Chapter 40

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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 40
Chapter Title: A Late-Night Confession
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How could he say something like that so casually?

I wanted to cover his mouth, but I couldn't bring myself to touch him, so I just clenched my fists.

“Wh-what are you talking about…! When did I ever!”

“I saw it with my own two eyes.”

“They didn't take everything off. They were all wearing their underclothes!”

Even so, they were the kind of undergarments worn beneath armor—thick, with no skin showing, perfectly suitable as regular clothes.

Seeing my indignation, Calius gave me a mischievous smile.

“So you admit to peeking.”

“I wasn't peeking. And your voice is too loud…!”

My hushed whisper was pointless; he didn't lower his voice at all.

“It's no use denying it.”

Then he turned around and shouted.

“Did you all hear that? My bride has a wandering eye, so you'd all better watch yourselves.”

“Yes, my lord!”

The knights answered with a roar.

I could see the Utar chieftain and his family stifling their laughter.

My face burned with embarrassment.

Unable to bring myself to lie down, I escaped everyone's gaze by collapsing behind Calius's large frame as if it were a wall, pulling the covers all the way over my head.

The fur blanket had a distinct, stuffy smell of leather and was heavy.

From outside the blanket, Calius asked.

“Aren't you going to take off your outdoor clothes?”

“Absolutely not.”

I pulled the leather clothes I was wearing even tighter.

I could feel Calius smothering a laugh.

“We have to be up early, so you should get some sleep.”

I didn't answer out of spite, and after a moment, he spoke again.

“Would you like an arm for a pillow?”

As a sign of refusal, I shifted a hand's breadth toward Lamia.

But then Calius quickly pulled himself closer, lying right next to me.

I lowered the blanket just enough to glare at him with only my eyes showing.

“Why are you so close?”

“Because Brentian is a terrible sleeper.”

He gestured with his chin over his shoulder.

Brentian, who was lying with the covers pulled up to his chin, said nonchalantly.

“I do not have any bad sleeping habits.”

Calius lowered his voice and whispered to me.

“Actually, that fellow has a bit of an odor.”

“An aide has his honor too, my lord.”

Calius turned back and sternly chided Brentian.

“Eavesdropping on a married couple's private conversation is not polite, Viscount Crewe.”

“It's not gossip if you say it loud enough for me to hear… No. My apologies.”

Brentian started to retort but then backed down.

Hearing their exchange, Lamia stifled a giggle.

Of course, everyone heard that, too.

Hearing Lamia laugh, Brentian let out a deep sigh, which acted as a trigger, and everyone in the ker who had been trying to hold back their laughter burst out at once.

As the ker filled with laughter, the awkward atmosphere from the unfamiliar and uncomfortable sleeping arrangements instantly dissipated.

‘This isn't so bad.’

I pulled the blanket down below my neck and gazed quietly at the ceiling.

Large chunks of ham hung from ropes on the ceiling, where the wooden frame was exposed.

At our feet, firewood crackled in the hearth, spreading a gentle warmth.

It was my first time sleeping somewhere other than a bed, and though my body was a little uncomfortable, I felt cozy and content.

“Sweet dreams.”

Calius whispered in my ear.

“You too, Calius.”

After that brief reply, I closed my eyes.

Before long, the sounds of snoring and deep breathing filled the air from all around.

I focused on the various sounds, waiting for everyone to fall asleep.

‘I need to go to Lassa and ask her exactly what she was trying to tell me.’

Finally, the ker fell silent.

I slipped out from under the blanket as carefully as I could.

Lamia and the maids must have been exhausted from the arduous journey, as they were fast asleep.

I tiptoed out of the ker as quietly as possible.

As I pushed aside the thick cloth covering the entrance and stepped outside, a biting wind whipped across my cheeks.

‘Ugh, it's cold.’

It had been so warm inside the ker that I hadn't realized just how cold it was outside.

My already heavy clothes were a burden, and a fierce blizzard was raging, causing me to fall and get back up with every step.

