Terdeo, who was pleading desperately, was still holding me in his arms.
"I said I wouldn't leave. First, let go of this."
But Terdeo, who still had his face buried in me, looked unusually dejected.
"I realized how insignificant I am. My mind went blank, and I couldn't do anything. All I could think about was bringing you back."
Terdeo slowly lifted his head and approached me as if craving love.
"Don't leave me, Peresatti. I can't do anything without you."
Terdeo's body leaned towards me, and the moment the weight settled, my face flushed.
'Should I close my eyes?'
My heart pounded as I saw his face coming closer. I swallowed hard, and at the same time, Terdeo buried his face in my shoulder.
"…!"
It wasn't a kiss. I thought it was going to be a kiss, but…! I subtly turned my reddened face and let out a small breath I had been holding.
'I'm glad I didn't close my eyes…'
If I had, it would have been even more awkward.
"Why are you doing this?"
Feeling embarrassed, I turned my head this way and that, and Terdeo tilted his head with an innocent expression.
"…Really?"
"I won't leave."
Terdeo, who had been looking at me with a doubtful gaze, let out a small laugh. Ah, how much I wanted to hear that laugh. How much I wanted to see that face. How much I wanted to touch those hands. My heart swelled. Terdeo slowly intertwined his fingers with mine. The lazy way his fingers overlapped mine felt strangely intimate.
"I won't let go."
Terdeo, who was holding my hand tightly, smiled like a mischievous child and then closed his eyes. It was hard to breathe with our hands intertwined. It felt as if my heart was being held tightly. The carriage moved quietly and comfortably. Was it because of the comfortable carriage, or because I was there beside him? The moment he closed his eyes, Terdeo's breathing became steady. I looked down at his face, which was now completely relaxed.
'He must have been tired.'
This was a face only I could see. Only me.
"…Idiot."
I carefully examined Terdeo. His clothes were worn in places, and his appearance was disheveled. The deep fatigue on his face seemed to speak of how much he had suffered. I raised my free hand and slowly traced his lips with my index finger. Although no blood came out, he winced as if his dry, cracked lips were painful. My heart ached.
"…I missed you."
I couldn't contain the overwhelming emotions. I couldn't keep them bottled up. Was Terdeo the same? I tucked his hair behind his ear and leaned in slightly. Then I kissed the space between his deeply furrowed brows. Peck. After a short kiss, Terdeo's frown smoothed out beautifully.
"Phew."
Seeing this, I couldn't help but laugh. I patted him softly to keep him from waking up and smiled. ***
"…I was shortsighted. I should have found a place to stay in advance."
I had left impulsively, so it was natural that there was no place to stay when we returned. Moreover, we didn't even bring a baggage carriage, so we had no food or extra clothes. I only realized this when it was already late at night. Fortunately, we managed to find a room in a small, relatively clean inn in the village.
"It's fine. It's better than sleeping in the forest or the carriage."
The small inn room was immediately visible without even looking around. Terdeo pressed his forehead and sighed deeply, as if he had made a mistake.
"…It feels like we're on an impromptu trip, but it's not bad, right?"
I tried to smile as I took off my shawl. Since it was late at night, there was only one cleaned room available, so we decided to stay together. It didn't matter anyway, as we were already sharing a room at the Duke's residence. I approached the bed and gently pressed the mattress with my palm. The mattress sank deeply with a loud creak, and the floorboards groaned as if they might collapse with each step. There were water stains on the ceiling, indicating that it had leaked before. It was a bit different from where we had stayed before, but it wasn't bad.
"…I can't do this. If we go a little further, we'll reach the Count's estate. I'll ride there and ask if we can stay for a day."
I grabbed the hem of Terdeo's clothes, which seemed ready to bolt.
"We don't have proper guards, and we only have the carriage and our bodies. What if we get attacked? There's no need to cause a big fuss in another empire."
"But…"
"Besides, Terdeo, you need to rest. You haven't eaten anything yet."
"But I can't let you stay in a place like this…"
"It's fine as long as you're with me."
I turned to Terdeo and smiled, then approached him and gently caressed his cheek as I had in the carriage.
"Before we came in, I sent a letter to Seth through someone. From tomorrow, we can stay at the inn Seth has already booked. Seth will also send a baggage carriage, so we can get some clothes. Let's just endure it together for today."
Despite my persuasion, Terdeo still looked dissatisfied.
"Still…"
"Terdeo, do you want to leave me here alone while you ride to the Count's estate? Or do you want to ride there together in the middle of the night? It's too far to go by carriage, so we'd end up sleeping in the carriage, which would be even more uncomfortable."
Unable to find a counterargument, Terdeo finally shut his mouth. He seemed to dislike the situation, but he acknowledged that there were no other options. At that moment, there was a knock on the door. Terdeo, who had lost the argument with me, opened the door wide. The innkeeper brought in extra clothes and two servings of food, as I had requested.
"Here are the extra clothes and food. I've heated the bathwater so you can bathe when you're ready."
The innkeeper bowed, perhaps sensing that we were high-ranking nobles, even if he didn't know exactly who we were.
"…You can leave now."
Terdeo waved his hand in a resigned tone, and the innkeeper left. Terdeo sighed deeply as he unfolded the extra clothes.
"Do I have to wear this?"
"They're pretty clean."
The clothes were clean and well-kept, but they didn't seem to satisfy Terdeo.
"Don't complain too much. It's just for today."
I lightly tapped Terdeo's shoulder and took out the food. Dry, crispy bread, clear soup with lots of water, boiled potatoes, and stir-fried meat and vegetables. The food was simple, meant to fill our stomachs. It might have seemed lacking to us, but the innkeeper had probably tried to provide a decent meal. As I started eating, Terdeo, who couldn't complain anymore, also began to fill his stomach.
'It's delicious.'
The food was nothing special, but it tasted different as I watched Terdeo's face. The meal ended quickly because there wasn't much food.
"…I'll go take a bath."
"Okay. I'll go too."
Terdeo was still scrutinizing the clothes, seemingly dissatisfied. I gathered my toiletries and headed to the communal bath to wash away the day's fatigue. Fortunately, the bathing areas were separated for men and women. The bath wasn't large, nor was it very clean. It felt like someone else had used it.
'Just for today, I can endure it.'
I thought about not bathing, but I didn't want to smell bad while sharing a room with Terdeo.
'Taking a bath alone feels awkward…'
The bathwater, as the innkeeper had said, was warm. I checked the temperature by waving my hand and then neatly folded my clothes before taking them off. After washing my hair and body, I immersed myself in the bath.
"…It's warm."
Even though I felt a bit self-conscious and looked around, it wasn't unpleasant.
'Sometimes, this isn't so bad.'
…No, maybe it felt okay because Terdeo was with me. I smiled to myself and rested my cheek on my raised knees. If Terdeo hadn't been there, I might have been angry about staying in such an inn and having such an experience. Because Terdeo was there, this experience felt unique.
"…I miss you."
I had just seen him a few minutes ago, but I already missed him. I decided to wash quickly and go out when the bath door opened with a sound.
"…"
"…?"
Terdeo, who had taken off his upper body, was blinking. I was also taken aback by his sudden appearance and could only blink.