Naturally, she didn't want to go to the capital with Meldon.
Even now, she's dying of awkwardness, but how awkward will it be if they go together? However, she felt somewhat sorry to refuse him openly.
So for situations like this, Dalia has come up with the last resort.
"Adrisha!"
Adrisha, with a ballpoint pen behind her ear, who was working on drafting a budget estimation with the repairman from a distance, was surprised and ran to Dalia.
Dalia pointed to Meldon without saying a word. He protested as if he was wrongly accused.
"You're so mean, Miss. I just did it purely out of favor..."
"What is it, Meldon? What's going on?"
"... Damn it."
Meldon sighed and disappeared into the distance. Adrisha still looks like she is dying of discomfort.
Adrisha, who had defeated the enemy without knowing the reason, looked down at Dalia. Dalia shrugged.
"I guess you're still uncomfortable."
"It's fair because he doesn't like me either."
Adrisha responded cynically.
She doesn't know what happened that day, but their relationship seemed to have improved to some extent. However, it seemed that the awkwardness and their dislikes of each other were still the same.
But this was enough. Because the most important flag of the Meldon route has been crushed.
'Then there's only Lewayne Blueport that hasn't appeared yet, and then Aceras?'
Lewayne Blueport's character was the closest to how a protagonist should be in the original
Therefore, he appeared last.
When she asked Hikan a while ago, it seemed that he still seemed to have no intention to leave the territory yet. So she doesn't have to worry about it.
Aceras route....don't know. Let's think about it later.
Dalia looked at Meldon's back as he moved away, and secretly turned her wrist and glanced at it.
'If you're going to be like that, why did you give me this gift?'
Meldon also had a side that was not quite honest. Dalia recalled what happened yesterday.
Dalia was sitting in bed covered with a rolled blanket in her room, when she heard a knock and Meldon entered.
"I have sorted it well with your lady-in-waiting."
"Really? That's a relief."
Dalia was genuinely relieved. Meldon smiled a little awkwardly.
"What did Miss say to her... I know that it had an impact. Maybe that's why it didn't get any worse."
Dalia was a little surprised because she didn't expect him to say something like this.
"As a token of my gratitude, I will show my sincerity in my own way."
Meldon approached her and gestured for her hand.
Dalia obediently reached out to him, but hurriedly pulled her hand.
"No quartz piece."
"…..I guess Sir Cedric told you not to take what I give you?"
Dalia's conscience was pricked. Meldon raised a corner of his mouth as if he knew everything.
"I thought so too. I'm not giving you anything, so don't worry."
At his words, Dalia quickly reached out her hand again.
Instead of grabbing Dalia's wrist and putting something in her palm, he touched her inner wrist with his thumb. Tickled, Dalia shrugged her shoulders.
"Okay, it's done."
After a while, Meldon released her hand.
Dalia looked at the wrist he had touched. A simple black rune pattern was drawn.
"Try hitting your wrist twice. Then it will disappear. If you hit it twice again, it will appear."
Dalia did as she was told. The pattern was really gone.
When she hit it again, it appeared. Amazed, she kept on tapping it quickly.
Then, when she realized that Meldon was looking at her with slightly pitiful eyes, she hurriedly hid her hand behind her and raised her chin gracefully.
"Thank you."
Then she asked again after a while.
"But what is this?"
"It's quite long, so to speak. You probably don't need it, but just in case."
He lifted the inside of his wrist, showed it to Dalia, and tapped it twice.
Then the same pattern as on her wrist appeared.
"When Miss cannot use Pesteros's name for some reason, and if you think someone is being rude, show them this emblem. There's a 50/50 chance that it will work, and if it does, that person will even kiss you in the foot."
'I don't need that much.'
Still, it was a good gift. It would be even better if it was useful even if she were taken to the Holy Empire.
This pattern did not appear in the original, so there was little information.
They always terribly hated each other in the Meldon route, so there was no need to exchange these gifts.
"You can't get this no matter how much you pay for it. I'm sure it's difficult even for your brother too. I'm just giving it to you because I feel like it."
For some reason, it sounded like a little boy bragging about his toy.
Dalia raised her head. He smiled with his handsome face.
Dalia stared down at her now empty wrist.
Even if he pretends to be a light and inconsiderate person, at times like this, she seems to understand why Meldon was the male lead in the original.
His personality of giving back whatever he receives and his subtle weak heart. Even if it was slightly different from the reason why he became Dalia's favorite route, she likes him better now.
It was also good that the route was crushed, so she didn't have to pay attention to his every move.
