Weren’t You the One Who Was Dying? Chapter 89

Inside the cabin, where the stove gave off a faint warmth.

“……Ugh.”

Cold.

I let out a breath, shivering all over while completely soaked.

‘Did I really reincarnate into a romance novel?’

No matter how I think about it, this feels way closer to a survival story.

I mean, I almost died of embarrassment from hair loss, then got trapped in a weird room and nearly starved to death for days.

Then I almost died from poison after eating a poisonous mushroom, and now I almost died after being swept away by a storm.

‘Isn’t this basically surviving in the jungle?’

I let out a deep sigh and wrung out my wet hair tightly.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes—no. I’m cold…….”

Ridel hurriedly draped a blanket over me.

“I’d like to call Colonel Kloiden too, but he’s far too busy right now. Even I can’t just pull him out in the middle of battle, so please understand.”

Ridel spoke with a hint of a joke.

“No, not at all. What do you mean by ‘pull him out’?”

“Well, it’s not like there’s no way.”

“What way?”

“If the colonel finds out his fiancée is nearly dying like this, he might completely lose his cool.”

At her words, I tugged the blanket closer and let out a small laugh. I couldn’t really imagine the always-rational Ehit completely losing it.

I think I’d seen him shaken a few times, but a full emotional storm beyond that was hard to picture.

“That wouldn’t happen.”

“Oh, I think it would.”

“Ehit’s gaze is way too steady. He’s not the type whose eyes would roll back.”

At that, Ridel laughed loudly and nodded.

“True. Instead of rolling his eyes, he seems like the type who’d flip everything within his sight. Especially when it comes to his fiancée.”

Whether she truly believed it or was just saying it for my sake, Ridel spoke as if Ehit would do absolutely anything for me.

“No, that’s not true.”

“Not true? It absolutely is!”

Even when I denied it, she insisted with shining eyes.

Looking at Ridel in front of me, a thought crossed my mind.

Right now, she doesn’t even consider Ehit as a romantic interest.

Which makes sense. Ridel has strong morals, and for one thing, Ehit very clearly already has a fiancée…….

Unlike in the original story, where Ridel appeared after Ehit had already broken off his engagement.

It was a slightly different situation from what I had first worried about.

The day I first saw Ridel—seeing her shine beside Ehit—I thought that was the beginning of their story.

So my heart had been really confused and heavy back then…….

Thinking about it now, the reason I was that shaken when I first saw Ridel probably wasn’t just because the original story had started.

Even if I hadn’t admitted it, I already had feelings for Ehit back then.

And the thought that someone else would soon appear by his side was just…….

……I think I was jealous.

It’s ironic and embarrassing that I’d feel that way, but still, that’s how it was.

It’s a desire that can’t really be explained logically.

‘Still, it’s a relief.’

Among all the headache-inducing parts of being Ehit’s fiancée, it seems like I won’t have to add Ridel’s feelings to the list.

Ridel pushed the stove a little closer to me, then stood up.

“Rest as much as you like and come out later. I’d love to talk more, but time won’t allow it.”

“No, it’s fine. Please go!”

Left alone in the room, I wrapped the blanket tighter around my trembling body and recalled what had happened earlier.

I’d been swept away by a sudden massive wave, but I survived by clinging to the boat with sheer grip strength—no, almost pure willpower.

After that, I rowed desperately through the waves toward the right, and this ship found and rescued me.

This was the ship managed by Ridel, the overall commander and First Captain of the Bellachen Navy.

While battles were happening elsewhere, it seemed this ship was focused on reinforcing forces and preparing for the next fight.

‘Ehit must still be fighting. I hope he didn’t get hurt any more.’

Sitting on the bed and staring out at the distant sea, I eventually drifted off to sleep without realizing it. Maybe because I’d used up all my stamina, holy power, and mental strength, I slept quite deeply.

When I opened my eyes, the morning sun was already shining outside.

‘Where am I, and who am I?’

Realizing I’d been occupying someone else’s room the whole time without even knowing it, I jumped up in a panic. I stood up too fast and almost hit my head, nearly knocking a teacup off the shelf.

Relieved that there wasn’t a loud crash, I tried to immediately apologize to Ridel, whose bed I’d stolen.

“Admiral! I’m sorry—”

But I was alone in the room. It seemed Ridel hadn’t returned to the cabin, and outside was quiet, unlike last night.

The battle had ended overnight.

‘Then…….’

I quickly threw off the blanket. I hurriedly wrapped a thick shawl over my dry clothes, opened the cabin door, and ran out.

