Chapter 16

“Good heavens! Bunny, where are you poking me? And what do you mean, picking up holy power? I never did that! Where around here is there even a temple?”

「Hmm, there’s no way my eyes are wrong.」

White Bunny tilted her head, but realized that the holy power entering Elcia’s body was exactly the same as the one she felt during Ian’s pain incident last time. She had just been with Ian, but he was quiet, so where could this mysterious holy power have come from?

There was only one suspect—no, culprit.

White Bunny hopped off Elcia’s knee and sat down in the wide space between them, muttering.

「Did you say goodbye to that Haden servant earlier?」

“It wasn’t just a goodbye! He even prayed for Ian and me to be safe. Bunny, don’t go poking around suspicious places without telling me first, okay?”

Sensitive from being poked in the stomach, Elcia grumbled, and White Bunny nodded.

「Hmph, good job. He might become a famous priest in the future, so you should build a good relationship with him.」

“What?”

“…You mean Haden?”

White Bunny closed her eyes and spoke.

「That’s enough, I’ve said all I wanted, so I won’t tell you more. You’ll find out in time, right?」

“Bunny! Fine, go inside.”

Elcia, trying to coax the sulking White Bunny, suddenly met Ian’s eyes and face as he approached. Feeling a bit embarrassed and her affection for him rekindled, Elcia quickly put White Bunny away first. Then she tried her best to comfort Ian with all her energy.

“Everything will go well in the capital, Ian. Be strong.”

“…Elcia.”

“Yes?”

In the not-so-small but rather jolting carriage, Ian’s low voice echoed.

“When you meet His Highness the Crown Prince… you don’t have to defend me. You can tell him exactly what I did to you…”

“W-What are you saying, Ian! Don’t shrink back. There’s no need for that!”

“Elcia?”

Elcia gazed into Ian’s beautiful hazel eyes and spoke with conviction.

“Ian, everyone makes mistakes and does wrong sometimes. Doing something wrong over and over, even knowing it’s wrong… yes, that’s bad. But… you suffered a huge wound, and it was too much to bear alone. I understand that. So I, Elcia Bennett, have no intention of blaming you.”

“…”

He seemed moved.

“At least, you can let go of the guilt you feel towards me, Ian.”

“Are you forgiving me?”

Ian’s question sent a strange ripple through her chest.

Should she say she couldn’t forgive him yet? That the trauma from it was so terrible she wanted him to stay by her side forever? In Elcia’s small heart, a mischievous devil whispered such words, tempting her secretly.

She forced her mean, sharp feelings down and nodded.

“I’ve already forgiven you.”

“…Thank you, Elcia.”

That light yet earnest phrase felt strangely lacking. Even after saying words for Ian’s sake, Elcia blamed herself for not being selfish enough. Her reason, before Ian Kypris, was like sugar that immediately dissolved in water.

With her vision cleared and the path wide open, the journey to the capital went smoothly. When the carriage stopped on the main street, Ian pulled his hat down low, almost hiding his blue eyes, and got out first.

“Let’s get off and catch our breath. Come on… give me your hand.”

The gloved hand of the man and the bare hand of the woman lightly touched and then parted. The area was bustling with people, so Elcia asked in confusion.

“Did you arrange to meet here?”

“No, I have somewhere to go first, so I came here. Could you wait for a bit? It won’t take long.”

“What?”

Ian pointed to a sign behind him.

“I’m going to buy the lollipops you kept saying you wanted. I let the hummingbirds drink all the sweet juice and didn’t even give Elcia a single candy, so you might complain later, right?”

“T-That’s fine! Really! Do I look like a child who throws a tantrum at times like this? You’re just…!”

Elcia stammered, trying to explain herself. Of course, she did like the candy sold in the capital’s shops, but she knew how to pick the right time and place.

“I’ve seen you sulk all day when dessert wasn’t good… Was that White Bunny doing ventriloquism instead of Elcia the greedy one?”

“You…! That’s too much!”

“Hahaha, I’ll be right back.”

Elcia almost called out Ian’s name, but her face turned bright red. Then, under the brim of his hat, Ian’s blue eyes sparkled with playful laughter. Surely, the hidden part of his eyes and the eyebrows above them softened boyishly.

Even if he spoke like that, he must have come all the way here just to buy her delicious candy. Elcia, who really liked seeing Ian smile comfortably, turned away with a pout. She wanted to hold onto this small happiness and savor it sweetly for a long, long time.

‘Too much, too much…’

She leaned against a streetlamp, trying to calm her rapidly beating heart. Elcia liked Ian, but she also loved his kindness. How could she dislike someone who remembered and took care of every little, old thing she said in passing?

But there was a worry.

If he treated other women so kindly, she would surely hate it…  

Ian probably wouldn’t treat only Elcia so well, so was she just being delusional again…?

