Sig walked with confident strides, causing Britia’s body to sway due to his large steps.
To prevent herself from falling, Britia wrapped her arms around his neck. Their bodies pressed closely together, and the warmth of each other’s presence was palpable.
“Aren’t I heavy for you?” Britia asked, trying to hide the trembling sound of her heart.
“Compared to Little, you’re much lighter,” Sig replied.
Britia blinked her eyes rapidly while embracing him.
Little, she thought, wasn’t that the name of his direwolf up north? She pondered whether she should take it as a subtle compliment, indicating that she was light, or as a way of saying she was burdensome.
“After going out for a walk with Little, there are times when he refuses to move any further and sits on my feet or cuddles up to me,” Sig continued.
As he spoke, the corners of Sig’s mouth curled slightly, suggesting a hint of amusement. He didn’t seem to be struggling at all. On the contrary, he looked quite delighted. However, Britia couldn’t help but feel a sense of ambiguity.
How should she interpret being compared to Little?
“Are you treating me like a nobleman treats his dog?” she asked.
“Little is a direwolf,” Sig replied.
“…So you were treating me like a wolf,” Britia said, opening her eyes wide and giving him a piercing gaze. In response, Sig’s pupils dilated slightly.
“No, that’s not what I meant…!”
“I know very well how you think of me. You considered me as Little, as a wolf….”
“Britia-nim,” he called out.
Swiftly, Britia turned her head, deliberately avoiding his gaze.
“I didn’t even know that, I thought the duke thought of me as special. “It was just a substitute for Little.” she expressed, her voice tinged with disappointment.
“That’s not what I meant. Actually, I…” Sig attempted to desperately interject, but her averted head remained resolute.
“I don’t think if yoy as a replacement for Little.”
Britia cast a glance at his tail behind him. The perplexed tail twitched nervously. Unable to contain herself, she burst into laughter at the amusing sight.
“Britia-nim.”
Sig let out a sigh of relief upon hearing her laughter. Britia ceased her laughter and turned her head to face him.
“So, you don’t consider me special, then?” she inquired.
It was a bold and daring question, implying that she was disappointed if he didn’t harbor such feelings.
Who did she think she was, this impolite and audacious woman?
However, Britia was certain that he regarded her as someone truly special and precious. Otherwise, why would a man embrace and carry a woman because her leg was slightly sore?
“You mentioned that you wanted me to enjoy being with you the most!” she exclaimed, feigning anger as if betraying him. Britia had always found Crave’s teasing personality rather unpleasant. But now, she had no choice but to admit their twin connection.
“If that’s the case, why did you desire to hear that I’m cute?”
His bewildered expression was too endearing to miss the chance to playfully tease him.
“If you behave like that, it would be preferable to be with Lord Slanford.”
Oh my, what is she saying at this moment?
Britia, overwhelmed by the circumstances, uttered words she couldn’t believe had come out of her own mouth. Regardless of how you looked at it, suggesting that being in the company of the haughty Lord Slanford would be better.
While inwardly regretting her own words, she suddenly felt a piercing gaze from beside her.
“….”
Sig stared at her in silence. It seemed as though he was clenching his teeth tightly.
“It was just a joke, Duke-nim.”
“….”
“Of course, Duke-nim is more adorable.”
“…But being with you is more enjoyable.”
In Britia’s perception, with his somber voice, Sig appeared as a tender and endearing young boy. Despite being tormented by jealousy, he couldn’t let go of the idea of holding her dear and treating her gently.
Britia pressed her index finger against Sig’s tightly sealed lips.
“I misspoke because I believed you didn’t regard me as special. Being with you brings me the greatest joy.”
Sig regarded her with a skeptical gaze, as if finding it difficult to believe. Nevertheless, his tightly pressed lips softened.
“It was a childish outburst.”
As Britia looked at him with a remorseful expression, Sig’s lips twitched.
“I do consider you special. Initially, I thought it was an epidemic trend circulating in the capital, as Crave-nim mentioned. I had never encountered such a situation before.”
“Crave said that?”
Britia furrowed her brow and inquired. She now had one more thing to reproach him for when she returned.
“But I have finally realized my feelings.”
Sig’s voice carried a greater sense of seriousness than ever before.
Britia caught her breath, realizing that the long-awaited moment was now imminent—the proposal.
“Well, actually, I had intended to quietly follow you, but I stepped forward to initiate this conversation.”
Her heart pounded, and Britia nodded slowly, the sound of the rustling wind unusually amplified in her ears.
“Britia-nim, I…”
Just then, a disturbance came from the right, catching Sig’s attention before Britia’s. He abruptly halted his words and turned his head. A group of about ten mounted individuals approached them.
Clad in silver armor that seemed more substantial than what one would wear for a simple hunt, they included a knight among their ranks. Recognition struck Britia as she noticed the crest on his flag.
The green shield bearing a golden trumpet belonged to House Robley.
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Read from the original site [ https://moonlightnovel.com/ ]
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The knights encircled them, their arrival accompanied by the clattering of armor and horses’ hooves.
“We are in search of Count Huate. Have you seen him in the forest?” one of the knights spoke with authority from atop his steed. Britia’s body tensed at the mention of Huate’s name, and Sig felt it too.
“Wait. Sig Turas, is it?”