There was someone I needed to find.

I went out onto the deck and scanned the sea.

‘Where is Ehit’s ship?’

Was he safe? I needed to find him right away—

“What are you looking for?”

My gaze, fixed on the sea, turned behind me. The first thing I noticed was a familiar chest.

I lifted my head and confirmed the face of the man who had spoken to me.

Ehit was standing there with a calm, almost indifferent expression and a relaxed air.

Under the bright blue sky, so different from last night’s darkness, he looked unharmed despite his torn uniform and the bloodstains here and there.

I reached out my hand toward Ehit. He stepped closer and took it.

“You’re safe.”

“You should say that about yourself.”

“That’s a relief.”

“My thoughts exactly.”

With relief filling my fingertips, my hand touched Ehit’s cheek, which had a small scrape.

His gaze shifted to my hand.

Is it cold? Even with the warmth of the stove, my hands hadn’t really warmed up.

Ehit took my hand resting on his cheek and slowly wrapped it in his own. A cool sensation intertwined between our fingers.

“Please understand. This time, I didn’t have time to warm them.”

“Huh?”

Even though his skin felt cool and rough, it strangely felt warmer. Was it because my hands were colder than before, or because of something else?

Ehit was silently looking at me.

This is what makes it difficult for me.

That look, the amount of time we’ve spent together that I’ve already grown used to, the timing where he appears like this as if he knows whenever I want to find him—

It keeps making me want more.

It makes me want to turn away from reality and just get drunk on the present.

It makes me want to be selfish.

Ehit enclosed both of my hands between his large ones. I looked down at them for a moment, then realized he was just staring straight at my face.

And when warmth finally started creeping into my cheeks instead of my hands—

Ehit pulled me in.

I fell straight into his broad chest.

We stayed like that for a while, without saying anything. Both of us.

Thump, thump. The only sound was a heartbeat—whether it was mine or his, I couldn’t tell.

After listening to that heartbeat for a long while, I spoke softly in a half-joking tone.

“Is this one of those things comrades do?”

“Let’s say it is.”

Ehit smiled.

For me, it was a serious thought disguised as a joke, but I didn’t want to misunderstand his feelings or get my hopes up for no reason.

Ehit released the arms that had been holding me and looked into my eyes again before speaking.

“Aren’t you hungry?”

“Very.”

He smiled faintly and started walking first.

“Follow me.”

That day, I ate Ehit’s special homemade sandwich for the first time in a long while.

Maybe it was because I ate it after surviving such an extreme situation, or maybe because I was eating it while facing him—but it tasted incredibly good.

 

 

****

 

 

 

The ship, which had stopped briefly, began moving again.

After arriving at the northern strait, another hectic stretch of time followed.

From unpacking our belongings and preparing to stay here for several days, to treating soldiers who still had injuries.

‘This is really hectic.’

I expected it, but it was even more chaotic than I’d thought.

Whoosh—the water poured out from the sink that had been shut.

I was filling containers with water at the shared sink to take to the medical tent.

Listening to the sound of running water like white noise, I was spacing out when someone tapped my shoulder.

“It’s going to overflow.”

Ehit shut off the tap and moved my container aside. Then he turned the water back on and began filling his own.

Realizing that I’d been staring at Ehit without noticing, I quickly shifted my gaze to his container.

I just watched as it filled up. Ehit noticed and lightly wet his hand with water, then brought it up to my eyes.

“Hey! What are you doing?”

“You looked sleepy.”

There was a hint of mischief in his eyes.

After glaring at him briefly, I scooped water with my hand and splashed it at Ehit.

“Uh, um…….”

But more water splashed than I expected.

Ehit let water drip from him and let out a dry laugh.

“I wasn’t sleepy, Dapflen.”

“……I thought you were.”

I blinked and hurriedly stepped back. Ehit took a long stride toward me.

I tried to seriously run away, but he’d already grabbed my arm. Ehit reached his hand toward the faucet, as if about to splash water back.

I yelped and reflexively slapped his arm and turned around.

“Ah.”

Did I hit his injury? Startled, I turned back.

The moment I did, Ehit yanked me toward him. His eyes were the same as when he teased me earlier.

“Seriously. What is this?! I thought your injury had opened up again.”

“Even if it had, there’s a very capable healer right here. What’s there to worry about?”

“And you think that capable healer would treat you after that?”

While we went back and forth like that for a while……

Suddenly, I became aware of how close we were.

His arm was wrapped around my waist, and there was barely a fist’s distance between our faces.