Chapter 42

Unlike the nobles we had just seen, these young ladies were fresh-faced and unable to hide their expressions, fitting for their age.

I made eye contact with one of the young ladies, whose face was flushed red with embarrassment.

I gestured subtly as if to ask, Should I send Adam over to you?

It seemed the message wasn’t received as intended, as she frowned slightly in confusion.

“What are you doing, Eve? Behave yourself. Don’t give those people your attention.”

“That young lady seems to be interested in you, Warrior.”

“I have no obligation to acknowledge her. I don’t even know her name or face.”

His coldly detached tone, drawing a clear line, made me feel hurt on their behalf.

Thankfully, judging by the calm expressions of the young ladies beyond Adam’s shoulder, they hadn’t heard his response.

“Warrior, be kind to them! At least as much as you are to me.”

“Why should I?”

Adam didn’t seem inclined to oblige.

As he said, these were strangers he was meeting for the first time. But the way they looked at him made it obvious they were enamored.

However, instead of returning their affection, Adam’s tone grew colder, his words cutting to the point.

He treated them as though they were utterly insignificant.

If it were me standing there, he would have called out gently, “Eve.”

‘Wait, what am I even thinking?’

I shook my head, trying to erase the fleeting fantasy.

Why was Adam even entering my thoughts like this?

Was I trying to convince myself that I received special treatment from him?

I pressed my hands against my cheeks, trying to cool the flush that had risen to them.

But the sound of his voice—softly saying “Eve”—lingered in my ears, refusing to leave.

“…Eve. Eve?”

“Y-yes?”

“What are you thinking about?”

Adam bent down to meet my eyes, his gaze piercing through me.

I felt heat surge to my face, so intense it was impossible to hide.

I instinctively ducked my head, letting my hair fall over my face, and avoided his gaze entirely.

How could I possibly explain? That I was trying to cool down after imagining something ridiculous? That I thought his voice was a figment of my imagination?

“Why are you still here, Warrior?”

The young ladies are over there.

What happened to the advice I just gave? Getting to know them wouldn’t hurt.

Since they’d been invited to a royal hunting event, these young ladies were surely from prestigious families. Judging by their presence as companions, they were likely debutantes trying to make a favorable impression on other nobles.

It wouldn’t hurt to be friendly with them.

They even seemed eager to show their goodwill. Several of them were already holding handkerchiefs, likely embroidered by their own hands.

Seeing Adam’s obliviousness, I patiently explained, “They’re probably hoping to give you their handkerchiefs. That’s why they’re looking at you so intently.”

“And why should I accept them?”

Well… because of the time and effort they put into making them?

Adam’s firm tone made me instinctively hide the item in my hand behind my back.

My plan to slip mine in among theirs had gone awry.

It seemed keeping it to myself was the better choice after all.

If I gave Adam the handkerchief, I could already imagine his puzzled reaction: “Why would Eve…?” Just the thought of it was enough to make me feel wounded.

However, contrary to my expectations, Adam’s voice came back, tinged with amusement.

“I assumed Eve would give me one.”

“…What?”

Is this some form of extortion?

The shamelessness of acting as if I’d promised him a handkerchief made me laugh despite myself.

Still, since I’d been hesitating for a while, looking for the right moment to hand it to him, my actions were quick.

Even though Adam had practically laid the groundwork, I couldn’t help but feel embarrassed for some reason.

Blushing to the tips of my ears, I mumbled something awkwardly.

“Make sure you come back safely. Don’t follow any strange people.”

“Of course.”

Adam took the handkerchief as he replied.

The embroidery on the white handkerchief looked uneven, even to me.

I could only hope he wouldn’t notice the clumsy stitches.

But my hope was in vain. He glanced at the handkerchief and let out a small chuckle.

Don’t laugh! I know it’s terrible!

Seeing him press his fist against his mouth, trying to stifle his laughter, made me even more embarrassed. My face turned red, from my ears to my neck, and I couldn’t resist giving his shoulder a few firm pats.

“Don’t make fun of me! This is the best one I made after dozens of attempts!”

“Are there more?”

Adam, as shameless as ever, extended his hand again, as if expecting me to hand over another.

I slapped his hand away—not hard, of course. How could I dare hit Adam with force?

But there was only one handkerchief I’d been willing to give him.

I thought of the failed ones tucked away in my pocket, destined never to see the light of day.

Maybe I’d give one to Ben, one to Potato, and one to Abraxas.

Pretending to be upset, I pouted exaggeratedly.

But at the same time, I straightened my posture, trying to maintain some dignity, worried Adam might burst out laughing at the sight of my blushing face.

Just then, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed behind me.

The reason for the noise became apparent in an instant.

“Warrior!”

“Mine, too!”

“P-please, Warrior, take my handkerchief….”

“I started making it as soon as I heard you’d be participating, Warrior! Please accept mine, too.”

Ugh.

The young noble ladies, rushing toward Adam like the wind, shoved me aside as they surrounded him. I was pushed and jostled until I found myself flung behind the tent.

The grounds were spacious, but the crowd had converged on a single point.

Adam was undoubtedly in the middle of it all.

Even the nobles, who had been pretending to ignore him while gossiping, crept closer, their curiosity winning out. Some fluttered their fans or fiddled with their beards while sneaking glances at Adam.

Leaving Adam to deal with the noble ladies and their handkerchiefs, I sulked behind the tent, kicking at the dirt in frustration.

Then, I noticed a shadow falling over me.

Startled, I quickly lifted my head.

‘Adam?’

But the face I was hoping to see wasn’t the one standing in front of me.

Instead, it was one of those lingering near the barracks, pretending not to care, yet secretly hoping Adam would greet them first.

Too proud to make the first move themselves, they waited for Adam, the commoner, to humble himself and initiate conversation.

Now that Adam was swept up by the young ladies, it seemed they had shifted their target to me.

“What’s with that expression?”

“I was momentarily captivated by your refined appearance. My apologies.”

I plastered on an overly sweet compliment, and the nobleman’s grin spread wide.

The way he shrugged, trying to downplay his evident satisfaction while failing to suppress his smug smile, was almost amusing.

“Hmph, so you’re the hero’s maid, huh? You’ve got decent taste, but it’s a pity you’re stuck at his side.”

“Why is that?”

“Well, because he’s nothing but a broken kite. No one welcomes a useless hero anymore. Unless, of course, they’re someone born a noble, like me.”

His words weren’t worth listening to seriously.

No, calling it nonsense was an insult to dogs.

I’d amend that—it was just the baseless drivel of a noble who thought whatever came out of his mouth had to make sense.

Regardless of how my expression soured, the nobleman continued to spout his ridiculous remarks.

“Don’t expect your master to perform well in the hunting competition. After all, the heir of the Count of Cort will be participating—this body!”

The Count of Cort… wasn’t he the noble who had openly expressed his disdain for Adam earlier?

He had looked down on Adam and spread malicious gossip about him with great enthusiasm.

So, this must be his son.

Judging by the way the count’s heir confidently extended his hand toward me, he must have seen me give Adam a handkerchief.

When Adam acted like this, I found it funny. But when the count’s heir did the same, my mood plummeted immediately.

At times like this, pretending not to notice was the best option.

I tilted my head and stared at him, my expression silently asking: “And so?”

Surely, embarrassment would make him brush it off and leave.

But the count’s heir, as if his face were made of steel, remained undeterred.

“I’m offering you the honor of giving your handkerchief to the winner of the hunting competition—me.”

 

 

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