If You Wish to Have Me - Chapter 156

While Kisa glared at the door, the banging sounds not only didn’t stop but grew even louder.

To prepare for any possible situation, Gale had added extra locks in addition to the basic locking mechanism that was originally there, but if they broke down the door itself, it would all be useless.

In Kisa’s fear-stricken eyes, the door of this budget accommodation that didn’t charge much for lodging looked fragile.

‘Perhaps I should have gone to a more expensive place after all.’

For a moment, such regret crossed her mind, but Kisa had to shake her head.

She herself was the one who had dissuaded Gale, saying that staying at one of the few luxury hotels would be a dangerous choice.

Such places would naturally be frequented by the upper class, and the possibility of encountering someone who knew Kisa’s appearance in detail would increase dramatically.

Above all, what mattered now was how to deal with the immediate situation.

Kisa hurried to the dresser and reached deep into the drawer to pull out a rope.

This too was not an item provided by the accommodation, but something Gale had prepared for emergencies.

As a means to create another breakthrough when suspicious individuals were occupying the front door, just like now.

Holding the rope and glancing at the window, Kisa gathered one more item before taking serious action.

It was the pistol she always kept close to her body, ready for use at any time.

Kisa’s hand trembled slightly as she picked up the weapon that had been placed on the nightstand right next to the bed.

In a situation where she didn’t know how many unwelcome guests were outside, this was merely an auxiliary tool to facilitate a safe escape.

She quickly tied the rope to the leg of the bed, the heaviest piece of furniture in the room that she had surveyed beforehand.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Time passed without her even knowing how she was tying it, as the ominous sounds grew more violent than before.

After barely managing to tie the final knot, Kisa was satisfied with just pulling it hard a couple of times to confirm its sturdiness, then quickly headed to the window.

Just as she was about to open the window and throw the rope outside—

“Honey!”

A sudden shout struck her eardrums.

From the sound of it being not too far away, it seemed to be a shout that rang out in the corridor on the same floor.

“What are you doing here right now?”

The answer to that irritated question came from right outside the door.

“Huh? Huh? Why are you there…?”

“Good heavens! Your face is completely red! Just how much did you drink from broad daylight that you can’t even find our room?”

“What? Then this isn’t our room?”

“Our room is over there! That’s the room next door! I really can’t live like this! Coming all the way to the capital and then this!”

“No, I just looked wrong and…”

“Enough! Stop talking nonsense and just come in quickly! It’s fortunate that there’s no one in the next room, really.”

Soon after, the sound of two sets of footsteps was heard, followed by what seemed to be the door being slammed shut with a loud bang.

What remained after that was silence.

Kisa quietly held her breath for several minutes, then slowly sank down to the floor with a thud.

Before long, peaceful everyday sounds like bird chirping and conversations between guests filled the void left by the silence, but her heart could not do the same.

Thump-thump, thump-thump—feeling it beat violently for a long time, Kisa could only let out a sigh.

“Did anything happen?”

The next day, Gale visited the accommodation early as he had said he would.

Instead of revealing the coincidental incident that had made her heart sink yesterday, Kisa greeted him with a smile.

“No, nothing happened at all.”

There was no need to cause unnecessary worry for Gale, who already had many things to worry about because of her.

The couple staying in the next room had another building-shaking argument about alcohol problems today as well, and it was impossible to think that this was an act to make Kisa let her guard down.

“I’m glad to hear that. I know it must be frustrating not being able to go out, but please bear with it a little longer. I’ve looked at several candidate locations that could become your next residence. Let’s choose which one among them would be most suitable as quickly as possible.”

“You can take your time deciding. If we don’t want to move again, we need to make the right selection from the beginning.”

“But…”

“I’m fine. It would be a lie to say I’m not frustrated, but there’s nothing difficult about staying quietly in the room. And time passes quite well when I read the books you brought me.”

Although he might have had more to say, Gale silently nodded.

“Understood. If you need anything more, please tell me anytime.”

“I know. But really, this is more than enough.”

Kisa said this while pointing to the basket Gale had brought.

It was filled with enough provisions for Kisa’s daily needs for the next few days.

Since simple cooking could be done within the accommodation, there was no worry about getting tired of the food.

Moreover, there were even sour fruits for Kisa, who was still occasionally suffering from morning sickness, so it could be said that food was abundant.

However, Gale, who spared no effort in personally delivering these items, still seemed apologetic toward Kisa.

“…Are you really sure there’s nothing more you want?”

“Yes, there’s nothing.”

“Even something trivial would be fine. How about a musical instrument? There are many music stores nearby, and Matera isn’t called the city of arts for nothing.”

The violin she used to play occasionally came to mind, but Kisa waved her hand without showing any reaction.

“Wouldn’t that be a bit much? It would be loud too.”

What was the point of a musical instrument when she was hiding to avoid being discovered by her pursuers?

Gale also seemed to agree with Kisa’s opinion, showing a somewhat embarrassed expression.

“Now that I think about it, you’re right. My thinking was a bit short-sighted.”

“I’ll just accept your thoughtful intentions.”

“Then how about this? Going out for a walk together later. Since it’s gotten dark, if we cover up well with clothes, there’s less worry about being noticed by others, and since I’ll be by your side, if something happens—”

“Gale.”

Kisa cut off his words by quietly calling his name.

She knew it wasn’t polite, but this was for the best.

“I’m really fine.”

Her voice was gentle, but at the same time firm, and her gaze was directed straight at him.

“I’m grateful for your feelings, but going out for a walk right now doesn’t seem like a wise choice. Let’s go later. Later.”

After her next residence was definitively decided and Kisa had moved there and adapted to her new life.

Only if Gale still intended to show excessive kindness to Kisa even then.

Although she didn’t voice all these inner thoughts directly, some of it would have been conveyed to Gale.

He was a perceptive person.

“…”

A heavy silence descended between the two.

Gale kept his head down for a moment, looking at the floor, then opened his mouth.

“Fine. Let’s go for a walk later.”

It was the same businesslike tone as usual, as if the strange atmosphere he had shown moments before was a lie.

However, Kisa knew all too well that, contrary to appearances, his heart would not be the same as usual.

Because that’s what it means to have feelings for someone.

“Then I’ll be going now.”

Gale stood up from his seat with a somewhat hurried air.

It was the most awkward parting they had ever had.

****

The next day, Kisa had to start her day in a somewhat melancholy mood from the morning.

Although she thought it was the right thing to do, her heart felt heavy from having to coldly cut off Gale.

The hurt expression he had shown the previous evening wouldn’t leave her mind all day.

Around noon, someone knocked on the door again.

A knocking sound with a regular rhythm.

It was something Gale had established as his own signal.

What could he possibly want?

Given what had happened yesterday, Kisa opened the door with some concern.

“Kisa.”

However, when she opened the door, the face that appeared belonged to someone completely different.

“It’s been a while.”

Seyard greeted her with a smile.