The second best room in the country, there must have been a bed that she couldnât even imagine.
âThank you for saying that.â
However, Holly vowed never to go there, and she replied bluntly.
âReally. Right now⊠no, but after we find your parents, letâs go together.â
She laughed awkwardly at his sincere suggestion. It was a good thing she was above him, so she couldnât see his face. She wondered what would be different. Now, her head was full of thoughts about when and how she would get rid of Cahill.
âBut, why are you so excited?â
If she left him alone, he would even hum a song, Holly asked, putting her face in front of him.
âItâs my first time with a friend.â
âAhâŠâ
Frowning, she let out a sigh-like moan. It was because she felt uncomfortable knowing that he was moved by meaningless words.
âPut me down. Letâs rest here today.â
âYouâre not going any further?â
âThey say we shouldnât move in the woods after sunset.â
Even though they had no map, and she didnât know how far she had come after frantically running away, she had heard that the forest of Lauriue, which was connected to Centria, was full of dangerous things.
âWe ran hard, so we need to rest.â
Hollyâs body, which was relaxed, wanted to lie down immediately.
âAre you tired?â
Cahill, who ran with his body, was gazing at her with an incomprehensible face. Holly was surprised, and at the same time, anger surged because of his inhuman stamina.
âThen, take a rest. Wait here.â
Saying so, he put her down and turned his body the way they had come.
âWhere are you going? Havenât you heard that itâs dangerous?â
Holly forgot to get angry and grabbed the hem of his robe with a worried look. The corners of Cahillâs lips stretched down to the side.
âIâll be back soon.â
With a smile on his face, he calmly removed her hand before quickly disappearing over the dark wooden post. Holly stared blankly at his disappearing back, then twisted her face.
âI donât know. If it becomes dangerous, he will cut it all down with that strange power.â
She gleefully threw her bag on the floor and looked around.
The first thing to do was to light a fire to prevent wild animals from approaching at night. Moments later, Holly lit a bonfire with ease, and she was dozing off against a tree. And, what woke her up was the sound of dragging something heavy.
The sound that got closer and closer made her sleep go away.
A shadow flickered in the light. She mustered up the courage to raise her head. Soon, she let out a gasp. It was dark all around her, so his white face seemed to be floating in the air.
âCahill!â
The figure behind the shadow that surprised her was Cahill. He looked strangely at Holly, who wiped her startled chest.
âWho followed you?â
He glanced around her with sharpened eyes.
âNo oneâs here. Whatâs that?â
Holly reassured him in a hoarse voice, pointing to what he was carrying on his shoulder. That was what inflated his shadow, making him scary.
Cahill laid it down at his feet with a nonchalant look.
âHow did you get it?â
It was a wild boar. She didnât know if it was the one who had chased them earlier. Holly, who reflexively tried to run away after seeing the sharp fangs, stopped when she realized that he had been hanging it on his back.
âDinner.â
She let out a sigh of relief at his calm tone. Come to think of it, Cahill had a strong body, even if his ability to handle snow was not strange enough.
âWhy did you run away earlier when you could catch a wild boar?â
He stared blankly at her absurd question.
âYou told me to run.â
Holly was at a loss for words at the reckless reply.
âSince when have you been listening to me so well?â
She then slapped his chest and let out her frustration. Though Cahill just smiled at her.
âHow do you eat this? Can I roast it over the fire?â
Then, he picked the boar with one hand and tried to throw it whole into the fire.
âWait! You have to take the skin off.â
At that, Holly groaned and grabbed his arm. She then gently touched the thick hide of the boar that he had laid down on the floor.
âIf I wash this well and dry it, wouldnât it be useable as a duvetâŠ?â
Holly had no idea that nights in the mountains were so cold.
Right now, she could stand it by leaning on Cahillâs warmth, but she thought it would be necessary to live alone in the future. Meanwhile, Cahillâs expression was strangely distorted as he looked at her, who could not take her hand off the boar hide so immersed in her thoughts.
âWhen I asked you to do it, you refused at once. Is that your preference?â
The side that Holly was fiddling with was probably the boarâs lower body.
âCanât I put mine in, too? Or one by one. There are two holes anyway.â
Hollyâs face went red as if it was about to explode at the blatant remark.
This was a female. Besides, she had no hobby of mixing bodies with animals. In addition, she had no intention of filling both holes. Three sentences were about to come out at once, so Holly couldnât utter a word.
She silently rummaged through her bag and pulled out a dagger. Then, she pierced it with all her might, though the hide was so tough that the blade did not go in well. Holly did not give up and repeated several times to pick the boar hide.
On the other hand, Cahill, who was standing still, came and took the knife from her hand. And he skillfully skinned it.
âDo you know how to do this?â
As he was lacking in many ways other than physical work, Holly was greatly impressed with this unexpected talent.
âAh, is this also a physical activity?â
When she struggled to convince herself, Cahill replied.
âThere is a hunting competition every winter. Whoever kills the biggest beast must skin the prey and present it to the King.â
Cahill succeeded in cutting the skin without breaking even with the short sword. Hollyâs eyes twinkled, and she glanced at the newly acquired blanket.
âYou canât eat that.â
As if to appease a child, Holly calmly put the leather down on the floor in a kind tone.
Although she sparingly used spices, the stench was not completely erased. Holly held her breath and gnawed at the tough meat with her teeth.
With a side-eye, she could see Cahill trying to eat the charred husks.
âItâs all burnt there. You have to take it off and eat it.â
She took her hand and cut off the blackened part. Cahill watched her do what she was doing, then grabbed her hand and ate it with his mouth open like a child.
âNow that weâre done, letâs do it.â
When he saw her not reaching for the new meat, he spoke as if he had waited. Holly, who tried to close her eyes again, burst out laughing.
âDo you want to do it every day?â
Cahill shook his head at once.
âI didnât know it could be this good until I did it with you.â
On his face, filled with the desire to do it right away, thoughts were running through Holly. She couldnât immediately say no since she didnât hate it either. She could forget the cold while doing it. However, there were no walls to cover the body and no blankets to lie on.
âBut, not outside. Even if you want to, hang in there.â
Even in a soothing tone, Cahill narrowed his forehead.
âI want to do it, why do I need to hold on?â
This young master, no, this prince, who had never been denied anything he wanted to do, innocently blinked. Holly was speechless again.
âThe sun has set anyway, so you said we shouldnât move.â
Cahill took one step closer to her. He spoke in a soft voice and grabbed her shoulder. The eyes were dazzling. It felt like her lower stomach was stinging in those eyes.
âN, no⊠Iâm going to get caught up in this again.â
Holly bit the tender flesh in her mouth, trying to shake off the temptation.
After spending the night with Cahill, it was natural that her body wouldnât be as light as usual due to the intense movements. As a result, the journey to find her parents kept getting delayed. A few days had passed since she left home, but she couldnât get away from Centria.
âBesides, I think Iâm going to become addicted.â
Even the touch of his fingertips made her skin tingle, and she was terrified.
âWe wonât be able to be together forever, so I shouldnât get used to it.â
Since she was still young, relying on someone was not her way of life. Holly caught her breath. She would need to get up early in the morning and leave Cahill behind. To do that, she had to keep her body in top condition.
As she stubbornly kept her mouth shut, Cahill let out a deep sigh with a helpless look.