On that day, why did he say such a thing? What was he thinking when he said that?
After Akkard left for the North, Damia pondered over it a lot. Once upon a time, she wished he would disappear from her life, but when he did, she wasn’t happy.
First, she would worry about her father, and after, she would invariably think of Akkard. It was like a dessert that came after a main dish.
No matter how hard she tried not to think about it, every time she had a moment, anxiety filled her chest and engulfed her head.
‘Did you infiltrate the headquarters of the Great Shrine by now? Perhaps you are looking for the real saint right now?’
Is the operation really going as planned? Will those who entered the High Temple be safe?
Just because she was waiting in safety didn’t mean she was comfortable. It felt like she was on a cushion of thorns, so Damia couldn’t sleep or eat properly.
When she had time, anxieties rushed in like a whirlwind, and she was often dazed. Just like right now.
“—mia… Damia!!”
“ah.”
Damia woke up to the sound of someone shouting her name. Belatedly, she registered that her knees were strangely damp and looked down, seeing her teacup in her hand.
She was drinking half of her contents with her lap instead of her mouth. She must have been drinking tea when she was consumed by her thoughts again.
“Are you okay?”
Lessid asked with a slight frown on his slightly sensitive eyebrows. Although it was because of the makeup, for a moment, his face looked quite Akkard-like.
It was easy to bleach Lessid’s hair, which was initially light, to make it look silver. However, as a pale northerner, it was difficult to imitate the caramel-colored skin of Akkard, a southerner to the bone.
For this reason, it was quite difficult to find a powder that travelers applied. He had to use it all over his body every morning. However, because the spies of the Great Shrine were monitoring this place from a distance, all these efforts were essential.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I guess it’s because I couldn’t sleep last night.”
Damia, who spoke in her usual calm tone, wiped her skirt with her handkerchief. But there was no way she could wipe off half of a cup’s worth of liquid.
Damia, who had been rubbing her damp clothes a few times, was about to give up. Lessid reached across the table and covered her with her thick blanket.
“The weather is chilly, so you might catch a cold again.”
“Thank you.”
She looked at Lessid and the brown makeup on his fingertips. Then, suddenly, she tilted her head when memories of the past came to mind.
“By the way, have you ever cured me of my cold before?”
“… … Do you remember?”
Lessid paused and asked. It had happened when they were just teenagers, so he thought Damia had forgotten entirely.
But Damia wasn’t the type to forget a favor.
“Of course. When I was taking a conversation class, you told me that my coughing sound was loud, and you fixed it.”
Lessid blushed slightly. It was because he was ashamed and a bit nauseous when the excuses he had uttered came out of Damia’s mouth.
“Do you remember all that?”
“Of course I remember. It was very impressive that you could cure a cold so quickly,”
Damia recalled with a smile. Although she was joking, her compliment with a smile made his heart swell.
‘Maybe she likes me even just a little bit?’
Lessid thought, holding his pounding heart. He was now spending time alone with Damia in a secluded villa away from the capital.
Although he was dissatisfied that he was Akkard Valerian’s stand-in, what could he do? But thanks to this mission, he could spend time with Damia like this.
However, Lessid’s iridescent dream was short-lived. The smile disappeared from Damia’s face. Then, the only thing left in the brief silence were her worries.
“Will they be okay? Everyone… … .”
It was a rambling mumble, but he quickly understood what was happening. It was because he had been watching Damia dry up from constant anxiety for the past few days.
“Don’t worry. Hasn’t Count Primula been in and out of the Great Shrine for many years? He has years of experience, so he will most likely have no problems.”
“I guess you’re right, maybe?”
Ah, again. As soon as her worries about her father were over, the face that appeared in her mindseye was Akkard.
‘May you always be happy.’
Saying that, he laughed. He had a relaxed and tragic air as if he had lost a limb that had caused him pain for a long time.
Scrutinizing that face, Damia suddenly thought: Maybe Akkard himself wanted to erase his feelings for me the most.
Love was not something that reason could control. It was like mold in the heart; no matter how hard you tried to erase it, it spread over and covered your whole heart in the blink of an eye. And over a long period, it slowly eroded people.
This was a fact that Damia, who was sick of unrequited love, knew it very well.
It was the first time. Damia saw her past self in his sorrowful face as she watched him.
“Damia.”
Beside her, Lessid called her. Then, she realized she had lost herself in her thoughts again and apologized, feeling embarrassed.
“Oh, um. I’m sorry.”
Lessid sighed, looking at the face with no energy like a withered daffodil. And suddenly, he lowered his voice.
“Are you thinking of Sir Akkard right now?”
