Chapter 170
The man checked the child sleeping against his shoulder, then added in a quiet voice.
“If we had waited until everything was resolved according to that man’s plan, Edwin might have died.”
That, too, was also one of the things she had considered.
“If you learned that the boy died in the time you spent delaying the Count’s removal, the weight on your heart would have been even heavier.”
“That’s true, but…”
“Many people’s blood ends up on the Imperial throne, but if even the life of an innocent child were taken, that man would not have been able to feel at ease.”
Lynette lowered her gaze.
Would Euphen think the same way?
Certainly, if Edwin had died because she turned away, the shock would have been considerable. She might not have killed him directly, but wouldn’t she have essentially allowed it to happen, knowing he would die?
“This, too, is fate.”
Sillian stated firmly.
“Sillian, do you believe in fate?”
“Yes. I do.”
He laughed lightly.
Well, it was a pointless question.
The two of them were already bound by fate.
They had met as an Esper and a Guide, beating impossible odds, so asking now whether he believed in it was absurd.
‘And because things didn’t go as fate intended, I even regressed.’
He might not remember, but she remembered perfectly. What the now-vanished past had been like.
Now that all of it existed only in Lynette’s mind, sometimes she wondered if she had simply dreamed something so vivid… but it had undoubtedly been real.
She had suffered, yet despite that, she had loved, and so she had grieved. And because she hadn’t met the person she was truly meant to meet, she had ultimately come back.
‘Why didn’t fate erase my memories?’
If it had, she might have met Sillian and fell in love with him right away.
She stared quietly at him.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
The man asked with a smile.
“I was wondering what fate really is.”
“I think fate is what ends up happening, no matter what.”
“Even if you don’t want it?”
“Yes. Even if you don’t want it.”
She could understand that a little.
At some point, this man had grown closer to her.
‘To be exact, from the moment I heard Euphen had died.’
At her weakest moment, when she could no longer endure anymore and broke down, Sillian had been there. He had kept her alive somehow, supporting her desperately.
Feeling that with her whole being, how could she not be affected?
It was too early to say she loved him.
She couldn’t be certain.
But it was true that Sillian now felt closer than anyone.
Even closer than Euphen.
‘I love him, and yet…’
This closeness is different.
In front of Euphen, she could never collapse like that. She wanted to show him only her best self.
Because he’s someone she loves so very much. Because she wanted every moment with him to be filled with happiness.
Only now did she realize that comfort and love were not the same.
As she was lost in thought, she felt Sillian tug her hand.
When she came to her senses and lifted her head, a small inn came into view.
“Sillian, won’t they come looking for us again if we stay at an inn?”
“At the very least, it will take them time to find us. For now, we need to do something about Edwin.”
Lynette nodded.
Although he had been carried the entire time, the child didn’t seem comfortable.
Perhaps because he wasn’t lying down properly.
She lightly touched his forehead and felt a burning heat.
His fever seemed to have been going down smoothly earlier, but it must have risen again.
Sillian, having rented only one room, carefully laid Edwin on the bed.
“We’re not planning to stay long, so I only got one.”
At his explanation that almost seemed defensive, she nodded.
They had always taken separate rooms, but even if he suggested sharing one, she wouldn’t have felt any discomfort.
She knows he would never do anything against her will.
Without waiting for him to speak, Lynette said what she had been thinking.
“Sillian, I think finding Euphen and Eshar should come before the Count.”
“They must already have quite a bit of information on him…”
Sillian nodded slightly.
“That’s why I think it’s better if I go.”
“No. It’s dangerous.”
Exactly the answer she had expected.
She pulled the hood attached to her coat over her head.
“Sillian, you stand out too much. Your hair is unusually long for a man.”
At that, the man frowned and grabbed a handful of his own hair without hesitation.
“Then I’ll just cut it off.”
“No!”
“…”
“And even without the hair, you fought the Count’s men earlier, so your face is probably already known.”
“Haah…”
“You’re also tall, so it won’t be easy to hide in a crowd.”
‘Besides, you and Euphen don’t get along well, so I’m a little worried you won’t be able to talk calmly.’
She swallowed that last thought.
“I won’t do anything dangerous.”
As Lynette tried to leave with those words, Sillian blocked her path.
Frowning, he fell briefly into thought, then silently pulled her into a light embrace.
Lynette blinked, then gently placed her hands on his back. After patting him a few times, Sillian finally stepped back.
“They likely didn’t get a proper look at you.”
Pulling her hood a little lower to cover her face, Lynette left the inn, leaving behind Sillian with his worried expression.
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