CH 70

Chapter 70: Paralysis (2)

"Yeah, it's probably because of that… Probably."

"...."

“…that, Cayden… Anyway, thank you for sending food to the estate.”

"No, it's not necessary."

"How is it not? You told me to forget it, but I will always be grateful in my heart."

She lightly clapped her hands, refreshing the atmosphere.

"Well, today is the day we return to our daily lives, right? Let's not get late to class today."

****

Daisy was perplexed by her body's reactions. She tried not to show it, but she wasn't sure if she was successful.

She had to pay attention to every step she took. She had to make sure her expression didn't falter. She had to be conscious of every little thing.

Ever since she had been told by Cayden that he had a fiancée, it had been like this.

Clearly, there was no reason for her to feel this way.

Many times she had thought he was cool, but she had never considered it love.

She always thought that there was no reason for her to fall in love with him.

They hadn't exchanged affectionate words. They hadn't engaged in physical contact. He hadn't even saved her life. 

Of course, there wasn't a predetermined reason to fall in love. But still…

However, the bodily reaction she was experiencing was saying otherwise. Her heart felt tight and her whole body didn’t seem to have strength. She kept feeling a slight sense of disappointment.

As she walked, she began to organize her thoughts.

In other words, she began to be brutally honest with herself about her feelings: She asked herself how she felt about him.

Daisy honestly admired him—A commoner-turned-noble who could shake the twins, especially Asena, to the core.

He didn't seem to care about the words "Pryster’s abandoned adoptee" that could be heard behind his back and focused solely on his own training, even achieving dazzling results.

That alone would be worthy of applause, but combined with his noble character, he shone even brighter. After all, he had even risked his life to save children.

She would be lying if she said that Cayden was not admirable. And… When he said that he found solace and strength in seeing her efforts, even that made her feel grateful, making her heart race.

-"No, I know because I've been watching you make efforts."

Those words that warmed her heart resounded in her head. 

Crucially, he had helped the people of her territory. Even though there was no reason for him to do so, he supported them with provisions as if it were nothing.

She had to admit it.

At that moment, she couldn't help but think that Cayden had a crush on her.

The flower at the martial arts competition.

The escort training.

Everyday conversations they shared.

And finally, the food supplies.

All of these actions made her wonder if they could be done for someone whom you have no feelings for. She-

"-Daisy."

At that moment, someone grabbed her shoulder and pulled her.

It was Cayden.

Daisy momentarily snapped out of her reverie and looked ahead.

There was suddenly an orange pillar standing there. If she had continued walking, she would have definitely collided with it.

"...Are you okay?"

Cayden asked as he saw Daisy's action of almost bumping her head into the pillar, but she just smiled at him and resumed her steps.

Once again, she fell quickly into her own world of contemplation.

She had to admit it.

The moment she thought he had feelings for her, Daisy's heart raced.

She didn't dislike it. Maybe, the feelings she had accumulated from watching him live had played a role.

Earlier, when she heard her father mention the possibility of marrying Cayden Pryster, she felt no resistance.

Rather, she felt a faint sense of anticipation. Even when she was about to fall asleep, the possibility of their marriage made her wide awake in an instant.

She thought that it was a hundred times better to have someone by her side who had supported her, like Cayden, rather than marrying someone she didn't even know.

But in the end, it was all in vain…

'What's hidden in your heart, Cayden?'

Did he really have feelings for her? Was it an impossible relationship only due to the political marriage he had to go through for his family?

She was once again realizing how cruel political marriages could be.

Regardless, she had to hide the depression she was feeling now. He would be with Judy.

Of course, even if she tried to hide it, it wasn't completely hidden.

If he had liked her, she knew it would be wrong to show such a disappointed expression... But for some reason, she found it difficult to completely hide these emotions.

Perhaps she wanted to deliberately show it. Maybe she just wanted to let him know how disappointed she was. Or maybe she wanted to evoke the same reaction in him.

'Sigh.'

Since when had she developed these feelings for him? 

She couldn't pinpoint the exact moment. Being together every day seemed to have played a significant role.

"..."

If there was a problem, it was that he had already accepted his given mission and wasn't taking any measures to express even a slight dissatisfaction.

