The sound of wagon wheels grinding against the stone road sounded like a melody of farewell.
"Young Master, thank you so much! We will wait for your arrival there!" shouted Rayand, the leader of the Red Sand mercenaries, while waving his hand high.
"Take care of yourselves! And make sure you arrive in Vanzhas safely! I won't forgive you if anyone gets hurt!" Arvin replied with a thunderous shout.
"Hahaha. Of course, Young Master! Until we meet again!"
One by one, they all waved back. There were tears of joy in the eyes of the mothers, and a glimmer of hope in the eyes of the children sitting inside the wagons. Arvin watched them with mixed emotions.
"I hope you find happiness there."
"Heartless Young Master, when are you coming there?!" Melisa called out, still finding the time to shout from her wagon which was now quite a distance away.
"I'll definitely be back during the long holiday!" Arvin answered.
"Really? Then I'll be looking forward to your arrival! Don't be late!"
Arvin only gave a small nod. Melisa gave one last smile. A wide, promising smile, before her wagon disappeared around the bend.
Arvin stood frozen for a moment, staring at the road dust as it slowly settled back to the earth.
Good grief! If she really were a man, I might have a hard time not being charmed by that smile.
"Finally... everything is settled!" Arvin shouted loudly while stretching his muscles, letting his joints pop softly.
Then, he took a deep breath, inhaling the air that now felt much lighter. "I'm sorry I couldn't save everyone. I hope that over there, you will find the kind of life you've always hoped for."
Then, Arvin turned around, intending to head back to his inn. However, he stopped dead in his tracks.
His body tensed. Arvin was shocked to realize that the street behind him was not empty. The crowd that had previously parted to make way for the Vedegra convoy had now swarmed back, and they were all looking in his direction.
However, it wasn't the crowd that made Arvin's breath hitch.
His gaze locked onto a single figure standing not far in front of him, a young man.
The young man had pink hair that was striking yet looked soft under the afternoon sun. His face was handsome, but a sense of 'cuteness' dominated his features. His skin was fair, and he was staring straight at him.
It was Allen.
W-What is he doing here? Arvin thought in panic. And since when has he been standing there?
Arvin tried hard to keep his expression flat, but his heartbeat began to grow irregular. He tried to calm himself down upon seeing the face of his favorite character right before his eyes. And damn it, the owner of that face was now staring at him intently.
Allen's gaze was so intense, as if he wanted to pry some information out of Arvin. However, behind that sharp look, Allen's mind was actually raging with overflowing admiration.
Wow! Allen exclaimed in his heart. His unblinking eyes recorded Arvin's figure. Did he just help all those homeless people? Sending them to a better place at his own expense? I thought he was the rude and arrogant type of noble because of the rumors about the Vedegra family. But it turns out... he is very kind. His heart is so soft towards people he doesn't even know.
Allen's eyes sparkled, admiring the dashing figure before him.
Realizing he was being stared at like that, Arvin felt flustered. His face felt hot. Without thinking twice, Arvin immediately turned his face away, pretending not to see Allen. He spun around and walked quickly to avoid the pink-haired man.
Ignore him, ignore him. Don't make eye contact! Arvin chanted in his heart while speeding up his pace to cut through the crowd.
However, his instincts told him something was off. The sound of footsteps behind him was constant, matching his rhythm.
Wherever Arvin turned, Allen was always there, following him from a few meters behind. When Arvin tried to speed up into a light jog, Allen also jogged, keeping his distance so as not to get left behind.
This situation is absolutely ridiculous! Why does he keep following me like this? Arvin thought, nervous and uncomfortable being tailed.
Unable to stand being treated like a fugitive any longer, Arvin stopped abruptly. He turned around with a dramatic movement and glared at the cute man.
"Why are you always following me?!" Arvin snapped, trying to sound fierce to cover up his nervousness. "Don't you have any other work to do that you have to follow me like a stalker?"
Allen, surprised by Arvin's sudden stop, almost crashed into his chest. He braked just in time. Instead of being afraid of the scolding, Allen looked at Arvin with rounded determination.
"I want to talk to you alone!" Allen answered firmly, though his cheeks blushed slightly.
Arvin furrowed his brow. "Talk? Why don't you just say it here? My time is precious."
Allen shook his head slowly, his eyes scanning the busy street. "I can't. This is very important, and I can't say it in an open place like this."
Seeing the seriousness in Allen's eyes, and also how sweet that face looked when serious, Arvin's defense crumbled. He let out a long sigh, giving up.
"Fine! Have it your way!" Arvin grumbled, having no other choice. "Come on, follow me! Don't get left behind."
The two of them walked side by side, leaving the busy main street toward a quieter city park. The atmosphere between them was silent. Not a single word came out of their mouths. Only the sound of footsteps meeting the paving blocks.
However, if anyone could hear their hearts right now, that silent atmosphere was actually very noisy with their respective inner rambling.
Arvin walked with his gaze straight ahead, stiff as a robot. Cold sweat began to dampen the back of his neck.
Why did I end up walking with him like this? Arvin screamed in his mind. Idiot! I should have just refused earlier! What does he want to talk to me about?
Arvin glanced slightly from the corner of his eye, and he immediately regretted it because he saw the side profile of Allen's face hit by the afternoon sunlight.
Damn it... why does he have to be that cute? Arvin thought in frustration. I don't even dare to look at his cute face directly for fear that my face will turn red. Ah... I feel like running away from here right now! My heart, please stop beating this hard!
Meanwhile, beside him, Allen walked with light steps, but his heart was thundering uncontrollably.
What did I dream about last night? Allen thought hysterically. Now I'm walking side by side with Arvin! The distance between us isn't even a meter!
Allen gathered the courage to steal a glance at Arvin, who looked cold and authoritative.
Ah... he's so handsome when seen up close like this! Allen screamed internally. I feel... I feel like I really want to hold his hand right now.
Allen's hand twitched, wanting to reach for Arvin's hand, but he immediately held back. He shook his head vigorously, trying to chase away his wild thoughts.
Come on, Allen, get a grip! Control yourself! Don't do anything embarrassing! Allen encouraged himself. You can do this! You have to be strong! Don't faint or do anything stupid in front of the person you like! Focus on your goal!
The two continued walking in a silence that was torturous yet thrilling, each busy battling their own feelings, without realizing that those feelings might not be unrequited.