My Strange Savior - Chapter 105

Chapter 105

“Sister, why?”

As Gia laughed alone as if she were crying, Rey looked at her with a curious expression. 

Yuria, who was sitting across from them, also stared at Gia with a face that seemed to ask if something was wrong.

“Oh, no, I just…”

Gia, who was just mumbling, absentmindedly stroked Rey’s head. Rey quietly sat there, closing his eyes, seemingly enjoying the gentle touch.

Rumble.

The carriage’s speed gradually decreased, eventually coming to a stop.

Thunk.

“Please disembark, Lady Gia.”

Someone familiar opened the door. Seeing Spencer’s welcoming face in a place that Gia thought would be filled with strangers, a flush appeared on her face.

“Haven’t you gone?”

“The commander asked me to confirm that Lady Gia arrived safely and then come back.”

How considerate her man can be. Under Kalion’s care, Gia’s face turned red. Spencer reached out his hand with a pleased expression, witnessing the affectionate behavior of the newly dating couple.

“Well then, please come down.”

“Okay. Thanks, Spencer.”

Whether it was a noble gesture or something else, Gia, who didn’t want to hold another man’s hand, jumped down from the high carriage.

As she reached inside, Rey naturally embraced Gia. Spencer, with a somewhat awkward hand, smoothly extended it to Yuria.

“Lady, hold on and disembark.”

Spencer, too, was a noble with a fair understanding of etiquette. A gentle and delicate hand descended from the firm grip of the sturdy knight.

Yuria, who did not refuse the escort, set foot in the Bowers’ estate. 

The fragrance of spring at the tip of the nose made it feel as if winter had truly come to an end. Gia wrinkled her nose and gently put Rey down on the ground.

Gia, habitually crouching, stood up and quickly folded her hands politely as she looked at the people in front of her. Without words, she could sense that the person in the front was Kalion’s father. 

‘He resembles Kalion.’ 

From the atmosphere, and facial features, to even the color of his hair, he resembled Kalion.

Gia, who had never thought about meeting Kalion’s family without Kalion, especially in a dating situation, hesitated and took a step forward. Behind her was a woman who seemed to be his wife, Kalion’s mentioned younger sister, and servants lining up.

“Uh, hello.” 

Gia bowed her waist to greet, and Rey followed suit with a greeting. 

“Hello!” 

Unlike the two who bowed, Yuria elegantly greeted like a noble lady, and following her, Akin also greeted per etiquette with a friendly face.

“Your Grace, it’s been a while. I’m Akin, the eldest son of Marquis Petra.”

“Hello, Your Grace. I’m the daughter. Yuria.”

Gia’s body tensed at the flawless greetings of the two. 

‘Is that how you’re supposed to greet?’

Yuria, holding her dress with small and adorable hands, greeted with charm, resembling a bunch of flowers. Even if she were Kalion’s parent, wouldn’t Yuria look more beautiful than someone like her? Gia’s self-esteem was instantly undermined.

While she was unnecessarily comparing herself to Yuria, the man who appeared to be Kalion’s father stepped in front of her.

“Please come in.” 

He said in a manner and tone befitting Kalion’s father, both stern and rigid. Kalion seemed quite similar to his father.

“Come on in.” 

Akin shrugged toward Yuria, a look of surprise on his face as if he hadn’t expected the duke to come out himself. Only Gia and Rey didn’t see that.

Spencer had already greeted them before dismounting and climbed back onto his horse.

“Oh? Are we going straight there?”

“Yes. I have some matters to attend to at the palace. I stopped by at the commander’s request, so I need to go in quickly.”

Gia raised an uneasy eyebrow at the thought of Spencer, her closest friend, leaving.

“But it seems the Duke is curious about you, Gia. That’s why he came out to greet you in person.”

“Huh?” 

Confused by Gia’s expression asking what he meant, Spencer stopped his horse and pulled the reins.

“He doesn’t usually come out personally to greet guests. For someone who is not of a higher rank, even though he’s not the highest, he doesn’t need to come out to welcome guests. So, I mentioned that he seemed curious about you.”

“He knows me?”

“Is there anyone in the Empire who doesn’t know Lady Gia?”

“Am I really that famous?” 

Gia’s eyes sparkled, suddenly becoming a famous figure without her knowledge. 

She had heard that her reputation would spread thanks to Kalion, but to think that everyone in the entire country knew. In a place without news or the internet, it seemed incredible how quickly rumors spread.

“Yes… You’re famous. Anyway, it’s not just anyone who would come out to greet you based on rumors alone. That’s my point.”

As if about to reveal an important fact, Spencer lowered his head, glancing around cautiously. Gia, who listened closely to the signal to come closer, perked up her ears.

“The commander personally sent a letter to the Duke. To the Duchess too.”

“What?”