Daisy knew she had no right and it was childish, but her emotions didn't obey her.

The more she tried to be honest with herself and sort out her feelings, the stronger the lingering regret in her heart grew.

What kind of future would have unfolded if he were not engaged? If it wasn't him, who would be the next suitor? Would someone appear who would be as good as Cayden? The growing regret weighed on her, gradually draining her strength.

Daisy began to feel more irritated. Something was making her angry, something was dissatisfying.

And she wanted to show these emotions to none other than Cayden.

At that time, Cayden - who didn’t know her thoughts - spoke up, perhaps to lighten the mood.

"Ah, Daisy. The newly bloomed flowers are really beautiful this time. Would you like to see them?"

"It's fine."

She replied curtly, even attempting to reject his offer.

If she was asked if she wanted to see the flowers, she did. But more than that, she wanted to express the frustration that was stirring up her mind.

With the atmosphere sunk in silence, they arrived at the political science classroom.

And there, they had to face the Pryster twins who were waiting for them. Judy was standing behind the twins.

Cayden awkwardly gestured to everyone and particularly greeted Judy.

Daisy felt an inexplicable discomfort.

"..."

"Did you both sleep well?"

Cayden asked about their well-being. But Asena didn't respond to his words and spoke to Daisy instead.

"Daisy, I have a favor to ask."

"A favor?"

In the meantime, Keirsey called Cayden.

"Oppa, come here for a moment."

"Hmm?"

"Unnie and Daisy have something to talk about alone."

"Is that so, Asena?"

Cayden checked with Asena.

Asena nodded her head.

Cayden scratched his head for a moment, then distanced himself along with Keirsey and Judy.

Asena approached Daisy and lowered her voice.

"Can you do me a favor?"

"I think I need to know what the favor is."

Asena glanced over Daisy's shoulder, confirming Cayden’s position, then whispered quietly.

"...Let Oppa be my escort for a while."

Daisy slightly furrowed her eyebrows.

"Why?"

"...There are some family circumstances."

"Is it because Cayden is marrying Judy?"

Realizing that Daisy already knew, Asena quickly admitted it.

"...Yes, that's the reason."

"...What does that have to do with him being your escort?"

Daisy found herself probing Asena. It was not how things were supposed to be. She would have willingly accepted Asena's request without any interrogation… as long as she was not asking it to hurt Cayden of course. But... knowing that Cayden might not be by her side from now on gave her a strange sense of regret, causing her to ask so many questions.

Asena let out a deep sigh when Daisy didn't easily accept her request and spoke.

"As you know, we don't have a good relationship with the Ice family."

".........."

"Therefore, I don't like this engagement. I want to invalidate it."

"What?"

"You heard right. And for that, I think it would be better for me to stick with Oppa."

"......"

"I don't want him to be with Judy. It'll only be for a short while, Daisy... Oppa's marriage might not concern you, but it's important to me. Besides, you know that Oppa got seriously injured a few days ago. Considering that, please let him stay by my side."

"....."

Daisy had never seen Asena be this honest before. As expected, Asena's attitude changed significantly when Cayden was involved.

But what shook her wasn't Asena's requests.

Instead, it was her plan to invalidate the engagement.

That bothered Daisy and made her waver.

The motivation wasn't strong. If she still sorted her thoughts logically, it wasn't even that she loved Cayden. Fondness, perhaps? It could be said that her feelings had progressed to the stage of liking him.

So if asked about Judy and Cayden’s marriage, Daisy could confidently answer that she didn't like it. She could answer that to herself as well. But that didn't mean she would ruin someone's marriage.

Actually, she didn't want to get involved in something that would likely escalate conflicts. But it didn't mean she wanted to avoid every fight either.

She knew that sometimes you have to fight when you need to.

Cayden’s issue wasn't limited to just the present or her feelings.

Depending on the circumstances, it could become a life-changing decision... It was such an issue.

Therefore, the decision was quickly made.

She pretended to hesitate for a moment and then nodded her head.

"...I understand."

What would Cayden think of this action?

Would he find meaning in the change of escorts and realize that she was angry?

Childishly, she hoped he would.