Chapter 11

The carriage Aina and Alan rode lost two of its horses. One of the horses had already gone missing when they were ambushed earlier due to the reins coming loose. That horse had been pulling the carriage.

In fact, two horses were initially pulling the carriage, but Alan mentioned that the coachman had taken the other horse when he fled.

Alan himself hadn't ridden a horse during this journey. He chose to sit beside the coachman at the front of the carriage.

Eventually, Aina and Alan decided to continue their journey on foot. They planned to find the nearest town to rent a new horse-drawn carriage.

Technically, they could use their wind powers to push the carriage forward without horses. However, doing so would be extremely exhausting and drain their energy quickly. That's why Audelian people with wind powers rarely used them in that manner.

At the moment, Aina stood silently, watching Alan converse with a coachman about renting a new carriage.

Fortunately, Alan still had some money hidden beneath his cloak. He handed the coachman a small pouch, which Aina assumed contained the payment for the rental.

However, after their conversation ended, Aina was surprised to see the coachman walking away from the carriage instead of preparing it. She frowned in confusion.

Alan waved to call her over.

Obeying his gesture, Aina approached him, her brows still furrowed as Alan opened the carriage door for her.

"Where did the coachman go?" Aina asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No idea," Alan replied, deepening the crease on Aina's forehead.

Alan smiled, clearly amused by her puzzled expression.

Having grown accustomed to his teasing smiles, Aina immediately sensed Alan deliberately trying to pique her curiosity.

"So, who will drive the carriage? Are we supposed to wait for the coachman to come back?" she asked again.

In the past, she would have sulked, prompting Alan to give in and answer. But this time, Aina chose to keep her composure and get her answer calmly.

Alan shook his head. "We don't need to wait. I doubt he'll come back."

"What? Why not?" Aina tilted her head in confusion.

Alan's smile widened. "Because I'm going to drive the carriage myself."

Aina's eyes widened in disbelief. "You?!"

Alan nodded. "Now, Lady Aina, please get in the carriage," he said, gesturing politely.

Speechless, Aina climbed into the carriage. But a few seconds later, an idea crossed her mind.

She poked her head out of the carriage window and called Alan.

Alan, who was just about to take a step, paused and turned toward her.

"Are you worried that the coachman might steal the horse again?" Aina asked loudly.

Alan chuckled. "You're quite sharp, Lady Aina. That's precisely one of the reasons."

***

That night, Alan and Aina stayed at an inn. It was the second inn they had chosen and was quite similar to the one from their first night.

As before, Aina immediately seized the opportunity to bathe and freshen up after a long day of travel.

Since they only stayed at inns overnight, Aina could only bathe once per day.

The next morning, before continuing their journey, Aina stopped by a clothing store. She asked Alan to buy her some clothes. The store was neither too big nor too small.

When they entered and lowered their cloak hoods, all eyes in the store immediately turned to them.

Their uncovered faces drew the attention of everyone inside.

Several store attendants were scattered throughout, attending to customers.

"Please find a suitable dress for this lady," Alan requested one of the attendants.

"Just something simple, please," Aina added from beside Alan.

The female attendant nodded and gestured for Aina to follow her.

After selecting a few suitable dresses, Aina and Alan headed to the cashier to pay.

"Wow, you two make an incredible couple. One is stunningly beautiful, and the other is remarkably handsome," the cashier marveled.

The cashier, an older woman compared to the other attendants, looked at Aina and Alan in awe. Nearly everyone in the store had been admiring them since they walked in.

Aina and Alan exchanged glances upon hearing the remark.

Aina quickly diverted her gaze and replied, "Sorry, you misunderstood. We're not a couple like that."

The cashier gasped and covered her mouth. "Oh, I apologize."

Aina smiled gently. "It's all right," she reassured.

After paying for the clothes, Aina was about to say goodbye.

"Don't forget to come back! We have new collections every season," the cashier, who turned out to be the store owner, said cheerfully.

Aina blinked once and nodded with a smile. She made a mental note to remember this store.

Afterward, she followed Alan, who had already exited the store.

At the carriage door, Alan opened it for Aina, who climbed inside.

Before closing the door, Alan hesitated and looked at Aina with a complicated expression.

"Lady Aina," he called.

The way Alan addressed her made Aina, who had just sat down, instinctively turn toward him.

"Have you ever liked someone?" Alan asked unexpectedly.

Aina blinked several times. She opened her mouth but couldn't find the words to answer. She had never been in a romantic relationship with a man before.

However, when Alan asked that question, she immediately thought of her relationship with him.

"Why do you ask? What's the point of that question?" Aina finally spoke.

Alan continued to look at her with a complicated gaze, making it hard for Aina to read his thoughts.

Silence filled the air, creating a tense atmosphere.

Suddenly, Alan laughed.

Aina froze, restraining herself from sighing in frustration at his laughter. What was Alan up to this time?

"Why are you laughing?" Aina asked flatly.

"Nothing," Alan replied between chuckles.

"I just wanted to tell you," Alan continued, "Don't fall for me. Don't even think about loving me."

Aina's lips pressed into a thin line, and her eyes locked onto Alan's. She didn't realize that one of her hands was clenching the fabric of her dress.

"Why?" she asked, regretting the question immediately.

She realized her question sounded as though she was resisting. Her regret deepened when she heard Alan's answer.

"Because I'm in love with someone else."

Aina clenched her hand into a fist.

Since she had already asked, she might as well find out who that person was.

"Who?" she asked, trying to keep her voice steady.

Alan answered after three seconds. "Lady Olivia."

Aina held her breath.

She had already suspected something between Alan and Olivia.

From the beginning, she had been wary when she first met Alan.

"You already knew that, didn't you?" Alan asked without any discernible expression.

Yes, Aina had already known.

But she hadn't expected that hearing the truth would hurt so much.

For the first time, she wished one of her suspicions was wrong.

For the first time, she felt that way.

"You're a smart noblewoman," Alan continued.

Aina opened her mouth and responded, "Yes. I already knew."

Even so, Aina couldn't easily control her feelings or heed Alan's warning.

She realized that Alan had also noticed something.

That Aina had started to fall for him.

Alan hadn't been entirely oblivious.

That was why he had asked her that question.

His words had been a preemptive rejection before she could even express her feelings.

What should Aina do with this growing affection?

***