/
Badin and Holly, who had suddenly become awkward, sat side by side and chewed beef jerky and regained their peace. As she glanced blankly at Badin’s relaxed face, Holly let out a sigh of relief. It was too much to be with Adam alone and to be in an uncomfortable relationship while traveling together.
“But, is that your friend?”
When she turned her head at his question, Badin’s gaze was still on the suspicious tree that had been following Holly.
“Oh, right! I forgot.”
Holly said, clapping her hands. The tree didn’t do anything suspicious besides following her at a reasonable distance, so her mind was at ease without even realizing it. Badin’s existence, who had a knife attached to his waist, must have played a part in reassuring her.
“Looks like it lives here… if you leave the forest, it won’t come after you.”
“Hmm.”
Badin let out a low moan and suddenly got up from his seat and approached the suspicious tree. The tree trembled all over as if surprised by the sudden approach. Holly’s eyes widened, thinking that, for some reason, the tree seemed at a loss.
“Huh? Has it changed a bit?”
When she first saw it, only green leaves hung abundantly on the branches though now there were fruits of various colors and shapes. While it didn’t look like it belonged to it originally, it seemed like it was put on purpose.
Even though Holly hid behind Badin, she rose to take a closer look at the entity that was pursuing her.
As she approached, Badin reached out and plucked one of the yellow fruits, oblivious to the sight of her trembling tree. He then rubbed it with his hand and put it straight into his mouth.
“Wait! If you don’t know what it is, if you eat it like that…!”
Startled by his bold action, a stem flew into her open mouth. Holly hastily shut her mouth, but it was already after the tree trunk had pushed something into her mouth. Even though she tried to spit it out right away, her impatience crushed what was in her mouth.
“Huh…?”
At the same time, a sweet scent filled her mouth. Holly opened her eyes and unknowingly moved her mouth.
“Is it good? It’s a bit sour…”
Badin frowned, spitting out what was in his mouth.
“This is sweet.”
She replied with a puzzled look at the situation that flowed naturally like water, except for her. Badin then opened his eyes and picked a different fruit from before, and put it in his mouth.
‘Is that what I ate?’
Holly smoothed her lips at the fruit, red as jewels and as small as her fingernails. Feeling the sweetness, her tongue kept getting greedy. The stem once again picked fruit from the tree and handed it to her.
“…You want me to eat it?”
The leaves on the trees swayed at her question. It felt like a nod.
“Thank you.”
The tree trunk trembled as she took it, bewildered. Holly took the fruit from the tree and ate it, even though she had a confused look.
“Still, are you going to keep this? I don’t think His Highness will like it…”
Badin said, pointing his chin to the tree indifferently.
“I’m not taking it with me.”
When she glanced at her tree and replied with a guilty look, Badin muttered with a serious face.
“You can’t kill the guy who gave you something to eat.”
The tree and Holly flinched a little later. It was because the tone and voice were so nonchalant that they realized the meaning belatedly.
“If you don’t want to die, be sensible.”
Badin uttered to the suspicious tree. The leaves swayed violently as though they understood the meaning, perhaps because it was quite a smart fellow.
Eventually, Holly and Badin sat comfortably on the ground and ate the fruit the tree gave them. It was quiet except for the sound of chewing and the sound of trees moving its trunk. As their stomach swelled, the silence gradually became uncomfortable.
“How is the status system in that country? Do you hardly feel the difference in social status?”
Holly asked what she had always been curious about, Cahill’s kingdom, Aisen.
‘I don’t know if I’ll ever travel, so it’s good to know.’
She muttered to herself as if to make an excuse. However, Badin didn’t seem to understand the question with a subtle expectation and stared blankly.
“Even if you both are subordinates, Badin speaks casually to Cahill, while Adam seems more respectful?”
She was asking if she could meet him anytime when they go back to Aisen since she was a commoner and asked if it’s okay to be friendly like now.
“Adam treats everyone with respect.”
Though this time, she didn’t get the answer she wanted.
“Ah…”
Come to think of it, Adam still spoke respectfully even when he said he hated her.
“Let’s go now.”
Glancing at Holly with her head down, Badin lifted himself off the ground. It didn’t seem like he would give her an answer.
She smiled bitterly and followed Badin.
“You can do anything you want in our kingdom.”
Badin, who stood up first, glanced at her and then said. Then, he added, looking at her puzzled face.
“This means that if His Highness Cahill wants to have someone by his side, he can, whether the person is a commoner or a lower class.”
At those words, a bright smile spread across her lips. It seemed that Badin was quite quick-witted.
Holly, who had obtained the answer she had been longing for, felt her steps getting lighter.
* * *
“Holly!”
Even though she couldn’t even see Cahill’s figure, she could hear his voice from somewhere.
“Cahill…?”
Holly looked everywhere, even the sky, looking for him, but it wasn’t until some time later that she saw him. What seemed like a small dot quickly grew in size, and it soon began to take on the shape of a person.
“Holly!”
“Cahill…!”
Holly jumped toward Cahill in delight and suddenly looked back.
Cahill, unaware of the tense atmosphere around her, ran over and grabbed her hand. In an instant, her body stiffened. There were three people, no, one person and one tree, who were nervous about how he would react to the uninvited guest who had followed them without permission.
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
His face, which had been examining her with a serious expression, suddenly hardened.
‘…Did he notice?’
Holly drew in a breath.
“Are you not doing it right? Do you want to be cut off?”
Cahill’s sharp eyes were on Badin, who appeared with her. He soon found a thin thread-like scar on Holly’s cheek.
“…Can I transfer to the Athlon?”
Badin, who had stiffened as if he was embarrassed, spoke in a tired voice like a person who took on a troublesome task.
“Thinking of old times, I’ll slit your neck first.”
Holly made an uneasy face at the two’s atmosphere, who did not seem to be joking.
“If you don’t want to die right away, kill yourself.”
Badin’s shoulders drooped at Cahill’s more menacing expression. He let out a sigh of relief, possessed by the now eased air.
“Let’s go.”
The next moment, Cahill walked forward without hesitation.
“What about Adam?”
Holly, who was being led away by him, remembered the one person she hadn’t met.
“They’ll find us on our own.”
As she was at a loss for words at Cahill’s disinterested tone, she looked back at Badin, but he was indifferent as well.
‘He’s the one who taught me how to get out of the dream, so he’ll do well.’
But eventually, Holly shrugged her shoulders and brushed off her concerns.
“Aren’t you afraid of being alone?”
Putting his lips to her ear, he stroked her cheek with the other hand.
“Holly is very timid.”
He whispered in her ear as if telling a secret. Holly, whose cheeks were blushing at his warm skinship, frowned.
“Afraid? Did I?”
Even though he was only asking back what she said, the words that came out felt awkward.
From a very young age, she was so fearless that a group of bullies in her neighborhood called her a ‘brave kid.’ However, since Cahill had only seen her running away after being chased by the Torimas gang, it was not unreasonable to think that she was timid.
“How did you wake up? I was going to go find you…”