Chapter 40
Kaiden frowned, glaring at Reina’s bandaged ankle.
It was the spot where the charging snow fox had bitten her.
Kaiden growled in a sharp, menacing voice.
“If I’d been just a little late, you would have lost your life.”
Even now, just thinking about that moment made his heart drop.
Recalling the sight of her closing her eyes in complete resignation made anger surge within him.
“Next time, no matter what happens, hold on until the end. Don’t just stand there with those eyes like you’re offering yourself up for the taking.”
“Even if I’d held on, it would have been pointless. If you hadn’t arrived right then, I would have died.”
When Reina responded as if it were someone else’s problem, Kaiden sneered.
“Ah, I see now. You didn’t trust me.”
“Why does the conversation turn that way?”
As she blinked in confusion, Kaiden declared firmly.
“I always protect my people, no matter what. So if a situation like that arises again, hold on for dear life or run away.”
“……”
My person.
That simple phrase made her heart tighten and her throat go dry.
Reina couldn’t say a word for a long while.
Then Kaiden frowned and pressed her.
“Why no answer?”
His expression said he wouldn’t let it go until he got one.
Strangely, his stubborn attitude actually made her happy.
After a moment, Reina slowly nodded.
“……Okay. Next time, even if it means losing an arm, I’ll try to hold on.”
“No, why so dramatically……”
“So please come rescue me. I’ll wait only for you.”
At her follow-up response, Kaiden merely moved his lips.
He had only meant to advise her not to give up so easily.
But with her saying it like that, he felt an odd sensation.
Perhaps it was because, from their first meeting, he could sense her unconditional trust in him?
Come to think of it, she never opposed anything he said.
Feeling a ticklish sensation inside, Kaiden cleared his throat and changed the subject.
“Anyway, about Rose. If she’s making you uncomfortable, I’ll replace her with someone else.”
“No need for that.”
“No need? So you’ll keep her by your side?”
“I already knew that the northerners don’t think well of me. So even if someone new takes Rose’s place, it’ll just create another worry.”
In other words, even if Rose’s suspicions weren’t cleared, she intended to keep her around.
It was a choice that someone without considerable resolve could never make.
Kaiden muttered with an awkward expression.
“Still, it must bother you.”
“Not at all. You just saw it yourself—Rose calling me madam.”
At Reina’s nonchalant words, Kaiden’s eyes widened.
“You knew? That Rose doesn’t acknowledge you?”
“Of course. I knew from our first meeting.”
Of course, she’d only learned the reason recently.
Reina hid that last part and smiled bitterly.
As the saying goes, it’s darkest under the lamp; he seemed completely unaware of Rose’s feelings.
Kaiden asked curiously.
“Then why didn’t you replace her sooner?”
“Because Rose is one of the people I need to earn recognition from anyway. I told you—I didn’t come to the north on a whim.”
“……”
“I don’t plan to surround myself only with people who like me. Though I’m not sure if I can come to love the north like you do, I want to do my best if I’m going to be here. And……”
Reina lifted her gaze and stared straight at Kaiden.
Her light blue eyes sparkled with a clear hue.
The brilliant clarity, like an autumn sky, was dazzling.
As he gazed quietly at her, his insides churned.
It felt as if his organs were swimming underwater—everything in his body felt strange.
She smiled.
It was a smile that shattered into fragments like white snow sparkling under the sunlight.
“I want to properly understand what the north you love is like. To do that, I need to be able to win over someone like Rose to my side.”
Her clear voice rang out melodiously in his ears.
Kaiden couldn’t find the words to respond.
He hadn’t realized she was thinking so deeply about it.
He’d assumed she was just trying to escape from the emperor.
Kaiden felt a strange tightness in his chest.
It was similar to seeing a cute animal, yet different.
Unlike an animal he could simply adore, Reina kept making him feel anxious and uneasy.
The ticklish yet stinging sensation was unfamiliar and strange.
Unable to endure the itchy atmosphere any longer, Kaiden lightly ruffled Reina’s hair and averted his gaze.
“Fine. Do as you please. It’s better than being all timid—go ahead and cause a ruckus if you want. Leave the cleanup to me.”
As always, it was a bold declaration.
What was different this time was that even as he said it, he found it hard to meet Reina’s eyes.
He couldn’t quite figure out why she felt more intimidating than before, but one thing was clear.
Ben’s judgment had been spot on.
Reina was more dangerous than he’d thought.
She kept making him feel strange emotions when he let his guard down.
A contradictory sensation that made him want to avoid her because she seemed harmful, yet drew him closer instead.
This emotion he’d never felt before in his life was frightening.
It was an inexplicable feeling he couldn’t define right now.
At that moment, she let out a light laugh and said,
“You’re right. Now that I think about it, it’s because you’re here that I can run wild like this. It’s surprising to me that I can even be this way.”
See? I told you she’s harmful.
“Sigh, really……”
Kaiden couldn’t bring himself to face Reina’s smile and turned his gaze away.
For him, who wouldn’t even blink in front of a monster, this was an unfamiliar action.
“Kaiden?”
Reina looked curiously at Kaiden, who was suddenly frowning and rubbing his face dryly.
Kaiden muttered to himself,
“I’ve brought something dangerous home.”
“Huh? What did you say?”
“Nothing.”
Kaiden replied offhandedly and turned around.
He’d spent more time than he’d planned, so he needed to head back to the study.
“I’m going.”
As he grabbed the doorknob and looked back, Reina waved cheerfully.
“See you later, Kaiden.”
Her brightly smiling face was especially dazzling.
It was as if she was hogging all the light to herself.
Kaiden, who had been staring intently at her, frowned and left the room.
She’s not some star—how could a person shine like that?
‘I’m going crazy. Must be nearing death or something.’
Kaiden stood in the hallway for a long while, lost in thought.
His heart was pounding erratically, like it was broken.
His breathing was ragged, like a newborn who didn’t know how to breathe.
His stomach felt nauseous, and there was a strange floating sensation as if his insides were sagging downward.
“This is weird.”
As Kaiden clutched his chest and muttered, Ben, who had been waiting in the hallway, asked,
“Are you feeling unwell somewhere?”
“Yeah. My heart feels off.”
“Shall I call the physician?”
Ben leaned in with a serious expression.
The moment their eyes met, Kaiden’s heart began to calm down remarkably.
Unlike Reina’s sparkling presence earlier, Ben just looked blurry and unremarkable, which helped.
As his wildly fluctuating heart gradually settled, Kaiden felt relieved.
“Must be a temporary thing after all.”
“Pardon?”
“It’s nothing. Let’s get back to work.”
Kaiden headed to the study with a refreshed expression.
Ben, watching this with a puzzled look, followed a step behind.