‘Is White Bunny’s warning right? Oh, I don’t even want to think about it. If possible, I wish I could have stayed at Usley Castle with him, just the two of us…’

Elcia, head slightly bowed, waited patiently for Ian to return. If he bought her candy, she wanted to savor each piece slowly. Lollipops were big and round, so she wanted to stroke them until her aching heart wore down, and then, when the surface finally melted, she’d have to eat them…

‘I’ll probably never eat it. How could I eat such a precious gift? I should keep it in a glass jar so ants won’t get to it.’

Just as she sighed and lifted her head—

“…Elcia?”

Someone called out to her, lost in thought.

It was a man’s voice she didn’t want to hear—not that she could even tell who it was at first. Suddenly, Elcia’s wrist was grabbed by someone with no strength to resist. The force was so rough her body tilted sharply, and one shoe nearly slipped off.

“Ugh…!”

“Elcia… It’s you. I’m sure of it.”

The man who found her was none other than Nersian. The one she never wanted to see, the current leader of the Tyr Church’s Holy Knight Order.

“L-Let go…!”

She was so startled her voice barely came out. Elcia trembled, pulling at her captured wrist, but it was impossible for a woman to overpower a young knight. Especially since Nersian possessed strength and holy power far superior to most knights. He looked at her threateningly, his gaze intimidating, and sneered.

“I had people search everywhere for you, and you never showed your face, but here you are, walking around in plain sight. Was everyone slacking off? Well, I’ve found you now. Let’s move somewhere else and talk slowly, shall we? I have a lot to discuss with you.”

“L-Let go…”

Nersian gripped her wrist so tightly the blood stopped flowing, turning it pale. Worse than that, Elcia hated facing a man she could never overpower. If this was a dream, she wished to wake up immediately, and fear quickly overwhelmed her.

A buzzing sound rang in her ears, her head grew heavier. Just being near him made her feel drained. Elcia hardly heard his suggestion to go together. She couldn’t even summon Udis to push Nersian away.

Just as her body, shaken by mental shock and anemia, was about to collapse—

Thud!

Ian returned. In his urgency, he struck Nersian’s shoulder hard with his strong left arm and stood protectively in front of Elcia. Nersian, not recognizing Ian at first, looked up in disbelief.

“How dare you lay hands on my sacred body without fear! Do you know who I am? If you don’t want trouble, step aside now!”

“Get lost.”

“…You, you’re—!”

Nersian’s eyes widened like he’d seen a ghost, stumbling back a step.

“I won’t say it again. Get away from her!”

Ian warned Nersian once more, then quickly supported Elcia, who was about to collapse against the streetlamp. The two hurriedly boarded the waiting carriage and sped off, cold wind swirling behind them.

After coming to his senses, Nersian spat and gritted his teeth. If he hadn’t been seeing things, if this wasn’t a dream or some evil black magic, he had just faced the worst possible situation.

Ian—

It was definitely Ian, the one banished from the capital and erased from everyone’s memories.

Ian Kypris!

That cursed Holy Knight was in the capital!

How could this be?

He lost the Saint through incompetence, barely saved his own life, and yet never lost his title as a hero—an infamous fraud! Ian Kypris, who should have disappeared into history! The cursed former leader of the Holy Knight Order shamelessly returning to the capital? If he escaped execution, he should have been locked away in an old castle, never to be seen again!

It was unbelievable.

‘D*mn it. Why is that unlucky bastard here? No… Wait. He seemed to know Elcia. Could it be… Is he trying to heal the hand everyone said was beyond repair? They shouldn’t even know each other!’

Nersian’s fist shook with his terrible realization.

If Crown Prince Conrad’s refusal to send Elcia to the temple was because of Ian, that was a disaster. Maybe, without even meaning to, Conrad had secretly connected Ian and Elcia just to keep Nersian in check! After that incident, he hadn’t even been allowed near the Imperial City, and if Ian managed to return, Nersian’s position…

‘D*mn, how could things get this tangled! This is insane!’

Nersian kicked a brick on the road hard enough to send it flying, then turned away. If he kept hiding like a mouse just because he’d fallen out of favor with the Crown Prince, he’d be in real trouble. If Ian truly returned to the capital, he needed a plan—fast.

* * *

Elcia collapsed into the carriage, gasping for breath. Being away from Nersian finally let her breathe. Ian shut the door and, as soon as they departed, carefully checked her condition.

“Elcia! Are you okay?”

“I…Ian…”

Ian gently tapped Elcia’s thin cheek with his fingers. Her relieved eyelids fluttered, then tried to close again.

“Yeah, it’s me. No, don’t close your eyes—look at me and blink slowly. Can you breathe?”

“Yes…”

He waited for Elcia to calm down before speaking.

“I’m sorry. I thought you’d need a break after riding in the carriage so long, but I never expected this to happen. How’s your wrist…?”

Ian, carefully massaging her wrist where Nersian had grabbed her, gritted his teeth. Seeing the faint yellow mark already forming on Elcia’s delicate wrist, he realized what had been done to her. By tomorrow, a bruise would surely appear.