On that day, why did he say such a thing? What was he thinking when he said that?
After Akkard left for the North, Damia pondered over it a lot. Once upon a time, she wished he would disappear from her life, but when he did, she wasn’t happy.
First, she would worry about her father, and after, she would invariably think of Akkard. It was like a dessert that came after a main dish.
No matter how hard she tried not to think about it, every time she had a moment, anxiety filled her chest and engulfed her head.
‘Did you infiltrate the headquarters of the Great Shrine by now? Perhaps you are looking for the real saint right now?’
Is the operation really going as planned? Will those who entered the High Temple be safe?
Just because she was waiting in safety didn’t mean she was comfortable. It felt like she was on a cushion of thorns, so Damia couldn’t sleep or eat properly.
When she had time, anxieties rushed in like a whirlwind, and she was often dazed. Just like right now.
“—mia… Damia!!”
“ah.”
Damia woke up to the sound of someone shouting her name. Belatedly, she registered that her knees were strangely damp and looked down, seeing her teacup in her hand.
She was drinking half of her contents with her lap instead of her mouth. She must have been drinking tea when she was consumed by her thoughts again.
“Are you okay?”
Lessid asked with a slight frown on his slightly sensitive eyebrows. Although it was because of the makeup, for a moment, his face looked quite Akkard-like.
It was easy to bleach Lessid’s hair, which was initially light, to make it look silver. However, as a pale northerner, it was difficult to imitate the caramel-colored skin of Akkard, a southerner to the bone.
For this reason, it was quite difficult to find a powder that travelers applied. He had to use it all over his body every morning. However, because the spies of the Great Shrine were monitoring this place from a distance, all these efforts were essential.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I guess it’s because I couldn’t sleep last night.”
Damia, who spoke in her usual calm tone, wiped her skirt with her handkerchief. But there was no way she could wipe off half of a cup’s worth of liquid.
Damia, who had been rubbing her damp clothes a few times, was about to give up. Lessid reached across the table and covered her with her thick blanket.
“The weather is chilly, so you might catch a cold again.”
“Thank you.”
She looked at Lessid and the brown makeup on his fingertips. Then, suddenly, she tilted her head when memories of the past came to mind.
“By the way, have you ever cured me of my cold before?”
“… … Do you remember?”
Lessid paused and asked. It had happened when they were just teenagers, so he thought Damia had forgotten entirely.
But Damia wasn’t the type to forget a favor.
“Of course. When I was taking a conversation class, you told me that my coughing sound was loud, and you fixed it.”
Lessid blushed slightly. It was because he was ashamed and a bit nauseous when the excuses he had uttered came out of Damia’s mouth.
“Do you remember all that?”
“Of course I remember. It was very impressive that you could cure a cold so quickly,”
Damia recalled with a smile. Although she was joking, her compliment with a smile made his heart swell.
‘Maybe she likes me even just a little bit?’
Lessid thought, holding his pounding heart. He was now spending time alone with Damia in a secluded villa away from the capital.
Although he was dissatisfied that he was Akkard Valerian’s stand-in, what could he do? But thanks to this mission, he could spend time with Damia like this.
However, Lessid’s iridescent dream was short-lived. The smile disappeared from Damia’s face. Then, the only thing left in the brief silence were her worries.
“Will they be okay? Everyone… … .”
It was a rambling mumble, but he quickly understood what was happening. It was because he had been watching Damia dry up from constant anxiety for the past few days.
“Don’t worry. Hasn’t Count Primula been in and out of the Great Shrine for many years? He has years of experience, so he will most likely have no problems.”
“I guess you’re right, maybe?”
Ah, again. As soon as her worries about her father were over, the face that appeared in her mindseye was Akkard.
‘May you always be happy.’
Saying that, he laughed. He had a relaxed and tragic air as if he had lost a limb that had caused him pain for a long time.
Scrutinizing that face, Damia suddenly thought: Maybe Akkard himself wanted to erase his feelings for me the most.
Love was not something that reason could control. It was like mold in the heart; no matter how hard you tried to erase it, it spread over and covered your whole heart in the blink of an eye. And over a long period, it slowly eroded people.
This was a fact that Damia, who was sick of unrequited love, knew it very well.
It was the first time. Damia saw her past self in his sorrowful face as she watched him.
“Damia.”
Beside her, Lessid called her. Then, she realized she had lost herself in her thoughts again and apologized, feeling embarrassed.
“Oh, um. I’m sorry.”
Lessid sighed, looking at the face with no energy like a withered daffodil. And suddenly, he lowered his voice.
“Are you thinking of Sir Akkard right now?”
