SWNOVELXO Chapter 9.2 - Am I Making You Uncomfortable?
Me? Uncomfortable with him?
“No, not at all.”
Ian’s lips curved into a soft smile. His sculpted face carried just a hint of amusement, and for a moment, I couldn’t look away.
As expected of the male lead in the original story, his looks were ridiculously striking.
If I’m being honest, though, he does make me a bit uncomfortable. After all, Ian and Rosavelia are destined to be mortal enemies someday.
“I’m glad. I was worried you might feel uneasy because of that time I asked you to spar, and you thought it was a confession.”
“Not at all.”
His sharp observation hit the mark, and I felt my carefully maintained smile falter slightly.
Right, worrying about the future was pointless.
It wasn’t that I wasn’t afraid of the original story’s ending, but at least the Ian in front of me now didn’t scare me.
The Ian I had imagined while reading the original story and the Ian standing before me now were worlds apart.
“In that case, let’s work together. Since you said you’re not uncomfortable with me.”
I couldn’t think of a good reason to refuse. He was a rookie, after all, and it was unlikely he’d be able to handle the task smoothly on his own. It was true he probably needed help.
The Commander, of all people, would know that best. So why assign the task to Ian specifically?
Could Gabriel possibly be keeping an eye on him?
“Senior?”
“All right.”
There was no harm in building rapport with Ian.
I held out my hand to him. Ian, without hesitation, placed his hand in mine with a completely straight face.
“What are you doing?”
“Didn’t you ask me to give you my hand?”
“Why don’t we handle it together?”
“Having two people do a job one person can handle is a waste of time.”
“It’s not a waste—it’s an opportunity for a senior to teach a junior about the work.”
He doesn’t let anything slide, does he?
“I just prefer working alone.”
“Am I making you uncomfortable?”
Me? Uncomfortable with him?
“No, not at all.”
Ian’s lips curled into a soft smile. It wasn’t much—just a faint hint of amusement on his perfectly sculpted face—but for a moment, I couldn’t look away.
As expected of the male lead in the original story, his looks were absurdly striking.
If I had to be honest, though, I was closer to feeling uncomfortable than comfortable. After all, Ian and Rosavelia were fated to be mortal enemies, destined to kill each other someday…
“I’m relieved. I was worried you might be uncomfortable because you misunderstood my sparring request as a confession.”
“Not at all.”
His pinpoint remark made my carefully maintained smile falter slightly.
Right, I had no business harping on about the future.
It’s not like I wasn’t afraid of how the original story would end, but at least the Ian in front of me right now wasn’t frightening.
The Ian I had imagined while reading the story and the Ian I was facing now were worlds apart.
“In that case, let’s work together. Since you said I don’t make you uncomfortable.”
I couldn’t think of a valid reason to refuse. He was still a rookie, and it was unlikely he’d be able to handle things smoothly on his own. It was true that he probably needed some help.
The Commander, of all people, would know that better than anyone. So why assign such a task to Ian?
Could it be that Gabriel was keeping an eye on him?
“Senior?”
“Fine.”
There was no harm in building a rapport with Ian, after all.
I held out my hand to him. Without hesitation, Ian placed his hand directly on top of mine with an utterly straight face.
“What are you doing?”
“Didn’t you mean for me to place my hand on yours?”
I sighed quietly and wriggled my fingers beneath Ian’s larger hand.
“Never mind that. The Commander must’ve given you a list of the errands, right?”
At my words, Ian finally seemed to realize something and began rummaging through his pocket.
“Here it is.”
“Let’s see.”
Wait… this…
The note Ian handed over wasn’t about Knight Order-related tasks—it was full of Gabriel’s miscellaneous errands.
Did this guy manage to get on the Commander’s bad side?
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
I debated whether or not to say something, then decided to simply pat Ian on the shoulder.
“Well, the bookstore’s closest, so let’s start there.”
By the time we finished running around, we found ourselves back near the restaurant.
Had they finished eating by now? Or had they already left?
No matter how much I tried to ignore it, Rosavelia’s memories tugged at my attention, making it impossible to shake off the lingering thoughts.
I stopped and looked up at the restaurant. Ian, noticing my pause, tilted his head and asked,
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. It’s nothing.”
“If you’re hungry, I could treat you to a meal.”
“You? Why?”
“Well, you do spar with me.”
