[Rudrick’s POV]
Rudrick stared blankly at Dahlia.
‘I have someone in mind.’
Dahlia looked around in surprise, as if she had said the wrong thing.
Then she locked eyes with Rudrick and gave him an awkward, embarrassed smile.
Seeing that look, Rudrick had a vague feeling that she hadn’t just blurted it out. He was sure she said it, but it had slipped out without her realizing it.
Only then did Rudrick realize.
Everything his men had told him was true.
That Dahlia hadn’t gone to the North solely to find the demon worm, but because she had heard that the man she had her heart set on was going there.
And maybe the person she had her heart set on was…
Thump… thump…
‘This is crazy.’
Rudrick bit his lip silently as he felt his heartbeat, which had been steadily racing for some time now.
In truth, he’d been like this ever since Dahlia’s visit to the manor.
I still haven’t figured out what to say to her, and even now, looking at her face, I don’t know where to begin.
The mere fact that Dahlia was coming to visit was enough to make him feel excited.
The excitement didn’t subside until I saw her in person.
It didn’t stop even after I saw her in person.
On the contrary, the sight of her face, which he hadn’t seen in a long time, made his heart flutter to the bottom of his stomach, and he couldn’t make eye contact with her.
As the situation continued, Dahlia began to look at him strangely, and finally said, ‘So you’re going to the north?’
‘Has the news gotten out there already?’
When Rudrick first heard that, his reaction was not so much a question of ‘How did she know?’ as it was a resignation that ‘she knew’, than, ‘How exactly did she find out?’.
He didn’t want to tell Dahlia until the last minute.
He had no intention of leaving her behind, of course, but if she’d given up on him when she heard he was coming back, that would be the worst thing… he could have imagined.
But Dahlia, as usual, proved to be the opposite of what he expected.
When he had hastily denied it, she had said it rather regretfully.
‘I was planning on coming up north with you, too…’
Rudrick still remembers.
When he heard those words, it felt like a slap in the back of his head.
It was really unthinkable for him.
Whereas he had thought that if he went north, they would part ways for good, instead, she was thinking of following him to the north.
And it didn’t seem to be just a thought, either, because to hear her speak, it sounded like she had already made all the arrangements and had come to tell him.
‘What in the world…’
Rudrick didn’t know whether to admire the girl’s ability to act so boldly or to blame his stupidity for nailing down the idea of going without knowing her heart.
Later, he realized that Dahlia had another purpose and realized that it wasn’t just about following him.
Thanks to this, my heart, which had been a little stirred by the carelessness of my subordinates, began to beat once again.
And that wasn’t all. He had also heard her say, ‘I have someone in mind’.
Now it was no wonder his heart was beating like it was going to burst.
“Really? Really? You have someone in mind?”
“Oh, no. It’s not that, it’s just something that came out of my mouth…” (Dahlia)
“That’s what you mean by unspoken truth, isn’t it?”
“It’s okay, just be honest with me. What? We’ll know all about it when we go up north together anyway…”
“What? Didn’t you just say you’re not going?”
Fortunately or perhaps not, all eyes turned to him before they realized his condition was strange.
Now my men were on their stomachs, jumping up and down excitedly, surrounding her.
As if that weren’t enough, they were asking all the questions he wanted to ask, and Rudrick didn’t know whether to stop them or not.
No, to be honest, he didn’t have time to stop them. Dahlia, who’d been on the receiving end of their barrage of questions for a while now, finally had enough and clenched her fists in frustration.
After a long moment of silence, Dahlia blushed and giggled sheepishly.
“Did I look stupid?” (Dahlia)
At the same time, screams erupted from the surroundings.
“Oh, my gosh!”
“It’s not so much… We’re just a little more perceptive than that…”
“We’re division commanders, after all. We’re quite capable.”
After Dahlia admitted it, the men became even more excited.
Now they were not hiding their excitement and firing a series of questions at her.
“How did you come to have it in mind? It must have been a long time ago?”
“No, no. Not that long…” (Dahlia)
“Oh, so you’ve had your heart set on it recently?”
“You must have had some kind of trigger, like something romantic between you two.”
“Haha… Well, it has been a bit.” (Dahlia)
“Hmm, I can see that.”
Even though she didn’t have to accept all of it, Dahlia was still answering straightforwardly while breaking into a cold sweat.
So the brashness of his subordinates only got worse and worse.
Now they were gesturing in his direction and smirking, looking less like the commanders of an order of knights and more like a bunch of street hooligans.
Their demeanor invited him to ask them unspeakable questions, and Rudrick stepped forward.
