Chapter 69.1

The stars in the night sky brightened.

Most of them were quiet in the barracks but he often hear their bursts of laughter.

Cassian would roll his eyes upon hearing them until they ended.

He and Yernia were casually holding hands and taking a walk together, but he already have a big hole in his heart so he didn’t like the sound of merriment.

Instead, he just walked quietly when he realized his venting was too childish.

“Ah!”

Yernia, who had been walking next to him, slipped.

Cassian quickly pulled Yernia’s waist and wrapped her in an embrace.

Her body, which seemed to fall at any moment, got closer so that he could smell her sweet scent.

Cassian glanced at Yernia in his arms when she raised her head.”Oh, thank you.”

As usual, Yernia pulled away from Cassian as if nothing had happened.

It was only natural for her to do it but unfortunately, the impulsive action hurt Cassian.

The hurt felt like a long needle poking at his heart, but his expression hardened as if he was determined not to show it.

What the hell was she thinking?

Cassian couldn’t understand Yernia.

On their previous cruise trip, she seemed to be jealous of Vihani and he swore it wasn’t an illusion.

Since then, she hadn’t rejected kissing him as guidance which made him assume his love for her had already swayed her so he thought Yernia liked to guide him in her own way.

“I will not know what to do if you tell me you like me. I’ll be glad if you said no.”

He felt like he was back to square one.

The dark sky was no different from what he felt now.

Cassian was depressed.

Every time he prayed to God for her to like him, that wish had never come true.

There was no sign of it happening.

“Cassian, let’s go over here.”

The monsters’ location wasn’t the forest that Yernia had pointed at so he acquiesced.

As his mind calmed down, a chilly tone came out even if he didn’t do it on purpose.

“Why?”

However, Yernia held his sleeve, clinging to him as they walked to avoid falling down.

She didn’t seem to care about his attitude.

“I just want to go here.”

Yernia looked so cute that Cassian felt like he was in big trouble.

He wasn’t in the mood to take a walk or enjoy himself now.

It wasn’t that important so he was determined not to show it again.

To enter the forest Yernia had pointed at, they had to go over a large rock.

After releasing her hand, Cassian stood on the rock and stretched out an arm to make it easier to crouch down and bring Yernia upward.

“Hold my hand.”

“Don’t let me go.”

“I won’t let you go even if you tell me to.”

When her small hand settled on his open palm, he clutched it and pulled her with strength.

When Cassian pulled Yernia up, she lost her balance and grabbed Cassian’s waist.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to.”

“Why are you apologizing now? We have done a lot more than this.”

Sure it was, but why isn’t she shaken?

Maybe, his methods were wrong?

As he thought about it, Cassian couldn’t feel Yernia’s gaze on him.

He glanced at Yernia again when she sneezed.

“Ah-choo!”

“Look! I told you it would be cold out here.”

It was chilly outside even if he had worn a coat over his military uniform.

Cassian, who was about to take off his coat for Yernia, paused.

Even in this situation, his head turned.

“Come here. I’ll keep you warm.”

“Huh? No. It’s alright.”

He tugged at Yernia’s arm and hugged her.

Yernia was smaller that she fit snugly in his arms.

Just hugging her made him smile and caused his bad mood to subside.

When she put her hand in his pocket and pressed his coat’s opening tightly to prevent him from taking it off, Yernia raised her head in his arms.

“Are you angry?”

Cassian’s eyebrows raised at her question.

He was angry?

Him?

Yernia’s insensitivity merely broke his heart.

Did it seem like he was the one being angry?

Oh.

It could have been.

Cassian knew it, too.

It wasn’t like he had a gentle appearance so being expressionless might lead to a misunderstanding.

In addition to that, he was being cold with his words and tone.

When Yernia, whom he assumed that she didn’t care much about him, actually cared about his feelings, the melancholy that remained in Cassian’s mind was lifted.

“I’m not mad. Why am I mad at you?”

“It’s not it? I’ve been thinking about that too, but I don’t know why. It’s like a rat in my head.”

“That’s all you thought about?”

“Yes.”

Suddenly, Yernia tightened her hold around his waist.

The unexpected attack made him stop breathing for a moment.

“I was thinking about guiding you because I haven’t done it lately.”

Yernia was cruel.

She absolutely had no idea what the guy she was holding right now was thinking inside.

He was pondering that moment when Yernia asked if he liked her.

He intended to confess his feelings, but he didn’t want to take it lightly in that situation as if it was a joke.

At the same time, he was fully aware that their future relationship could change depending on his response.

Because of that, he couldn’t make a hasty decision.

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