IYAMD: Episode 80

Marsilia stared at Jaha for a while before letting out a sigh.

“It’s not that I don’t know you’re strong.”

Jaha knew that as well. He knew that Marsilia was hesitating because he was worried about him. But was there any other way? As Jaha continued to stare at him, Marsilia sighed deeply through his nose and let out a dry laugh.

“Once we finish all the preparations, you and I will try to lure the dragon. Darren, I confirmed that there are no mages in the group, did Serez fail to receive support from the tower?”

Darren stepped forward and took another letter out from his chest.

“Lord Hastings instructed me to give this to you once His Majesty calms down.”

“Damn it.”

Marsilia opened the letter and then spoke to everyone.

“There is no support from the Mage Tower. It’s no longer as glorious as it used to be in the past, so there’s no need to be disappointed.”

Marsilia folded the letter, tucked it into his pocket, and continued.

“Gerald has arrived, so we begin work tomorrow. We’ll make as much as we can in a week. We’ll strike the dragon before the end of August.”

Marsilia wrapped up the meeting after coordinating minor details.

On their way back to the camp, Jaha asked him, “What did the letter say?”

Seeing Marsilia’s reaction, Jaha thought there must be something more than just the Mage Tower news. Marsilia glanced back at him with a subtle smile.

Is it something difficult to talk about? Not feeling like pressing further, Jaha turned his gaze away, but Marsilia grabbed his arm.

“Shall we take a walk?”

A walk at a time like this? Looking at Marsilia’s expression, Jaha silently followed him without a word. It seemed like there were things they couldn’t talk about in front of others.

They began walking toward the stream where they used to fetch water. After stepping a little away from the camp, Marsilia spoke.

“The date for the council meeting has been set, Jaha.”

Jaha blinked in surprise. Didn’t the news of the dragon already reach the Imperial Palace? How could they go ahead with a meeting to depose the Emperor in a situation like this?

Swallowing his rising anger, Jaha responded.

“Is everyone out of their minds? In this situation, they’re setting the date for a council meeting?”

“It was probably set before Serez received the report.”

Seeing Marsilia answer nonchalantly made Jaha even more frustrated. Kicking a small stone with his foot, Jaha heard a faint laugh from beside him.

“If I say that I’m happy to see you angry for my sake, I’m sure you’d be annoyed.”

Without saying anything, Jaha glared at him. He stopped for a moment, then started walking again and asked Marsilia.

“When is the council meeting?”

“September 11th.”

It was a tight schedule, especially right after dealing with the dragon. Jaha just stated the date and, without saying another word, turned his attention to Marsilia, who had closed his mouth.

“Are you okay?”

“What do you mean?”

Marsilia, acting as if he didn’t know what Jaha meant, reached out his hand to him. After staring at the hand for a moment, Jaha grabbed it and walked leisurely, feeling the warmth of Marsilia’s firm grip.

The direction of the stream was different from where the dragon was, but at least there were bird songs here. Though the number of birds seemed few compared to the dense forest, it still brought a bit of peace.

“September 11th… that’s the day of my coronation.”

“Crazy…”

Unable to hold back his frustration, Jaha cursed, and Marsilia turned to look at him in surprise.

“I don’t know what it means, but did you just curse?”

“Yeah.”

Marsilia started laughing, and Jaha gave him an irritated look. How could the man be so calm? Even Jaha, as an outsider, was filled with anger.

“Aren’t you angry?”

At Jaha’s sharp voice, Marsilia shrugged.

“I kind of expected it. Since September is approaching, I figured it would be around that time. If I were the Archduke , I wouldn’t be able to ignore the opportunity to make such a dramatic move.”

He kicked a stone that had been in his way, and the stone rolled slowly until it stopped just before Marsilia spoke again.

“I’m not angry. I know you’ll be by my side.”

Marsilia, responding nonchalantly, stopped walking and pulled Jaha toward him.

“I know your answer isn’t certain yet. But I don’t think you’ll leave me.”

Jaha looked up at him with a troubled expression. The man was really slick. He was still anxious, unable to trust Jaha completely, yet he spoke so confidently. As Jaha stared at the soft smile on Marsilia’s face, he sighed.

“Right now, sure. But there’s no guarantee my feelings won’t change by then. When the time comes, I might just run away.”

At Jaha’s honest words, Marsilia smiled.

“Run away?”

