It’s Time to Stop Clinging to the Fake Guide - Chapter 155

‘Sillian.’

The moment she so much as thought of Sillian, he appeared.

He silently looked at her and Euphen.
Being on the receiving end of that gaze made her feel as though she should explain herself somehow. That they hadn’t touched, that they were only talking.

The man sat down beside Lynette without a word.

“…”

With the three of them together, it felt suffocating.
Just as she clasped both hands tightly together under the table, the meal fortunately arrived. Without a word, they all picked up their utensils and began to eat.

‘I feel like I’m going to get indigestion…’

Lynette quietly sighed.

Until now, she hadn’t noticed because they had never sat together and eaten as if they were a single group. But now that they were all together at a table, the food wouldn’t go down. She even found herself missing meals where they didn’t bother lighting a fire and sat spaced apart, tearing at hard bread and jerky.

She glanced at Euphen.
Their eyes met.

Lynette, having caught his brief smile, lowered her head.

They were the only ones in the dining hall who hadn’t exchanged a single word.
It never felt uncomfortable to be around Sillian, nor to be around Euphen, but the moment these two were together, the pressure was overwhelming.
More than anything, she was conscious of both of them.

Lynette gripped her fork tightly.

‘It would have been easier if I didn’t understand why they can’t look at each other kindly.’

But she knew all too well why the two of them were like this.

Euphen and Sillian… both must have felt suffocated in their own way.

From Euphen’s perspective, he couldn’t even touch the woman he loved, yet the man who was supposedly her ‘fate’ appeared and naturally took the seat beside her. On top of that, he had no choice but to see the two of them casually touching each other and staying close.

Feeling jealous would just seem ridiculous. Even if he held such feelings, there was nothing he could do anyway.

Lynette let out a small sigh.

Sillian couldn’t possibly like this situation either. He must have believed they had become a proper ‘pair’. He must have felt reassured because he could finally keep her away from someone who consumes her very life away.
Yet almost as if to mock at that thought, she had met Euphen again.

On top of that, hadn’t he already expressed his feelings to Lynette?
Even though he fully knew where her heart leaned, he laid everything bare as though asking her to look at him instead.

‘He probably thought that since I wouldn’t be able to meet Euphen, it wouldn’t matter if I loved him.’

After all, it was a relationship destined only for longing.

As the saying goes, out of sight, out of mind.
He might have hoped for that. But now that things had turned out this way, he must be worried that Lynette’s heart would lean toward Euphen once more.
On top of that, he would have to fear the possibility of them making contact.

There was no way his heart could be at ease.

What could she possibly say to either of them? Even if she said something superficial like hoping they would get along from now on, nothing would change.

While they were eating in suffocating silence, someone approached the table.

“So you were eating.”

It was Eshar.

She naturally sat down in the empty seat beside Euphen and ordered food.

“Did you get a good rest?”

The woman spoke to Lynette.
At that question, she slowly nodded.

“Yes, Thank you. What about you, Miss Eshar?”

“I rested well too. By the way, what did you decide to call Euphen now?”

Eshar glanced at the man.

“Euphen… just Euphen.”

“Then please call me Eshar as well. It’s strange if I’m the only one being addressed formally.”

“Alright.”

Euphen briefly looked at Sillian, then spoke in a stiff tone.

“Sillian. I’d like you to just call me Euphen as well.”

Sillian slightly frowned at that.
He clearly didn’t like it.

What exactly did he dislike? Calling him Euphen? or that he had called him ‘Sillian’?

“I’d prefer it if we didn’t call each other at all whenever possible.”

“…”

The Imperial Prince seemed as though he was about to say something, then closed his mouth. He must have decided it wasn’t worth arguing here.

“Please call me Eshar as well. Not that I expect we’ll have much reason to speak to each other anyway.”

As if speaking on his behalf, Eshar answered with a sharp tone.

Lynette swallowed a bitter smile.
How many relationships at this table could even be called friendly? It was fortunate enough that she didn’t have particularly bad relations with any of the three. Especially since Sillian was blatantly showing that he didn’t want to grow close to the other two.
Hoping their relationships would improve is almost laughable.

Silence fell once again.

After a while, Eshar spoke casually while eating.

“Lynette, you intend to keep traveling with us, right?”

“Yes.”

“Until when?”

She stared blankly.
She hadn’t thought about how long they would travel together.

“Right now I’m drifting around because of various circumstances, but I don’t intend to live like this forever. Someday I’ll return to the Imperial Castle. Will you still be with me then?”

It was a blunt question.

Lynette parted her lips, then shook her head.

“No.”

“Then there’s no real need for you to stay with us, is there?”

“…”

“I understand the reason for traveling together to some extent. I also know that we bear some degree of responsibility, but if we’re going to part eventually anyway, rather than dragging it out, wouldn’t it be simpler for each of us to go our separate ways even a little sooner?”