My Strange Savior - Chapter 90

Chapter 90

[Something You Can’t Hide]

“I’ll be right next to the carriage, so if you have any problems, please call me.”

“Uh… okay.”

Fortunately, Oscar and Gregory rode in one carriage, while Rey and Gia were given another. How fortunate and relieved Kalion was to know that. Looking at the excited Kalion, who seemed almost too happy for anyone else to believe it was just a coincidence, Gia asked.

“Something good happened?”

“Oh… good things, yes.”

“There it is. There is.”

Kalion, usually expressionless, might have been influenced by their recent closeness. Just by looking at those excited eyes, Gia could tell how pleased Kalion was right now.

“No, there aren’t.”

Why is he lifting the corners of his mouth, denying it? Gia stared at Kalion with cold eyes. Kalion was comforting a whining child, covering Rey with a blanket.

“Our commander will make a wonderful father.”

Jacob’s words echoed in Gia’s mind. Despite the angry appearance, Gia, who knew how warm Kalion’s inner self was, couldn’t help but feel a bit mischievous.

The affection she can’t have is also annoying.

Gia watched as Kalion took care of Rey’s sleeping place. She knew her pettiness wasn’t justified, but what could she do? Her heart was so clumsy and willful.

Although she promised herself not to harbor such feelings, whenever she let her guard down, emotions flowed like a flood. Gia, exhausted by the overwhelming emotions, leaned weakly against the carriage seat.

It might be better to go out and beat monsters rather than this. The emotional rollercoaster on a minute-by-minute basis was embarrassing for Gia. Uncontrolled emotions were unfamiliar to her, and sometimes she even felt awkward about herself.

“Are you tired from getting up early?”

Kalion’s affectionate question made her feel good and then uncomfortable, as emotions fluctuated. Gia bit her lips and nodded slightly.

“Are you very tired?”

Just go. Even without looking, Gia could easily imagine the expression on Kalion’s face, his low voice expressing concern.

In those bright and beautiful red eyes, emotions would be swirling and overflowing. When Kalion felt Gia stubbornly keeping her eyes closed, she sensed his large body moving carefully. He’s going to leave, she thought, and she was wrong. The affectionate and gentle Kalion wrapped a blanket around Gia’s knees.

“It’s the tea you had last time. I prepared it because it seemed to suit your taste.”

Worried that emotions might overflow in Kalion’s affectionate tone, Gia tightly closed her lips and suppressed the fluttering feeling in her throat.

“It seems to help with motion sickness. Please be sure to drink it.”

A clink. Inside the carriage Kalion left, only Rey’s steady breathing could be heard.

Curiosity led Gia to open her eyes slightly and look down, revealing a warm bottle of tea placed on the leather seat.

“Stop being affectionate…”

Gia’s nose sniffled strangely. Oddly, after deciding she couldn’t have it, she wanted it even more. She didn’t know how to control this strange feeling.

Whenever she realized it, the complex emotions that kept popping up felt tangled, making Gia mess up her hair.

“K-Ing.”

A selfish desire emerged, wishing Kalion would be affectionate only to her. Maybe everyone acts like this when they like someone so much. Having never liked someone so seriously before, Gia found these emotions confusing.

Wrestling with her thoughts in such a way wasn’t like her at all. Normally, she would have pushed Kalion away and poured out her emotions, but groaning didn’t suit her temperament.

After a while, the departure flag silently rose, and the carriage moved. Gia sighed with more comfort than expected and picked up the glass bottle next to her.

As the glass bottle tingled in her hand, warmth instantly spread from her palm to her heart.

“Stop being warm…”

Whether this sulking was directed at Kalion or the bottle in her hand, even Gia couldn’t understand her own feelings.

* * *

Kalion was worried about Gia, who rarely emerged from the carriage except for occasional breaks. 

Watching the carriage with concern, Kalion glanced around at people preparing for overnight stays.

“Gia?”

Kalion, who was standing by the carriage and coughing softly, called out to Gia. Normally, the response should have been prompt, but there was no answer for a long time. Puzzled by the strangeness, Kalion called Gia again.

“Gia? Would you come out for a moment?”

With a hidden sweet treat prepared secretly for Gia, Kalion grinned and called her again.

“Oh? Sister went out for a moment.”

Rey’s face appeared between the slightly opened doors. Kalion, trying to hide his surprise, faced Rey.

“Did she say where she was going?”

“Um… seemed like she went with Sir Spencer, the knight. Was it? Or not?”

Rey, tilting his head, tried to recall where Gia and Spencer went. Gia had mentioned something about Spencer. While Rey was searching his memory, he glanced nervously at Kalion.

“Why are you looking for her?”

“Oh… well, um…”

“Hey! What’s that behind you?”

In response to Rey’s question, Kalion slowly brought the hidden cake forward.

“Wow, wow. It’s a cake.”

Rey, who didn’t expect to have snacks here, looked at Kalion with shining eyes.

They were supposed to camp for three days. Rey didn’t expect a cake, but here it was. Kalion had no choice but to hand the cake he held in his hands over to Rey. Carefully placing the bear he held in his arms next to him, Rey received the cake.