He didn’t want to hear ‘those words’ here; he wanted to hear them properly when they were alone, in a quiet place, when their feelings for each other had been realized.
But before Rudrick could dismiss them with a wave of his hand, someone asked a question that cut to the chase.
Rudrik listened intently.
“By the way, you seem to have suddenly become more aggressive… Is there any reason for that? Because it seems to me that you’ve been holding back until now.”
“Uh, so you knew about that?” (Dahlia)
Dahlia looked at her subordinates, genuinely surprised.
It was no secret that Ethan, the division commander, was the first to recognize her thoughts, and the corners of his mouth twitched up.
Dahlia hesitated for a moment, as if choosing her words. She hesitated for a long moment, opening and closing her lips, before she spoke.
“I’ve been looking for a fiancé, and…” (Dahlia)
“Yes.”
“And now that I’m settled down in place, I’d like to take some time to do some things…”(Dahlia)
Dahlia smiled shyly and finished her sentence.
“I just wanted to have someone to lean on.” (Dahlia)
‘Someone to lean on.’
For a moment, Rudrick unconsciously recalled Goldman’s words.
‘She’s been through a lot.’
‘She’s not feeling well, and there’s a lot on her mind.’
At that point, Goldman asked him, ‘What have you done for her so far?’ Rudrick was speechless.
As he said, he hadn’t been there for Dahlia when she needed him.
Rudrick realized that it was inevitable that Dahlia would be attracted to Goldman, even if it was just a little jealousy that he might be able to comfort her.
But I also vowed to myself.
If the opportunity presented itself, if Dahlia chose him over Goldman as someone she could confide in, I would seize it.
To be the person she could count on.
‘Now is the time.’
Rudrick looked up at the sound of his mind whispering, and on impulse blurted it out.
“Who is it?”
The words cut off all chatter in the room.
The usual bantering division commanders gaped open-mouthed, clearly shocked by his bold question, and Dahlia stared at him, eyes wide with surprise.
But in the breathless silence that followed, Rudrick could only stare straight at Dahlia.
This silence was not harmless. No, on the contrary, it was noisy around them, for some reason his heart had begun to beat frantically again.
The pounding in his ears was loud enough to make him wonder if he was wearing his heart.
Thump, thump, thump…
And then, as if to reward Rudrick’s patience, Dahlia began to speak.
“Umm…” Dahlia stuttered and looked very worried.
She wasn’t sure if she should tell him this, especially here.
But as usual, her hesitation didn’t last long, and soon, with a determined and serious look, she spoke up.
“I’m not telling everyone… because everyone will know anyway.”
Dahlia opened her mouth slowly, “You know him too.”
My heart began to race once again.
Suddenly, the surrounding scenery faded away, and only Dahlia and Rudrick remained in the frozen time.
Rudrick stared at her in front of him.
There was a certain determination in her eyes, but somehow, her eyes were more distant than usual, and her cheeks were still flushed, like a girl who had fallen in love for the first time in her life.
Thump, thump, thump…
Rudrick unconsciously opened his mouth, about to speak his mind before she could speak first. Dahlia’s sweet voice cut in.
“River Goldman.” (Dahlia)
✿
Suddenly, it was dark around them.
Rudrick blinked back the tears and looked around.
He was outside.
He doesn’t remember the details of how he found himself outside.
Perhaps he’d left her in a panic and slammed the door, or maybe he ignored the division commanders who tried to follow him and walked off in a directionless path.
He simply ran frantically, and where he ended up was a place he had never seen before.
It was late, and the streets were deserted.
The darkened streets were so quiet that there was an aura of stillness in the air, and Rudrick’s gasping breathing gradually subsided.
But his pounding heart refused to calm down.
Suddenly, Rudrick looked up at the moon in the night sky, and he couldn’t help but realize:
‘Haha.’
From the moment I first met her, I couldn’t stop looking at her, and when I finally saw her after a long time, I couldn’t help but feel drawn to her.
Why did he keep attaching meaning to every single one of her simple actions, why did he listen to her when she said she liked him, all the while feeling confused but making up his mind?
Maybe Rudrick already knew. Even if he’d forgotten it all, the truth was, he’d never really forgotten.
Because from the day we parted ways ten years ago until now, I hadn’t forgotten anything but her.
But maybe he’d been in denial all along because he secretly knew his heart was deeper than that.
Rudrick forced himself to admit it.
“Dahlia Averine.”
Dahlia, his old childhood friend.
No, she was a friend with a different kind of meaning now.
‘I’m the one who liked her first.’
