For Sale: Male Lead, Obsession Included - Chapter 58
When Estira, her amber eyes gleaming, asked the question, Feyden stopped his wandering legs.
“To you, this is just a trip. But for me, it’s a job with my employer. Do you think that’s exciting?”
Feyden walked past her, telling her to stop standing around stupidly and keep moving.
“Don’t be too disheartened, Lady. It just means he’s keeping a close watch for any danger, right?”
Feyden snorted at Ariel’s words from behind. Keeping a lookout? Who in their right mind would target a novice priest and a nobody commoner girl?
Suddenly, Feyden sensed something suspicious from afar, and his body tensed.
“Speak of the devil, and monsters do appear.”
He kept walking but subtly placed his hand on the sword strapped to his back, ready to draw it at any moment.
However, even after a while, the presence following them didn’t reveal any hostile intent. It simply kept a quiet distance.
‘Are they just trailing us?’
Feyden tilted his head slightly and glanced back. There, he saw his innocent employer laughing and admiring flowers with the priest.
‘What is she really hiding?’
What kind of trouble had she gotten herself into to leave in such a hurry, with someone tailing her no less?
Just then, their eyes met.
“Feyden!”
Her amber eyes, rimmed with gold, shone brightly as Estira ran toward him with a wildflower tucked behind her ear.
At her innocent run, Feyden found himself forgetting the doubts he had been harboring.
His whole vision was filled with Estira.
“……”
Her long hair fluttering in the wind seemed like it would smell of fresh grass, and her pure smile resembled the taste of cotton candy from a distant memory.
Feyden watched her run toward him with a faint, dazed feeling, unaware that he had been holding his breath.
“They say there’s a village where only blacksmiths live. Don’t you want to visit?”
“……”
“Oh, and I’d like to give someone a sword as a gift. Could you help me pick one out?”
The words from the small girl in front of him, chattering away, seemed to scatter in the breeze like leaves, not reaching his ears.
Was it because of the words he had swallowed, or was it the small white flower tucked behind her ear?
Feyden just quietly watched Estira as she spoke, unable to hear her clearly.
Because… he just couldn’t hear her well.
***
“Feyden, what are you thinking about?”
Feyden’s deep navy eyes slowly moved to meet Estira’s face.
Earlier, in the sunlight, it had shone white, but now, under the flickering campfire, parts of it were tinted orange.
“…Ah.”
When he realized he had been recalling that moment on the field, Feyden let out a small sigh.
Why am I acting like this?
“I’ve never had the chance to look at the night sky so peacefully like this.”
“I didn’t….”
Feyden tried to respond with his usual sharp retort, but for some reason, the words stuck in his throat like candy, leaving him feeling frustrated.
Instead, he threw a few twigs into the fire, which crackled and sparked as the flames reached upward.
“Wow, that’s beautiful.”
Estira’s yellow eyes sparkled like stars in the sky.
“It’s my first time seeing a campfire like this, and my first time sleeping outside. I feel at ease because you’re here with me, Feyden.”
Estira pulled her knees closer to her chest, resting her chin on top. After spending so many days going back and forth between a small room and her father’s study, she never expected to experience such peaceful moments.
Estira took a deep breath, savoring the scent of freedom.
“I was so noisy today, wasn’t I? When I get excited, I tend to talk a lot. I think you don’t like loud things, Feyden. I’m sorry.”
“……”
It was true that Feyden disliked loud noises, but he had never thought of Estira as noisy.
Unable to find the right words to say, Feyden chose to remain silent. How she interpreted his silence, he couldn’t know, but Estira stayed quiet for the rest of the time.
As they both stared into the campfire, Feyden glanced at Estira’s face, illuminated by the flickering flames. Her expression seemed deep in thought.
Maybe I should have said something? Feyden began to feel a small pang of regret when—
“Feyden?”
“Shh.”
He quickly drew his sword and positioned Estira behind him.
‘About five… maybe?’
Feyden crafted a makeshift torch, holding it in one hand as he crouched into a ready stance.
“Hey, Priest. You’re not the fighting type, right?”
“…No.”
“Then stay here and keep an eye on her.”
Feyden pushed the tense Estira toward Ariel, then turned to face the dark forest.
This time, the presence was loaded with malice. Were they the same people from earlier today?
Gripping the hilt of his sword tightly, Feyden focused on the approaching presence.