The knight who had been searching for Count Huate appeared visibly shaken by the words of a fellow knight.
“Huate? I’m not familiar with him,” Sig replied.
Britia suspected that Sig’s words held some truth, considering he didn’t know the identity of the man she had shot with an arrow. However, she speculated that they might be searching for him.
“Have the young lady seen him?” the Robley knight inquired, directing his question to Britia.
Britia swallowed hard and lowered her head. Even without a mirror, she knew her expression betrayed her. “I haven’t seen him,” she lied.
Why did she always find herself entangled in such crucial situations, unable to spin a convincing lie?
Britia, filled with self-reproach, nestled her face into Sig’s shoulder, employing a strategy to avoid revealing her falsehood if her guilt showed on her countenance.
“I should have admitted that I didn’t know,” she lamented.
Sig furrowed his brow, observing Britia’s actions and casting a glance at the knights. Dealing with her exhaustion was already frustrating enough for him.
“I apologize,” he said, his annoyance palpable.
Sensing the tense atmosphere emanating from Sig, the Robley knights realized that Britia was concealing something, but they had no option but to retreat.
Their mission was to find Count Huate, who had seemingly vanished into the forest as if gripped by a sudden frenzy. They didn’t want to incur the wrath of a potentially deranged individual over a mere search.
With the knights moving away, Britia, her face still hidden against Sig’s shoulder, cautiously raised her gaze. If Sig hadn’t been by her side, she would have likely faced relentless interrogation, arousing suspicion.
How fortunate she felt to have him with her.
Britia released a sigh of relief. Yet, she couldn’t simply let her guard down and forget about the challenges that lay ahead. The worries about her future, momentarily set aside, slowly resurfaced.
“Duke-nim.”
“If I were to lose my place to live, could you arrange for me to stay in Altheim?”
“Is Crave-nim attempting to evict you from the house?” Sig asked, startled and not comprehending the underlying meaning of her words.
“No, it’s not about Crave… It’s merely a hypothetical scenario. If I were left with nowhere to go, would you be able to offer some assistance, even if it’s just a little?” Britia expressed her frustration as she concealed her true intentions.
Her question wasn’t seeking a simple “yes” or “no” response. It was an implicit plea for him to propose to her before she found herself with no other options. However, Britia suppressed those words with resolute desperation.
“A warehouse or a stable would be sufficient.”
Britia deliberately sought sympathy as she nestled her face into Sig’s shoulder, eliciting a disapproving grunt and a furrowed brow from him.
‘Why doesn’t he propose to me or at least express his feelings?’ Britia couldn’t help but feel a touch of disappointment.
“Is it impossible?”
“It’s not possible,” Sig replied with certainty.
“Even if I were left homeless and forced to sit on the streets, could you not spare a corner in the stable?”
Upon hearing her mention her sore leg, Sig embraced her and offered to carry her, rejecting her request.
Britia pushed Sig’s body away, pretending to refuse his offer. In reality, she clung onto him, afraid to let go and risk falling.
“It was so cold in the stable that you would be found the next day with your heart frozen.”
“What if I need a warm place to avoid freezing to death?”
Britia questioned, this time lowering her hand that had been pushing Sig away, and looking at him with hope.
“The warmest place in the castle would be the kitchen, where the fire never goes out,” Sig suggested.
Britia bit her lower lip, deeply touched by his serious expression and tone of voice. However, the thought of spending time in a corner of the kitchen felt more desolate to her than the stable.
Wouldn’t she constantly be pushed and jostled by the bustling kitchen staff?
“If not that, being by Little’s side would provide the most warmth. He naturally radiates warmth and enjoys being in cozy places,” Sig proposed.
Regardless of whether such a situation would ever arise, Britia wondered if finding solace in a room beside Little would be enough, even if it were just empty words.
“In that case, beside Little, and as an added bonus, would it be acceptable for me to be there too?” Britia asked, her lips forming a crooked smile as she emphasized the word “bonus.”
“If that’s what you desire, then you can certainly be there,” Sig responded, granting her request.
Upon hearing the approaching footsteps, Britia expressed her discontent with a pout and turned her head towards the sound.
“I don’t consider my room to be that small,” she grumbled under her breath.
Britia’s head, which had been turning away, suddenly froze in its tracks.
Why did she bring up her own bedroom all of a sudden while discussing Little’s room?
Her eyes blinked rapidly as she quickly grasped the implications.
“Are you suggesting that Little’s room is equivalent to Duke-ni.’s bedroom?”
“Yes.”
“So, if it’s acceptable to share a room with Little, does that mean I would be sharing Duke-nim’s bedroom with him?” Britia sought clarification, stumbling over her words in her confusion.
Surely that couldn’t be the intended meaning.
No, could it?
Flustered, Britia struggled to find her words.
“If it makes you uncomfortable, I can make arrangements for a separate room,” Sig offered.
Britia’s parted lips revealed her surprise as she was caught completely off guard.
“Well…”
As Britia felt her face flush, she became aware of the intensity in Sig’s gaze.
“…I’m fine with sharing a bedroom with Duke-nim.”
As she managed to respond, her face blushing, a sudden cheer erupted from behind the trees.
KYAAAAAAAH THEY WILL SHARE A ROOM WITH LITTLE TOO 😆💕💕💕
🤭🤭🤭