[Rudrick’s POV]
Rudrick stared blankly at Dahlia.
‘I have someone in mind.’
Dahlia looked around in surprise, as if she had said the wrong thing.
Then she locked eyes with Rudrick and gave him an awkward, embarrassed smile.
Seeing that look, Rudrick had a vague feeling that she hadn’t just blurted it out. He was sure she said it, but it had slipped out without her realizing it.
Only then did Rudrick realize.
Everything his men had told him was true.
That Dahlia hadn’t gone to the North solely to find the demon worm, but because she had heard that the man she had her heart set on was going there.
And maybe the person she had her heart set on was…
Thump… thump…
‘This is crazy.’
Rudrick bit his lip silently as he felt his heartbeat, which had been steadily racing for some time now.
In truth, he’d been like this ever since Dahlia’s visit to the manor.
I still haven’t figured out what to say to her, and even now, looking at her face, I don’t know where to begin.
The mere fact that Dahlia was coming to visit was enough to make him feel excited.
The excitement didn’t subside until I saw her in person.
It didn’t stop even after I saw her in person.
On the contrary, the sight of her face, which he hadn’t seen in a long time, made his heart flutter to the bottom of his stomach, and he couldn’t make eye contact with her.
As the situation continued, Dahlia began to look at him strangely, and finally said, ‘So you’re going to the north?’
‘Has the news gotten out there already?’
When Rudrick first heard that, his reaction was not so much a question of ‘How did she know?’ as it was a resignation that ‘she knew’, than, ‘How exactly did she find out?’.
He didn’t want to tell Dahlia until the last minute.
He had no intention of leaving her behind, of course, but if she’d given up on him when she heard he was coming back, that would be the worst thing… he could have imagined.
But Dahlia, as usual, proved to be the opposite of what he expected.
When he had hastily denied it, she had said it rather regretfully.
‘I was planning on coming up north with you, too…’
Rudrick still remembers.
When he heard those words, it felt like a slap in the back of his head.
It was really unthinkable for him.
Whereas he had thought that if he went north, they would part ways for good, instead, she was thinking of following him to the north.
And it didn’t seem to be just a thought, either, because to hear her speak, it sounded like she had already made all the arrangements and had come to tell him.
‘What in the world…’
Rudrick didn’t know whether to admire the girl’s ability to act so boldly or to blame his stupidity for nailing down the idea of going without knowing her heart.
Later, he realized that Dahlia had another purpose and realized that it wasn’t just about following him.
Thanks to this, my heart, which had been a little stirred by the carelessness of my subordinates, began to beat once again.
And that wasn’t all. He had also heard her say, ‘I have someone in mind’.
Now it was no wonder his heart was beating like it was going to burst.
“Really? Really? You have someone in mind?”
“Oh, no. It’s not that, it’s just something that came out of my mouth…” (Dahlia)
“That’s what you mean by unspoken truth, isn’t it?”
“It’s okay, just be honest with me. What? We’ll know all about it when we go up north together anyway…”
“What? Didn’t you just say you’re not going?”
Fortunately or perhaps not, all eyes turned to him before they realized his condition was strange.
Now my men were on their stomachs, jumping up and down excitedly, surrounding her.
As if that weren’t enough, they were asking all the questions he wanted to ask, and Rudrick didn’t know whether to stop them or not.
No, to be honest, he didn’t have time to stop them. Dahlia, who’d been on the receiving end of their barrage of questions for a while now, finally had enough and clenched her fists in frustration.
After a long moment of silence, Dahlia blushed and giggled sheepishly.
“Did I look stupid?” (Dahlia)
At the same time, screams erupted from the surroundings.
“Oh, my gosh!”
“It’s not so much… We’re just a little more perceptive than that…”
“We’re division commanders, after all. We’re quite capable.”
After Dahlia admitted it, the men became even more excited.
Now they were not hiding their excitement and firing a series of questions at her.
“How did you come to have it in mind? It must have been a long time ago?”
“No, no. Not that long…” (Dahlia)
“Oh, so you’ve had your heart set on it recently?”
“You must have had some kind of trigger, like something romantic between you two.”
“Haha… Well, it has been a bit.” (Dahlia)
“Hmm, I can see that.”
Even though she didn’t have to accept all of it, Dahlia was still answering straightforwardly while breaking into a cold sweat.
So the brashness of his subordinates only got worse and worse.
Now they were gesturing in his direction and smirking, looking less like the commanders of an order of knights and more like a bunch of street hooligans.
Their demeanor invited him to ask them unspeakable questions, and Rudrick stepped forward.
