𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟕: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐕𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐁𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐏𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞

We rode the horse to the southwest for two hours.

Although the speed quickly became normal, I ended up feeling exhausted unnecessarily because Cid firmly held onto me with one arm.

Just a few days ago, we maintained a moderate distance as escorts, but now he’s coming on so strongly that my feelings can’t keep up.

My heart welcomes it, but when he actually touches me, I find it difficult to breathe every time. How pathetic. . .!

Just a moment ago, when he put his hand on my waist, I couldn’t help but scream in my mind, “Eek!” I’m glad I didn’t actually say it out loud because it would have been a meaningless scream.

It was past noon when we finally arrived at the town of Welhinesta.

This town was not very big, so there were only three inns.As expected, there were also people in travel attire here, and there was only one vacant single room at the inn.

It’s not cramped, but the problem is that there’s only one bed.

Should I compromise and take a step towards him?

Nervously glancing at Cid, before I could say anything, he said, “I’ll sleep on the floor.”

“Sleeping on the floor is definitely not allowed!”

As Cid opened the window to check the escape route, I said that. But he didn’t even turn around and just smiled wryly, saying, “Don’t worry about it.”

“Well, since we were planning to camp anyway, having a roof and some protection from the wind is better than nothing. I’ll take the floor, and you can take the bed. That’s the final decision.”

“In that case. . .”

“I won’t sleep on the floor either. We’ll be moving again tomorrow. Unlike me, Vi-sama is a normal person, so please rest properly before catching a cold or feeling unwell.”

I was unable to come up with a valid counterargument and couldn’t find an opportunity to refute. 

But my mental state wasn’t strong enough to say something like, “Let’s sleep together in bed,” as if it were a romance novel. 

If we slept together, I would be too nervous to sleep until morning.

And I’ll end up sleeping on a horse. I can already see the course of falling off. 

Letting out a sigh, unable to say anything, Cid chuckled as if something was amusing.

Seeing him so happy, I furrowed my eyebrows slightly. 

“Why are you laughing so much? Did something funny happen?”

Although I said it in a sulky manner, Cid continued to laugh. 

“No, I just thought it went according to plan. You’re conscious of me to some extent, right? That’s why you didn’t say no to sleeping together in bed, right? I’m happy about that.”

“What?!”

Not just a little, but about 80% of my consciousness is occupied by thoughts of you!

The remaining 20% is for Onii-sama and rolled omelette!

Whether I deny it or affirm it, I feel like I’m digging my own grave, so I bit my lip with a bitter expression. 

If only I had the ability to retort. . .!

Seeing me like that, Cid finally stopped grinning. 

“I won’t laugh anymore, so please forgive me.”

“You’ve laughed enough!”

Since it’s highly likely that I will lose, I left some of my luggage in the room, and we headed to the town to gather information. 

Cid’s mother is Shelia-san, a former commoner and ex-saint. She is said to be forty years old this year. 

Other than being a delicate person with black hair and crimson eyes, I don’t have any other information. 

If she is still at the church as a saint, we can find her immediately. However, unfortunately, she lost that qualification when she was involved with Cid’s genetic father (I simply refused to acknowledge him as a father!) who was the former king, so she is not at the church. 

I don’t know the name of her remarriage partner or the names of the children born between them, so it seems like the only option was to diligently inquire. 

“It seems like there’s a possibility that we won’t find her.”

Cid muttered. Since I have no intention of giving up, I walked through the town with confidence. 

“It’s not such a big town, so if we ask about a family with a mother named Sheria, we’ll find her in no time!”

“I hope so.”

“It’s not your concern!”

“I don’t have much of a sense of reality. My memories from when I was four are vague,And  even coming to this town doesn’t make me feel like it’s my hometown. . .”

Perhaps Cid himself was thinking that he might remember something more. 

Seeing it as just a town he had never seen before, I smiled a bit sadly.

“After all, my hometown is already the Duke Marcus family where Vi-sama was. Well, just confirming that is good enough.”

“What are you arbitrarily concluding?”

“Did I get caught? Actually, I’m a little scared. What If my mother is found and it turns out she has completely forgot about me, it’s just. . . I don’t know.”

Scratching his head, Cid laughed, showing his confusion on his face. 

I took his left hand and squeezed it tightly. 

“Don’t worry. I don’t think Cid’s mother, who fled with us, would forget her beloved son. Sure, you might not be immediately recognizable because you’ve grown up, and she might wonder how your nutrition ended up like this and think, ‘Was my child this dog-like?'”

“Isn’t the latter half more of your own subjective opinion?”

“Anyway, no matter how she’s living now, she will be happy to see Cid return and show himself. I believe that.”

Cid listened to my plea and gave in, laughing in exasperation. His smile was gentle, and I almost said, “I love you.” But not now. The timing is different now. Once things with his mother are settled, I will definitely say “I love you.” 

I pulled his hand and walked firmly.

---