Roy barely managed to land on Stella's body. Fortunately, Stella and Roy were not seriously injured because they had fallen into the tree and then came down. However, Stella developed a problem with her leg.
"Stella! Why didn't you let go of my hand?"
Both of them ended up covered in dirt. It was Stella who was noticeably in a more serious condition. Roy examined Stella's body as she groaned. He felt uneasy about the fact that he had hurt Stella, thinking that if he were the one who got hurt, it would have been better if he were.
If he had known this would happen, he would have at least brought some escorts.
Wanting to be alone with Stella, Roy had all the guards stand by at the foot of the mountain. Her limbs were frail to begin with, but it seemed that not only was she injured, but there was also a problem with her bones.
He wished he had been good at healing magic.
The healing magic Roy could use was limited to very simple ones. He could use magic to quickly heal scrapes from a fall, but he could not treat injuries to muscles and bones.
"How can I let go? Roy will get hurt."
Roy could not get any angrier at her steadfast words. He was so surprised that he didn't even realize he had spoken informally to Stella. They decided to take a break for a while.
"Still, I did manage to save it. The herb."
He suddenly burst into laughter. After all, he was holding herbs in his hand. As the sun began to set, Roy checked on Stella's condition again.
"You have to get out before nightfall. Can you walk?"
Stella tried walking with a limp.
"It still hurts, but I'm okay. I can walk."
"Get on my back, Stella."
Roy sat with his back to her. He patted his back as if to tell her to get on his back, but Stella hesitated to do so.
"Hurry up."
It was obvious at a glance that he looked apologetic. Roy deliberately acted frustrated and urged her on.
"Sorry."
Stella carefully put her arms around his neck. With a grunt, Roy sat up. He knew Stella was on the thin side, but he was surprised by how much lighter she was than expected.
"Isn't it heavy?"
Nevertheless, Stella was worried that Roy might be having a hard time because of her. She desperately wanted to return to where the carriage was. However, despite her earnest desire, no path appeared. This was because they had deviated from the course while rolling down the cliff. They were lost.
"It looks like it won't work out."
Roy cautiously spoke to Stella.
"We need to find a place to spend the night."
Stella was worried about Kendrick, but with her leg hurting, she couldn't lean on Roy anymore.
"All right."
Roy had gained various experiences while mingling with magic students and had often gone out to gather herbs himself, so he handled situations like this skillfully. Thanks to this, finding a place to light a fire and stay was not difficult. When he followed the rising smoke, he could see the vast, dark blue sky stretching out before him and the stars adorning it. Perhaps because of the unique atmosphere created by the campfire, Stella looked even more beautiful to Roy than before. She was lovely whether her mouth was closed or slightly parted.
'This is definitely a problem.'
"Stella! Why didn't you let go of my hand?"
Both of them ended up covered in dirt. It was Stella who was noticeably in a more serious condition. Roy examined Stella's body as she groaned. He felt uneasy about the fact that he had hurt Stella, thinking that if he were the one who got hurt, it would have been better if he were.
If he had known this would happen, he would have at least brought some escorts.
Wanting to be alone with Stella, Roy had all the guards stand by at the foot of the mountain. Her limbs were frail to begin with, but it seemed that not only was she injured, but there was also a problem with her bones.
He wished he had been good at healing magic.
The healing magic Roy could use was limited to very simple ones. He could use magic to quickly heal scrapes from a fall, but he could not treat injuries to muscles and bones.
"How can I let go? Roy will get hurt."
Roy could not get any angrier at her steadfast words. He was so surprised that he didn't even realize he had spoken informally to Stella. They decided to take a break for a while.
"Still, I did manage to save it. The herb."
He suddenly burst into laughter. After all, he was holding herbs in his hand. As the sun began to set, Roy checked on Stella's condition again.
"You have to get out before nightfall. Can you walk?"
Stella tried walking with a limp.
"It still hurts, but I'm okay. I can walk."
"Get on my back, Stella."
Roy sat with his back to her. He patted his back as if to tell her to get on his back, but Stella hesitated to do so.
"Hurry up."
It was obvious at a glance that he looked apologetic. Roy deliberately acted frustrated and urged her on.
"Sorry."
Stella carefully put her arms around his neck. With a grunt, Roy sat up. He knew Stella was on the thin side, but he was surprised by how much lighter she was than expected.
