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Bermuda Chapter 271
🕑 Added 2024-08-31 07:15:58 +0000 UTCChapter 271
The nearby 1st Battalion members also naturally tried to follow the Commander, but Hugo shook his head as if to say there was no need to come along. Instead, he gestured with his chin towards where Leonardo was. It meant to guard him well.
The remaining personnel who couldn't accompany him stared blankly at the Commander's retreating figure. Seeing them looking at each other and asking what they should do, it seemed they too had no idea about their superior's destination.
Leonardo rolled his eyes as he tried to grasp the suddenly unfolding situation, then looked up at Cordelia, who had been the decisive factor in Hugo's departure.
She was watching the departing group with a somewhat anxious look. Soon after, Leonardo, who had gotten up from his seat, casually asked her:
"Major, what's going on?"
Cordelia, snapping back to her senses, turned to look at him with a slightly flustered expression. Then, as if nothing had happened, she shook her head and smiled while taking Leonardo's hand again.
"It's nothing. You don't need to worry about it."
Afterwards, she naturally sat down where Hugo had been sitting, as if her main business had been here all along. Then, gently pulling Leonardo's arm so as not to hurt him, she made him sit next to her as well.
She carefully scanned Leonardo's face with a warm gaze that came from within.
"I heard the news that you had woken up a while ago, but I've been so busy that I'm only coming to see you now. If I had known a little earlier that you were leaving tomorrow morning, I would have come sooner and talked to you to my heart's content."
Cordelia's eyes were full of gratitude, apology, and regret as she said this.
Contrary to her words that it was nothing, there was also an undisguised concern that she hadn't managed to hide.
Leonardo was curious about the inside story of the previous situation, but seeing that she didn't seem inclined to speak about it, he didn't press the matter. Instead, he focused on her touch, which had become rough to the point where it was hard to believe they were the hands of a noble.
She was currently acting as a bridgehead for the connection between the Council and the Parren Army, bearing a responsibility that was heavy enough to be mentioned repeatedly during the meeting. He could tell without being told that she had come to see him, squeezing out what little time she had when she wasn't busy.
Leonardo unconsciously raised the corners of his mouth. It was an instinct to show only his good side in the little time left.
He pulled out one of the blankets that had been serving as his backrest, warmed it up, and covered Cordelia's legs with it. He looked at her with deliberately narrowed eyes, then spoke in a reproachful tone:
"That's right. Why didn't you come sooner?"
Cordelia's red eyes widened into circles. Leonardo, leaning back with his hands behind him, shrugged and added:
"I wanted to be praised by you, Major."
Cordelia blinked in bewilderment, her inner feelings transparently revealed on her face. Then she laughed helplessly with that characteristic deflating sound.
It felt as if the teenage Leonardo she had seen a few years ago had jumped out of her memory and was chattering in front of her. The young boy who would complain, asking for praise, to her stiff tone of saying "good job" after successfully completing a mission.
The Leonardo of that time would sometimes act slick, but he had an unavoidable cuteness of his age. When the pretty boy would throw out a playful joke, the atmosphere would lighten even before a serious mission. So it was a natural progression and an undeniable truth that she and her military colleagues had cherished him.
Cordelia smiled brightly all over her face, as if she had briefly visited that time.
Yet, recalling the petition she had to keep hidden, she tightly grasped Leonardo's hand with a bitterness.
"You're right. I should have come sooner."
"..."
"You, who swore to help me and fulfilled that oath. I should have been the first to rush over..."
Her face gradually darkened as she muttered in a heavy voice. Her eyes, wandering as if lost, puzzled Leonardo.
"You saved our family and territory. Thank you, Blaine."
Cordelia repeatedly expressed her gratitude to him. Leonardo felt embarrassed, but he clearly felt the slight trembling transmitted through her hand.
Somehow, her shadowed face and trembling bothered him, but instead of asking about her circumstances, he tightly held her with his warm hand.
At that moment, Cordelia's gaze, which had fallen downward, turned to the handkerchief wrapped around Leonardo's neck. Even without asking whose it was, its presence was certain. Cordelia inwardly repeated the words she hadn't been able to convey.
'This time, I should be the one to save you.'
She remained silent for a moment, then raised her head and met Leonardo's gaze.
Using the noisy voices of the members as a curtain, she unconsciously asked him:
"Blaine, do you trust His Excellency?"
***
The victory celebration wrapped up around midnight. Although there were those who were reluctant to end it, everyone was in a mood of self-restraint for tomorrow's schedule.
Leonardo entered the cabin alone once again tonight, escorted by the 8th Platoon leader. Sitting blankly on the deck, he recalled the conversation from earlier with a dazed expression.
Although the surroundings had been noisy, thanks to the 1st Battalion members standing guard, the two were able to have a relatively serious conversation in that place.
The conversation went back to the time before entering the peninsula when he had sworn to help Cordelia in front of the gate. Although their military days that only the two of them knew about were occasionally mentioned, as if they were both conscious of it, they didn't delve too deeply.
It was a heartwarming conversation reminiscing about memories, just to the point of not being uncomfortable. Leonardo was inwardly grateful to Cordelia for maintaining that appropriate line.
However, when she asked if he trusted Hugo, he was at a loss for words and couldn't answer immediately. Cordelia quickly moved on to another topic, as if she hadn't meant much by the question.
