If she had to accept Sigmund’s help, it would be better to return to Shulmir Castle instead.
For a moment, Romiya imagined herself returning to Shulmir Castle and confronting her uncle’s vassals.
The mere thought of it made her chest tighten, and she pressed down on her solar plexus to ease the discomfort.
‘For now, I should just prepare the tea that Lord Sigmund will drink.’
Dwelling on useless thoughts was a waste of time. She needed to focus on what she could do at the moment. Romiya quickly started getting ready to go out.
‘I should also gather some things that might be helpful to him. We may really part ways in two days…’
Romiya’s expression darkened. The burden in her heart seemed to weigh even heavier. The thought of parting with Sigmund felt more painful than returning to Shulmir. Feeling as though she might cry, Romiya squeezed her eyes shut and then opened them again.
* * *
“That was really close, miss. Still, it’s fortunate that nothing worse happened.”
The tea shop owner carefully wiped the blood trickling from Romiya’s neck, glancing nervously outside.
The men in worn leather armor were getting further away from the shop.
Judging by the poor quality of their armor and the crude insignia etched onto it, they seemed to be the mercenaries her uncle had hired.
The shopkeeper’s next words confirmed Romiya’s suspicion.
“They were mercenaries hired by the previous Count. Oh, I mean the late Count of Shulmir. Those guys have been causing a lot of trouble lately, picking fights with people all the time.”
“Why are they doing that?”
“Because their employer died. They came all the way here, and now they’re angry because they haven’t been paid.”
“So they’re taking their frustrations out on innocent people.”
“That’s right. The market’s getting more dangerous by the day because of them, and the authorities are just standing by doing nothing. Sigh.”
The shopkeeper let out a deep sigh and carefully applied the herbal remedy she had gotten from the shop next door to Romiya’s wound.
When Romiya flinched at the sting, the shopkeeper looked apologetic.
“Sorry, it’s the best medicine I could get my hands on. I feel bad, miss. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have been able to avoid their harassment.”
“It’s fine. It’s just a small wound.”
“But it’s on your neck. If the cut had been deeper, it could’ve been really dangerous. The wound is in a bad spot, so don’t relax just yet. Make sure to disinfect it well, and it’d be even better if you could see a doctor.”
“Yes, I will.”
“I’ll pack the finest tea leaves for you, so make sure you take them. You’re a guide, right? I hope your client likes them.”
“I hope so too.”
Romiya smiled faintly and nodded.
* * *
Romiya’s encounter with her uncle’s mercenaries happened when she entered the tea shop to buy some leaves.
At the time, the mercenaries were threatening the shopkeeper over something trivial.
She could have ignored them and walked past, but she simply couldn’t.
It was because of her sense of responsibility.
Even though she had given up her position as the Lady of Shulmir, the privileges she had once enjoyed as the Count’s daughter hadn’t simply disappeared.
By some stroke of luck, she had managed to drive them away.
However, since she hadn’t revealed her identity as the Lady of Shulmir, Romiya had been hurt. A mercenary had threatened her and swung his sword, grazing her neck.
Romiya gently pressed the area near her wound, now bandaged.
‘If the cut had been just a bit deeper, it could’ve been really bad.’
The sword had struck right beside her pulse point. Had it hit a blood vessel, she would have collapsed, bleeding profusely. Just the thought of it was terrifying. Romiya shuddered and quickly erased the image from her mind.
‘In any case, I’m lucky it wasn’t worse.’
Relieved, but troubled at the same time, not because of her injury, but because of the mercenaries she had encountered.
‘I didn’t realize the situation in the estate had gotten this bad. What are my uncle’s vassals doing? How could they not control people like that?’
She thought she had given up expecting anything from her uncle’s vassals, but perhaps not entirely. As a noble, she had hoped they would at least fulfill their basic duties. But they hadn’t even done that.
‘Should I… return after all?’
Romiya bit her lip hard.
Her heart sank.
Would returning really change anything? Would her uncle’s vassals obey her? Or would she just end up repeating the same misery she had already endured?
She wouldn’t encounter another miracle like Sigmund again. Could she really face everything alone?
The unanswered questions churned inside her. The turmoil in her heart was greater than the pain from her wound. As her resolve weakened, she felt the urge to lean on someone. Maybe that was why she remembered the warmth that had once enveloped her hand.
The warmth that had always been there in her moments of greatest need, despite his cold demeanor—Sigmund’s warmth.
‘I have to resist. I can’t do this anymore.’
Romiya swallowed her desire to lean on him once more.
At least, the tea leaves she carried gave her some comfort. The tea shop owner had picked out truly excellent leaves.
It would be a small joy for Sigmund.
With that thought, she moved forward.
* * *
“Have you made a decision? What will you do? Will you return to Shulmir, or will you find a new place to settle?”
When Romiya returned to the lodging, she was met by an even colder Sigmund than before. He stood with his arms crossed, staring at her icily.
Startled, Romiya froze, then quickly lowered her head and clasped her hands together. The rustling of the tea leaves she had prepared for him stung her heart a little.
