Chapter 84

After a while, Lillis, who had been kissing, blushed and laughed, burying her face in Jezalde's shoulder.

"I've missed you so much, too. So much. To be honest, when the pottery turned out well, I thought that now I could meet Jedo, that I could return to him with my head held high."

There, Lillis took a deep breath.

Even though she knew it was pointless to regret, she couldn't help but think about it.

"But because of that, I rushed and let my guard down—"

"What are you talking about? This isn't your fault. There was no way to be careless... No, when I received the letter about the kidnapping plan from Hans, I should have taken immediate action. If anyone is to blame, it's me. But then, I received a report from the messenger that the baron was returning to the capital, and I was detained for questioning, which delayed my return to Toisen—Lillis's side. If I had been just a few hours later, I don't even want to think about it..."

Jezalde's voice caught, and he hugged Lillis tightly.

Lillis felt a pleasant discomfort and hugged him back.

But Jezalde, realizing how strong he was holding her, soon loosened his grip.

"...The sailor Jedo was very handsome too. But how did you manage to get there first?"

"Yes, that was thanks to Hans. At first, I thought they would head southeast from the four-way intersection and escape by boat. But there were several branches cut off unnaturally and stuck into the northwest road, and upon closer inspection, there were even pearls. That must have been Lillis's quick thinking."

"Eh? But, I could only do that much... It was because Hans noticed..."

"No, you did well, despite being so scared."

Jezalde stroked Lillis's head as if she were a child.

He should have been angry, but he was so happy and embarrassed that Lillis lowered her head.

"As a precaution, I did send troops to the other roads, but we were confident and rushed to the town of Cornatz. However, if we had approached with a large group, they would have known. So, we stopped and sent scouts ahead. That's when two children appeared, saying they had a message from Hans—that there were guards at the entrance to the town."

"I see..."

"We knew they would stay at an inn despite knowing we were in pursuit. There was only one reason: they intended to escape by boat from the Playco River port. I sent the Toisen guards, who knew the area well, to the port first. We didn't want any guards there, so we visited the port manager discreetly and requested that they take us on a cargo ship. They were originally scheduled to depart in the evening, but due to an incident, it was moved to early morning. The manager tried to persuade us to leave at night, but descending the Playco River at night would be too risky."

Listening to Jezalde's explanation, Lillis finally understood and felt relieved.

If she hadn't been so engrossed in the pottery and delayed her return, she wouldn't have had to stay in Cornatz and would have been taken away on the boat that day.

Moreover, if the pursuers had been sent down the road from Toisen, avoiding the forest at night, they would have had to take a considerable detour to reach the four-way intersection.

A simple-minded person would have continued down the southeast road, where there were clear signs of many horses rushing.

If Jezalde hadn't been there, it might not have been resolved so quickly, and she was still frightened by the thought.

"The problem was that Lillis was in their hands. If they used you as a shield, we couldn't do anything."

"Yes..."

That was something Lillis had also considered.

If she had learned not only how to escape but also self-defense, she could have been of some help in an emergency.

"So we had to wait for the moment when Lillis could get away from them. That's why we had the gangplank made narrower than usual."

"Oh, that's why! I thought it was narrow. But the sailors seemed used to it..."

Thinking back to her reckless self at the time, Lillis's voice gradually faded.

The thought of what might have happened if she had really fallen into the river made her feel terrified.

Sensing her fear, Jezalde's embrace tightened.

"At that moment, I thought my heart would stop. Jumping into the river with your hands tied was incredibly reckless."

"...I'm sorry."

Jezalde, who seemed calm, was actually feeling nauseous inside.

If he hadn't been there, Lillis might have really fallen into the river.

He couldn't show any weakness when facing the enemy.

So, he maintained his composure, but he couldn't let go of Lillis, and even while fighting with his sword, he swung her around, causing her to collapse.

In front of the sleeping Lillis, he regretted it deeply.

"You don't need to apologize. Lillis is here, alive. That's enough."

Jezalde's words seemed to come from the bottom of his heart, and Lillis felt happy but also a little lonely.

This wasn't the time to be jealous of Queen Corina.

"I'm here. By Jedo's side. I won't leave, ever."

"...Lillis?"

Hearing Lillis's words, Jezalde seemed slightly confused.

But Lillis decided it wasn't the right time to talk about it and just smiled.

When the commotion settled, she would tell him everything.

With that resolve, Lillis forcefully pushed Jezalde down again.

"Lillis!?"

"I've decided to stay by Jedo's side! So, I won't let you go tonight!"

"But—"

"Just being with you is enough. I won't do anything. Okay?"

"..."

There were many things he wanted to point out, but Jezalde said nothing.

He couldn't bear to be apart—wanted to be by her side just as much.

Swallowing his sigh, Jezalde skillfully pulled up the blanket.

Lillis's face lit up with a happy smile.

Just seeing that smile was enough for Jezalde.

But Lillis, feeling reassured, soon started to breathe peacefully in her sleep.

"...I'm the one being tortured."

The next morning, Lillis was full of energy, while Jezalde, who had hardly slept, was exhausted.

Lillis's actions and words after waking up surprised Jezalde.