Alex hesitated multiple times.
In front of Yona’s door, Alex hesitated, hesitated, and hesitated again.
Hadn’t he vowed to paint her heart with his own color?
Didn’t he make that strong promise back in Cantatien?
Yet, the fact that he hadn’t done anything at all made a sigh escape from Alex.
“Stupid idiot…”
To have made such a vow and done nothing was absurd, even in his own mind.
He wondered if he should have studied how to capture a woman’s heart or something like that beforehand, but back when he was serving as a knight in the Cathedral, he was pretty much far from women, so there wasn’t need for that knowledge back then.
So here he was, standing in front of Yona’s door.
In simple terms, this was the deal.
Today, Yona had returned from the Mage Tower, and since the regent wasn’t present in the Mage Community, she had to head to the Church Region again.
However, with Vervaria residing in her left arm, she felt a lot of pressure knowing she had to go to the Church Region under those circumstances.
At that moment, Yona’s mind was undoubtedly very unstable, worried, and anxious.
And if Alex, standing by her side, said something reassuring like, “Leave it to me,” wouldn’t that make Yona’s heart waver?
“Theoretically, it’s perfect.”
But real life doesn’t always go according to theory, which made him uneasy.
After wandering in front of Yona’s door for quite a while, Alex took a deep breath at some point.
If he kept hesitating, he would only waste more time.
Even if he was supposed to leave in two days, that offered him no comfort right now.
In other words, what cannot be done today cannot be done tomorrow either.
Finally determined, Alex raised his fist and knocked on Yona’s door.
However, no answer came back.
“Is she sleeping…?”
It seemed a bit early for that.
Just as Alex was about to knock again, he cautiously called out to Yona.
“Yona, are you asleep?”
And a moment later—
– Come in.
Yona’s voice finally made its way through.
“Sit here.”
“Uh, uh-oh. Am I interrupting your rest?”
“Why are you worried about that? It’s a bit late for that now.”
Alex was surprised that Yona didn’t look disappointed at all.
He had thought she would be sulking, but she seemed fine.
“You actually look surprisingly okay, you.”
As soon as Alex sat down, he mentioned that, prompting Yona to furrow her brows.
“What is he talking about now?”
Was there something not okay?
Or had he come back from the Mage Tower looking all down?
Perhaps that was why—
As those thoughts crossed his mind, the crease in Yona’s brow softened.
It wasn’t that Alex was bad with words, it was more likely that he was worried about her.
“You’re probably just saying that out of concern.”
“Well, it’s probably just because Yona is feeling a bit off that it sounds like that.”
Yona thought to herself.
“Well, it’s not like anything bad is happening.”
“That’s a relief. I was worried because you looked a bit down after visiting the Mage Tower.”
Hearing that, Yona thought, as expected.
Alex must be worried about her.
Since Yona wasn’t feeling great right now, Alex must have said that out of genuine concern.
Thinking that made Yona feel a little better again.
“Why? Did you come because you were worried I seemed down?”
Alex felt a bit confused about how to respond while watching Yona smirk.
His instinct told him he needed to answer well here; it was an unfounded feeling, but still strong.
“Uh… Well, who else would worry about you if not me?”
“Oh my, is that so? My big strong guy cares about me, I’m so grateful!”
“I always worry about you, you know?”
“Really?”
The corners of Yona’s mouth climbed to the heavens.
A sense of stability, relief.
Such warm feelings wrapped around her gently.
“Isn’t going back to the Church Region a bit burdensome for you?”
“What’s so burdensome about it?”
“You know that it kind of is.”
Alex’s gaze subtly shifted to Yona’s left arm.
Yona could sense Alex’s attention gravitating there, realizing he was concerned about it.
“Uh…”
“Because of that. Um. I thought you might be worried about it. So I came to check, but it seems better than I expected.”
Suddenly, Yona felt a heat rising within her.
She realized her face was getting hot. There was a ticklish feeling in her chest. It was a sensation similar to when there’s a Demon nearby, the breathlessness and warmth rising, but when she thought about it, it was a bit different. It was hot, yes, and while it made her breath hitch, still, Yona felt something different.
Yeah, it was definitely different. The feeling of being worried about by someone. The feeling that someone actually cares for her. Being looked after, someone paying attention to her, and, and, and—that was Alex.
Alex’s expression was pretty much the same. Not particularly expressive nor indifferent, just an expression that clearly conveyed he came to check on Yona out of concern.