'What part of me did he even like?'
Well, it's better to be liked than be hated. Dalia decided to think positively.
* * *
Perhaps he was reluctant to go with Adrisha, Meldon did not appear in front of Dalia until they reached the capital.
Upon arriving in the capital, Cedric left for the Imperial Palace, leaving a message to contact him to schedule a class for the next time.
Adrisha also said that she was not feeling well due to the motion sickness, and that she had to go first because she had other business to do.
"If there's a problem...you know, right?"
Cedric looked at Dalia before leaving and asked.
The quartz pieces he gave her were kept well. Dalia smiled and nodded.
The carriage almost arrived in front of the Pesteros mansion. Hikan also came out and was waiting for Dalia to come.
Dalia looked out of the window to look for him. He was biting his lips as if he was very nervous.
'Is it because he overworked himself this time?'
It was a convincing thought. Dalia took off her ring and put it in her pocket.
'I need to hurry up and purify it for him.'
And the carriage came to a complete stop.
"...Dalia?"
Even before the coachman got off, Hikan came up to the carriage, opened the door to find Dalia first.
She greeted her brother with a smile.
"Brother, how come your face looks like this?"
"...Are you hurt? Wasn't it scary?"
Hikan rushed over to Dalia and touched her arms.
His eyes ran from Dalia's face to her whole body, trying to make sure that she was okay.
Finding no signs of injury, he breathed a sigh of relief and covered his eyes.
"It was a mistake. I shouldn't have left you alone like that..."
"...."
"I was worried that you might get hurt or that something serious might happen to you, so even after I left, I was worried about you."
"It's okay. Adrisha was there, and Sir Cedric was there too."
"...For now, come down first."
Hikan realized that Dalia had traveled by carriage for two days and immediately dropped her off the carriage.
'Ugh.'
After riding the carriage for five hours without a break, she had a headache from motion sickness.
Dalia stumbled a little. Hikan was surprised and immediately grabbed her.
"...."
He hesitated for a moment, then knelt down, grabbed her back and under her knee, and lifted her up.
Dalia screamed in surprise and clinged on his neck for dear life.
"Y, you don't have to do this!"
Does he think that she's a porcelain that breaks whenever it is touched?
Moreover, this side was more dangerous than walking on two feet.
"No, you'd better rest first. Take a bath and go to sleep."
Hikan was persistent.
Dalia was forced to hang on to his body and thought.
'Since I need to have physical contact in order to purify him anyway, it's okay to do both at the same time, isn't it?'
"I'm really okay….… Is the purification okay?"
Hikan nodded.
She couldn't help it if he said that it was okay. Dalia gave up. In addition, it was comfortable because someone moved her even if she stayed still.
Dalia glanced at Hikan.
Looking closely, there was a shadow under his eyes.
It was a plan that the tower constructed for several months. It was not easy to completely restrain a human being in the first place.
As a result, it seemed that he used a lot of energy and consumed a lot of his mental power.
'His Majesty is really...What are you going to do if my brother goes crazy like this?'
Even though Dalia will be there to avoid that.
"Is brother okay?"
"Nothing happened."
"But your face doesn't look like nothing happened."
"Back at you, are you okay?"
Dalia nodded her head.
What's the reason to not be okay? She survived, no one was hurt, and the plan was successful.
"You're not okay."
However Hikan's words were different. Dalia's eyes widened and shook her head.
They arrived in front of the bedroom and Hikan dropped her off. Dalia tried to explain that she was really fine, but Hikan spoke first.
"I'm sorry. You must have been scared. You must be tired, and you will be worried about your future. I'm sorry that I can't say anything other than that I'll protect you at times like this."
Hearing those words, her heart felt heavy, as if she had swallowed a strangely large stone, and not a single word came out.
Hikan rolled up her bangs and stroked her forehead.
"For now, go in and rest. Everything will be fine once you wake up."
Dalia went into the room without saying a word and soaked herself in hot water.
Strangely enough, she cried a little in the bathtub. For some reason, it felt like a lump in her heart was released. From then on, she really got better.
Translator Note: So…umm…how do I get my own Hikan?
extra (based on true story)::
Mom: *open the door and saw me tling* How much do you get paid for doing this?
Me: *dumb smile* I get paid with unrealistically high standard from hot characters that doesn't exist
Mom: *had enough of me and close the door*
Me after a while: *send the image of 2d characters aka husbandos to my mom in group chat* your son-in-laws
Mom: ...
She had enough to my crazy antics