He didn’t want to hear ‘those words’ here; he wanted to hear them properly when they were alone, in a quiet place, when their feelings for each other had been realized.
But before Rudrick could dismiss them with a wave of his hand, someone asked a question that cut to the chase.
Rudrik listened intently.
“By the way, you seem to have suddenly become more aggressive… Is there any reason for that? Because it seems to me that you’ve been holding back until now.”
“Uh, so you knew about that?” (Dahlia)
Dahlia looked at her subordinates, genuinely surprised.
It was no secret that Ethan, the division commander, was the first to recognize her thoughts, and the corners of his mouth twitched up.
Dahlia hesitated for a moment, as if choosing her words. She hesitated for a long moment, opening and closing her lips, before she spoke.
“I’ve been looking for a fiancé, and…” (Dahlia)
“Yes.”
“And now that I’m settled down in place, I’d like to take some time to do some things…”(Dahlia)
Dahlia smiled shyly and finished her sentence.
“I just wanted to have someone to lean on.” (Dahlia)
‘Someone to lean on.’
For a moment, Rudrick unconsciously recalled Goldman’s words.
‘She’s been through a lot.’
‘She’s not feeling well, and there’s a lot on her mind.’
At that point, Goldman asked him, ‘What have you done for her so far?’ Rudrick was speechless.
As he said, he hadn’t been there for Dahlia when she needed him.
Rudrick realized that it was inevitable that Dahlia would be attracted to Goldman, even if it was just a little jealousy that he might be able to comfort her.
But I also vowed to myself.
If the opportunity presented itself, if Dahlia chose him over Goldman as someone she could confide in, I would seize it.
To be the person she could count on.
‘Now is the time.’
Rudrick looked up at the sound of his mind whispering, and on impulse blurted it out.
“Who is it?”
The words cut off all chatter in the room.
The usual bantering division commanders gaped open-mouthed, clearly shocked by his bold question, and Dahlia stared at him, eyes wide with surprise.
But in the breathless silence that followed, Rudrick could only stare straight at Dahlia.
This silence was not harmless. No, on the contrary, it was noisy around them, for some reason his heart had begun to beat frantically again.
The pounding in his ears was loud enough to make him wonder if he was wearing his heart.
Thump, thump, thump…
And then, as if to reward Rudrick’s patience, Dahlia began to speak.
“Umm…” Dahlia stuttered and looked very worried.
She wasn’t sure if she should tell him this, especially here.
But as usual, her hesitation didn’t last long, and soon, with a determined and serious look, she spoke up.
“I’m not telling everyone… because everyone will know anyway.”
Dahlia opened her mouth slowly, “You know him too.”
My heart began to race once again.
Suddenly, the surrounding scenery faded away, and only Dahlia and Rudrick remained in the frozen time.
Rudrick stared at her in front of him.
There was a certain determination in her eyes, but somehow, her eyes were more distant than usual, and her cheeks were still flushed, like a girl who had fallen in love for the first time in her life.
Thump, thump, thump…
Rudrick unconsciously opened his mouth, about to speak his mind before she could speak first. Dahlia’s sweet voice cut in.
“River Goldman.” (Dahlia)
✿
Suddenly, it was dark around them.
Rudrick blinked back the tears and looked around.
He was outside.
He doesn’t remember the details of how he found himself outside.
Perhaps he’d left her in a panic and slammed the door, or maybe he ignored the division commanders who tried to follow him and walked off in a directionless path.
He simply ran frantically, and where he ended up was a place he had never seen before.
It was late, and the streets were deserted.
The darkened streets were so quiet that there was an aura of stillness in the air, and Rudrick’s gasping breathing gradually subsided.
But his pounding heart refused to calm down.
Suddenly, Rudrick looked up at the moon in the night sky, and he couldn’t help but realize:
‘Haha.’
From the moment I first met her, I couldn’t stop looking at her, and when I finally saw her after a long time, I couldn’t help but feel drawn to her.
Why did he keep attaching meaning to every single one of her simple actions, why did he listen to her when she said she liked him, all the while feeling confused but making up his mind?
Maybe Rudrick already knew. Even if he’d forgotten it all, the truth was, he’d never really forgotten.
Because from the day we parted ways ten years ago until now, I hadn’t forgotten anything but her.
But maybe he’d been in denial all along because he secretly knew his heart was deeper than that.
Rudrick forced himself to admit it.
“Dahlia Averine.”
Dahlia, his old childhood friend.
No, she was a friend with a different kind of meaning now.
‘I’m the one who liked her first.’
