15.
“…”
But I didn’t know what was chasing him or what he was afraid of, and I didn’t know what he wanted to hear.
“Sorry. Being an escort is like this.”
Norma slowly released my hand and took a step or two back. The place where he stepped back coincidentally was the best place for moonlight to fall.
Norma, who wore a halo, was a man who also followed the spotlight. Seeing the beautiful man stumbling in the moonlight made me forget my anger momentarily, and my heart tightened pitifully. Compassion and pity stood up.
I had the desire to match it to that rhythm. So I forgot to turn around and opened my mouth involuntarily.
“… Nobody truly wants to die. I have too much money to die like this. I just didn’t react because it wasn’t worth it.”
The poor man, his head bowed pitifully beneath the white light, lifted his face, and I could see it when his eyes met mine.
‘Is this for real?’
I just realized my answer was not a 100-percent correct, but it was about 70%.
Norma seemed to want to hear the words ‘I don’t want to die’ come out of my mouth. Golden eyes that had been dying began to shine brightly in search of vitality.
I clicked my tongue inwardly, thinking I didn’t know who made the man who had everything that way. The moonlight was not shining on me, so I hid in the darkness, hummed, and looked at Norma with my eyes.
‘An old friend who cast a curse on Norma. It must have something to do with him.’
The man whose name doesn’t even appear in <Ophelia and the Night> may have failed to kill Norma but seems to have inflicted a crushing blow on Norma.
‘You have also difficulty putting the wrong person next to you.’
Come to think of it, isn’t it a world where only the main characters are happy? It was brutally beaten. It felt like a bond of empathy I only knew was formed between Norma and me. I shook my head off before I could clearly see Ophelia’s features.
“I’m too tired to say more, so let’s stop today and sleep. I, no, I am still mad at you, so please sleep more than ten steps away.”
Sincerely, I didn’t have the energy to talk anymore, let alone get angry, so I waved my hands and issued a congratulatory order.
“When we arrive in Katam, please hold me accountable. I couldn’t hold back even a moment of emotion, so I’m no longer a knight.”
“If you are not a knight, all imperial knights must remove their armbands.”
Norma was still basking in the moonlight, with a sad face, like a person with a sense of shame. Caught in that atmosphere, I suddenly realized I was saying something nice to Norma.
“Stop talking nonsense. Now take ten steps away. I’m going to sleep.”
I busily turned my back on the picturesque scene.
‘If I keep watching, I’ll get rid of my anger. What a scary guy, Norma Diazi.’
Watching Norma’s face, I took ten steps, spread my cloak, and settled down. And soon fell asleep.
Norma Diazi couldn’t sleep for a moment by the ten steps of Aisa McFoy, who was sleeping soundly.
He looked up blankly at the night sky hidden by the thick trees, then turned to Aisa, sleeping with her back turned. Guilt and self-hatred crept in at the thought that the lady was homeless today because of a lack of self-confidence.
As Aisa fell asleep, Norma took off his cloak and cautiously approached her. She was sleeping like she was dead, and his heart sank instantly. Even though I knew that couldn’t be the case, I held my breath and listened to her breathing and heartbeat.
Lord Macfoy, Aisa Mcfoy. She was still breathing. It was only when he was next to her breathing that Norma realized that she had not woken up from her slumber.
‘Stupid Norma Diazi.’
Norma felt a sense of shame again when he faced himself acting like a coward. Looking at her, who went to bed uncomfortable, I thought I was being confirmed every moment that I lacked.
With a careful motion, he placed his hood over the sleeping Aisa.
“…”
Aisa slept indeed well without moving. Norma was hiding his presence and looking down at Aisa, slowly closing his eyes. It was filled only with the sound of grass insects and the sound of grass, wildflowers, and leaves flowing in the wind. It was so peaceful that it was easy to get lost in thoughts.
“That bitch, I hope she dies!”
“Die.”
“I wish you were dead.”
The rude people’s rants about Aisa replayed in Norma’s mind.
It was painful as if someone was hammering my head. I felt groaning and a cold sweat broke out. Breathing quickened. Norma breathed heavily as he wiped his dry face.
“That bitch, I hope she dies!”
The voice ringing in Norma’s ear gradually changed to a very familiar one.
“Die.”
“Die, Norma.”
“I want you dead, Norma.”
The voice finally became Igor’s voice and started ringing.
“Stop. Stop it.”
The beautiful face was painfully distorted. Norma opened his eyes wide.
It was not a dark place where nothing could be seen. In front of his eyes, he saw the woman who had not woken up, asleep, and saw grass, flowers, lush trees, and the moon. If you listen, you can hear her breathing and heartbeat.
Little by little, Norma was able to find his composure. Even so, Igor’s voice whispered into his ear like a curse didn’t wholly disappear.
And yet it was fine. With her alive and breathing next to him, Norma could see that she was not dead. So I wanted to be near her just a little more, just a little longer.