"Isn't it heavy?"
Nevertheless, Stella was worried that Roy might be having a hard time because of her. She desperately wanted to return to where the carriage was. However, despite her earnest desire, no path appeared. This was because they had deviated from the course while rolling down the cliff. They were lost.
"It looks like it won't work out."
Roy cautiously spoke to Stella.
"We need to find a place to spend the night."
Stella was worried about Kendrick, but with her leg hurting, she couldn't lean on Roy anymore.
"All right."
Roy had gained various experiences while mingling with magic students and had often gone out to gather herbs himself, so he handled situations like this skillfully. Thanks to this, finding a place to light a fire and stay was not difficult. When he followed the rising smoke, he could see the vast, dark blue sky stretching out before him and the stars adorning it. Perhaps because of the unique atmosphere created by the campfire, Stella looked even more beautiful to Roy than before. She was lovely whether her mouth was closed or slightly parted.
'This is definitely a problem.'
He handed Stella the emergency rations he had brought just in case. She only pretended to eat. She had no appetite.
Kendrick will probably think badly of it.
She felt bad thinking that Kendrick would suffer in pain because of her.
"Do you think of your husband?"
Come to think of it, Kendrick had never once stayed out overnight. Not before, and not after. There was just one time when he said he would be back at dawn for business reasons, but Stella threw a tantrum when she found out that Sia was accompanying him that day. She claimed she was sick, that she felt like she was dying, and demanded that Kendrick be called over.
"Ah, yes."
Kendrick came then. Even though it was an important business meeting, he prioritized Stella.
"You really... This kind of lying is troublesome, Stella."
"It hurt. It really hurt so much, like my heart was going to burst. How can you say it's a lie?"
"Yes. I'm sorry, Stella. I'll pat your back. Let's sleep."
She couldn't understand why that moment was suddenly coming to mind. She gently held her hair as it fluttered in the wind. Even after quite some time had passed, Roy's gaze remained fixed on Stella. Noticing this, he smiled awkwardly and added to the conversation.
"I feel like I'll get a lecture if I go back.'
It would have been a relief to hear just one word. Lately, Kendrick seemed to be attaching meaning to even Stella's trivial actions. Roy suddenly felt a pang of sadness.
'Is there time to care about your husband even in a situation like this?'
It was a question he wouldn't have asked normally. It could have been because of the emotions that suddenly welled up in front of the fire, or it could have been because of Stella, who looked exceptionally beautiful.
"Have you never thought about separating from your husband?"
She looked straight at Roy. He did not stop talking.
"You want to meet another man, or something."
"Hmm?"
He almost confessed to Stella. He clenched his fist tightly. Just by seeing her thinking of her husband in a strange place, he knew it wasn't the right time yet.
"You got married when you were too young. I think you might regret it. Don't you think so?"
Roy hid his emotions behind a gentle smile. At the same time, he was anxious that Stella might have noticed his feelings. However, Stella was so engrossed in Roy's question that she had no time to pay attention to him.
'Do I regret marrying Kendrick...?'
Certainly, she had a strong desire to leave Kendrick right now. It wasn't that she hated Kendrick, but rather that she wanted to break free from her past life. The desire to completely escape the space and time filled with pain and live a different life. That was exactly it.
'Even if I hadn't married Kendrick.'
Stella did not know how to love herself. Because of this, she was always thirsty for the love of others. She sobbed and struggled with all her might to receive even a little bit of attention.
'I would have been unhappy back then anyway.'
Stella chuckled and said. It wasn't a very meaningful question.
"Well, it's because he is the person I chose."
"Do you like that person enough to live with them for the rest of your life?"
Stella might not have known, but Roy carefully observed every single one of her facial expressions and tone of voice. Stella could not understand why Roy was suddenly asking about Kendrick.
"I've never loved anyone that much before. It's just a feeling I was curious about."
Roy added a remark as if making an excuse. Stella didn't mind his awkward attitude. She thought he was just talking about this and that because he had nothing to say in front of the campfire.
"He is someone I once loved more than myself. But now..."
Stella smiled sweetly. That smile ignited a fire in Roy's heart.
"Learning to write from Roy like this, writing myself, and evaluating. I prefer this time of growth."
