CH 184

“Now? He’s leading the army right now.” Ravis’s answer reminded me that he was more of a hands-on leader. Right now, he was probably gladly crushing the Lucretian army.

I do want to see Ridrian leading the war…no, it’s probably gruesome.

Maybe it was because I lived in a safe place in Korea, but the thought of a war didn’t really bother me, thanks to the movies. Suppressing my curiosity, I settled back onto the bed.

“But I can’t wait like this.”

“Lina,” I said, “if you brought some, could you give me a piece of white clothing?”

“Iona?”

“I didn’t bring a few white clothes. I’ll be right back.”

I sat by the window and gazed out at the unfamiliar town, my focus landing on a tree with leaves falling to the ground. This was fall. I could feel it.

There’s not even two months left before the moons come together.

Eris was nowhere to be seen,I couldn’t even reach Piett and the temple was currently our enemy. There wasn’t much time left before the two moons came together. I bit my nails some more, feeling anxiety sweep over me.

“You’ve acquired a bad habit.”

I stopped biting my nails. “Ah.”

It was a habit from my past life. I hadn’t thought of biting my nails since Iona’s hands were dirty. Ravis grabbed my hands before I could bite them anymore.

“What are you doing?”

I flinched. “Pardon?”

“I realized as I watched you: you tend to explode in extreme moments. Like you realize that it has to be that moment.”

“I…I do?”

“When you ran out of the room to walk around in the temple,” he explained. “Not to mention you becoming the Emperor’s secretary was beyond my expectations.”

I was hoping he wouldn’t remember the first part. The second part had only happened because I was trying to get rid of rumors.

“You’re a courageous woman. Normally, most are obedient, like Miss Foid or Elmeria. That’s why I keep watching you.”

“Ravis?”

Watching me? Do I really look like a lost child?

I looked at Ravis and caught a depressed expression on his face. He started to say something but seemed to be having difficulty doing so.

What’s up with him? I wondered.

And then it dawned on me.

***

I did randomly fall asleep for a month, so that’s why he’s worried about me like I’m a lost child. Even though he acts like a playboy, he’s so thoughtful.

I tried to sound cheerful.

“I’m okay now,” I said. “I really just fell asleep and woke up. I met Theres, as well.”

His face lit up. “You met Theres?”

“Yes, we didn’t talk much except that… Theres said that time is coming.”

“The time?”

“I do have something in mind…”

It definitely connected with the ending of the original novel. But there was so much that wasn’t certain, like how Theres was aware of it and what I had to do.

He stared at me for a moment. When I didn’t continue, he spoke.

“It’s connected with His Majesty.”

I nodded. “That’s right.”

“Are you not going to tell me?”

“You wouldn’t believe me even if I did. And it involves His Majesty, so I don’t think it’s right to talk about it in his absence.”

Ravis smiled bitterly. “You must be comfortable with His Majesty.”

“Pardon?”

“I felt it before, but you call him His Majesty yet don’t use the utmost honorific?”

“I did?”

“Since a very long time ago.”

I thought about it for a moment, but I still couldn’t tell. Maybe because I called him the Emperor in my mind, I couldn’t imagine myself using such a high honorific for him.

Ravis smiled.

“We even saw each other barefoot, yet you use honorifics with me?”

“I…I told you I forgot about it!”

Why did he keep bringing up the past I wanted to forget? Playboys were mean!

“If you’re so bothered by it, I can call you by your name as well!” I yelled, feeling a twinge of embarrassment.

Ravis looked a bit troubled. He couldn’t answer right away, for some reason.

“Mhm, can I take a moment to think about it?”

Suddenly, he drew closer. What was he going to say this time? He tidied up my hair, then smiled quietly.

“I was really worried you wouldn’t wake up.”

Ah, was he really treating me like a lost child? I waved my hands to calm him down.

“I’m okay now. For someone who’s been sleeping for a month, my muscles function fine, too. Maybe it’s the effect of divine power?”

I waved my arms vigorously to prove my point, but it didn’t seem to calm him much. A bitter smile appeared on his face.

“You always say you’re fine, and then you faint. I can’t take my eyes off you. I should stay—”

He froze, his eyes widening by the second, and a hand flew to cover his mouth.

“Ravis? You really must have been worried that I fell asleep so suddenly. I’m sorry.”

“No, no. It’s not your fault. And that’s not it.”

“Pardon?”

He hesitated, then smiled bitterly again. “I think you should reconsider the name thing.”

“Huh? Mm, okay.”

I still couldn’t tell what he was thinking.

Lina returned, breaking the awkward silence that had immediately ensued. In her arms were two white dresses. Smiling, I walked over to her.

“Miss, there are two white clothes.”

“Thanks, Lina,” I told her with a smile. “I wasn’t sure how you’d find it on this battlefield.”

I checked the dresses one after the other. One of them had a cape and reminded me of a priest.

“I think this will do,” I said without hesitation.

“Pardon?”

“Iona?”

As I smiled devilishly, thinking about what I was going to do next, the duo eyed me warily.

“Iona?”

“Ravis, help me.”