EIITAB - Chapter 53 < It Was Possible To Have A Lover >
Even If It Is Trampled And Broken
'If it weren't for me, everyone would be able to eat comfortably.'
So Hestia followed Aslan's advice. As expected, as she did not participate, the loud laughter of the knights sometimes erupted from outside the carriage during mealtime.
In this way, Hestia lived a life almost confined to the carriage throughout her travels. Her movements naturally decreased, and perhaps because of that, she felt like her digestion was not going well.
"Shall we go for a walk today?"
Of course, it was very cold outside, but the sky was so clear and pretty that she felt like it would be a waste to just spend time inside. Eventually, Hestia quietly got out of her carriage. It would be better for her to remain out of sight of the knights. She began to step carefully over her eyes. Her intention was to muffle the sound of her footsteps, but she was a very light person, so contrary to concerns, she didn't even make the usual pitter-patter sound.
'That's fun.'
Hestia was obsessed with leaving her own footprints on the white snow. How long did she walk while just looking at the ground?
She heard the sound of a loud conversation not far away. Only then did Hestia come to her senses, raise her head, and look around her. There were two knights nearby, collecting things that could be used as kindling.
'Let's go back quickly before I get noticed.'
Hestia didn't want to make them uncomfortable so she quickly tried to leave her place. But then she heard a name that caught her in her tracks.
"What happens now to Dulcinea?"
"What should I do?"
Picking up a dry twig, a knight answered earnestly.
"Your Excellency is married. Then it just goes on like this."
"She must be discouraged. She really treats him with the utmost sincerity..."
Hestia held her breath without realizing it. She knew it wasn't right. The reason in her head was further stolen and she was warned not to listen and to quickly leave her place. But she couldn't move. This is because she wanted to know a little more about the woman who appears in the knights' stories. But Hestia could not achieve her will. This is because she could not finish the knights" words.
"Hey, shh. Shh."
"OMG."
She gasped as she noticed Hestia standing nearby while the knights turned to move to another location. They stopped breathing and just rolled their eyes.
'Ah, I got caught.'
Hestia quickly caught her breath and smiled softly as if she hadn't heard anything. She slightly nodded. Then she began to slowly walk again in the direction she had originally intended to walk. Only after the distance had grown a little further did the two knights begin to whisper and exchange opinions.
"What should I do? Do you think she heard?"
"Well, that's it? I don't think she heard you? If she heard it, would you be able to laugh at us like that?"
"Yeah, right? She couldn't hear it, right?"
However, even though they were talking amongst themselves and exchanging opinions, nothing became clear. Still, she chased after Hestia and asked, 'Did you hear what we just said?' She did and she couldn't even ask. As their frustration grew, the two knights eventually became irritated, scratching the backs of their heads with nervous movements.
"Sir, Why did you come out today?"
"Whoa."
The knights clicked their tongues with a look of luck on their faces and hurried toward the barracks. Meanwhile, Hestia also finished her short walk and returned to the carriage. Angela hadn't arrived yet. Without even thinking about getting the snow off her shoes, Hestia collapsed into her chair and let out a long breath that she had been holding.
Her heart was beating rapidly.
"What do we do?"
The story the knights shared came back to my mind. And the name of the woman they were worried about scratched her painfully Even if he didn't hear everything she said, it wasn't difficult to figure out that she was Aslan's mate.
'You had a lover in the North.'
Hestia let out her sigh again. In her last life, she had only thought that Aslan was unmarried, and she naturally assumed that he was alone.
"Even though she wasn't married, she could have a lover.."
Hestia's voice gradually became quieter. She even regretted that her thoughts were too short. Aslan Kalathi was a deep-hearted person despite his appearance. Since he had a dangerous job dealing with magical beasts, she thought that maybe he had not proposed out of consideration for his partner.
Hestia felt a pain deep inside her stomach as if it were being twisted.
"... Ah."
Her mouth kept getting dry and her face got hot. She felt uncomfortable. But that was different from her guilt. She felt a tingling pain as if someone was sticking a needle into her heart, and she couldn't breathe properly.
Hestia pressed her heart against her and closed her fluttering eyelashes. When the topic of government was brought up once in the capital, she did not give a proper answer and just moved on. Naturally, she thought that Aslan did not have a woman, so she did not see much merit in it, so she just ignored it.
