/
It was Holly who saved the men in trouble.
‘I don’t think they’re in the mood to fight, right?’
As she peered out at the outside situation through a small hole and slowly came out of the closet, she picked up the blanket that kept getting caught on her feet and clung to Cahill’s back.
“Why are you holding that sword when you have no intention of fighting?”
Following Holly’s doubtful glances, the masked man looked down and was startled to see his hand holding the sword.
“Oh, out of habit
”
Clank.
Soon, there was the sound of a sword falling to the floor. The man who unwittingly threw away the sword quickly picked it up again and put it in the sheath that was hung around his waist.
“Well then, we’ve completed our mission, so let’s go back.”
While the man spoke quickly and hurriedly jumped out the window to avoid being caught by Cahill, Holly stared blankly at the open window.
“What, for real
”
It was too futile an attack to make them hide in a closet. When she turned her head, Cahill was standing there staring at the letter in her hand.
“Is that like a real duel or something?”
With her urging, he broke the seal on the letter.
“It’s not a duel
 If it’s too bad, would you like to catch them?”
Confused as to whether or not it was a joke, Holly frowned. Cahill then opened his mouth as he scanned his eyes through the letter.
“Isen has a tradition that when one becomes an adult, they go on a journey and see the world. The royal family, in particular, has someone watching them if they do it right, saying it’s proof of their qualifications.”
Only then did she know why Cahill was traveling. Holly, who had blankly nodded her head, was taken aback by his last words.
“What? So, someone has been hiding and watching us all this time
?”
Saying so, she glanced around with a white face. The window the black men had left was wide open, and there was nowhere for them to hide under the low-post bed. Not to mention the closet where she herself was hiding just a moment ago.
When her gaze finally landed on the overflowing bathtub, Holly’s pale face soon turned red.
* * *
Cahill took his eyes off the letter and touched her flushed cheek.
“There’s none.”
“
You said there is.”
After all, there were embarrassing things that could be seen by others not only today but throughout their travels together. Thinking so, Holly lifted the blanket to hide her burning face.
“I kicked them out. It’s annoying.”
Holly let out a sigh of relief at those words.
“But, how did they chase you all the way here?”
Cahill shrugged his shoulders as he held up the letter in his hand. He didn’t seem surprised or embarrassed that someone he had kicked out contacted him.
“Do you have to go see them?”
“I was supposed to go around with you.”
Hearing that, she put on an unfair look in his accusing eyes. It was as if the promise had been broken because of her.
“We don’t have to go around together. I’m just going to ask the people around a few questions.”
“What if someone takes you away like Ahmed did?”
“I’m not a child, so how can they take me when I don’t want to go?”
Holly spoke back with a laugh.
“It’s annoying, but I think I should go.”
Eventually, Cahill nodded with a sullen look, showing his displeasure. His face looked quite youthful, so naturally, a question arose.
“Still, if it’s the coming-of-age ceremony, are you twenty now?”
As she wondered if he had different standards for Centuria’s adults, Cahill replied yes. He looked young, and he was actually two years younger than her. Her heart was heavy at the thought that she had done this and that with a child who had just become an adult.
‘
No. It was Cahil who seduced me with his body.’
Holly soon shook her head to shake off the strange guilt.
“Though I’m curious.”
When she stared blankly at Cahill’s face before suddenly opening her mouth, he gazed at her with puzzled eyes.
“You, the Prince
 I wonder what it will look like.”
At that, Cahill tilted his head.
“Is it different?”
Even the noble lodgers at Halidem alone built a wall with her as a commoner. Even if they flirted with her and said that they like her, they only considered her a partner or a mistress for one night. So, if Cahill hadn’t been traveling, she wouldn’t have seen his toes.
“Wouldn’t it
 be different?”
However, no matter how much she tried to imagine him flaunting his dignity, nothing could come to mind.
Meanwhile, Cahill laughed at Holly’s face, which looked complicated, and he poked her cheek. Could it be because of his cute eyes? Or was it because of the softly curved eyebrows? Her chest tickled and her heat rose on her cheeks.
“
Why do you keep touching me?”
“It feels good because it is soft and soft.”
Saying so, he was smiling like he was in a really good mood. Holly’s face lit up at his sweet voice.
“Did you know that when you get angry, you keep your mouth shut and your cheeks twitch? That’s so cute.”
Hearing that, her heart started beating loudly. She hurriedly turned around and clutched at the blanket, fearing that the sound would travel outside.
“Hurry up and close the window.”
Holly almost threw herself down on the bed. The fever rose, and she closed her eyes tightly.
The bed tilted to one side over Cahill’s weight as his arms naturally wrapped around her stomach. Feeling the hard body hit her back, she could feel his heart beating at the same speed. Holly put her hand on his arm, feeling a sense of peace.
* * *
“A glass of orange juice here!”
A young employee of her age spoke in a loud voice and set a glass of juice down on Holly’s table. Orange kernels were stuck to the fingertips, showing she had just grounded them.
“Enjoy.”
“Wait.”
Holly stopped the employee, who was about to turn around. At the same time, her ears twitched as the employee seemed nervous when called.
“There’s something I want to ask you.”
Holly gave a soft smile to reassure her together with a sweet voice, like when she treated guests at Halidem. Only then did the employee glance around the store with a relieved face while the few customers were all accepting drinks and chatting.
“I think it will be fine for a while.”
“There aren’t many foreigners here, are there?”
Holly put a coin on the table.
“You don’t have to do this
”
As the employee smiled shyly and took the coin, she didn’t forget to look behind her to make sure no one was watching.
“I guess so. There’s only Lauriue beyond here.”
Snuggled closer to the table, she soon took a more assertive stance.
“For that matter, the inn seems to have developed quite a bit.”
When Holly questioned, the employee let out an exclamation with a face that had just become enlightened.
“Ah! Should I say that they are also foreigners?”
“They
?”
The employee, nodding her head, looked at Holly and continued.
“There are many herbalists. There are many good herbs at the mouth of the forest. Seeing them so often, I came to not think of them as foreigners anymore.”
Finishing her words, the employee blushed and laughed shyly. It was only then did Holly recall what she had heard from a customer before.
She had heard that the forest entrance of Lauriue had many unusual and precious herbs, though not as much as the interior. Since it was a herb that was hard to find anywhere else so it could be sold at a high price. Of course, there must have been many people looking for it.
“Then
 When strangers come, it will be very obvious, right?”
“Of course. Actually, I’ve heard rumors about that as well. I heard that you gave that unlucky mister a hit.”
Holly laughed awkwardly, looking at the excessively sparkling eyes. That unlucky uncle would refer to the man at the inn who kicked her out last night.
“By the way, where is the beauty who goes with you? I was curious because of his reputation.”
The clerk peeked behind her back, seeing if Cahill was hiding somewhere.
“He has something to do, so we’re moving separately.”
Her face, which had been excited with anticipation at her words, was stained with regret. Holly quickly brought up her business to avoid the employee from being swept away with disappointment.
“Hasn’t a middle-aged couple come here by any chance? The man’s hair is half-bald, and he has a dot in the middle of his forehead. The woman is very short.”
Asking that, Holly moved her hands over her head and across her chest, thinking she was lucky her parents had certain traits. Recalling the rattling coin in her pocket from earlier, the employee relived her memory earnestly.
“I haven’t seen them.”
However, the employee shook her head.
“Really
?”