Chapter 5

An uncomfortable silence filled the inside of the carriage.

I didn’t really like this silence, but I could stand it if it was making Izar uncomfortable.

I wanted him to voluntarily get off the carriage, saying he could no longer be in this atmosphere.

“Adel.”

“…….”

“Adel!”

“It’s noisy. Who are you calling?”

When I asked, Izar’s forehead was badly wrinkled.

“Adel, I’m calling you.”

“My name is Adelia. Adel is my nickname. And I’ve never allowed you to call me by my nickname.”

I smiled and said, Izar asked with an incomprehensible face.

“What the hell made you like that?”

Are you asking because you really don’t know that? My head is hurting at your stupid question.

This is why I didn’t want to ride in the same carriage as Izar.

“This is the real me. The reason I have been kind to you all this time is because you were my fiancé, at least nominally.”

“That kind ….”

“Ah, if you want to be treated like a noble, I will get down on my knees and apologize right now.”

Izar wiped his face with his hand and shook his head.

“As expected, you’d better go back home.”

“What do you mean?”

“Stop running away from home like this.” Isn’t this something a child would do? You’re just getting cranky for no reason.”

A burst of laughter came out.

The urge to shut Izar’s mouth immediately reached my fingertips.

He didn’t even know that I was excommunicated from the family.

And the fact that our engagement is over. 

“Let’s stop this wasteful argument. I’m having a headache.”

I didn’t want to be stressed out about this anymore.

I turned my head and ignored Izar.

But, as always, he ignored my will and kept his mouth running.

“If it were usual, you would have asked how Hestine is doing, but now I don’t think you care.”

Hestine.

It was a name that was like a paradox to me.

I don’t know why he is telling me this.

Do you really want to provoke me?

“Why are you bringing that name up in front of me?”

“…Because you admired Hestine.”

For a moment, I felt suffocated. What do you mean admired?

Does he see me as someone who admires Hestine?

There was a strong emotion that I did not know whether it was despair or anger.

In fact, it didn’t matter how he looked at me.

The important thing is that he knew I didn’t have hostility towards Hestine.

Izar knew that, but he kept his mouth shut when I was falsely accused.

No. Did you rather have doubts in me like the others?

“Are you not worried about Hestine?”

“I’m worried. Well, I’ve always wanted her to live well.”

She needed to live in order to stop the catastrophe, so that I and the empire could live. 

“Yeah. I knew it. I knew you’d be worried.”

Izar smiled softly and nodded his head.

He should have stopped now, but he never stopped running his mouth.

“You don’t have to be so sorry. Hestine is healthy. Although there are some scars left on her ankle.”

Look at this.

He was secretly saying that I was the culprit who hurt Hestine.

I frowned and pointed out his contradictions.

“Sir only says contradictory things. Why do you think I hurt Hestine after saying that I admire her?”

At my words, Izar’s face hardened for a moment.

He also realized the contradiction of what he said.

After thinking for a while, he spat out a nonsensical comment.

“Too much yearning…… I know well that sometimes it turns into jealousy.”

“Sigh…”

I don’t know if it’s intentional or unconsciously, but if he was planning to go against my nerves, I’d like to tell you that you succeeded.

I laughed bitterly and completely denied Izar’s words.

“If you think so, I’d like to tell you that you’re mistaken. I never admired Hestine, nor did I intend to harm her.”

Of course, there were times when I felt jealous but he doesn’t need to know that.

I laughed and then refuted his words.

“So, there is no need to feel sorry for Hestine. I didn’t hurt her.”

“Adelia.”

“Let’s stop now. My mouth hurts for no reason.”

I turned my head away from Izar and ignored him completely.

However, Izar’s strange obsession did not end.

“Hestine wants to see you. She worried a lot.”

“…….”

“If you go back to the capital, try to visit her. She cried a lot thinking about you.”

Really. The story about Hestine has no end.

Izar’s voice lowered as I continued my silence and ignored him.

“I think you know best that it’s not good to have such pride.”

I had an urge to cover my ears openly.

“Stop the carriage.”

I couldn’t stand it any longer, so I opened the window connected to the coachman’s seat again and told him to stop the carriage.

Then the horseman said in a troubled voice that it wouldn’t work.

“Then can I vomit in the carriage?”

“Do you feel sick?”