But given her personality, she wasn't one to speak frivolously, so Leonardo, while inferring her intentions, couldn't hastily assign meaning to it. He could only guess that there was some secret thing between the two that he didn't know about, as they had seemed close enough to whisper to each other.
"Where did he go, anyway..."
Returning to reality, Leonardo glanced at the tightly closed door. Then, furrowing his brow, he flopped down on the deck.
It had already been well over two hours since he started waiting.
What could be keeping him so busy, excluding only himself? Even Flynn, who had dropped by briefly, had soon gone elsewhere, telling him to go to sleep first.
He disliked nights alone because they were too quiet. An unpleasant loneliness lurked close by.
On nights when he met someone who knew his past, excluding family like Nero, he invariably had nightmares when sleeping alone. And today seemed to be just such a day, so Leonardo couldn't fall asleep. It wasn't because the person he was waiting for hadn't come. ...It wasn't.
Staring at the orange light that colored everything from ceiling to floor, he pondered how he should react when that person came. He wanted to finally break the strange atmosphere that had persisted since morning. If he had made a mistake, he wanted to apologize.
However, before his thoughts could deepen, familiar footsteps were heard from outside. It was an elegant gait that he felt he knew without seeing. No sooner had his golden eyes moved than the cabin door opened carefully.
Creak–
"You're back?"
Leonardo, who had been lying down, abruptly raised his upper body. Hugo, who seemed to have opened the door with some consideration, hesitated upon seeing him awake.
"You're not sleeping. You must be tired."
Hugo slowly closed the door and came inside, looking down at the clock hands pointing to around 2 AM. He headed towards the corner of the cabin where the luggage was placed, even before properly meeting Leonardo's eyes.
Although it wasn't a particularly welcome response, Leonardo asked as if nothing was wrong:
"Where did you go? Did something happen?"
He leaned towards where Hugo had moved, propping himself up on the deck with his uninjured right arm. Hugo, unbuttoning his combat uniform and taking off his top, remained silent for a moment at Leonardo's question.
Then, after neatly folding his clothes and placing them on a chair, he picked up the map from the side table and turned around to answer:
"There was something to discuss about the return route. Since we need to move quickly, we decided to move in three groups."
Leonardo's eyebrows subtly rose at the words "return route." He wondered if that was something to discuss with the knights, but well, if Hugo said so, he supposed it was.
After hearing the reason for his outing, Leonardo lost interest in what Hugo was explaining. Rather, he just guessed that Hugo must be in a good mood now, given how diligently he was answering.
However, that thought was quickly shattered. Hugo, approaching the front of the deck, casually picked up a thin bedding.
Standing close enough to cast a shadow over Leonardo's face, Hugo looked down at him and spoke in a soft voice words that were like a bolt from the blue:
"You must have been overwhelmed with attention all day, so go ahead and rest well. I'll stay at a nearby quarters, so feel free to use this place comfortably by yourself."
"...What?"
Leonardo asked back with wide eyes at the unexpected words. After staying here all this time, where was he going now?
Of course, although he had stayed in the same space as Agrizendro, he had never shared a bed with him. He didn't know what had happened while he was unconscious, but it certainly wasn't common for two unrelated men to sleep together. But still,
"This place is quite spacious, isn't it? Can't we sleep separately if we want to? You don't have to go somewhere else."
Leonardo tried to change Hugo's decision, attempting to sound cool and implying that it didn't matter. However, Hugo shook his head and said firmly:
"I plan to study the map a bit more before sleeping, so the light being on will probably disturb your sleep. I'll come to wake you up in the morning, so until then, sleep soundly without thinking about anything. Since the gate's portal is currently under inspection, tomorrow's journey back will be quite long."
After answering like that, Hugo smiled faintly and lightly touched Leonardo's cheek. Usually, he would have gently rubbed it or brushed his hair, but today there was just a momentary touch.
"Well then, sleep well, Leonardo."
Hugo, nodding his head slightly and leaving those parting words, turned his steps to go outside. Leonardo followed his retreating figure with confused eyes, and unconsciously reached out his arm to grab Hugo's collar.
"Wait, don't go!"
But perhaps because Hugo's steps were too quick, Leonardo barely grazed his clothes and lost his balance, lurching forward.
Feeling his collar being pulled, Hugo, who had just turned around, saw him about to fall and quickly bent his waist.
"...!"
The things Hugo had been holding scattered on the floor in an instant. Leonardo clung to Hugo, his lower body still on the deck, almost spilled over.
His upper body was barely leaning against Hugo's broad chest, suspended in the air supported by two large hands.
Hugo, who had caught Leonardo in the blink of an eye, stared at the fellow in his arms with a somewhat bewildered expression.
Perhaps because the gap was so close, neither of them could even breathe for a few seconds. They just stayed frozen, half-embracing each other and meeting each other's surprised eyes.
In the silence, their heart rates gradually increased. When the ticking of the second hand seemed particularly loud, it was Leonardo who showed movement first.
His pretty lips moved beautifully. His eyes, shadowed like crosshatching under his eyelashes, unconsciously revealed his true feelings.
"Don't go."
Comments
Jesse Gibson
Soooooooooo frustrating!!!!!
