The nearby 1st Battalion members naturally ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) tried to follow the Commander, but Hugo shook his head as if to say there was no need. Instead, he gestured with his chin toward where Leonardo was. It meant to guard him well.
The remaining personnel who couldn’t accompany him stared blankly at the Commander’s retreating figure. Seeing them glance at one another, asking what they should do, it seemed they, too, had no idea where their superior was headed.
Leonardo rolled his eyes as he tried to make sense of the situation unfolding so suddenly, then looked up at Cordelia, who had been the decisive factor in Hugo’s departure.
She was watching the departing group with a somewhat anxious look. Soon after, Leonardo, who had risen from his seat, asked casually:
“Major, what’s going on?”
Cordelia snapped back to her senses and turned to him with a slightly flustered expression. Then, as if nothing had happened, she shook her head and smiled, taking Leonardo’s hand again.
“It’s nothing. You don’t need to worry about it.”
Afterward, she naturally sat down where Hugo had been sitting, as if her main business had been here all along. Then, gently pulling Leonardo’s arm so as not to hurt him, she made him sit next to her as well.
She carefully scanned Leonardo’s face with a warm gaze that came from deep within.
“I heard you’d woken up a while ago, but I’ve been so busy that I’m only coming to see you now. If I’d known earlier that you were leaving tomorrow morning, I would’ve come sooner and talked to you to my heart’s content.”
Cordelia’s eyes were full of gratitude, apology, and regret as she said this.
Despite her words that it was nothing, there was also an undisguised concern she hadn’t managed to hide.
Leonardo was curious about what had just happened, but seeing she didn’t seem inclined to speak about it, he didn’t press. Instead, he focused on her touch, which had grown rough enough that it was hard to believe they were the hands of a noble.
She was currently acting as a bridgehead between the Council and the Parren Army, bearing a responsibility heavy enough to be mentioned repeatedly during the meeting. He could tell without being told that she’d come to see him by squeezing out what little time she had.
Leonardo unconsciously lifted the corners of his mouth. It was instinct to show only his good side in the little time left.
He pulled out one of the blankets that had been serving as his backrest, warmed it up, and draped it over Cordelia’s legs. He looked at her with deliberately narrowed eyes, then spoke in a reproachful tone:
“That’s right. Why didn’t you come sooner?”
Cordelia’s red eyes widened into circles. Leonardo, leaning back with his hands behind him, shrugged and added:
“I wanted to be praised by you, Major.”
Cordelia blinked in bewilderment, her feelings written plainly across her face. Then she laughed helplessly with that characteristic deflating sound.
It felt as if the teenage Leonardo she’d seen a few years ago had jumped out of her memory and was chattering in front of her—the boy who would complain and ask for praise whenever she, in her stiff tone, said “good job” after a mission.
That Leonardo would sometimes act slick, but he had the unavoidable cuteness of his age. When the pretty boy tossed out a playful joke, the atmosphere would lighten even before a serious mission. So it was a natural progression—and an undeniable truth—that she and her comrades had cherished him.
Cordelia smiled brightly, as if she’d briefly visited that time.
Yet, recalling the petition she had to keep hidden, she tightened her grip on Leonardo’s hand with a bitterness.
“You’re right. I should have come sooner.”
“...”
“You, who swore to help me and fulfilled that oath. I should have been the first to rush over...”
Her face gradually darkened as she muttered in a heavy voice. Her eyes wandered as if lost, and it puzzled Leonardo.
“You saved our family and territory. Thank you, Blaine.”
Cordelia repeated her gratitude. Leonardo felt embarrassed, but he clearly felt the slight trembling transmitted through her hand.
Somehow, her shadowed face and tremor bothered him, but instead of asking about her circumstances, he held her hand tighter with his warm one.
At that moment, Cordelia’s gaze, which had fallen downward, went to the handkerchief wrapped around Leonardo’s neck. Even without asking whose it was, the answer was certain. Cordelia repeated inwardly the words she hadn’t been able to convey.
‘This time, I should be the one to save you.’
She stayed silent for a moment, then raised her head and met Leonardo’s gaze.
Using the noisy voices of the members as a curtain, she asked him almost unconsciously:
“Blaine, do you trust His Excellency?”
*****
The victory celebration wrapped up around midnight. Though some were reluctant to end it, everyone was in a mood of restraint for tomorrow’s schedule.
Leonardo entered the cabin alone once again tonight, escorted by the 8th Platoon leader. Sitting blankly on the deck, he recalled the earlier conversation with a dazed expression.
Although it had been noisy, thanks to the 1st Battalion members standing guard, the two of them had been able to have a relatively serious conversation there.
It went back to the time before entering the peninsula, when he’d sworn to help Cordelia in front of the gate. Their military days—known only to the two of them—were mentioned now and then, but as if they were both conscious of it, they didn’t dig too deep.
It was a heartwarming conversation, reminiscing about memories—just to the point of not being uncomfortable. Leonardo was inwardly grateful to Cordelia for keeping that line.
However, when she asked if he trusted Hugo, he’d been at a loss for words and couldn’t answer immediately. Cordelia quickly shifted to another topic, as if she hadn’t meant much by the question.
