For Sale: Male Lead, Obsession Included - Chapter 60
Even if he said he wanted to leave immediately, I couldn’t blame him. I had never mentioned to either Ariel or Feyden that there might be dangers like this. Perhaps Ariel, like Feyden, wanted to break the contract and leave.
“When the sun rises tomorrow—”
“Lady Estira.”
“Yes?”
“It’s fine. None of this tragedy is your fault.”
Ariel smiled warmly, his gaze meeting mine, as if to reassure me. That gentle smile seemed to melt away my worries, making my heart feel warm.
Of course, that feeling was quickly doused by Feyden, who had a knack for ruining the mood.
“Why aren’t you apologizing to me? What about offering to break the contract, huh?”
Without even turning to look at Feyden’s lazy voice coming from behind, I answered flatly,
“I’m not doing that.”
“Why not?”
Suddenly, a cool scent wafted over. A large shadow cast over my right side, followed by long legs. I looked up to see Feyden standing over me, water still dripping from his hair.
The droplets clung to the tips of his curly hair and then slid down, tracing the defined muscles of his bare upper body.
“…”
I hadn’t expected to see him shirtless, and my mouth fell open slightly, but my gaze refused to leave his body.
Maybe it was because he had spent his life doing physical work, but Feyden’s body was toned, without an ounce of excess fat—just firm, well-defined muscles.
“Why are you showing favoritism like this, huh, Boss?”
Feyden plopped down next to me by the campfire, grabbing one of the skewered potatoes roasting on the fire. He puffed out his cheeks, blowing on the potato to cool it down, then glanced at me with his brown eyes.
“Want some?”
“No, I’m good…”
“Oh, it looks alike.”
Huh? He peeled the potato, then suddenly held it up next to my face, comparing the two.
No way… is he—
“Your hair color, it’s the same as this potato.”
I stared at the potato in his hand. Even trying to be generous, it was lumpy and misshapen.
“Isn’t comparing me to a potato a bit much?”
“Yup, a potato.”
Feyden took a big bite of the potato and muttered with a smirk,
“If you hate all of this, go ahead and break the contract.”
***
Even after all the commotion had settled, the campfire continued to burn brightly. Feyden had assured me there were no dangerous wild animals in this area, so we left the fire going without reducing its size.
The occasional crackling of the fire was the only comfort I had.
Thanks to Feyden’s offer to take the first watch, I had laid down early, but sleep refused to come. Despite being so tired that I thought I’d fall asleep instantly, I stayed awake.
Even the sound of the wind blowing through the forest made me anxious, afraid someone might attack us again. Having Feyden nearby didn’t seem to make much difference.
Eventually, I gave up on forcing my eyes shut and looked up at the night sky. The stars shone brightly, like white paint splattered across a black canvas.
“Get some sleep. We have a long walk to the next village tomorrow. Don’t make things harder for us.”
I turned my head to see Feyden poking the fire with a stick.
“I can’t sleep.”
“That’s what happens when you’ve got a guilty conscience.”
That’s not it, though. I glanced at the shadows that danced across his handsome face, then sighed deeply as I turned my gaze back to the sky.
“The guys who attacked us earlier were bandits from the nearby mountains.”
I blinked at Feyden’s seemingly out-of-the-blue comment. Why was he telling me this now?
He muttered quietly,
“They weren’t sent by the people chasing you.”
“……”
“So relax and get some sleep.”
Crackle.
The wood in the fire collapsed, sending a flurry of golden embers into the air.
‘Was he… trying to reassure me?’
Feyden’s words, spoken so nonchalantly without even looking at me, somehow managed to calm my anxious heart.
Maybe it was because, unlike in the margraviate, I felt like I had at least one person on my side.
Even though he couldn’t see me, I gave a small nod in response.
Rough around the edges as he might be, I was reminded once again that Feyden was a man with a good heart, willing to sacrifice everything for his younger brother.
‘Feyden… this tsundere.’
A small smile formed on my lips as I continued to gaze at the stars.
Though I only learned later, Feyden, leaning against the tree, was also looking up at the same sky.
***
“Is that the place?”
Just as Feyden had said, the next village wasn’t far from the capital. Despite getting a late start in the morning and having a simple breakfast, we had reached the village before noon.
Feyden let out a long yawn and complained,
“Why did we even bother coming to a village right next door? Are we really going to visit every village along the way on this so-called journey?”
I didn’t bother answering and simply watched as Feyden walked ahead, his figure gradually growing distant.
There’s something I need to confirm here.
