* * *
Leonard’s fingertips brushed against Chaeyi’s cheek.
Startled, he instinctively lowered his head to avoid his touch, his heart pounding painfully.
Though it wasn’t intentional, it felt as if he was pulling away, and Leonard hesitated before withdrawing his hand.
“Why… did I avoid him?”
It wasn’t that he disliked his touch.
But his body had reacted before he could think, leaving his feeling dizzy and guilty toward Leonard.
“Leo, I—”
“Have fun.”
Before he could finish explaining, Leonard cut his off, ending the conversation.
And with that, their exchange came to an awkward halt.
Since Chaeyi had to board the carriage, there was no way to clear the uncomfortable tension between them.
“Sigh.”
Chaeyi let out a small sigh.
Meanwhile, Enoch, who had been observing the subtle tension between the two, sensed that something was off.
“What could have happened between them?”
Neither Leonard nor Chaeyi were the type to share what they were holding back, which only made it more frustrating for Enoch.
He planned to gently ask Chaeyi about it later.
After all, they had to stop at a village on the way to the Monark estate for an overnight stay, which would give them a chance to talk.
With that in mind, Enoch quickly shifted the conversation to lift Chaeyi’s mood.
“Chaeyi!”
“…Hmm?”
“By the way, this is your second time leaving the estate, right?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“What do you know about the Monark estate? It’s smaller than a duchy, but I hear there are quite a few interesting things to see.”
“Really?”
Thankfully, Enoch’s efforts weren’t in vain, and Chaeyi started engaging in conversation again.
During the ride, Chaeyi’s expression gradually returned to normal, and he found himself feeling more at ease thanks to Enoch’s thoughtful distraction.
He could always have a proper conversation with Leonard after he returned.
After traveling for some time, the carriage finally reached the outskirts of a village near the Monark estate.
Since night had fallen, the group decided to spend the night at an inn, just as they had planned.
They rented out the entire inn since there weren’t many other guests and the group was large enough to fill the place.
Chaeyi and Enoch shared the largest room on the third floor. With no particular plans, Chaeyi prepared to sleep early, but just as he lay down, Enoch spoke up.
“Chaeyi?”
When he turned toward him, he saw that he had sat up with a serious expression on his face.
Guessing that he had something important to say, Chaeyi also sat up.
After a brief hesitation, Enoch carefully asked, “I’ve been wondering… did something happen between you and Leonard? Lately, things seem tense between you two.”
Chaeyi didn’t answer immediately, pausing in thought.
He had expected Enoch, who had been watching them closely, to notice sooner or later…
When the question was asked, he found himself at a loss for words.
But apart from that, Chaeyi was oddly relieved by Enoch’s question.
He had wanted to confide in someone for a while now because it was too much to handle on his own.
“Actually…”
Chaeyi slowly began to choose his words as he opened up to him about what had happened with Leonard.
Enoch, who had been listening intently with a serious expression, widened his eyes the moment he heard that Leonard had confessed to him.
“You got confessed to?!”
He then quickly covered his mouth with his hand.
To anyone else, he might have looked shocked, but in reality, Enoch was overjoyed.
‘Finally!’
He had known all along that their feelings for each other were mutual, even if Chaeyi hadn’t realized it himself yet.
But then, Enoch noticed something strange.
‘Why does the atmosphere feel like this?’
If the two of them had properly acknowledged their love, the mood shouldn’t be this gloomy.
Feeling uneasy, Enoch cautiously asked.
“So, how did you respond, Chaeyi?”
“I… I haven’t properly answered him yet.”
“What? Why?”
“Well… because I’m not even sure how I feel about Leo.”
Enoch let out a sigh without realizing it. It was so frustrating.
He was just one step away from understanding his own feelings, but he couldn’t take that final step.
Of course, Enoch didn’t blame him.
They weren’t blood-related, but he had always thought of him as family, so it must have been shocking to hear a confession of love from someone he saw as a sibling.
How shocking must it have been for him.
If anyone could deny their feelings, it was Chaeyi, who dismissed his racing heart as some kind of heart problem.
‘But she’s almost there.’
Surely, even if left alone, he would eventually realize where his heart truly lay.
Still, Enoch figured a little nudge to speed up the process couldn’t hurt.
Smiling quietly, he looked at the distressed Chaeyi and asked in a calm voice.
“Chaeyi, you don’t hate him, do you?”
That was the one question Chaeyi could answer without hesitation.
“No.”
If he had felt disgusted or repulsed, he wouldn’t be struggling like this.
Enoch, reassured by his firm answer, smiled brightly.
“Then the reason you’re hesitating to answer is because you’re not sure if you like Leonard or if you ‘can’ like him, right?”
“…Yeah.”
Chaeyi stared at Enoch with wide eyes, as if he had just read his mind perfectly.
To anyone who knew the two of them well, it wasn’t hard to guess what was going on, but to Chaeyi, Enoch suddenly seemed like a master of relationship advice.
His trust in him soared.
Chuckling, Enoch lightly tapped his chest and said,
“You can fool your mind easily, but not your heart. Maybe it’s time to think about whether you’re ignoring or deceiving the signals your heart is giving you.”
“……”
“That is, if you’re serious about facing Leonard’s feelings. Whether it’s to accept them or reject them.”
Signals from the heart…
Chaeyi fell into deep thought.
As he listened to Enoch, one thing came to mind—the way his heart always seemed to react whenever he was with Leonard.
Jaiden had already said there was nothing wrong with his heart, so if the trembling he felt was really just his heartbeat…
The moment that thought crossed his mind, a strange fear gripped his heart like he’d stumbled on something unexpected.
But he didn’t run away.
There are some things you can only realize by keeping an open mind.
“…Thanks, Enoch.”
The next time he met Leonard, she’d finally understand why his heart had been trembling so anxiously.
And Enoch, who had been quietly cheering his on all along, smiled warmly.
“It’ll work out.”
The day passed, and the next morning arrived.
The group, who had been ready to leave early, climbed into the carriage without delay.
There was still quite a way to go before reaching their final destination—the Graveyard of the Eleverium.
“If nothing goes wrong, we should be able to get there today. Luckily, the day when the Elebrians’ lives come to an end is still two days away, so we’ll have plenty of time to rest and explore.”
As the carriage convoy finally left the Combest estate, Enoch nodded as he went over the schedule.
With Enoch handling everything so meticulously, Chaeyi didn’t have to lift a finger and could simply enjoy the ride.
As Chaeyi gazed out the window, the driver called out to them.
“Masters! The road’s about to get rough as we go over the mountain, so hold on tight!”
As soon as the driver’s words ended, the carriage started to jolt, and Enoch looked out the window.
They were already climbing the steep path.
“……”
Chaeyi and Enoch held onto the carriage handles, monitoring the situation.
The carriage, having just passed through a thick forest, was now traveling along the edge of a cliff.
The ride was so rough that it felt like the carriage might tip over at any moment, but thankfully, they passed through without any issues.
Soon, they reached a wide, flat road that gently descended.
Ahead, soldiers who didn’t bear the Combest crest stood with flags planted. They were Monark soldiers.
“Stop!”
The Monark soldiers immediately blocked the road and eyed the carriage warily. Enoch whispered from beside him.
“Monark still has a lot of distrust toward outsiders. They were invaded many times before the empire was established. Especially lately, with more tourists coming and going, they’ve become even more sensitive.”
* * *
epoch bein an mvp