Akin, who had been waiting for the two whisperings, looked at Gia, whose face turned even redder than a burning ember, with curiosity.

It was on the verge of calling Gia since it was impolite to make the Duke wait. However, even before he could call her, Gia, who seemed to have heard something, rushed over with a face that had turned red as if on fire.

Spencer’s hearty laughter, looking at Gia like that, gradually faded away. 

“We’ll meet later, Lady Gia.”

Spencer spoke and quickly departed. 

Gia, with an expression that seemed as if her soul had been stolen, followed Akin with an awkward movement.

Curious, Rey tugged at Gia’s sleeve. Holding Rey’s hand with one hand, Gia covered her face with the other. The part she hadn’t covered was completely dyed red.

“Sister?”

“Uh, yeah….”

“What’s wrong? It looks like blood is coming from sister’s ear.”

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

Gia’s ear, glancing discreetly, appeared even redder than a burning ember, and Rey looked at her with a worried expression. Despite Rey’s gaze, Gia waved her hand, trying to cool down the heat on her face. Her mind was dizzy as she followed the two.

‘Crazy.’

Gia felt like her face would burn up from a mixture of excitement and embarrassment. Even with her mask on, she had no chance to assess where she was heading right now.

Spencer’s words had made her feel as if her whole body had become a blaze. 

“I happened to see it before sealing the letter, but I can’t tell you what I saw.”

Acknowledging Spencer’s reassurance, Gia sighed. After a brief moment of contemplation, Spencer’s words still lingered vividly in her mind. It was something befitting Kalion. Those words pressed the limits of Gia’s happiness.

“You’re trying to build a future together, so he’s asking them to be good.”

‘Crazy!’

Is this what it feels like to be happy to the point of dying? Thanks to Kalion, Gia was constantly opening her eyes to new emotions.

Even in her hurried steps to catch up, Gia’s emotions were overflowing. Her feelings of wanting to die for Kalion overflowed and fell to the ground like hot embers. The more she liked it, the deeper the dark feelings grew.

‘Even though I promised not to think like that… Again.’

The heavier the happiness, the more overwhelming the following emotions. Despite her efforts to push them away, persistent emotions clung to her and spread denial. As she tried to paint the future with Kalion in various colors, black paint continued to overlay.

It was as if reality was urging her to realize that such a thing could never happen. The joyful feeling crashed endlessly to the ground.

A hollow laughter, as if someone had poured cold water over her head, abruptly stopped.

‘Ah….’

The dry whimper couldn’t even spread outside.

‘Do I even have the right to feel that way?’

Gia knew it was deception regarding Kalion, but she couldn’t let go of the fringe of happiness she had just barely grasped. Kalion’s presence was like an oasis in the desert for Gia. She had only just realized how precious that single drop of water in her parched mouth was. 

Now, she couldn’t stop it. Letting go willingly was a greater embarrassment than having it forcibly taken away.

For Gia, who had always starved for affection, it was more difficult than dying. Moreover, rejecting Kalion’s overflowing affection wasn’t easy. She thought it was just a drop of water, but when she opened her eyes, it was as if a wave the size of a house had engulfed her. Kalion’s affection for Gia was infinite and immense.

It was powerful enough to turn a dry, sandy desert whipped by the wind into an entire sea. Already swept away, Gia was floating like a buoy, helpless. Like trying to control nature with human strength. Kalion’s affection was as weighty as Gia’s limitations.

Unconsciously following the crowd, a long corridor of the grand duke’s mansion unfolded before Gia. However, to Gia, that corridor felt like a dark abyss.

‘I’m not okay.’

A being that might eventually turn into a zombie, still human for now. The thought made her blood run cold, and Rey and Gia’s hands held together were soaked.

‘I’m scared, Kalion.’

Suddenly, Gia snapped back to reality and found herself sitting with Rey in the reception room. When did they get here? If it weren’t for Rey pulling her arm from the side, she might have been swallowed up in this dark abyss.

As Gia looked around in confusion, everyone was staring at her with strange expressions.

“Are you tired?”

The duke’s eyes were just like Kalion’s. Though red, it was not heat but warmth. It overlapped with Kalion, making it feel like he was present even though he wasn’t.

“Oh, no. I was lost in thought for a moment. I apologize.”

Even though she admitted her rudeness and apologized, the duke’s gaze did not waver.

“You must be tired. I didn’t even ask.”

It seemed like a concerned look. Gia, trying to correct the misunderstanding that she wasn’t trying to show off to Kalion’s family, extended her hand.

“N-no, I’m fine.”

But the duke seemed uninterested in listening, not giving Gia a chance to clarify.

“That’s right. Your Grace, you were too hasty.”

A soft-spoken middle-aged woman next to him interjected. She had elegantly arranged hair, and a thin neckpiece accentuated her grace. 

Even without an introduction, it seemed like she must be Kalion’s mother…