“I’m still considering. I’ll make a decision as soon as possible.”
Feeling like her expression must look pathetic, Romiya hurried to force a smile.
At least, this time, she was able to smile a little better than before. It was thanks to Sigmund holding her hand earlier.
But she immediately regretted her choice.
Seeing her smile, Sigmund’s expression grew even harder.
Romiya, feeling like a lost child, struggled with what to do. Avoiding his gaze, she finally managed to say the words she had been holding back.
“I’d like to assist you as your guide until tomorrow, at least. I just returned from the market, and I’ve prepared a much better tea than the one you had earlier. Tomorrow, I’ll make something much more…”
“I told you not to waste your energy on pointless tasks.”
Sigmund cut her off firmly.
“My patience is not long. I’ve already warned you.”
Romiya stood frozen, listening to the sound of his footsteps growing distant.
Then, a thud. The door closed.
The silence in the hallway sent a chill through her chest.
“Ah…”
Romiya slowly lowered her gaze.
The dried tea leaves in her hands, brittle and lifeless, looked as desolate as she felt. Her shoulders slumped.
Meanwhile, the pain from her wound was intensifying. She didn’t even feel like tending to it. Romiya trudged slowly toward her room.
Once inside, she loosened her collar and looked into the mirror. Blood had seeped through where the wound had reopened.
She took out the bandages and herbs she had received from the shopkeeper and tried to treat the wound herself, but her eyes fell on the palm she had injured earlier.
It was the same wound that Sigmund’s power had healed.
“This time, he said nothing…”
Sigmund must have seen the blood seeping from her neck.
Yet, this time, he didn’t say a word. Unlike earlier in the day, it was as if he didn’t care whether she was hurt or not.
She hadn’t wanted him to acknowledge her injury, but his sudden coldness, the way his attitude had hardened in just a few hours, stung.
Suppressing her disappointment, Romiya tried to cut the bandages but eventually set the scissors back down without doing anything.
At that moment, she didn’t want to do anything at all. Her blue eyes, gazing out the window, glistened slightly with unshed tears.
‘Why am I struggling so much?’
She had been through countless hardships far worse than this—losing her family and enduring endless pain. So why did this feel so unbearable?
Romiya pressed her aching eyes as she thought.
‘Maybe it’s because… I found someone to lean on.’
A being so far above her had lowered himself, even kneeling before her.
For her sake alone.
She knew it wasn’t her place, yet, in that brief moment, she had felt as if she could escape all the storms in the world.
It had been so sweet.
Perhaps that’s why she had grown so weak.
‘Sigmund is right. I shouldn’t be by his side.’
Sigmund, the beautiful dragon, had left such a deep mark on her heart with so little effort.
As a mere human, Romiya could only be swept away by his presence.
He could easily abandon her whenever he wished, but she—she could never do the same.
The longer she stayed by Sigmund’s side, the more she would be the only one to get hurt.
‘I have to leave Lord Sigmund…’
Romiya made up her mind.
* * *
“Thank you for everything.”
Sigmund stood leaning against the wall from a distance, offering no response.
Romiya clenched her hands tightly. If this was truly the last time, she couldn’t afford to show any more weakness.
“I will not forget this kindness.”
She bowed deeply. It reminded her of the first day she met Sigmund.
She had bowed to him like this back then as well. At that time, she never imagined Sigmund would become so important to her. She also never imagined that his silence would make her so sad.
Sigmund remained silent to the very end. His silence weighed heavily on her heart, like a lump of sadness that wouldn’t go away. As she turned to leave, Romiya realized the truth.
To him, I was just a burden.
Lord Sigmund must have truly hated me.
Romiya slowly trudged out of the lodging, her steps heavy despite carrying almost no belongings. She hadn’t walked far before she looked back.
The door remained firmly shut.
Just as it had been when she left.
‘I must be a fool.’
Romiya let out a weak laugh. Had she been hoping Sigmund would open that door and come after her? Even though he was always cold on the outside, he had always come through when she needed him.
‘It’s time to return to Shulmir.’
The time she spent with the beautiful dragon would now have to remain as a distant memory. Romiya walked alone for what felt like hours. She kept moving, afraid that if she stopped, the sorrow would overwhelm her again. By the time night fell, she was still pushing herself to keep going.
“Haa…”
But at some point, her vision started to blur, and her head felt hot. Just before she collapsed, Romiya managed to brace herself against a nearby wall.
‘What’s happening to me?’
Romiya’s eyes widened as she instinctively touched her wound. The injury she hadn’t properly treated was now burning with fever.
‘I need to treat it again…’
Before she could finish the thought, her legs gave out, and she sank to the ground. When had her body deteriorated so much? Gasping for breath, Romiya leaned her head against the wall.
‘Rain…?’
As if things couldn’t get worse, cold raindrops began to fall. Romiya let out a helpless laugh. She needed to find shelter, but her hands wouldn’t move. Her eyelids grew heavy as she stared blankly at the sky, and slowly, they began to close.
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