‘She told me to stay ten steps away.’
Norma would not have been ashamed of himself if he had been alone the entire time he woke up. As Aisa said, he must have become an absolute madman. He really might have died.
“I’m sorry I broke my promise. I’ll stay by your side for a little while.”
Norma whispered in a shallow voice, staring at Aisa sleeping in the dark. He stayed up all night like that.
***
‘Oh, my God.’
At the same time, as I opened my eyes, the anger that had faded from last night welled up again. Because my whole body ached, I got up angrily and noticed Norma’s cloak covering me. The rising anger stopped.
“…”
That doesn’t mean that the pain in the body is gone. It also doesn’t mean that the anger is gone very much. It only stopped after climbing endlessly. I started the day maintaining high blood pressure.
Still, the fact that Norma’s face was shining bright today was not too bad. She wondered when Norma woke up, and he was feeding the horses water and grass.
I was still angry, so I stared at Norma, asking if he slept well out of courtesy, and said with a straight face, “You must have slept well on the grass floor.” He seemed a little depressed by my callousness, but he smiled firmly. I wouldn’t say I liked it. I didn’t feel bothered.
Everything went smoothly after that, except for a bit of wandering around to get out of the forest and find the direction to Katam. Norma didn’t say a word the whole time. Of course, so did I.
When the sun rises in the middle of the sky, Katam’s fortress finally begins to appear. Carts, wagons, horses, and people could be seen as dots through the open drawbridge in the distance.
Norma spurred the horse. Purung, the horse overworked for two days, did not speed up fast.
Just in time, the long upper procession was leading. When I caught up with the upper procession, I let out a scream of joy. The sun was so familiar with the purple flag and the lotus flower tilted by the gift.
As if to compensate for yesterday’s hardships, the main characters of the long procession were Mcfoy’s Romdak and my Romdak.
“Stop!”
With a courageous voice, I set up a procession. The knights who were guarding the procession stood guard.
They were a mercenary group in the past, but they were raised by being knighted as a sniper by the master of McFoy. And now they were one of the units tasked with escorting the top.
‘Well, the ranks of whoever was chosen are very reliable.’
I felt pleased, knowing I had made a mark on the boss’s (mercenary leader) heart, who suddenly expressed gratitude. After all, the lower-positioned workers didn’t even get to see the face of their boss.
But the middle manager in the wagon will know my face. And I, too, had a good idea of who was in the wagon because I knew the names of all the key managers.
The manager who connects Katam from the center is―.
“Stang, come out. I am Aisa McFoy!”
McFoy’s new family of vassals, “Ektra Stang,” the mistress of “Stang,” will become “Ektra Stang.”
Ektra, who knew my face and voice, jumped out of the wagon.
“Oh, my lord!”
Ektra ran towards me while crying out loud. When I finally ran into a familiar face, I too was moved to tears. With Norma’s help, I jumped off the horse.
“My lord!”
“Long time no see. Stop crying. I’m busy. I have a lot to do.”
“My Lord! We really, really know that the patriarch was wrong… No, what the hell is that? Mind you, do you know Aide Seymour? This old man could not live without you.”
“You’re not old, but that’s what you always say. I had to contact them anyway, so I stopped crying and moved again. I don’t have time to explain.”
The procession was visibly agitated as if the death of Family Mcfoy within five days had become a fait accompli.
“Move fast.”
“Yes, my lord. Let’s get in the carriage.”
I kicked my tongue like a habit, passed Ektra, and naturally walked to the seat Ektra followed with a grim face.
“Well, by the way, my lord.”
Ektra called me up urgently.
“Even if you’re busy!”
“Who is that knight?”
“What?”
Ektra pointed to the man who covered his entire body with a cloak and said.
Ah, Norma Diazi. I almost forgot him.
Even though it was the end of summer, Norma Diasi, covered from head to toe in broad daylight, looked quite suspicious. As Ektra looked at the stranger, she looked at Norma.
“… He is my benefactor.”
“A benefactor?”
“Sir Diazi, you can take off your hood.”
When Norma lowered the hood, exclamations came out from here and there.
‘Also. It wasn’t just me. That face is sure to captivate people regardless of their taste.’
I sympathized with the people who were mesmerized and laughed at me. Then a thought crossed my mind.
I straightened up and looked back at Norma. It was not difficult to make eye contact with him, who showed off a great glow in the sunlight.
‘When we meet with the Romdak Merchant before arriving in Katam, what will happen to our contract?’
There is nothing in the contract about this situation because I didn’t expect this kind of luck.
‘Do we break up like this?’
That’s ideal. I just have to go to Katam like this with the Romdak Merchant. A knight corps is attached to the top, so Norma’s escort is no longer needed.
The issue of compensation was also family to family, and it was more aristocratic to send an official letter later.
There was no reason to be with Norma anymore.
Hope you enjoy ♥️
Take the poor guy with you. It’s best if he is not left alone yet. Thank you for the translation.