But given her personality, she wasn’t one to speak frivolously, so Leonardo, trying to infer her intentions, couldn’t hastily assign meaning to it. He could only guess there was some secret matter between the two that he didn’t know, given how close they’d seemed—close enough to whisper.
“Where did he go, anyway...”
Returning to reality, Leonardo glanced at the tightly closed door. Then, furrowing his brow, he flopped down on the deck.
It had already been well over two hours since he started waiting.
What could be keeping him so busy—excluding even him? Even Flynn, who had stopped by briefly, had soon gone elsewhere, telling him to go to sleep first.
He disliked nights alone because they were too quiet. An unpleasant loneliness lurked close by.
On nights when he met someone who knew his past—excluding family like Nero—he invariably had nightmares if he slept alone. And today seemed to be just such a day, so Leonardo couldn’t fall asleep. It wasn’t because the person he was waiting for hadn’t come. ...It wasn’t.
Staring at the orange light that colored everything from ceiling to floor, he pondered how he should react when that person came. He wanted to finally break the strange atmosphere that had persisted since morning. If he’d made a mistake, he wanted to apologize.
However, before his thoughts could deepen, familiar footsteps sounded from outside. It was an elegant gait he felt he knew without seeing. No sooner had his golden eyes shifted than the cabin door opened carefully.
Creak–
“You’re back?”
Leonardo, who had been lying down, abruptly raised his upper body. Hugo, who seemed to have opened the door with some consideration, hesitated when he saw him awake.
“You’re not sleeping. You must be tired.”
Hugo slowly closed the door and came inside, glancing at the clock hands pointing to around two in the morning. He headed toward the corner of the cabin where the luggage was placed, even before properly meeting Leonardo’s eyes.
Though it wasn’t a particularly welcome response, Leonardo asked as if nothing was wrong:
“Where did you go? Did something happen?”
He leaned toward where Hugo had moved, propping himself up on the deck with his uninjured right arm. Hugo, unbuttoning his combat uniform and pulling off his top, stayed silent for a moment at Leonardo’s question.
Then, after neatly folding his clothes and placing them on a chair, he picked up the map from the side table and turned around to answer:
“There was something to discuss about the return route. Since we need to move quickly, we decided to travel in three groups.”
Leonardo’s eyebrows rose subtly at the words “return route.” He wondered if that was something to discuss with the knights, but if Hugo said so, he supposed it was.
After hearing the reason, Leonardo lost interest in what Hugo was explaining. Instead, he simply assumed Hugo must be in a good mood now, given how diligently he was answering.
That thought was quickly shattered. Hugo, approaching the front of the deck, casually picked up a thin bedding.
Standing close enough to cast a shadow over Leonardo’s face, Hugo looked down at him and said in a soft voice—words like a bolt from the blue:
“You must have been overwhelmed with attention all day, so go ahead and rest well. I’ll stay in nearby quarters, so feel free to use this place comfortably by yourself.”
“...What?”
Leonardo echoed, eyes wide at the unexpected words. After staying here all this time, where was he going now?
Of course, though he’d shared space with Agrizendro, he’d never shared a bed with him. He didn’t know what had happened while he was unconscious, but it certainly wasn’t common for two unrelated men to sleep together. But still—
“This place is quite spacious, isn’t it? Can’t we just sleep separately if we want to? You don’t have to go somewhere else.”
Leonardo tried to change Hugo’s mind, keeping his tone casual, implying it didn’t matter. However, Hugo shook his head and said firmly:
“I plan to study the map a bit more before sleeping, so the light being on will probably disturb your sleep. I’ll come to wake you up in the morning, so until then, sleep soundly without thinking about anything. Since the gate’s portal is currently under inspection, tomorrow’s journey back will be quite long.”
After saying that, Hugo smiled faintly and lightly touched Leonardo’s cheek. Usually, he would have gently rubbed it or brushed his hair, but today it was only a brief touch.
“Well then, sleep well, Leonardo.”
Hugo nodded slightly and, leaving those parting words, turned to go outside. Leonardo followed his retreating figure with confused eyes, and unconsciously reached out to grab Hugo’s collar.
“Wait, don’t go!”
But perhaps because Hugo’s steps were too quick, Leonardo only barely grazed his clothes and lost his balance, lurching forward.
Feeling his collar tugged, Hugo—who had just turned—saw him about to fall and quickly bent at the waist.
...!
The things Hugo had been holding scattered across the floor in an instant. Leonardo clung to him, his lower body still on the deck, nearly spilling over.
His upper body was barely braced against Hugo’s broad chest, suspended in the air and supported by two large hands.
Hugo, who caught Leonardo in the blink of an eye, stared down at the man in his arms with a slightly bewildered expression.
Perhaps because the distance was so close, neither of them could even breathe for a few seconds. They stayed frozen, half-embracing, meeting each other’s surprised eyes.
In the silence, their heartbeats gradually sped up. When the ticking of the second hand seemed particularly loud, it was Leonardo who moved first.
His pretty lips shifted beautifully. His eyes, shadowed like crosshatching beneath his lashes, unconsciously revealed his true feelings.
“Don’t go.”
