from her seat.
“I’ll be going.”
“Okay.”
As Nina left, Adrian sighed and got up from his seat.
For a moment, he felt a surge of emotion and wondered if he had gone too far.
But Nina.
She is different from others to him, so he gets upset easily at such words.
A word that wouldn’t matter if someone else said it, each word that comes out of her mouth bothers him a lot and gets stuck like a thorn.
Bang-!!
At that moment, the door opened loudly, and as he reflexively tried to turn around, Nina, who had rushed in like a flash, grabbed both of his shoulders.
“Ugh-.”
The force of trying to turn around and the force of her preventing him from turning collided, and he unknowingly groaned.
Of course, because Nina’s strength was formidable, he didn’t turn around.
“Adrian.”
She leaned her forehead against his back.
“I know that Adrian cares a lot about me. I know that you’re even caring about being uncomfortable if you care too much.”
“…Nina.”
“I also care a lot about Adrian because Adrian is precious to me. I’m sorry for saying that as a joke.”
There are things that shouldn’t be said because we are close.
There are things that must be said because we are close.
The strength drained from Adrian’s shoulders. He tried to turn around, but Nina didn’t let him go.
“If Adrian calls, I’ll run to you even if I have to turn the whole world against me.”
“I know.”
Nina lifted her head sharply. Finally, she hugged him tightly from behind and let him go.
“Then I’ll be going, Young Master.”
At the cheerful voice, Adrian turned his head. Nina smiled brightly at him before leaving the room.
Adrian stared at the door she had left through, then lowered his gaze to the chessboard.
“If Adrian calls, I’ll run to you even if I have to turn the whole world against me.”
I know.
But.
‘Don’t go too far.’
\ \ *
Jin combed his hair back. He wanted to have a stylish, sleek hairstyle, but his stiff, wiry hair wouldn’t move the way he wanted it to.
“Damn it, really.”
A rough word escaped his lips, and grumbling, Jin tried his best to keep his hair neatly in place.
When he combed his hair back with a wet comb, it took shape to some extent.
They say they use something called hair oil in the capital, should I buy some of that?
As he checked his appearance in the mirror, the door opened.
“Jin, Jin!”
“Can’t you knock before opening the door?”
Jin sighed and said to Nina, and Nina quietly closed the door.
Knock knock
“Come in.”
Nina opened the door with a grinning face. She was holding a long coat in one hand.
The Jet-Black Knights’ uniforms are all made of black cloth with silver thread decorations.
However, in the case of the commander, it is decorated with gold thread, so you can quickly tell who the commander is.
Nina lifted the long coat and said.
“I don’t know where to attach this.”
At Nina’s words, Jin sighed as he looked at the thin, triangular piece of cloth she was holding in her hand.
“It’s attached to the button behind the collar. It’s for when you raise the collar.”
“Ah.”
“Give it here.”
When Jin held out his hand, Nina quickly handed the coat to him. He fastened the button with quick movements and asked.
“Are you going to wear it? Or drape it over your shoulders?”
“I’m wearing a jacket, so I’ll just drape it over my shoulders today.”
When Jin gestured for her to come closer, Nina smiled and quickly turned around in front of him.
Jin fixed the coat on her jacket shoulders. He untied the waist strap attached to the coat and put it in the coat pocket, then spun her around and fixed the jacket again.
“Okay, all done.”
“Do I look like the commander?”
“You do.”
Jin chuckled and scanned her up and down, then frowned sharply.
“You really. Is it okay to tie your boot laces so carelessly like this?”
“I came out in a hurry…”
When Nina subtly avoided his gaze, Jin deliberately sighed loudly and lifted her up onto a high stool.
Then he untied her shoelaces and tied them tightly again.
Nina looked at Jin’s hair, which was neater than usual. She wanted to stroke his red hair, but she couldn’t because she was afraid of ruining his hair that he had worked so hard on.
“I’ve tied them all.”
“Thank you, Jin.”
When Nina answered obediently, Jin smiled, saying, “You’re only obedient at times like this,” and looked up at her.
Nina felt awkward at his gaze that was staring at her intently and asked.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“No, our Nina has grown up so much.”
