TISND Chapter 34

Chapter 34

Caligo always seemed like he would look good with his bangs swept back.

It was a thought Helena had entertained countless times, especially whenever the wind tousled his hair, revealing his clear forehead.

His smooth, unblemished brow, thick eyebrows, and deep-set eyes below—all of it made her heart race. Whenever she caught herself staring, she’d quickly avert her gaze to hide her flustered thoughts.

That’s why, when she impulsively told him that he’d look great with his hair brushed back, she immediately regretted it.

And this morning, Helena was utterly stunned by what she saw.

“Oh…”

Having woken up early, she stepped into the foyer and spotted Caligo.

Leaning against the wall as though waiting for someone, he had his bangs swept back.

The sight exceeded her imagination. He looked incredible. His sharp nose was even more pronounced, and the piercing intensity of his eyes, previously obscured by his hair, was now fully visible.

The stubborn set of his lips and the clean line of his jaw were mesmerizing.

When their eyes met, Helena quickly looked away, unwilling to let him see her undoubtedly flushed face.

“Good morning, Your Grace,” she greeted, hoping to conceal her trembling heart. She tried to make it sound like any ordinary day, as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

Yet, even as she spoke, she squeezed her eyes shut briefly, overwhelmed by his silent gaze. It felt as though her heart might burst.

“Are you waiting for someone?”

“Not particularly,” he replied.

Caligo responded curtly and turned to leave, stepping out of the entrance.

Watching his figure recede into the distance, Helena screamed internally.

‘I should’ve said something…’

She regretted not telling him how good he looked, not even a simple comment about how showing his forehead suited him. She could have said something.

Caligo mounted his waiting horse and rode away. Judging by the direction, he seemed to be heading toward the eastern training grounds.

—

Helena sat at the table, dejectedly stirring her stew.

With each movement of the ladle, it felt as if her entire body swayed in unison.

The lingering regret over letting Caligo leave without saying a word gnawed at her.

After all, she hardly saw him more than a few times a week.

And to meet him on the very day he had his hair swept back—it was sheer luck. The fact that she had failed to pay him even a single compliment was driving her crazy.

It wasn’t as if she could bring it up weeks later, awkwardly saying it suited him.
‘I should’ve just said it earlier.’

Joshua, observing her listless demeanor, smirked slightly.

“Did something happen with Father?”

“No.”

“I don’t believe you. You act indifferent about everything else, but you always react when it comes to him.”

“I said, no.”

“Don’t lie. I know you like him.”

Helena dropped her ladle in shock.

“H-How… How did you…?”

She felt mortified that her feelings had been exposed by a twelve-year-old.

“Is it… that obvious?”

“Yes.”

“I thought I hid it perfectly.”

“You didn’t.”

“How did you figure it out?”

“Just… did.”

The boy covered his mouth with the back of his hand, glancing at her as she stammered, flustered beyond words.

“It’s obvious.”

Anyone paying even a little attention would notice that Helena’s gaze was almost always fixed on Caligo.

Joshua chuckled as he watched her face turn bright red.

The real problem was that the only person oblivious to her feelings seemed to be his father.

‘Jeremy, fine, but Father doesn’t know? How’s that even possible?’

It was written all over her face. Watching her panicked expression, Joshua snorted.

“Is that what you call hiding it?”

“I thought it was flawless.”

“Sure.”

At first, Joshua had been wary of Aiden, the so-called first love.

He had resolved that if Aiden came to Frantor and stirred Helena’s emotions, he would make him pay the price.

But it turned out that their feelings weren’t mutual.

The one holding onto lingering emotions seemed to be Aiden. That was even more irritating, but at least it was clear that Helena no longer harbored feelings for him.

If it came down to mutual feelings, it was his father and Helena. But the problem was how terribly oblivious both of them were.

What’s more, even if the two were to get together, it would still be an issue. They were never supposed to be.

Yet Joshua found himself liking the sight of his father smiling beside her. Because of that, he couldn’t bring himself to stop them.

“If you’ve got something to say, why not find an excuse to go see him?”

“He’s busy. Besides, visiting the combat zone would just be a nuisance.”

‘If only they weren’t enemies… If only they’d met like normal people…’

Joshua, watching Helena fidget nervously, offered her a hint.