It was a difficult question to answer. Jaha hesitated, not wanting to admit it to the man who asked. He closed his eyes slowly, sighing.

How could he be so weak?

Truthfully, he had no real intention of running away. Even though everything he feared was clearly ahead, he wasn’t about to flee.

When he opened his eyes, he saw Marsilia’s face closer than before. Jaha pushed Marsilia’s chin away with all his might.

“Don’t do that. It’s annoying and frustrating.”

By the time they reached the stream, Jaha’s irritation had only increased. With all the training and duels lately, he was sweating and unable to take a proper bath because of that man.

When he didn’t know about the stream, it was fine, but human hearts are so treacherous. After discovering the existence of the stream, Jaha felt more discomfort than usual. So, when he suggested that they wash separately, that man even opposed Jaha going alone to wash.

Sitting on a rock by the stream, Jaha began to remove his boots as he gazed at the flowing water.

“What are you doing?”

“Going into the water.”

He had heard that if he took off his clothes, the man would get aroused, so if he kept his clothes on, it should be fine.

“Are you going to strip in front of me?”

Without responding to the man’s question, Jaha neatly set his boots aside and walked into the stream.

As his feet, once enclosed in leather boots, dipped into the cold water, a shiver ran through him, reaching his bones with a refreshing chill.

Jaha walked deeper into the stream, still in his clothes. He slipped slightly on the mossy rock, but the tingling sensation on his soles felt pleasant. Entering a shallower part of the stream, up to his thighs, Jaha stretched out his arms and jumped into the water.

He sank to the bottom before rising back up. Throwing his head back and flipping his wet hair. His clothes were completely soaked, but he didn’t care, since he would change afterward anyway.

Squatting in the water, Jaha splashed and called out to Marsilia.

“Come in too. It’s really refreshing.”

Jaha was good at swimming. Before he could wait for the man’s response, he walked further into the stream.

Jaha, submerged up to his neck, looked back. Marsilia, with a subtle expression, approached before diving in.

The large man didn’t make a big splash but sank and then rose again. He pushed his wet blond hair back and spat out the water in his mouth as he approached Jaha.

“Refreshing, isn’t it?”

The water wasn’t deep enough to reach their tights when standing. Both of them were squatting, with only their faces above the surface, floating in the water. Marsilia, seeing Jaha’s smile, sighed and rubbed his face with his hand.

“It is refreshing.”

“Starting tomorrow, I’ll come to wash alone.”

At Jaha’s declaration, Marsilia shook his head.

“No.”

“Why?”

“What if someone harms you?”

It was an unreasonable. Jaha laughed out loud and splashed water at him. The water, infused with a little bit of energy, hit Marsilia’s face with a slap.

Marsilia, who was hit harder than Jaha intended, rubbed his face and let out a dry laugh.

“Are you really going to do that?”

Without answering, Jaha again pushed water with his palm.

Seeing the stronger wave rise, Marsilia dove completely underwater. In the transparent water, Jaha could clearly see Marsilia’s body, drenched and transparent.

Marsilia swam toward him under the water, grabbed him by the hand, and lifted him up, tossing him back into the water.

Splash! Jaha sank closer to the bottom. His long, dark hair, spread out like seaweed, brushed against Marsilia’s hand.

Before Jaha could rise again, Marsilia dove after him. He grabbed the back of Jaha’s neck, and Jaha’s wide, yellow eyes appeared, surprised, through his black hair.

As Marsilia drew closer, the black hair covered Jaha’s vision.Marsilia cleared away the tousled hair, Jaha’s beautiful face, though still thin, appeared. He was getting more beautiful as he gained some flesh on his cheeks.

Sometimes, when he smiled, it was hard to focus.

Underwater, their eyes met, and Jaha slowly lowered his gaze.

When their lips met, Marsilia pulled Jaha’s body tightly into his arms. Water invaded through their parted lips and, along with their exhaled breath, flowed back out.

The bubbles rising from the water tickled Jaha’s cheek, but his fingers on Marsilia’s back felt even more ticklish.

The languid sensation caused Jaha to close his eyes instinctively. When their lips fully pressed together, it felt as though the world consisted of just the two of them. The bubbling sound of water filled his ears, and the faint warmth of Marsilia’s body in the cold water was all that remained.

In Marsilia’s blackened vision, Jaha’s hair swayed like seaweed, and that moment was imprinted in his memory.