Chapter 175
Chapter 175
"Huh?"
"A date. Wait, no. I asked when you're getting married."
"Ah... Ha. Ha. Ha. Married...?"
Logan froze as if struck by the legendary 8th-Circle Ice Magic, only his eyeballs rolling in place.
With Ellen's gaze burning into his side, only one thought surfaced in his mind:
'Mar...riage?'
To be honest, he'd completely forgotten about it.
His days had been consumed by thoughts of what needed to be done next.
To put it bluntly, in a situation where he might be dead in 5 or 6 years, how could he afford to imagine any other future?
Of course, when he first sought to recruit Ellen, marriage had crossed his mind.
A knight who might become a Transcendent in the future—she was undoubtedly worth that much.
But the problem was the special feelings that had grown between them over time.
'Could I even properly build a family? With so much still left to do?'
If he truly cared for her—no, precisely because he cared—
'Wouldn't that be wrong?'
As his thoughts spiraled to that point, Logan's face stiffened completely.
Then—
"Ah, I just remembered something I'd forgotten. Excuse me for a moment..."
In a flash, he left behind a flimsy excuse and vanished like the wind.
"......"
"......"
The two of them stood frozen in stunned silence for a while.
Beside Ellen, whose face cycled through shades of red and blue, Patrick cautiously spoke up after gauging her expression.
"Did I... make a mistake, my lady?"
"No, no. Not at all, Father."
The unexpected calmness in Ellen's voice made Patrick sigh in relief.
"This was Logan's mistake."
But the sharp edge in her next words left him swallowing a dry gulp.
'My son... You better beg for forgiveness.'
After silently praying for his son's well-being beyond the door, Patrick tactfully slipped away from the aftermath of the bomb he'd dropped.
'What kind of idiot...?'
Though he had fled in a daze, even he knew his excuse was laughable.
He could have calmly talked it out and persuaded her—why had he run?
"Pathetic..."
Only after stopping outside the castle did Logan finally pause to sigh.
From a distance, he saw Ellen approaching.
The moment he spotted her, the urge to flee again surfaced unbidden. Scrubbing a hand through his hair, he let out a bitter laugh.
Then, taking a deep breath, he steeled himself and walked toward her, prepared for whatever scolding awaited.
But Ellen's reaction was unexpected.
"I've never seen you panic like that before."
Her soft chuckle inexplicably eased his tension—though realizing that only made him feel more pathetic.
"...I'm sorry. You saw me at my worst."
"It's fine. To be honest, I was flustered too. I just didn't think to run like you did."
"...My apologies."
"I don't want apologies. What matters is what we do from now on."
"Huh?"
As Logan blinked dumbly, Ellen smiled and answered.
"Marriage."
"Ah..."
"Today was one thing, but the elders will only pressure us more. We can't keep using busy schedules as an excuse forever."
"That's... true."
"At least if we set a rough timeline, we can avoid situations like this."
At that, Logan's expression darkened slightly.
Noticing, Ellen's own face stiffened before she hesitantly asked again.
"Logan... by any chance..."
"...?"
"Is there someone else you'd rather marry?"
"Wh—Absolutely not!"
The sudden question made Logan blurt out louder than intended.
"That's a relief. I don't have anyone else in mind either."
"Huh?"
Their eyes met.
Staring blankly at each other, they burst into laughter almost simultaneously.
"Honestly, I was angry at first."
Ellen's first words after laughing for a while.
Seeing Logan's slight panic, she grinned and looked up at the sky.
"It felt like... being rejected by someone I thought of as my future husband."
Future husband.
Though everyone had seen them that way, hearing the word aloud made both speaker and listener flush slightly.
"It wasn't rejection..."
"But then it hit me—did I even come here because I wanted to get married?"
Logan flinched as she continued.
"The dreams I had became reality, and I overcame the unexpected harshness of it all... But somewhere along the way, I grew complacent. Without realizing it, I must have started leaning on you."
Ellen's gaze, which had been fixed on the sky, returned to his face.
"Pretty pathetic, huh?"
"...Not at all."
I'm the pathetic one. Not you.
That's what he wanted to say—
"Well, I won't deny my feelings. You gave me a chance, changed my life. I was grateful, so grateful, that I wanted to help you too... And somewhere along the way, I grew to like you."
"Huh?!"
The sudden confession left him frozen in shock.
"I never asked because I assumed it was obvious. Logan... do you not like me?"
"O-Of course I do..."
The raw honesty in his reflexive answer made Logan's face burn crimson.
Ellen laughed brightly at the sight.
"Ahaha. That's a relief. Phew, you have no idea how nervous I was just now."
"...Ah. That, well..."
"Anyway, that settles it. As long as we're on the same page. We can figure out the marriage talk later. Even if we delay, we'll just say so."
Her wink seared into his mind. The warmth of their interlaced fingers felt inexplicably reassuring, and a laugh bubbled up as something tight in his chest loosened.