But, guessing from the stories of the knights she heard a while ago.
She felt that even if she guessed wrong, it seemed like she had been wrong for a long time.
Before she knew it, Hestia was clutching her own chest as if she was trying to rip it out.
"I guess I need to get it right one more time."
It felt like a heavy stone was pressing down on her.
***
After finishing the meal, the knights quickly took care of their surroundings. The purpose was to move a little more while the sun was up. But the carriage, which was running smoothly, suddenly stopped.
"What is going on?"
Hestia also didn't know what was going on, so just as she was exchanging glances with Angela, the door suddenly opened without knocking.
At that moment, cold air rushed into the hook, making Hestia shrink her small body even more. When she looked towards the door, Hestia saw Aslan standing there with a sullen expression. He looked down at Hestia, who was bundled up in a fur blanket, and said indifferently.
"Get off."
As he gestured outside, Hestia blinked her eyes.
"Why?"
She almost wanted to follow Aslan's words without complaining, but it was too cold for that. She felt like she would freeze to death at any moment if she left this fur blanket.
There was a slight hint of hesitation and resistance in her questioning voice. But Aslan didn't feel too bad about it. Even though he was the type of person who didn't like explaining things twice, he didn't bother to open his mouth one more time for Hestia's sake.
"I'm going to abandon the wagon I brought from the south here. You have to change, so get off quickly."
Abandoning the carriage?
Hestia tilted her head and lowered the blanket that covered her neck. Even if she holds out here, Aslan will surround her and carry her down. So, rather than wasting time meaninglessly, she thought it would be much more constructive to get on the next carriage right away.
'And anyway, we have to follow Aslan's orders here.'
Hestia slowly got out of the carriage. As she stood on the frozen ground, she asked Aslan a question.
"But why are we changing carriages? This is enough... Sigh!"
Then, a strong wind suddenly blew, and she was unable to continue her words, so she curled up her body and lowered her head. The wind was blowing harshly from the north. Her snow-white silver hair fluttered mercilessly, disturbing her vision. It was cold inside the carriage, but not as cold as outside.
'I feel like I'm going to freeze!'
When Hestia was unable to come to her senses in an unfamiliar situation, she suddenly felt the wind stop. Hestia, finally able to take a breather, slowly straightened her bent body and looked in front of her. Aslan's broad shoulders were blocking the wind.
"Even if you regret it, you can't turn it back now."
"... What do you mean?"
"What do you mean? It means you can't go back to the South."
He answered indifferently, twisting the corner of his mouth. Yet his golden eyes were still focused on Hestia's face. As if he was trying to gauge her reaction.
'You're trying to scare me.'
Hestia also wondered why he said such testing words, but soon she realized the reason. He deliberately says with his mouth that she can't go back, but when she says that she can't stand it and that she wants to go back, he will let her go.
'This man...Do you want to see me crying and hanging?'
Otherwise, is he just trying to push her away like he has always done?
Hestia swallowed her sigh. Whatever the reason, she just couldn't accept leaving his side.
When she lightly shook her head, her silver hair swayed like a wave.
"I didn't mean to do that. I don't regret my decision to go to Kalathi. Just..."
The strong wind blew again and ruthlessly tousled her hair. Hestia's eyes were unwavering as she swept it with her slender hand and tucked it behind her ear.
"Just?"
"I was just surprised because it was a lot colder than I expected."
Hestia, who had been answering without thinking, hesitated at the end of her sentence. She was embarrassed as if she had complained about Aslan.
'Why did I do that?'
It's not like we're supposed to be that friendly with each other. Hestia's face instantly turned red with heat. Meanwhile, Aslan looked at Hestia's face, her complexion changing every moment, and he let out a meaningless laugh without realizing it.
Turning his head slightly, he barely suppressed his laughter and cleared his throat with short coughs. Hestia kept feeling tickled by her face, so she began to deliberately shift her gaze here and there.
Anyway, it was thanks to him continuing to block the wind that she had time to look around. Even inside the area near the 'impenetrable wall, the temperature was cooler than the capital, but it was tolerable.
However, this place could not be compared to any place in the south.
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