"I…." Now that she thought about it, she had. Only at the beginning did she question Vance's motives but now….. She looked up at Vance, who was helplessly scratching his head and blushed. Now she felt she could trust Vance with her life. He has already done so much for her and has done so without asking for anything in return. She looked down at her toes that were sticking out of the bandages. She had been awake last night when Vance had healed her. This was why she was not surprised by the sudden change. She pretended to be asleep. She wanted to thank him but, at the same time, felt embarrassed.
Alice bit her lip as her gaze stayed on Vance. A flash of determination and resolve filled her eyes. "If it's you, then I will trust you with my life."
Vance looked at Alice in shock. He never expected such an answer. For her to be so willing to trust him really took him by surprise. He was not upset at all, but still, he never expected a girl he had only met for a few days would be so willing to put her life in his hands. But at the same time, he couldn't help but let out a sigh. He felt even more obligated now to protect her since she had said this.
"Don't worry. Your life…. It is not so easy to get rid of. We will make it to the capital." Vance said reassuringly.
"Mm…. I will be counting on you." Alice finally smiled as she felt like something had lifted from her shoulders. But at the same time, as her eyes rested on Vance's handsome face, she felt her heart tighten and begin to beat faster. This caused her face to heat up once more. She quickly averted her gaze and looked down at herself.
Vance left to get breakfast and also stopped off at the general store for a certain item. He had not planned to get it, but as things were now if there was an accident, it was best that he did. When he returned to the inn, he handed over a small package to Alice. "Take this and dye your hair. It will allow you to move around more freely."
"This…" Alice looked at the package with a complex expression. She had never dyed anything before.
Vance sighed. "I will help you."
After breakfast, Vance helped Alice dye her hair. The entire time the girl's cheeks were bright red. But Vance acted as if nothing was off. He would not say he was not affected by his first close intimate actions with a girl, but he never thought of anything going further than a friendship. To keep his mind on proper things, he explained to Alice that now that she had her hair dyed, they could take the main road to make traveling quicker. He even planned to get a cart.
The more he thought about how his funds were slowly diminishing he couldn't help but sigh. But he still would have enough to get a place for his father and stepmother. He would not allow the old man's love and care for his son to go to waste. He lost his father when he was young, so deep down, he projected the image of his father on Ricky, which allowed him to accept Ricky as his father. He had only met the man for a short while, but it was enough to know just how much his body's parents loved him, and it was enough for him to respect and care for the old man in return.
Two hours later, after Alice had washed up, she walked out of the bathroom and looked at Vance. "How is it?"
"You look good," Vance replied. In truth, she looked stunning, but he was too embarrassed to say that. Her once pink hair was now black. Her naturally wavy hair flowed down her body to her waist. Her hypnotic pink eyes really matched well with her pale white skin. She had a petite figure with modest breasts, and the way she looked shy and bashful when Vance looked at her made Vance want to protect her even more. In order to shake off some of his dirty thoughts about the beautiful girl in front of him, Vance averted his eyes and pinched his thigh in secret. He was a man, after all, and such an alluring girl was quite the temptation. But the last thing he wanted to do was make Alice think he was some kind of pervert.
Alice, on the other hand, felt that maybe Vance thought she was ugly because of how he quickly looked away and did not show much of a reaction. She bit her lip and curled her toes as her fist clenched up slightly. She did not know why she felt so irritated when the thought of Vance not liking her popped into her mind. It made her chest feel stuffy.
With everything set, Vance brought Alice, who could now walk around without her hood on, to the clothing store he had gone to before. But as soon as he entered, two girls were standing there talking to one another. Both of which he recognized. "Ah." Jill was the first to react as she saw Vance walk in.
"Jill, you know him?" Tia asked when she saw Jill's reaction to the man. "He didn't try to do anything to you, right!? Should I cut his…"
"Tia, stop!" Jill yelled out, causing everyone in the store to turn and look at the two girls. Jill's face turned red. She wanted to hide! Her friend hated men so much! She was starting to wonder if the drunken Tia was better or not. At least she would sometimes act more normal when she was drunk!
"What!? If he did something, I will take care of it! You are my best friend. How could I let some man do something to you!" Tia yelled out as she turned and stared daggers at Vance. She did not recognize him at all. She had completely forgotten the man she puked all over. "You! Leave this store now!"
"Tia! Stop! I swear if you do not stop, I will no longer talk to you!" Jill yelled out. She had to stop this now!
"What, why!? Don't tell me you love this man!? Is that it!? Jill, did you really fall in love with this man who looks like a beggar!?"