Dressed in indoor clothes, Iola stepped carefully down the hallway.
Unlike the ghostly inn with almost no guests, this place was fully booked.
In the room next door, a rchant from another country might be sleeping, or soone with sharp ears might be listening intently. It was also possible that a sensitive noble was unable to sleep.
He moved quietly to avoid disturbing the silence and gently opened Viretta’s door.
It was likely locked from the inside, but a lock like this one in such an inn could be easily undone.
Within the blink of an eye, Iola silently unlocked the door and slipped inside.
Viretta, lying on the bed without any composure, did not react. It seed she hadn’t heard the door open.
Iola paused and quietly admired Viretta lying on the bed. Although they had shared a bed a few days ago, he hadn’t looked at her for long then.
Her face, with eyes half-closed as if she were about to fall asleep, looked particularly calm.
Her face, not cheerful but beautiful, was a bit dull and made him want to say sothing for no particular reason.
Iola made his way to the bed, intentionally making so noise with his steps. Viretta, sensing the movent, stirred under the covers.
“I-Iola?”
“Shh, if you make noise, you’ll be caught.”
Iola climbed onto the bed and lowered his posture, supporting himself on the bed. Viretta, below him, cupped her mouth and cheek with her hands.
Her lively eyes rolled around, scanning Iola’s face.
Iola thought those eyes were beautiful. Seeing them filled with a bit of excitent and joy, as they looked around, made him feel like sothing interesting was about to happen.
“Iola? How…?”
“Shh.”
Iola, now above Viretta, smiled brightly.
At this late hour, a lightly dressed man barging into a lady’s room must have been a shock.
Yet, his thoughtful and sharp fiancée quickly understood the situation. She welcod him with composure, not screaming.
“I have sothing to tell you. I’ve been feeling emotional that we’ve co this far.”
If they traveled just a little further by carriage, they would reach the mountain where the dragon resides.
The dragon's legend, where a single flap of wings could destroy a village and a brief sigh could dry up a lake, the dragon he had dread of seeing since childhood was now within reach.
“I never imagined we’d co all this way, five of us. It’s truly an honor to be able to face what everyone else avoids, alongside you, Viretta.”
“Of course. It’s our mine, so I should handle it.”
Viretta, curled up on the bed, blushed at the ears. Although she could talk to a man without hesitation, she was embarrassed when he ca too close, and that made her seem cute.
Viretta, still under his arm, raised her voice cheerfully.
“Finally, the day to hunt the dragon is almost here. The sleepless nights and the thorny path are now coming to an end.”
“Didn’t you always sleep for eight hours? I always thought your health was one of your charms.”
It seed she hadn’t slept for a day, but that was a matter to set aside.
“…That’s sothing only common people say! Though it’s been difficult, the adventures, bright and full of excitent, are finally over. We’ll hunt the dragon and put everything back in its place.”
Viretta, who had been making a fuss, suddenly spoke with a more spirited tone.
Despite the dragon being right in front of them, she showed no sign of wanting to hide in fear.
Iola was reassured by the fact that Viretta would never run away silently.
“Your cheerful attitude gives
strength.”
“Heh, of course. I, Viretta, would be a corpse without cheerfulness and health.”
“Not at all. You have many other outstanding qualities. If it weren’t for you, the five of us wouldn’t be hunting a dragon together.”
Thirteen days had passed since he t his fiancée.
Though it had been less than half a month, Iola’s life had completely changed.
He slowly got up and moved away from Viretta. Once he was up, he reached out his hand to Viretta and helped her sit up.
He knelt down on one knee. Born into a family of rcenaries, he had never been a knight, but he had learned to imitate the sight of knights.
Like a knight, he held her hand and looked up at her.
“Dear Viretta, I have sothing I must say to you. Since I can’t predict tomorrow’s fate, I wanted to speak today.”
“Could it be... a confession?”
“That’s right. You could call it a confession.”
Viretta’s eyes widened as she tilted her head in jest.
It was indeed surprising that he would confess in the middle of the night, in a private room. And considering that she had soone she loved, it must have been quite an embarrassnt for her.
Iola didn’t break his smiling expression but gently closed his eyes.
“You are a much wiser person than I am.”
He, too, wasn’t lacking in intelligence. With five degrees and multiple theses being pursued simultaneously, he was confident in his academic achievents.
However, wisdom was sothing different from knowledge.
Viretta was a wise woman who could handle any crisis with flexibility.
“Even the most feared rcenary captain, who would refuse a dragon hunt, willingly joined to help, showing your courage.”
In practice, he would avoid the sword and magic, but he would push forward until the very last mont.
For soone with her body and skills to do this much was incredible bravery.
It’s easy for the strong to step forward. But for the weak, it takes several tis more courage to move forward.
The daughter of dlit was extrely bold.
“Your generous spirit is as vast as the money you’ve spent.”
The money had been stolen from her father, extorted from a kind benefactor, and embezzled from dlit’s assets, but still…
She was investing it freely in sothing that might end in failure.
“And in the end, you brought us here, ready to face the dragon.”
Thus, the five of them were now standing at the brink of confronting the dragon’s mouth.
“I’m glad I could be your fiancée.”
He was truly happy.
From the day he first t her, when he told her his story.
From the day she said she would hunt a dragon for love.
The past week spent considering how to catch the dragon. There had never been a day without joy.
“It’s because of you, Iola.”
Iola, still humble, kissed the back of his fiancée’s hand.
He wasn’t a knight, so this kiss was reserved only for fiancées. Perhaps today would be the last ti. He was prepared.
“The only way I can repay your affection and trust is this.”
He looked up at Viretta with eyes full of affection and trust.
“You don’t have to.”
Viretta’s eyes, like violets, trembled but still focused on Iola without avoiding his gaze. She didn’t turn away.
She would say that. Viretta was kind and had a large heart. But because of that, Iola was now resolute.
“I will hunt the dragon and ensure that we can break our engagent honorably.”
I will win, for you.
And I will bring you love and freedom in your hands.
“You really don’t have to…”
“I cannot drag you into the unfortunate marriage with .”
“Life needs a few unpredictable things to make it fun.”
“No. I will definitely stop it, even if I have to oppose my family. There can be no stain on your life.”
Viretta had kept quiet about her true feelings for the person she loved.
But there had never been a lover, and the strange words to Saffron about having a chance to stand by her side.
Iola, diligently piecing together her contradictory words, reached one conclusion.
Viretta was undoubtedly in a hopeless, one-sided love.
Whether because of her status or position, sothing had deeply misaligned, and she had reluctantly accepted the engagent.
If he recounted Viretta’s words, there was only one conclusion.
Iola, who trusted others’ words too easily, had made a misstep.
“You don’t dislike , right?”
In the anti, Viretta trembled at his words.
“I truly like you. That’s why I’m risking my life to hunt the dragon and break off the engagent.”
In truth, he was just about to fall into Viretta’s embrace.
With the dragon looming ahead, foolishly, he hoped he could walk hand-in-hand and face it together.
Viretta, leading him with cheer, was his first savior, and he couldn’t shake the thought that he wanted her by his side at the end of this journey.
Iola had been desperate to study dragons for six months, but here, his desire to help Viretta had grown stronger.
“Don’t worry. I will make sure we part ways.”
And so, the only way was to win here and separate.
Afterward, it would be lonely, but he didn’t want such a magnificent woman to be with him through compromise.
He wanted to see the smile she had when they hunted the giant horned beast, as if holding happiness.
“Wait, is this real...? I’m happy, but... tears?”
However, kindness and affection that went astray beca poison.
Viretta, who had been rejected four tis in a row without doing anything, cried and felt lonely.
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