“He’ll be staying at the mansion all day today.”

“What?”

“He mentioned needing to handle preparations for next week’s deployment.”

“R-Really?”

“Yes.”

As far as Joshua could see, Helena was the only one who treated his father as a man rather than a lord.

And as much as Joshua disliked admitting it, she was currently the only person who could make his father happy.

“Hey, Joshua.”

“Yes?”

“If he’s preparing, that would include medicine, right?”

“Probably.”

As soon as she heard his answer, Helena brightened up and hurried off somewhere, completely different from how dejected she’d been moments ago.

Curious, Joshua followed her and found her heading to a storage room where she kept medicinal herbs.

She began hastily grinding herbs used for antifungal ointments.

“Just this once, I’ll help,” Joshua said begrudgingly.

He’d watched Helena make medicines a few times before and fetched a spare knife to help chop the herbs.

This was the first time he had taken the initiative to assist her. It felt a little embarrassing.

Already feeling awkward, he noticed her silently watching him.

“You don’t have to thank me,” he muttered.

“No, it’s not that.”

“Then what?”

“How are you so good with a knife?”

“…Let’s talk about that later.”

“Really? When?”

“Be quiet and focus on chopping.”

“Okay.”

Helena nodded as she continued working.

—

Meanwhile, Caligo ran a hand through his swept-back hair.

Living on the battlefield for so long had made him indifferent to his appearance.

When his hair grew long, he’d just cut it on the spot without much thought to style.

That’s why showing his forehead like this felt a little unfamiliar.

‘Does it not look good?’

Helena hadn’t shown much reaction when she saw him that morning.

Just as he was lost in thought, someone approached him.

“Your Grace, I’ve brought the records on the Eskel family’s secret funds, as you ordered.”

It was Pedro, a man with an eyepatch over one eye.

Pedro was Caligo’s most loyal subordinate—and someone who harbored a deep grudge against the Eskel family.

He had lost his young daughter to the Eskels and burned with vengeance against them.

“This is the perfect opportunity to crush the Eskel family. They’ve already made plenty of enemies, so let’s expose every bit of corruption and bring them down!”

“If we have enough evidence, even His Majesty the Emperor won’t be able to ignore it.”

The unwavering loyalty in his subordinate’s eyes froze Caligo in place, rendering him unable to move.

‘What am I even doing right now?’

What was the purpose of cutting his hair, of waiting for her reaction?

In front of him were loyal subordinates united in their mission to bring down the Eskel family.

Yet, in their presence, he found himself thinking of Helena, and that thought filled him with guilt.

Even if the negative opinions about her within the territory had somewhat diminished, the fact remained—Helena was still the daughter of Eskel. That was an undeniable truth, no matter how much he tried to ignore it.

‘This is wrong.’

No matter how much he tried to suppress it, it was difficult to face the wavering part of himself.

He was a lord, the head of Frantor, and a father to two children.

But the emotions he kept pushing down were threatening to spill over.

“Your Grace!”

And then Helena appeared at the training grounds, with Aiden by her side, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Caligo was startled by the sharp emotions he felt toward Aiden.

“You’re going to trip if you keep running like that.”

Aiden’s voice, tinged with affection, rang out.

Caligo had never hated anyone as much as Eskel, but since Aiden’s arrival in Frantor, he had silently seethed with anger.

He despised him for no reason and wished every day for his departure. The mere thought of him walking on the land he loved so dearly was enough to make him sick.

Even though Aiden was just an ordinary doctor.

Yet every time he saw the two of them together, his stomach churned.

First love.

Even if Helena insisted it was nothing more than a thing of the past, the two of them seemed awfully close. Why did they seem so familiar and comfortable with each other? She couldn’t even meet Caligo’s eyes properly.

‘Could it be that they love each other?’

The thought crept in. Why else would she have so easily agreed to the absurd one-year contract?

‘Who does she intend to meet once the year is over? Could it be Aiden? Is that why she accepted such ridiculous terms?’

“Stay away from Helena!”

Caligo suddenly noticed Jeremy sulking, his jealousy on full display.

The childish sight struck him as oddly familiar, leaving him feeling strange.

‘Jealousy?’

Was that what this was—jealousy?