That was not Stella's intention at all, but to Roy, it sounded like she was saying she preferred being with him to being with her husband. His body was clearly in front of a campfire in the northern forest, yet he felt as though his mind was floating in the air on the smoke.
"By the way, Roy, do you realize you subtly spoke informally to me?"
Stella leaned toward Roy and smiled playfully. "Informal speech?" Roy shook his head, not knowing what she meant.
"What are you doing, Stella? Why didn't you dodge?"
Then he remembered the time he had yelled at Stella and gotten angry.
"Stella, how old are you?"
"I'm twenty."
"What about me?"
Stella looked at him, puzzled. What could be the reason for suddenly bringing up age?
"Andra, you are twenty-two, aren't you?"
"Since things have turned out this way, why don't we just drop the formalities?"
Today, Roy climbed up a cliff for her and got injured. Also, thanks to Roy, she found a clue to cure the loneliness disease. Stella nodded. Right now, the issue of whether to speak formally or informally to him was not important at all.
"Yes."
Stella smiled faintly and ran her hand through her hair. Seeing that, someone came to mind for Roy. Nah, no way.
'That can't be true.'
He dismissed the thought as useless and tried to erase it, but Stella spoke to him.
"Does Roy not have anyone you're seeing?"
"What?"
"Roy, I think you'd be popular with women."
At these two words, his mood sank completely. His mind returned to the hot campfire. He was unable to answer for a moment. He was dumbfounded, even though he hadn't been beaten.
"Roy?"
As his expression stiffened, Stella leaned her face toward him. Roy desperately tried to keep his expression steady, thinking he shouldn't be caught.
"Because I have high standards."
"That's a shame. If I had more friends, I would have introduced you to a nice person."
Stella's innocent words scratched Roy's heart once again.
"I don't need that, Stella."
He could not control the corners of his mouth.
"I'll handle it myself."
Stella bit her lip at his attitude, which seemed to draw a line. She felt like she had made a mistake, but she couldn't figure out what she had done wrong.
"Ah, yeah. Right."
Stella turned back the body she had leaned toward Roy. He knew she was embarrassed. He sat up and moved to sit beside Stella. He could feel her gaze.
"Stay close because your body temperature is dropping."
"Yes."
And pretending nothing was wrong, he brought his hand near the fire. The warmth of the fire enveloped his palm. However, the warmth he felt from beside him bothered him more than that warmth.
"If you're sleepy, go to sleep, Stella."
Roy clenched his fist tightly. His heart trembles like this at the slightest sound of breathing. Every single eyelash, every shadow of the eyes, is so lovely and makes his heart race. To think Stella would even suggest introducing him to a woman. His heart ached deep inside.
***
The day dawned. Fortunately, Stella was feeling better than yesterday. Supported by Roy, she was able to return to where the carriage had been parked. The relief of returning safely was short-lived, however, as worry washed over her first.
Kendrick is definitely going to be angry.
If he were under the influence of a love potion, he would surely be looking for Stella with his eyes rolling back.
'You probably didn't get a good night's sleep last night, either.'
Despite Stella saying she was fine, Roy took her to the Duke's mansion. As soon as the carriage pulled into the estate, it was evident that the household had been turned upside down. The servants had rushed over in surprise upon seeing the carriage.
"Madam, I'm so glad you returned safely."
"You have no idea how worried we were."
Kendrick came down at the news that she had arrived. Roy supported Stella as she stepped out of the carriage. Watching this, Kendrick's eyebrows furrowed deeply. As soon as she got out of the carriage, she approached Kendrick.
"I'm sorry, Kendrick."
As expected, he looked quite sharp, perhaps because he had stayed up all night.
'Did you wait without sleeping?'
What provoked him even more was Roy's support of Stella. As if to prove they had spent the night together, both of their hair was disheveled. Then, his eyes fell upon their torn clothes, stained with dirt in places.
Kendrick glared fiercely at Roy. The funny thing was, Roy didn't avert his gaze. Stella opened her mouth to explain.
"Ah. Roy is supporting me..."
However, Kendrick interrupted her. He rarely interrupted Stella, though he might do so with others, but Kendrick was unable to control his anger.
"I'll save the excuses for our bedroom."
She could never have known. How Kendrick had managed to hold out until morning.
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