Episode 156

“Duke!”

Filled with excitement, I instinctively tried to wrap my arms around his neck, but I stopped myself.

I remembered that I no longer had the right to embrace him.

However, as if he could sense my hesitation, Lloydin pulled me tightly into his arms.

The moment I was in his embrace, I could feel his familiar scent, and just like the first time we met, a surge of vitality flowed through my body.

I felt an overwhelming sense of comfort and couldn’t bring myself to push him away.

No, the truth was, the thought of doing so hadn’t even crossed my mind.

For a while, we lay there on the ground, holding each other without saying a word.

I was afraid that speaking might shatter this fragile moment, so I kept silent.

As I basked in the peace of his arms, I suddenly recalled how this situation had come to be.

“Lloydin must have rolled with me in his arms.”

The reason I wasn’t in pain after falling off the horse was all thanks to Lloydin.

Wait, then what about him?

If I was unharmed, there was no way he could be fine after protecting me like that.

As that thought rushed through my mind, I immediately spoke up.

“Duke! Are you alright?”

I said, trying to pull myself out of his arms to check on his condition.

Since I was lying on top of him, I thought I could easily get free by pushing myself up a little.

“Duke, hold on a second.”

But no matter how much I tried, Lloydin showed no sign of letting me go.

He stayed silent, holding me tightly.

“Please, just let me check if you’re hurt. Alright?”

Still, he didn’t respond.

“Duke… please.”

Could he be seriously injured?

Was that why he couldn’t even speak or move?

The thought of it made my heart race with worry.

So I mustered all my strength and pushed Lloydin away to check his condition.

“Duke…!”

“…I’m fine.”

It was then.

Lloydin, who had remained still without moving, finally spoke.

“What?”

“…I’m fine, but I’d like to stay like this for just a bit longer.”

“Ah…”

His low voice sounded unusually sorrowful.

So I couldn’t say anything else and just stayed quietly in his embrace.

A peaceful silence enveloped us.

The only sounds were our shallow breaths and the wind whistling past.

Suddenly, a cool breeze brushed against my face, waking me up.

Winter was approaching soon.

I wasn’t cold since I was in his arms, but Lloydin wasn’t as lucky.

He was lying on the cold, hard ground, shielding me from the wind with his entire body.

If we stayed like this in the chilly weather, he could catch a cold.

Besides, even though he said he was fine, I knew that whenever he said those words, he wasn’t really okay.

That’s why I needed to check for myself to see if he was truly alright.

“Duke…”

I called out to him carefully, and I felt him flinch slightly.

But before I could even finish speaking, he tightened his hold on me again.

It seemed like he thought I was going to push him away again. The way his arms wrapped around me, it was as if he was determined not to let go.

“Let me see your face, alright?”

I coaxed him, using a different approach this time.

“It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other, hasn’t it? I want to see your face…”

I gently patted Lloydin’s back, trying to reassure him that I wasn’t going anywhere.

After a moment, it seemed like my intention got through to him as his grip loosened slightly.

But it still wasn’t enough for me to pull away completely, so I could only manage to see the tip of his chin.

“This angle doesn’t really give me a good view.”

I let out a small chuckle at Lloydin’s almost childlike behavior.

Sensing my words, he loosened his grip even more.

Not missing the opportunity, I quickly slipped out of his arms.

As I stood up, Lloydin followed me and got up from the ground as well.

I quickly scanned him from head to toe to check his condition.

Thankfully, his face was unscathed, but his armor was a mess from rolling on the dirt.

“Are your arms okay? Your legs? Nothing broken or injured?”

Because of the armor, it was hard to tell what the situation inside was like.

There didn’t seem to be any bleeding, but I couldn’t be sure of what was underneath.

Filled with worry, I shot question after question at him as I examined his body closely.

“I’m fine. Really.”

“Thank goodness…”

Only then did I breathe a sigh of relief.

It was a miracle he was alright after falling off a horse going at that speed.

“Are you alright, my lady?”

“I’m perfectly fine, thanks to you, Duke.”

“Are you sure you’re really alright?”

“Yes, truly. Look, see? I’m fine.”

I spun around in a circle in front of him.

“Hah, thank goodness.”

Lloydin, too, let out a sigh of relief upon hearing that I was safe.

Then, suddenly, he pulled me back into his arms and whispered to me.

“Do you know how terrified I was?”

“I’m sorry…”

An apology slipped from my lips without thinking.

“Riding a horse in a dress… It’s a miracle you weren’t injured.”

“I’m sorry…”

I kept apologizing to him.

“No, it’s fine. You’re safe, and that’s all that matters. But please, don’t ever do that again.”

“I won’t.”

I knew how reckless I had been.

Wearing a dress instead of riding clothes and charging ahead at such speed was pure madness.

Though it turned out well in the end since I met him and wasn’t hurt, I had nearly put not just myself but him in danger. No matter how many times I apologized, I would never be able to make up for my mistake.

But back then, I had been desperate.

I hadn’t been thinking clearly, overwhelmed by the desire to see Lloydin.

“…I did it because I wanted to see you.”

Before I knew it, my honest feelings slipped out.

“…What did you say?”

“N-no, it’s just that I had something important to tell you, Duke…!”

What did I just say?

I snapped back to reality, trying to take back my words.

But Lloydin, who had already understood my true feelings, wouldn’t let me escape.

“You said you missed me.”

“No, that’s not what I meant…”

“I missed you, too.”

“Ah…”

Lloydin’s confession that he had missed me left me speechless.

For a while, I just stood there in his embrace, feeling him close to me.

I knew I shouldn’t stay like this. My mind kept telling me to pull away, but my body wouldn’t listen.

Just a little longer…

As I wished for time to slow down while holding onto him, suddenly, the loud cheers of people rang in my ears.

“The departure ceremony must have ended.”

“Yes, it seems so.”

The departure ceremony held in the square seemed to have concluded, and the expedition troops were likely setting out.

Whenever the troops left, the citizens of the empire would line the streets all the way to the city’s edge, cheering and shouting their support.

“You need to go too, Duke.”

As much as I didn’t want to let him go, we both knew that we couldn’t stay like this forever.

Emotions could only take us so far.

“But why were you behind me?”

Now that I had calmed down, I became curious as to why he was coming from behind me.

The butler had told me that Lloydin had left 30 minutes earlier.

That’s why I had recklessly chased after him, speeding to catch up.

Looking up at him with a puzzled expression, I asked, and Lloydin responded.

“…I went to the Anaïs estate.”

“The Anaïs estate?”

“Yes. I thought I might see you there, so I lingered near the manor before heading back.”

Ah, so that’s why he had been behind me.

“But I didn’t see you in the end. Then, out of nowhere, I saw you riding a horse ahead of me, and I was truly shocked.”

“I was just as startled when you called out to me from behind.”

We looked at each other for a moment before bursting into laughter at the same time.

“We’re really ridiculous, aren’t we?”

“I suppose so.”

“We almost missed each other.”

Lloydin nodded, gently tucking a stray lock of hair behind my ear.

In that moment, his warm and tender gaze locked onto mine.

Seeing that expression on his face made me realize just how selfish I was being.

“This isn’t right. People who are about to divorce shouldn’t be acting like this.”

My self-deprecating remark instantly made Lloydin’s expression harden.

“Is it wrong?”

“Yes. It’s wrong…”

Finally regaining my composure, I prepared myself once again to draw the line and pushed him away from my embrace.