The ker Lassa had taken Calius into was not far. That must be her ker.

As I was stumbling toward it, someone tapped my shoulder.

“Where are you going?”

“...!”

I spun around, startled, to find Calius looking down at me.

‘I thought he was asleep.’

When did he wake up?

Still, I was relieved it was Calius who had followed me and not someone else.

I decided to be honest.

“Lassa…”

The wind swallowed my voice, so I cleared my throat and spoke louder.

“I want to see Lassa!”

“At this hour?”

As if worried I might be blown away, Calius took a firm hold of my arm.

I was grateful. I had been on the verge of being swept away by the wind like a leaf.

I squinted against the wind and looked up at him.

“Lassa left me with a prophecy.”

“Is that so?”

“She said she would reveal something through her actions, but I'm not sure if I interpreted it correctly. I want to confirm it in secret!”

“Seeing as you waited until this late, it must be a secret.”

“Yes! But it doesn't have to be a secret from you, Calius.”

As long as Cavalla's spies didn't find out, there was no reason to keep it from Calius, since we were in the same boat.

Just like last time, I took his arm with both hands and linked my fingers tightly.

“Will you come with me? As you can see, it's a bit difficult on my own.”

“Next time, call for me. It's dangerous to go out alone for many reasons.”

I held his arm tightly and gave him a bright smile, though the strong wind forced me to keep one eye shut.

“Thank you.”

“You say 'thank you' quite often.”

‘Do I?’

Calius's words left me bewildered.

I'd heard Andrea say, ‘Stop with the damn apologies. You sound like a broken record,’ but I'd never been told I say 'thank you' a lot.

“I suppose I have a lot to thank the Marquis for.”

My small mumble was carried away by the wind.

My voice must have been lost in the wind, but whether by coincidence or something else, Calius suddenly smiled, and it felt as if I had received a kind reply.

With his support, I approached Lassa's ker.

The Utar people usually share a single ker among several families, but I had heard that Lassa used her own ker by herself.

Calius carefully pushed aside the entrance flap and called for Lassa.

“Lassa, are you sleeping?”

A wave of warmth drifted out.

Calius glanced inside, then ushered me in, saying.

“Lassa doesn't seem to be here.”

Just as he said, the ker was empty.

The embers in the hearth were still glowing, so it seemed Lassa hadn't been gone for long.

After brushing the snow from our clothes at the entrance, we sat on the cushions near the hearth to wait for Lassa.

Calius pointed to the seat of honor at the very back.

“It seems she has gone out.”

A golden cord was placed on Lassa's seat.

It was a golden cord strung with colorful pebbles.

“This signifies that the owner of the ker is temporarily away.”

“She went out alone in this cold? Where could she have gone?”

“I'm not sure. But Lassa is a prophetess with mysterious powers, so there's no need to worry.”

“That's a relief.”

“Let's wait here for a bit.”

Seeing me shivering from the drop in my body temperature after only a short time outside, Calius suggested I move closer to the hearth.

I didn't refuse and sat before the hearth, warming my hands by the fire.

Because I was wearing clothes designed in a way that I couldn't take my hands out, the heat didn't reach them directly. As I kept moving my hands closer to the fire, I smelled burning leather.

“Be careful.”

Noticing my clothes were starting to singe, Calius pulled my arm, putting some distance between me and the fire.

“Ah, thank you.”

Calius smiled knowingly. It was a playful grin.

I realized what he was getting at and smiled back.

“You were right, Calius.”

To think I'd said 'thank you' again so soon.

I found myself gazing at Calius's face.

The light from the hearth cast deep shadows on his face, accentuating his handsome features.

Perhaps because the orange glow was reflected in his eyes, his gaze upon me felt incredibly warm.

My eyes were fixed on him as if drawn by a magnet.

Unaware of what I was doing, I stared at him, mesmerized, and then confessed as if possessed.

“Did you know that Cavalla sent me as a spy, Calius?”