Lucas fell silent for a mont, feeling the mountain breeze brush against his face.
The hill was quiet, wrapped in wind and fading light. No words passed between them, yet their presence felt enough, like silence finally choosing to stay instead of leaving.
He could sense Silvara’s demanding gaze, an unspoken request hidden behind her low tone. Slowly, Lucas reached toward his neck, summoning a single strand of Ferri’el’s silver hair faintly bound there.
Gradually, the lines of his true face erged.
Lucas turned fully toward Silvara, letting the afternoon light illuminate his real features. A faint smile curved his lips.
"Now you can be a little nicer to , right?" Lucas teased.
Silvara didn’t answer right away. Her eyes traced every inch of his face, as if making sure the man sitting beside her was the sa one etched in her mory. After a fairly long pause, she gave a small, curt nod.
"Un!" she replied softly.
Lucas chuckled at the sound. The way Silvara had answered—so brief and innocent—reminded him of a little child struggling to conquer letters. "That was cute. You answered just like Anya."
Silvara frowned, her brows knitting together in confusion and mild irritation. "What are you talking about? Don’t tease ," she snapped, even though a faint blush crept up to the tips of her ears.
Lucas let out a long sigh, choosing not to prolong the argunt or explain a reference that clearly wouldn’t make sense to the woman beside him. He shifted his gaze forward again.
anwhile, Silvara’s attention wasn’t on the scenery at all. Her eyes were fixed on Lucas’s neck, now exposed without the barrier of false reality. She watched his Adam’s apple move as he breathed. Unconsciously, the fingers resting on the grass twitched slightly.
So... I don’t need to choke him anymore? Silvara thought.
The mory of her hands tightly wrapped around his neck inside the cave resurfaced. There was a strange urge she couldn’t quite explain—a desire to feel the pulse beneath her palm once more, though in a different context. Yet that realization only annoyed her further at the fact that her fingers no longer had any reason to press there.
"Tsk..." A quiet click of her tongue slipped past Silvara’s lips.
Lucas glanced at her, puzzled. "What now? Why are you always annoyed?"
Silvara imdiately looked away, turning her gaze toward the Air Cherry bushes they had passed earlier. "Nothing. A bug just flew toward my mouth," she lied in a flat, clearly forced tone.
---
Far from the hill, the atmosphere inside Mae’s Clinic felt far more suffocating than the open mountain air. An awkward silence filled the wooden room.
Lina was busy cleaning dical tools in the corner, occasionally glancing toward the consultation table with a confused expression. There, Mae sat writing sothing on a sheet of parchnt. Standing before her was a young knight with a straight posture and an exceedingly stern face.
Mae set down her pen and looked up, studying the knight with a probing gaze. "How do you know my true identity, young man?" she asked, the wariness in her voice impossible to hide.
The knight showed no exaggerated reaction. His face remained as flat as stone. "Just call by my na. There’s no need to hesitate, I’m only a blade-rank knight," he replied briefly.
Mae sighed, feeling a bit drained by the man’s stiff deanor. "Very well, Karska. Then how did you co to know my identity?"
Karska frowned slightly, as if Mae’s question struck him as genuinely strange. "Wasn’t it you who announced it loudly in front of all the citizens of Voss back then?"
Mae’s hand froze mid-movent. Her eyes widened, and for a mont, it felt as though the ground had collapsed beneath her feet. That humiliating mory surged back, when she lost control of her emotions, shouting accusations about Lucian Voss having perverted tastes toward ’ass holes,’ and in her explosive rage, unconsciously blurted out her full na along with her title.
Mae’s face flushed red all the way to her neck. She covered her face with one hand and let out a low groan. "I was really careless..." she muttered in deep regret.
Karska remained standing still, looking at Mae with honest confusion. "Miss Mae, you are a talented Healer who has even mastered high-level Alchemy. Why would you choose to settle down and open a practice in such a little village?"
Mae’s embarrassnt quickly turned into irritation at having her privacy pried into. She straightened her back and shot Karska a sharp glare. "That’s none of your business," she snapped.
Karska lowered his head slightly, showing no sign of offense. "I apologize for asking such an impolite question."
Mae found herself even more confused by the knight’s reaction. Karska’s excessive rigidity and politeness only made her feel awkward. Why is he so stiff? I end up feeling embarrassed if I keep getting angry like this, she thought, nervously twirling her pen.
In the corner of the room, Lina, who was dusting, could only watch the interaction with a furrowed brow.
Miss Mae... she doesn’t seem like her usual self, Lina thought as she continued wiping the wooden table in front of her.
---
Back at the hilltop, the atmosphere was far more peaceful. Lucas took a deep breath, letting the cold air fill his lungs. He felt the weight on his shoulders lighten a little in this place. Without caring whether his clothes might get dirty, he let himself fall backward, lying flat on the soft grass.
He folded both hands beneath his head, using them as a makeshift pillow.
"This fantasy world... is actually really beautiful when you look at it from here," he said with a smile.
Thud.
A soft sound of sothing dropping landed right beside him. Lucas glanced sideways without lifting his head. Silvara had lain down as well. She was on her side, propping her head up with one hand while looking straight at Lucas.
Their eyes t.
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