# 18
---
Ever since Dana decided to leave her home, she was determined to take care of herf.
This involved learning how to accept kindness from others smoothly.
After a few seconds of thought, she smiled brightly.
“What are you waiting for? Come on, get started.”
Then Edwin's face lit up with joy. Dana accepting his hand was a big step for him, as she was not used to touching others.
He got up and took a soft, dry towel. Then he stood behind Dana, who was sitting on the chair.
Her entire attention was focused on her back, where he was standing. His presence behind her seemed clear and strong.
'Why do I feel so nervous...?'
Even though she was the one who asked for this, her body froze with anxiety.
Edwin quietly began pressing the towel against her wet hair.
I wondered, what does his face look like now? Does he feel as nervous as she does?
She wanted to see him, to see if he shared this strange feeling with her.
His fingers were running lightly through her hair, getting wet from the humidity. As he passed the side of her head, his pinky accidentally touched her ear.
Dana suddenly shuddered, her body spasming. His little touch was like a lightning bolt on her tight body.
Edwin was no better. It was just a fleeting moment, but the place where they touched continued to burn hotly.
When he lifted her long hair, her soft neck was exposed. Her white seemed to embrace the moonlight, contrasting with the black of her hair.
Edwin's low voice broke the silence.
“Senpai, your hair looks like the night sky.”
It was like a warm sky embracing his heart.
“Really? But I never liked the color of it.”
“Why?”
This is so beautiful, Edwin wondered as if he didn't understand
“My whole family has brown hair. When I was young, I thought... Maybe the reason I was different from them was because of my hair color.”
Dana said it as if she was telling a light joke.
“Just a silly idea.”
“You must have been so desperate that you needed an excuse.”
“You wanted to be close, but they kept pushing you away.”
Edwin had penetrated to the heart of the only child within her.
Dana laughed and replied.
“Maybe. My mom and dad have said more than once that my hair color disgusts them.”
Edwin's heart burned again with anger at the people he had never seen. How could they reject a smart and beautiful girl like her?
'Is this what a family is like...?'
Fortunately, she did not see his cold face at that moment. But his intensity quickly faded with her next words.
“But… you said it looked like the night sky, right?”
She turned her body towards Edwin, raising her clear eyes at him.
“When I'm with you, I feel like I've become a better person.”
Her hair was like night, and her blue eyes were like twinkling stars.
Her bright smile spilled onto him like light.
Edwin then smiled as pure as a young boy.
“I only tell the truth.”
Everything he said and did towards her was sincere and full of affection.
While she had promised him that they would stay up talking all night, she fell asleep at the crack of dawn. She looked exhausted from the day's work and fatigue.
Edwin gently approached her and lifted her into his arms. Then he carefully placed her on the bed and prepared her bed for her.
He wiped a strand that fell on her cheek in a whisper.
“Good night, Dana.”
And after a while...
As he looked at her tenderly as she slept, his eyebrows suddenly furrowed.
In the hall he heard faltering, stupid steps approaching.
Edwin was hypersensitive to the presence of others.
He was naturally endowed with keen hearing, and knightly training increased his refinement and sharpness.
The other party may have tried to cover their tracks, but that did not fool Edwin. The footsteps started to slow down little by little.
The closer it got to his room, the more its owner was hesitant.
Edwin couldn't bear to hear it any longer, so he got up.
He was sorry not to contemplate Dana anymore.
He dressed very carefully so as not to wake her.
As soon as he opened the door, he found, as he expected, two of his subordinates standing.
“Commander...!”
However, their anxious call was interrupted by Edwin's ice-cold gaze.
He closed the door tightly behind him before asking coldly.
“What's wrong?”
One of them hesitated before whispering.
“It's… Frakken.”
“I know. What I mean is, why did you come so early?”
“But we always go out at a time like this...”
He left them complaining behind him, and he moved forward with steady steps.
***
The morning rays were filtering through the window onto the bed. Strings of light and the sound of birds caressed Dana's features.
“Mmm...”
She rubbed her eyes fidgetingly, but soon felt the strangeness of the place.
This was not her familiar room.
'Ah... right! 'I came on a business mission.'
While she was recalling what happened yesterday, she suddenly jumped to her feet.
She slept peacefully in another man's room!
She quickly arranged her scattered clothes.
“Sorry, I fell asleep first.”
What made her even more confused was that she saw herf on the bed...which meant that Edwin was the one who made the bed for her.
She was about to apologize more with a more embarrassed face, but she discovered that the room was suspiciously silent.
“...Edwin?”
He wasn't in the room like he was supposed to.
She hurriedly washed her face and dressed, then went down to the inn lobby.
There, the director greeted her with stuttering apologies.
“Sorry...the thermostat suddenly malfunctioned...”
“It's okay, it wasn't up to you.”
“Thank you for your understanding.”
“But… didn’t you see the employee who was with me?”
“Oh, you mean that handsome gentleman, with a charming smile and remarkable prestige?”
"…Yes."
Even unwittingly, Edwin left a deep impression on the manager.
“That man left at dawn.”
“At dawn...?”
“Yes, he left with the Knights Legion.”
She looked at her in surprise, as she saw no reason for a member of the Magic Department to leave with the knights so early.
Then, his words from yesterday came back to her mind.
'I went to the Knights. They said they had something to ask me.'
Impossible... Could they have dragged him into an act of revenge?
Anxiety suddenly overtook her.
Edwin, that cheerful, innocent young man, may not know how to reject them.
"…Thank you."
She quickly left, heading to the headquarters of the Knights of Rhone.
Her steps became more urgent as she approached. She saw the knights busy; Some of them sweep the accumulated snow, while the rest stand guard.
I hurried towards one of the guards, a short, stocky-featured knight.
He asked her in amazement.
"Huh? Isn't your shift usually in the evening?"
“True, but… didn’t you see the employee who was with me yesterday?”
“Oh, you mean that rude man...?”
Rude? Dana has never seen a friendlier person than Edwin!
Her eyebrows furrowed in disapproval.
While Knight Harriot was trying to remember what the leader had advised them to do.
He ordered them not to reveal his identity. Rather, he presented a frightening 'game' to them... It reminded him of the burnt black bread he had always had to cover his mouth with in the past.
Harriot's face suddenly turned pale, and Dana was surprised by his look.
Then he stammered.
“Ah, he… went out with us on a magical monster hunt!”
“Monster…?”
“Yes, we asked for his help.”
Harriot considered this simple explanation sufficient.
But what he did not expect was for Dana's face to quickly change into a cold mask.
Unfortunately for him, he was the most unwise of the knights.
“What monster?”
“Terrible creature...Frakken! We were so frightened, we asked him to accompany us.”
He spoke with unbearable simplicity. Dana exploded in anger, and the social shell she had built for so long collapsed.
“Are you out of your mind? How could you drag an ordinary employee like this?!”
“P-Please don’t be angry...we were just terrified!”
Dana knew that Edwin was soft-hearted, impossible to refuse. Even in the dilemma, he must have been forced to agree.
She felt anxious, biting her lips hard.