“Stop the carriage right now.”

After threatening to vomit on the carriage, the carriage stopped.

Without looking back, I got off the carriage and ran straight into the woods.

***

As I got out of the carriage and breathed in the fresh air of the forest, I felt a little more relieved.

“Ha! Damn bastard.”

Please get me out of my life

Now even breathing under the same sky is unpleasant.

This damn feud never ended.

“Ugh… Let’s calm down. Don’t worry about what the bastard says.”

“Sir Izar seems to have acted rashly.”

Surprised, I grabbed my heart after Grand Duke Hamilton suddenly appeared from behind.

This man is not really good for my heart.

“I’m sorry. I definitely made a loud noise, but I guess it wasn’t enough.”

Did he?

Izar, because of that man, I was so distracted that I didn’t even notice he was making noises.

“…… This time, it was my fault, so there’s no need to apologize.”

My mouth hurts just by talking about it. I shook my head and looked straight ahead again.

The Grand Duke was silent for a while, as if he had given me time to cool down.

I used the silence he gave me without hesitation.

Whaaa~

The cool and grassy scent of the wind unique to the mountain enveloped my body and disappeared.

After getting soaked in phytoncide, my irritation seemed to have subsided.

“… Please change the knight assigned to my carriage.”

“What happened?”

The Grand Duke, who always looked at me with a smile, was frozen cold.

I looked at his face for a moment and said roughly.

“…It’s personal.”

“It happened during the convoy of the saint, so it’s also a public thing.”

“…….”

Yes. This man was also tenacious.

After pondering for a while, I couldn’t overcome the stinging gaze of the Grand Duke and finally opened my mouth.

“Did you know that he and I were engaged?”

“…I know.”

“That’s the reason. It’s a bit uncomfortable to be with the man I used to be engaged with.” 

At what I said, the Grand Duke nodded smoothly, but it was not a satisfied face.

“Is that all?”

“Yes. For now.”

“I get it. Then let me change the escort.”

“… thank you.”

Fortunately, the words of permission came out of the Grand Duke’s mouth.

“If you can breathe a little, go back.”

I nodded and followed the Grand Duke back into the group.

When the Grand Duke and I returned from the forest in good harmony, the eyes of the knights were focused on us at once.

‘I’m going to die of exhaustion.’

It’s been a long time since I’ve received this kind of attention.

It wasn’t burdensome or anything.

When I was still using Sorne’s name, I got used.

Rather, it was a gaze that could be considered soft compared to that time.

It’s just very annoying though.

I should quickly prove that I am not a saint and go back.

I am confident that I am not a saint.

A saint is a being loved by God.

There was no way I could be a saint.

Okay, but if I were a saint, God’s arrangement would be really useless.

With a smile on my face, I walked toward the carriage.

In front of the carriage stood Izar with a dark complexion.

“Adel.”

When Izar called me by my nickname, Grand Duke Hamilton stepped forward and said:

“Izar Calburn.”

When the Grand Duke called Izar by his full name, he took his gaze away from me and saluted as if he was forced.

“Yes.”

“I will exclude you from Adelia’s escort.”

“Your Highness!”

“Why? Are you going to disobey my order?”

In response to the Grand Duke’s sharp question, Izar’s head turned down helplessly.

At first glance, it was as if the humiliation passed over his face.

The Grand Duke looked down at Izar and turned around and said to the others.

“Let’s take a break and then go.”

“Shall we prepare a meal now?”

“Yes. Now would be a good time as we have to move a few more hours to get to town.”

So, the group decided to stop for a while to have a meal.

I got into the carriage without Izar and enjoyed my rest alone.

A little later, Squire, an apprentice, said he would bring me my share of the meal, so I just need to relax now.

Knock knock~

“Is the meal already here?”

I opened the door thinking that the person who knocked on the carriage was a squire who came to take care of my meal.

But unfortunately, it wasn’t the Squire who knocked on the carriage door.

“Sir Izar.”

“Adelia. Talk to me for a moment.”

“I have nothing to say.”

I wrinkled my eyebrows and tried to close the door again.

However, my actions became meaningless due to the strong force holding the door.

“Leave now.”

“Adelia. What’s your relationship with the Grand Duke?”

I couldn’t help but laugh at Izar’s reckless question.

What is this bastard talking about?