Chapter: 21
“You said we’d go to your house—so why are we going to the Imperial Palace?”
A little while later, Edwin came out of the room, freshly washed and neatly dressed.
In the inn’s lobby, Dana was waiting with an anxious expression.
The way she worried so openly about him was truly adorable.
The moment she spotted Edwin, she quickly stood up from her chair.
“Are you hungry? You climbed the mountain since dawn.”
“You did too, sunbae. Let’s go to the dining hall.”
They had already spent quite a bit of time getting treatment and cleaning up.
By now, everyone else had already finished eating.
When they went to the dining hall for breakfast, it was nearly empty except for a few knights.
They were the ones who had gone hunting monsters with Edwin and ended up eating late.
The moment the knights noticed Dana and Edwin, they hurriedly stuffed bread into their mouths.
“Cough! Cough!”
One knight, clearly choking, ran out of the dining hall with bread still in his mouth.
The others grabbed their soup bowls and gulped them down in a rush.
Afraid they might accidentally make eye contact with Edwin, they quickly fled the room.
“Why are they acting like that?”
Dana stared at them, baffled.
Edwin calmly scooped a spoonful of soup and answered,
“You scolded them earlier, sunbae.”
“…They’re acting like that because they’re scared of me?”
Each of those knights was at least two or three times her size.
With a serious face, Edwin replied,
“I heard their captain is very kind and usually lets things slide.”
“So this is how they act just because they got scolded once?”
What are they, children…?
Am I actually that scary when I’m angry?
Dana tilted her head.
It seemed she had a sharper presence than she thought.
Somehow, discovering that side of herself made her feel good.
Confidence filled her clear face.
Edwin held back a smile as he poured her some water.
He didn’t forget to brush the crumbs off her lips either.
Meanwhile, contrary to Dana’s assumption, the knights headed toward the training grounds with exhausted expressions.
“Wow, good thing we came early to eat.”
“I almost lost my appetite completely!”
They weren’t scared of Dana at all.
They were just worried their appetite would vanish watching Edwin’s blatant affection.
“Those two are leaving this morning, right?”
“Yeah, just to deliver some suggestions about potions.”
“Then no one go near them.”
At that, everyone nodded in agreement.
* * *
The imperial physicians headed to the infirmary for consultations, while Dana and Edwin went to the meeting room.
Inside was a large table surrounded by sofas.
Despite the spacious room, only two people were there.
Edwin ignored all the empty seats and sat right next to Dana.
Dana accepted it naturally.
Since the day he joined, he had always followed her around, and now it no longer felt awkward.
From morning to late at night, being with Edwin had become something natural.
Since childhood, Dana had always felt like there was an emptiness inside her.
Maybe that was why.
The cold wind brushing through her heart and the lonely silence were familiar to her.
But when I’m with Edwin, I don’t feel that way at all.
Being with him felt like being wrapped in soft cotton.
Her chest tickled, and a quiet smile kept slipping out.
If things end with Edwin like this…
The thought made her face freeze.
It felt like someone had poured cold water over her head.
“Edwin.”
She called him in a clear voice.
“Yes, sunbae.”
As always, Edwin looked at her warmly.
“The time I said we’d meet… it was one week, right?”
“…Yes. You gave me one week.”
“It’s not like I was testing you.”
She truly hadn’t meant to test him.
She had only wanted to feel warmth, even if just for a short time.
“I know. But I still wanted to prove myself.”
“…Prove what?”
Edwin only smiled faintly without answering.
Dana’s expression grew complicated—unlike her usual self.
Edwin pretended to stay calm, but all his attention was fixed on her.
Why bring up the one-week period all of a sudden?
The time they agreed on was almost over.
The realization made his mouth go dry.
It felt like he had been soaring in a clear sky, only to suddenly crash to the ground.
He poured her a cup of tea.
A soft chamomile scent filled the room.
* * *
Just as Dana expected, not a single knight showed up all morning.
When their work ended, the two stepped through the gate with the imperial physicians.
With a flicker of white light, they instantly returned to the underground of the Magic Department.
Because Leighton couldn’t stand wasting his subordinates’ time—even if he didn’t care about his own—they had to head straight to the Potion Management Department.
“Let’s report quickly and go home.”
“Yes, sunbae. You must be tired.”
At that, Dana smiled.
It was a relaxed, natural smile.
They had definitely grown closer after the business trip.
Edwin felt satisfied about that, yet Dana’s earlier complicated expression lingered in his mind.
Hiding his unease, he opened the office door.
“We’re back.”
“……”
“……”
No one answered.
The office was strangely quiet.
Kira looked at Dana with a worried expression.
Sensing the awkward atmosphere, Dana glanced around.
Then her eyes met Tony’s.
He was staring at her with a determined look.
The silence was broken by Leighton.
His aggressive voice was directed at Edwin.
“Hey, rookie!”
“Yes, sir.”
“I heard you like Dana?”
He asked with a mocking tone.
Only then did Dana fully grasp the situation.
Tony, after being rejected, must have run straight to Leighton.
And he must have badmouthed Edwin.
That loose mouth probably spread rumors across the entire office.
It was childish and petty.
The employees pretended to focus on their work while secretly listening.
Edwin answered calmly,
“That’s correct.”
Leighton had expected to catch him off guard, but Edwin remained composed.
So he decided to nitpick instead.
“Drop those useless feelings! They’ll just get in the way of work!”
“I’ll handle that myself.”
The indifferent reply irritated Leighton.
This time, he shouted at Dana.
“I heard it’s just him having a one-sided crush! Why are you ignoring a perfectly good man?”
A good man? Don’t tell me…
Dana frowned.
Leighton continued, spitting as he spoke,
“Look at Tony! He’s diligent and upright—what’s not to like?!”
Ha, so they planned this together.
No wonder Kira had looked so worried.
Leighton forced a reaction from the others.
“You all think so too, right? They’d make a great pair!”
“…Y-Yes, they would…”
“Th-that’s right…”
Since Dana hadn’t accepted the confession, they were trying to create pressure.
Satisfied, Tony suppressed a smile.
The twitching corners of his lips made him look like a frog.
At that moment, Edwin smiled brightly.
Though his eyes curved beautifully, the atmosphere around him turned chilling.
Even Leighton, who had been talking nonstop, fell silent.
Edwin’s cold voice rang low.
“Our sunbae really has no pride.”
His red eyes shifted to Tony.
“Getting rejected wasn’t enough—you had to run and tell your superior about it too?”
At the mention that Tony had already been rejected, the employees exchanged shocked glances.
Tony’s face flushed with embarrassment.
Step by step, Edwin walked toward him.
“What exactly are you doing? It’s pathetic.”
Just his approach alone was suffocatingly intimidating.
Tony’s legs gave out; he couldn’t even stand and could only stare at Edwin.
His body trembled in fear.
There was no way he could withstand the killing intent of someone who had spent years on the battlefield.
And that pressure was directed solely at him.
The office workers, unaware of Edwin’s past, looked at Tony in confusion.
Unable to stand it any longer, Leighton shouted,
“Hey, rookie! Who do you think you are to step in?!”
What, are you her boyfriend or something?!
Leighton sneered mockingly.
At that moment, Dana opened her lips—addressing everyone.