This moment, laughing together again, felt unbearably precious.
"...But seriously, why did you run?"
"...I hadn't even thought about marriage. So I panicked."
"You idiot. You ran because you panicked? Do you know how awkward I felt in front of Father...?"
"I'm sorry. Really."
With nothing else to say, Logan awkwardly stared at the sky.
Ellen chuckled before abruptly asking:
"But Logan... you don't actually dislike the idea of marrying me, right?"
Without thinking, he nodded.
"Of course not. You're too good for me."
The sincerity in his answer surprised even himself.
Ellen stepped closer.
"Then when should we marry? We should at least set a tentative date."
Meeting his gaze, she gently took his hand.
Somehow, their dynamic felt reversed—embarrassing, yet endearing.
He wanted to nod eagerly, but—
The more he did—
"...I don't think we should."
"Huh? Why?"
"I have too much to do. It'll only get worse. Even if I married, I couldn't devote myself to family life. I'd probably be the worst husband."
He spoke with genuine concern, but—
"...That's it?"
Ellen's reaction was odd.
She looked almost incredulous.
"Huh?"
"That's seriously all?"
"Ah, no. It's not that simple. The next 5 or 6 years will be insanely busy—"
If I don't throw myself into work, we might all die.
He couldn't voice that fatal truth, swallowing it back—
Ellen dismantled his logic in one sentence.
"Then wouldn't a stable home help you work better?"
"...Huh?"
He hadn't considered that angle.
"If you're going to be busy, wouldn't a stable home help you handle it?"
"But... that'd be unfair to you..."
"Why would it be unfair?"
Her gaze was unwavering, without a trace of doubt.
"A husband who knows he's busy and regrets it sounds perfect. And that busyness is for our sake—for our territory. I'll be busy too. You don't think I'll quit knighthood and sit around after marriage, do you?"
Her following words held no hesitation.
Her confident voice gently soothed Logan's unease.
"Ha... I was being stupid. I worried that tying yourself to me might ruin your life."
"Are you joking? I'm already part of the MacLaine family—a knight, your fiancée, publicly acknowledged. What would change if we didn't marry now?"
Her incredulous tone stabbed straight through his chest.
Ah...
Is that... true?
Now that he thought about it...
The absurdity of his own worries made him chuckle.
"Stop worrying needlessly and just say we'll marry. Next year? If we're still too busy then, we'll find another excuse. Until we're less swamped and have more peace of mind."
Logan looked at Ellen with fresh eyes.
A man who fled at the mention of marriage.
An absurd excuse.
'She must have been furious...'
How disappointed had she been?
How angry?
Yet here she was, still shielding him.
This too was her consideration for him—always trying to avoid burdening her.
With a small sigh, Logan took her hand.
She jolted slightly. The warmth of their interlaced fingers felt strangely grounding, drawing out his sincerity.
"I was wrong. That was stupid of me. I'm sorry."
"Are you going to keep repeating yourself? Now..."
"So. Let's get married."
"...Huh?"
Ellen stared at him wide-eyed.
Her flushed face stirred guilt in him—yet she looked even more lovable.
So he repeated firmly.
"Let's get married. Not just to set a date for excuses—I mean it seriously."
The earlier version of himself, tangled in pointless worries, now seemed laughable.
"R-Really?"
"Yes. I mean it."
Her radiant smile at those simple words finally made him certain.
'I... was just scared.'
Scared that everything in his grasp might vanish someday.
Scared of failing his responsibilities.
Even as he lived to prevent all that, fear of potential failure had paralyzed him.
'I will succeed. I will make it happen. So...'
Squeeze.
I'll protect this moment too.
"Thank you. And..."
Holding someone precious, feeling their heartbeat—
"I love you."
"...?!"
So this warmth against his lips would remain a memory forever.
The setting sun cast long shadows behind the lovers walking across the plains.
Their flushed faces showed no intention of letting go, and though no words were spoken, their steps slowed naturally.
How long had they walked?
Just as the distant town came into view—
The man spoke.
"But the wedding should wait until things settle in the territory."
"Huh?!"
"I won't make you wait long. Just a little longer. There's still so much to do."
The woman's face twisted slightly, and cold sweat trickled down the man's back—
But thankfully, she soon nodded.
"Fine. I can wait that much..."
"Thank you."
"But you're still not telling me what this 'dangerous work' is?"
"...I'll tell you when the time comes. I don't want to worry you needlessly."
"You know how worrying that sounds, right?"
"I promise. I will tell you when it's time."
"Alright. Promise."
On the day of his proposal—
The man hadn't even brought a ring.
Yet the woman's face couldn't have been brighter.
From that day on, the people of MacLaine Town saw Logan and Ellen together far more often.
"They'll marry soon enough."
By the time Patrick's fond gaze at the couple became familiar—
Riina Ulvs arrived in MacLaine.