His unexpected response made me laugh aloud. Ian’s eyes studied me intently, his gaze so persistent that I awkwardly cleared my throat and waved my hand.
“No, I’m not hungry…”
Before I could finish, the restaurant door opened, and out stepped Kaiden.
I quickly grabbed Ian’s cloak and pulled him into an alleyway.
“Why are we hiding?”
“It’s just for a moment.”
“Who is that?”
“Do I really need to answer that?”
At my half-sighing response, Ian shrugged lightly as if to say, “Fair enough.”
“No, I suppose it’s none of my business.”
“It’s fine now. Let’s go.”
Once the carriage carrying Kaiden and Olivia drove away, I let go of Ian’s cloak.
Even though they had left, a faint, cheerful laughter seemed to echo in my ears. It lingered like a ghost, refusing to leave me.
“Should we head back to the Knight Order now?”
“Yeah.”
Ian turned onto the main street without hesitation, but just then, the sound of galloping hooves filled the air. I instinctively grabbed Ian’s cloak again, pulling him back.
A carriage sped past, barely missing him.
“Rookie, this is the middle of the plaza. You always have to watch your surroundings here. Accidents like earlier could…”
And what’s this now?
Ian looked up at me, as if cradled in my arms. His broad frame was a bit heavy to hold, but something about the way he awkwardly fit into my grip made me laugh.
“Hey, I think we’re fine now.”
“I couldn’t agree more.”
If he agrees, shouldn’t he be standing up already?
“Rookie, my arm’s about to fall off.”
“My apologies.”
“No need to apologize. Just remember, the plaza is unpredictable, so always stay alert.”
“Thank you, senior. You’ve saved me again.”
Ian had straightened up by now, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
Why did it feel like he was enjoying this situation a little too much?
“Let’s get going.”
“I’d like to stop by somewhere briefly. Is that all right?”
“Where?”
Ian gestured with his eyes toward the general store we’d visited earlier. Since it was nearby, I nodded without hesitation.
“I’ll be quick,” he said before heading off. True to his word, he returned shortly.
“Shall we?”
“Yeah, let’s head back to the Order.”
“Wait.”
“What is it? Do you need to stop somewhere else?”
“No, it’s this.”
When I turned around, Ian extended his hand toward me, holding something wrapped in thin, crinkled paper. The round shape suggested it might be candy.
“Where did you get this?”
“I bought it at the general store. The packaging said it’s a sweet treat so sugary it makes your head spin, and I was curious.”
As I picked up a piece, Ian moved his hand closer, offering the rest.
“They’re all for you.”
“Don’t you want some for yourself?”
Ian shook his head firmly in response.
“No, I’m not a fan of sweets.”
“Then why’d you buy this?”
“Do you really not know?”
Ian furrowed his brows slightly, looking at me as though I’d asked something ridiculous.
Ah, so he bought them for me.
“Did you know I like sweets?”
It was one of the few things Rosavelia and I had in common—a serious sweet tooth.
“I gathered information about you because I wanted to spar with you.”
“You should’ve tried bribing me with sweets, then.”
It was a joke, but Ian hesitated for a moment before replying.
“I read that you wouldn’t agree to a duel just for something like that.”
“You’re much more serious about sparring than I thought.”
“I told you, didn’t I? That kind of sensation was a first for me. Sparring with you is the only joy in my life right now.”
I paused, my hands full of the candies Ian had given me, just as I was about to shove them haphazardly into my pocket.
The only joy in his life? Was it really that significant to him?
“Anyway, thanks. I’ll enjoy these.”
“Then I’ll look forward to our next sparring session.”
“When is it again?”
“Two days from now.”
He answered so quickly it was clear he’d been waiting for me to ask. I couldn’t help but chuckle.
“So it’s not a bribe after all?”
“It’s not. Consider it my thanks for saving me twice today.”
Suppressing a smile, I unwrapped a piece of candy and popped it into my mouth. The description wasn’t wrong—it was so sweet it felt like my head was spinning. For a moment, all my thoughts vanished, drowned in the intense sugar rush.
“Are you really not going to try one?”
“No. Like I said, I’m not fond of sweets…”
Ian suddenly stopped mid-sentence, his brows knitting together as he stared across the plaza.
“What’s wrong?”
Following his gaze, I saw a man walking toward us.
Wait a second. That face…
It was a face I recognized too well.