Yona was also looking at Alex. Suddenly, she felt her fingers twitching. They were fidgeting, seemingly lost in finding a place to rest, so Yona lifted them and scratched her head, unsure what else to do.
“Uh, …well. I felt a bit disappointed… I mean, that’s how it was… but I’m okay. Uh, yeah. I’m okay. After all, I do have to go to the Church Region… and I do need to meet Subaohan, so… uh, yeah.”
“Well, that’s true… but it’s okay. Uh, yeah. It’s okay. Besides, I have to go to the Church Region anyway… and I really do need to meet Subjan. Uh, yeah.”
In the middle of it, she tripped over her words. Did Alex notice?
Yona was more worried that her face would ignite like a fireworks display. Just moments ago, worrying about entering the Church Region felt trivial by comparison.
It was a strange feeling. Alex hadn’t been unkind to Yona until now. He had been considerate and protective many times. But what was this feeling right now?
Yona suddenly recalled the morning when they arrived at this community. The warmth of the stones nestled in her sleeping bag. She didn’t know why that warmth and coziness came to mind now, but it did. It was almost as if she could see Alex gently pushing the heated stones into her sleeping bag, trying not to wake her.
Memories began to flood back one by one. The way Alex had treated Yona, the attention she had taken for granted, the care he had shown her. Yes, even though this guy was bald, he was a pretty decent human being. A really good guy.
‘…Guy?’
The thought that struck Yona’s mind came to a halt right there.
Why was it so emphasized that Alex was a guy? She didn’t know the reason, but strangely enough, the fact didn’t seem as disgusting, unpleasant, or repulsive as it once did. If she denied it, if she thought that way, what would that make her after having stuck so closely to Alex?
‘I- I even received a confession.’
Honestly, isn’t that true? She got a confession. Not only that, but she also rejected it. Yet, despite that, Alex has been treating Yona with such devotion.
‘Maybe I… was the strange one…?’
Maybe she had been the crazy one. Maybe this was just part of her progress. Maybe she had been the strange girl. As those thoughts began to churn in her mind, Yona started to think that it wasn’t strange for her face to be burning up. Yeah, it could be that way. If she had longed for affection from a ‘guy’ like this…
If that were the case, everything would make sense.
“Yona, are you okay?”
Suddenly, Alex’s face filled her vision.
Without saying a word, his face was flushed, and his lips were moving, making it obvious to anyone that Yona was not in a normal state.
Yona’s mouth was flapping open and closed, making it obvious to anyone that she was not in a normal state.
Alex reached out and touched Yona’s forehead.
Whether it was Yona’s face getting hot or Alex’s hand being cold, she couldn’t tell, but as soon as the coldness touched her forehead, it felt like her drifting consciousness was yanked back.
“U-uh… I’m, I’m okay.”
“You.”
“Yeah?”
Yona sighed softly. The flow of consciousness was truly terrifying; she couldn’t even tell how far her mind had wandered off with just a few words from Alex. She was sure she’d thought of something scary, but not remembering what it was made her even more anxious.
“Can’t we just not remove the tattoo?”
“…Huh?”
At those words from Alex, Yona felt even more awake.
The thought of not removing the tattoo made no sense to her at all.
“So… don’t misunderstand what I’m saying.”
How could she not misunderstand that? Yona held her tongue, thinking it was probably something profound coming from Alex.
Yona quietly waited for him to continue.
“So, let’s not remove the tattoo. Let’s just run away together.”
“…Run?”
“Yeah. Instead of going all the way to Church Region to meet Ceres and deal with the tattoo, why not just run away and live together? Like before.”
Run away and live together.
Yona only heard to that part.
The words “like before” were added, suggesting that Alex meant to go to another town and live as adventurers like in Evian, but that context was lost on Yona, so it sounded completely contradictory to her.
It was like cold water was splashed on her face; Yona’s mind cleared up instantly. While Alex kept babbling on, completely unaware that his words were being misinterpreted, Yona was not really listening anymore.
The tattoo had already devastated much of Yona’s life. Her time in Evian, which had been decent, felt ruined, and with the huge investment to revert to a man failing, she also worried about whether she could even enter the Church Region, a place sacred to her as a Priest.
So, the suggestion not to remove the tattoo and just live somewhere else struck Yona as anything but a good idea.
“Get out, Alex.”
“—What do you mean… huh?”
Alex, who had been rambling, looked at Yona with a puzzled expression at her sudden coldness.
But Yona’s already icy face remained unchanged, and Alex was taken aback by that look.
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