When Your Secret Crush Wizard Took a Love Potion - Chapter 40
I couldn’t quite bring myself to directly tell the chatty little girl, “No, you really are a chatterbox.” Instead, I offered an awkward smile, grateful when the innkeeper took her away.
“Not dating, huh?”
Olio’s skeptical voice broke the lingering awkward silence after the child had left.
Before I could respond, a maid chimed in for me.
“Young Master might not know this, but adults don’t need to be in a relationship to be ‘close’.”
“What are you talking about?”
I answered hastily, my voice rising in surprise as Olio’s pink eyes slowly scanned me and Edgar, then narrowed into a sly smile.
“Good for you, Young Master. There’s still hope.”
“Shut up! What’s it to you?”
Flustered and red to the neck, Olio turned his head away, muttering under his breath.
“You’re really not?”
“Huh?”
“Are you really just nothing to each other?”
The complications from the love potion made Edgar’s behavior erratic. Under normal circumstances, such misunderstandings wouldn’t even be necessary. Despite knowing the truth, a nagging unease made me feel almost dishonest.
“Of course.”
My tone was unintentionally blunt. Amid this, Edgar remained silent. Not long ago, he’d sulked like a child when new companions joined us, but now he seemed oddly mature.
Yet, his silence somehow made me more uneasy. It wasn’t just anxiety; it felt closer to melancholy.
“Let’s drop this topic now.”
I forced the conversation to end and the atmosphere turned into an awkward stillness. The mercenaries who had been watching us with interest sensed the shift and began to get up.
“Well, we’ve finished eating, so we should get going.”
“Right. We’ve got a lot to do. Need to sharpen the blades at the forge and pick up some extra healing potions at the store.”
After the fire incident, the inn was in shambles, leaving just our group inside. As the mercenaries left, the dining hall quickly emptied, leaving only Edgar and me with our unfinished trays.
“Are you not eating?” Edgar’s voice had a heavy undertone. Even though I wasn’t looking at him, I could almost guess the expression he had.
My statement about us being just nothing to each other was the truth. I felt obligated to help Edgar return to his normal self after being affected by the love potion.
But still, as I stirred the soup, the remaining heat sent wisps of steam up, making it look inviting, though my appetite had strangely dwindled.
“Are you upset?”
His calm gaze seemed to read all my thoughts as it fell on my cheek.
“About earlier… I mean.”
What reaction did I really expect from him? As I fumbled for words, his gentle fingers brushed off a dab of sauce from my lips. His voice, tinged with a laugh, called out my name, “Chloe.”
“I was a bit disappointed, but it’s okay. It’s awkward in front of others, I get it. But you’ll still kiss only me, right?”
Edgar seemed amused by my restless behavior.
“You don’t have to force yourself.”
Before I could respond, his lips gently pressed against mine. The soft sound of the kiss, followed by his shy smile, suddenly lifted the gloom I had felt just moments ago.
“Adorable.”
This is a problem. His nonsensical words felt sincere. Maybe the feverish symptoms from my recent illness lingered more than I thought.
I felt foolishly bashful under his gaze, not realizing how silly I must look. Oblivious to my urge to burrow away in embarrassment, Edgar playfully fed me a piece of meat.
* * *
After the meal, we stepped outside to explore the village.
With the emerald sparkle of Martin Lake in the background and the rugged, volcanic terrain of Bisanto Village, the setting seemed like something out of a fairytale.
The square and streets were modest, but the whitewashed exterior walls and blue roofs of the buildings felt refreshingly open and airy.
Despite some faces showing concern, likely due to the strange events in Mistwood forest, the locals mostly appeared upbeat. Perhaps because of the excitement of the festival happening today.
