For Sale: Male Lead, Obsession Included - Chapter 86
I had never thought of myself to be so vulnerable to the cold before, but perhaps due to my exhaustion, my body seemed to feel the chill.
“Thank you. I’ll close my eyes for a bit.”
“Yes. I’ll be back.”
Before I could even hear his reply, I rested my head against the tree trunk and closed my eyes.
Just as I was starting to drift off, surrounded by the faint floral scent that always lingered around Ariel, I heard quiet but quick footsteps following in the direction Ariel had gone.
Forcing my heavy eyelids open, I saw, as expected, the figure of Feyden moving briskly.
I thought perhaps he was going to join Ariel in foraging for food, and I was about to close my eyes again when I noticed Feyden gripping the sword I had given him tightly.
“Feyden…!”
Without a sound, Feyden was stealthily trailing after Ariel. A nameless anxiety gripped me, warning that Feyden was about to do something reckless. Forcing my unsteady legs to move, I began to follow him.
It wasn’t easy to catch up to Feyden, who was taller and faster than me. My legs were shorter, and my body felt as heavy as waterlogged cotton.
I called out to Feyden several times, but whether he was intentionally ignoring me or truly didn’t hear, he continued moving forward without so much as a glance back.
Struggling to match his quick pace, I finally gave up on calling his name when I found myself completely out of breath.
Just following him through the forest, where he moved like a mountain sprite, was exhausting enough.
And then, suddenly, I lost sight of him.
One moment, I was certain I was watching him, and the next, he was gone.
Did he deliberately conceal his presence to shake me off?
“Seriously… where did he go?”
How far had Ariel gone to look for berries for Feyden to follow him so deep into the forest?
Standing in the spot where I had lost Feyden, I glanced back at the path I had taken.
“Wow, I’ve come a long way.”
Should I go back? The thought crossed my mind, but I quickly shook my head. After seeing the determined look on Feyden’s face, I couldn’t just turn back.
As darkness fell swiftly over the forest, I decided to keep moving forward.
***
Feyden, who had hidden his presence to the fullest.
For a mercenary who had even taken assassination requests, erasing his existence from his surroundings was a basic and essential skill. He heightened his tension while slowing his bodily rhythms.
“……”
Even his steps over tree roots were as silent as feathers as Feyden swiftly moved to hide behind a tree trunk.
He had spotted Ariel.
From behind the tree, Feyden focused intently on Ariel’s voice.
Was Ariel talking to himself?
No. Ariel wasn’t alone.
A suspicious figure cloaked in a deep hood had emerged from the shadows and was standing across from Ariel.
It was clear this wasn’t their first meeting—the two conversed as if they were familiar with each other. Ariel took a piece of paper from his robes and handed it to the stranger.
The man unfolded the paper and read it on the spot. His head snapped up as he fixed his gaze on Ariel.
Ariel, his expression unreadable, nodded repeatedly before abruptly shaking his head vigorously.
‘What’s going on?’
Ariel’s long silver hair rippled as he moved. Though the distance made it hard to hear clearly, Feyden could make out Ariel repeating, “That’s impossible.”
Feyden’s eyes narrowed.
The fact that Ariel turned pale and shook his head the moment the stranger spoke meant that he must have been given an order he couldn’t possibly follow.
‘Is it an order he absolutely cannot carry out?’
Feyden smirked coldly.
From the very beginning, he had disliked traveling with someone from the temple. Ariel had rubbed him the wrong way from the moment they met. His always-perfect, overly polite smile irritated Feyden to no end.
It wasn’t long before Feyden began to suspect Ariel, especially after noticing how he spent hours at every temple they visited, shutting himself away.
‘Seems my instincts weren’t wrong.’
Though pleased to have his suspicions validated, Feyden felt a tinge of bitterness.
Betrayed?
No, betrayal wasn’t the right word. Betrayal implied trust, and Feyden had never trusted Ariel in the first place.
Instead, all Feyden could think about was a certain girl with sandy-colored hair.
‘She’s going to be so disappointed.’
What worried Feyden more than Ariel’s betrayal was the hurt it might cause Estira.
Unlike Feyden, who was rough-spoken and always joking around, Estira trusted and admired Ariel for his maturity and kindness.
‘Damn it.’
Feyden scratched his head in frustration. What was he supposed to tell Estira? That this priest had betrayed them? That he’d been selling their information?
It sounded too harsh. Should he soften it somehow?
Feyden ruffled his bangs irritably.
‘Or maybe I should just kill the priest here and say he disappeared. That’d be the easiest way.’
He tightened his grip on his sword hilt, thinking it wasn’t such a bad idea.