“When did she go out?”

“Um…”

Holding the cake, Rey, now excited, grinned.

“When the carriage stopped, she went out right away.”

“What?”

Startled by Kalion’s loud voice, Rey shook his body in surprise.

“Oh, no, I wasn’t yelling at you.”

Calming down the startled Rey, Kalion wiped his forehead. He had been keeping an eye on the carriage, and he missed that. Kalion reassured Rey with a wave of his hand. Rey continued to stare at Kalion, wondering why Kalion was acting like that.

“Eat it.”

“Oh… okay. I’ll enjoy it.”

Like a child, Rey quickly calmed down and laughed as he looked at the cake in his hand.

“Uh, yeah.”

Kalion, who gently closed the carriage door, returned without any significant gains. It had already been thirty minutes since the group stopped to find a place to camp for the night.

Unable to bear the fact that Gia was alone with Spencer at this late hour, Kalion wandered around.

“Where did they go?”

“Who are you looking for?”

Jacob approached quietly, not fitting his large stature. Kalion jumped at Jacob’s sudden presence, not realizing he had come so close in Gia’s thoughts.

“Well… um…”

Kalion, feeling embarrassed to admit he was looking for Gia, stumbled over his words.

“If it’s Spencer and Lady Gia, I did see them going in that direction earlier.”

“Toward the forest?”

“Yes.”

Why would a man and woman go into the forest alone at such a late hour? 

Suspicious, Kalion stared into the woods as if he could see through them.

* * *

Gia, unaware that Kalion is eagerly looking for her, dragged Spencer into the forest without knowing why.

“Why? Why are you doing this?” 

Spencer, surprised by Gia’s determination, widened his eyes.

“I have something to ask.”

“Do you have to ask it in the middle of the forest?”

“Yeah.”

Spencer closed his mouth tightly, not asking despite being dragged to a secluded place by Gia for quite some time. Curiosity overcame him as he faced Gia who remained silent.

“Oh, don’t misunderstand.”

“Okay.”

Gia pursed her lips, looking at Spencer’s face filled with curiosity.

“Ask me anything!”

“Well, answer quietly.”

Gia frowned at Spencer’s grumbling response.

“Oh, yes. Sorry.”

“Uh… Your commander… I mean.”

Why can’t she ask the question directly and why is taking so much time? Gia, who had been indecisive while seeing Spencer’s curious expression, finally spoke.

“Kalion… Does he have a girlfriend? Are you sure he doesn’t have?”

“What?”

Spencer blinked in surprise at the question, which was quite different from what he expected.

“Oh, no, he said he doesn’t have a girlfriend. But did he have someone before? A deep relationship or something.”

As the conversation dragged on and Gia’s voice got smaller, Spencer blinked foolishly.

As Spencer stood there, questioning his hearing, Gia spoke up impatiently.

“Hey, why aren’t you answering.”

“He……. I……. Did I hear you right?”

“What?”

“You’re asking me about his love life, right?”

“Uh……. Uh, yeah, that’s it.”

Gia’s direct question made Spencer scratch his cheek awkwardly.

“The commander is…….”

“Yeah.”

Spencer, looking at Gia’s determined gaze, smiled quietly. Indeed, the two of them were… How should he talk about the commander’s love life tactfully? After deep contemplation, Spencer slowly opened his mouth.

“The commander has never dated anyone.”

“Huh?”

“He has never met a woman before.”

“Really?”

At the good news, Gia’s eyes sparkled like stars. She didn’t know why her mouth was splitting on its own, but today was the best day of the day. Gia hid her joyful heart and cleared her throat.

“Never?”

“Yes. He has never been involved in anything unfortunate.”

Although she didn’t know what the unfortunate incident was, Gia was extremely excited to hear that he had never dated anyone.

“Popular, though.”

“Hehe. It hurts to talk about the commander’s popularity. He’s the most sought-after bachelor in the capital.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. The ladies try all sorts of tricks to get involved with the commander.”

When Spencer, as if tired of talking, mentioned it, Gia’s suspicion resurfaced.

“S-so?”

“But it’s impossible. Our commander is a certain kind of person. Thanks to him, the young ladies only get more hurt, and how many of them day and night yearn for the commander…”

“Enough… You don’t have to go that far.”

As if Spencer had brought the mountain range of Hagria and laid it out, Gia cut off Spencer’s words and raised her eyebrows.

“But why do you ask about that?”

“Well, just curious… Is there a problem with that?”

Following Gia’s sudden burst of anger, Spencer, finding it difficult to catch up with her emotional changes, closed his mouth stubbornly and tilted his head defiantly.

“I-it’s okay to be curious. Perfectly fine! Yes!”

Spencer, answering in attention, widened his eyes and nodded firmly.

“That’s what I’m saying… But he’s incredibly kind… and handsome, and good-hearted, so other girls…”

“Yes?”

“What? Did I say something wrong?”

“Well… He’s handsome, that’s true…”

Spencer cupped his chin and pondered over the adjectives that were closely attached.