* * *
I bit down.
The grains—sugar—crunched under my teeth.
The sweetness of the sugar and fruit chased the bitterness and slowly neutralized it.
“Urgh…”
I barely held back a retch and swallowed the berry.
Almost immediately, Klen offered me another red fruit, and without hesitation, I took it into my mouth.
A faint tart-sweet flavor bloomed on my tongue.
Before closing the bottle, he plucked one berry for himself and popped it into his mouth.
When our eyes met, he smiled with a playful glint, his eyes curving beautifully.
“Is it good?”
I simply nodded.
His smile was so clear and serene that even I, who knew just how cold he truly was, was momentarily confused by it.
“The medicine should take effect by tomorrow. You’ve regained a lot of your strength, so I don’t think you’ll collapse so easily again. Still… I’m curious why you collapsed in the first place…”
“Ah, I see. Thank you! We’ll take our leave now.”
“…?”
I quickly grabbed Klen’s hand and hurried out of the room.
That was close.
Come to think of it, I forgot to tell the healer to keep it a secret.
I nearly ended up hearing something as absurd as, ‘You’re too healthy to have collapsed for no reason.’
By the time we made it to the East Tower, the cold sweat that had trickled down my spine began to cool.
Distracting my mind had helped ease the lingering sensation of that medicine still clinging to my mouth.
I glanced behind me.
Even though I had run out before the healer finished speaking, Klen, whose hand I had taken, was silently following me.
“How did you know I’d slipped out?”
You said no one was watching me.
And yet you show up right on time like this?
“I didn’t know you’d slipped out. I came to check how the medicine was working. But then I heard that the fragile young lady had gone to gather ingredients, so naturally, I had to follow.”
“…”
So it wasn’t because of some hidden device in the room that I got caught.
My brisk steps suddenly stopped.
I looked at him quietly.
Could it be… that someone who usually avoids trouble actually kept visiting the tower to check on how my medicine was working?
“Are you dizzy from walking too fast?”
His cool hand brushed my cheek and ran up through my hair.
The fact that he hadn’t just left things to others or lied about it—it was enough to make my chest flutter.
“You used the secret passage behind the fireplace, didn’t you?”
“…What?!”
The moment Klen—who’d been so guarded—opened his mouth, my shoulders jerked up.
But I quickly relaxed my wide eyes, forced my raised shoulders down with muscle, and even had to work to lower my lifted eyebrows.
Stay calm.
There’s no hard proof yet.
He might’ve just thrown that line out there because it’s the most likely route I’d have taken.
“A beginner would only be able to find that much.”
“…? Wait—are you saying there’s another way?”
“Well.”
He smiled at me. It was like he was saying, ‘Watch closely, this is how you use your facial muscles.’
His eyes curved and lips lifted into a bright smile almost effortlessly.
“I’ll tell you next time.”
“What? Why?!”
But the words that followed didn’t make my heart flutter—they scratched at it.
He gets me curious and then refuses to tell me?
“If you had just waited two more days, I might’ve told you about the other path.”
“…”
The way he tilted his head in mock disappointment was so insincere it was easy to see through.
Just like the healer, this guy also implied that all I needed to do was hold on a bit longer.
Would two days really have made a difference?
‘No way.’
Even if I had waited, Klen wouldn’t have revealed the tower’s hidden mechanisms, and there’s no telling whether the healer actually had another medicine in mind.
‘Is this what people from House Valuncio are like?’
Be it the count’s son or the healer, they all seem to take pride in getting under your skin.
Klen reached out and pressed his hand to my forehead, then gently pressed between my brows.
Had I been frowning without realizing it?
The spot he touched throbbed.
Normally, I’d have slapped his hand away in irritation, but this time, it didn’t feel entirely unpleasant.
“That path is part of the patrol route, so you were bound to get caught.”
“…!”
Was that meant to comfort me—or was he telling me to give up?
I’d thought it was just bad luck running into the guards right after slipping out.
But no—it was a patrol route to begin with.
In hindsight, the real miracle was not running into them immediately after opening the door.
Klen gently took my hand and walked forward.
No one had noticed us yet.
Cautiously scanning the area, he led me beneath the statue of the saint.
At her feet, where she knelt in prayer, flowers bloomed so vividly it was as if they were alive.
He brushed his hand over one of them.
Thunk—
A low sound echoed, like a lock being undone.
“Why are we going this way?”
Why go through all this trouble when there’s a proper route?
I really don’t want to smell that stale air and dust again.
When I left, it was with the sole determination to escape—but going in was another matter.
Creak…
But Klen calmly pushed the door aside and opened the secret passage.
Is he ignoring me?
Just when I pouted slightly, he turned to look at me.
“Adrian. Shall we go this way, or would you rather march proudly through the front gate?”
“Obviously, I’d like to—”
Go through the front gate.
I kept my mouth shut and stared into his eyes.
If it were that simple, he wouldn’t have brought me all the way here to ask.
Besides, we’d have to retrace our entire path to reach the main gate.
“…Let’s go this way.”
Better be careful. His words are never without a trap.
Klen offered his arm, like a partner inviting me into a ballroom, and extended his hand toward the passage.
Once I stepped in, he followed and closed the door behind us.
Darkness instantly swallowed the space.
But I was used to this.
After a short while, a faint glow began to shimmer on the wall.
“A good choice, Adrian. If we’d gone through the front, it would’ve caused problems once people realized you slipped out without anyone knowing.”
“…!”
“Even if I turned a blind eye, your guards and attendants would’ve been punished for failing to protect you.”
“Why didn’t you say that earlier?”
“Wouldn’t that have put pressure on your decision?”
His amber eyes reflected the faint light, cold and calm in the dark.
That’s it?
That’s why he didn’t say anything in advance?
If I’d chosen the front gate, would he have said nothing and just followed?
Or maybe…
‘Did he trust me to choose this path?’
Instead of being angry, my thoughts tried to justify his actions.
“You passed through here?”
Klen looked around.
He frowned as if the dusty air was suffocating him, then came closer and covered my nose and mouth with his hand.
‘I have hands too, you know.’
In this position, I could barely move.
Wouldn’t it be easier if we each just covered our own faces?
* * *
