Chapter 3 (1/2)
Astein pulled me lightly. It was so easy for me to get on the horse when I took the front seat of Astein.
“Th, thank you.”
I was so nervous because it was my first time riding a horse. I was scared of the high view, and I felt the life under me wriggled. In particular, I felt the breathing of the horse and my heart was beating.
At that moment, I thought I had done something wrong.
“You can just sit comfortably while holding the horse’s mane or my arm.”
If I held the horse’s mane, the guy behind my back wouldn’t feel my heart that beating fast.
Wouldn’t it be so frivolous to see me fluttering like this?
“You’re nervous.”
“It’s my first time riding a horse.”
“I didn’t consider it. Sorry.”
It was good that he thought that I was just being nervous. Thankfully, he was a little far from my body.
The horse’s mane seemed to hurt when I held it, and I had no courage to hold his arm. Eventually, I grabbed the front part of the horse’s saddle.
“We’ll leave.”
I couldn’t tell Astein that I wanted to go to the slums. I was too nervous to do that.
When he reached the saddle, his foot stimulated the horse. Then, the horse slowly moved forward. My body was hardened by the movement.
“If you are so nervous, you will have a hard time.”
“Yes? Yes… But I think I’m going to fall….”
Was it too much?
I got on the horse because of my desire, but I and Astein remained far away without touched each other.
“It’s comfortable if you lean on me.”
Suddenly, Astein’s words made my heart pounded more.
“Lean on my chest. If you are so tense, you will suffer from muscular pain tomorrow.”
But I couldn’t lean on him. I felt like people around me were watching. I was afraid that a strange scandal would occur. I grew up hearing that I shouldn’t do it all my life, so I was afraid of people’s eyes.
“Ha…”
Then I could hear a small sigh. I felt stuffy. Then, the horse became faster, and off the street.
“Where are we going?”
Because I believed in Astein, I didn’t think that he had a bad intention. I was just wondering why he was doing this out of the blue. However, he didn’t answer me and kept silent.
After a while, we were in the woods of light purple forest full of lilac scent resembled him.
“This place…”
“I actually saw you in the temple.”
“…”
“I’ve been feeling it since then, but I was worried about the shade on your face.”
I almost cried at the remark. He used to always carefully checked my condition before he left me.
On my father’s last day, he recognized my face which looked like a ghost and brought me a warm, sweet milk tea. He always suggested walking, looking at flowers, if I looked a little stretched.
I never asked why. Just as he was then, he gave me time to organize my thoughts and waited.
“Thank you.”
I got off the horse for a while. I closed my eyes for a long time and was drunk with lilac scent. It was sweet, but it smelled good and refreshing at the end. Enough to put down my heavy heart for a while.
Maybe it was a familiar moment. The warm feeling that warmly wrapped me in the depths of memory. It bloomed in my heart and gave me a little courage.
“I think I can go back now.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes, my thoughts are perfectly arranged now.”
I was lucky to have a better idea despite my narrow movements.
When I carefully looked at him, he smiled sweetly.
“That’s a relief.”
When I started moving again on horseback, my posture changed a little more naturally. Slightly leaned on Astein.
Suddenly, even in my past and present life, I thought that there was only one person I depended on most. The one that held me back right now, the only one.
So I was able to take what I thought out of me mouth.
“Excuse me, Sir Astein?”
Astein was the only one I could ask for anything.
“What happened? Please tell me.”
“I have a favour to ask. Can you find someone?”
“Who is it?”
“…Marquis Futor’s illegitimate child.”
Astein was silent for a moment. It would be outrageous. The woman he first met today and was called a prospective saint, asked him to dig after her father.
“It’s for me and the future and of the temple.”
He was a man who was deeply devoted to become a paladin despite his family opposition. So why not I used the temple as my excuse?
“I really need her. Sir Astein is the only one I can trust and ask….”
I added useless words. Like a fool.
“I heard your conversation with the saint in the temple today. I heard you are going to become a paladin soon. Then, you will work with me…”
I was ashamed to say it again. Without an answer for a long time, he barely answered the question.
“Yes, I understand. Do you have any characteristics or clues?”
“Her name is Ellaner, living in the slums. She has red hair and golden eyes, and she is the same age as me.”
I shared every piece of information I remembered. He should be able to find her soon enough. It was never a common appearance.
“You should find her as soon as possible. After you found her, you must protect her in a place unknown to the temple and my father.”
The easiest way I could do to change the future was to stop Astein from becoming a paladin. I tried to do that only when I saw him.
But now that I was here with him, I couldn’t bring the word out. If he gave up being a paladin, his connection with me would disappear.
I knew it’s greedy, but I still wanted to stay by his side for a few days. Even by holding on to the names of a saint and a paladin.
So I chose a different path. In order to get him to walk on the way he wanted, I shouldn’t be an obstacle to him.
Ellaner could just go through the verification of the saint. Inevitably, even if I became the fake saint, I was going to find Ellaner. Before the Marquis brought back the tragedy of that time.
“Is it possible?”
“It’s possible for me to find her as soon as possible. The problem is protection. I don’t know if she will trust me to protect her.”
I narrowed my maze a little. Would Ellaner, who had the divine power, calmly stayed with Astein? Even if it was for protection, it was difficult to escape or hide without believing.
“I’m sorry, I will change my request. Once you know her location secretly, please let me meet you unconditionally.”