The Knight Commander of the Second Male Lead [Novel] Chapter 42

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 42

Chapter Title: Midnight Visits

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However, no matter how much he thought about it, he hadn't misheard.

"Nina la Del?"

"Yes, did you call me?"

A cheerful voice rang out again. Adrian stared toward the roof in disbelief.

He couldn't see her figure, but he could easily imagine her perched on the roof like a cat.

"What in the world..."

"You called me. So I came. If you have no business with me, I'll head right back."

Adrian let out a short, exasperated breath before bursting into laughter.

Nina was crouched on the roof. With her knees drawn up and hugged by her arms, she gazed up at the sky.

Her snow-white hair fluttered softly in the wind.

"Nina."

"Yes."

"Come here."

"Mm... no."

Adrian's response came a beat late, as if he hadn't even considered the possibility of refusal.

"Why?"

His question was straightforward. Nina answered with a smile.

"I came on impulse, so I'm not dressed to appear before people."

A light laugh mixed into the night air. She teasingly scolded him, saying, "Just hold back with my voice alone."

Adrian held back from pointing out that she was the one who had flown in at midnight.

He had wanted to see her, after all.

But her sitting on the roof in improper attire was a separate issue.

"Nina la Del."

A hint of reproach entered his voice, and Nina stood up with an "Aww."

Adrian could tell from the creaking of the wooden roof that she was moving.

"See you soon, Young Master. I'll be properly dressed next time."

A light thump echoed as she leaped off the wooden roof.

A cold gust blew in through the window, and then all was quiet again.

Once the wind had fully passed, Adrian closed the window.

For some reason, both his sleepiness and fatigue had vanished in an instant.

Adrian flopped onto the bed and closed his eyes.

A chuckle escaped him.

She always moved in ways he could never predict.

Elusive like fox rain.

Cheerful and bewildering like raindrops falling under the midday sun, gazing up at the blue sky while feeling cold raindrops on his face.

Jin of Black Shield Castle felt the same sensation as Adrian.

Sound asleep in his own bed, Jin grabbed the dagger under his pillow at the sound of the window opening.

"Jin..."

Recognizing Nina as she entered the window with no attempt to hide her presence or muffle the noise, Jin quickly set the dagger down.

"Nina? What's going on?"

"I don't know. Just put me to sleep."

She burrowed into his bed as she spoke.

Jin panicked and scooted away.

"What? Are you crazy?"

"Ah, it's so warm. A bed warmed by someone else's body heat really is the best."

Even with the spirits' blessings, wandering the night paths in thin clothing against the North Wind was cold.

Especially her hands and feet, which were numb.

She had returned to her room, changed into thick clothes, and slipped into bed, but the cold sheets hadn't warmed up.

Her own bed was freezing, so she had no choice but to seek one someone else had warmed.

When she pressed her icy hands and feet against him, Jin—who had been rudely awakened—grimaced.

"What? Why are your hands and feet so cold? Your cheeks too? What's wrong with you?"

He touched her hand, then gently caressed her cheek. But soon his touch grew rougher.

"Ow, ow, ow..."

He pinched her cheek as he said,

"Where did you go in the middle of the night? Huh? There's no way you'd be this cold all bundled up like that. Let me guess? Some foolish person wandered around in thin clothes, got cold, and only then bundled up late."

"That's right..."

As the one borrowing his body heat, Nina had no choice but to relent.

"And you barge into someone else's bed carrying all that chill?"

Nina grumbled and snuggled closer to him.

"You used to sleep with me in the same sleeping bag before."

"That was then, this is now."

Jin's voice softened with a groan. He placed her hand around his neck. Her fingertips warmed up quickly.

"What if you catch another cold like this? You're the one who was always sick every winter."

Ever since she had been poisoned by the Duchess as a child, Nina fell ill every winter. Jin unconsciously shifted into overprotective mode.

Confirming her hand had warmed, Jin got out of bed.

Soon, he placed a hot water bottle at her feet. With her feet warming up too, Nina began to nod off.

Jin said, "I'm not giving up the bed," and Nina mumbled, "Yeah, yeah," in her half-sleep.

Jin brushed her cheek. It was now nicely warm.

"Why do you go wandering around so strenuously?"

Jin said with a sigh.

"When have we ever not had enough to eat or wear? You don't have to struggle like that. You and the Young Master both—what's with the sudden change?"

Just being together was plenty enjoyable and happy, wasn't it?

He didn't like how things had suddenly gotten busy, leaving no time to even see each other's faces, making him pine away restlessly.

Nina let out a small laugh at his words and tried to sit up, but Jin pressed down on her forehead.

"What are you doing? Lie down and sleep."

"Jin, you know."

Nina yawned, wrapped herself tightly in the blanket, and continued.

"It's about dancing on the floor until the very end..."

"...What?"

"To dance properly until the very end..."

Nina half-opened her sleepy eyes. Exhaustion was plain on her face.

"The Young Master and I... without losing a single person, until the very end..."

Jin was momentarily speechless. He gazed at her for a while before quietly saying,

"Got it. Got it, so go to sleep now."

"Yeah..."

Nina closed her eyes and soon fell into a deep, healthy sleep with steady breathing.

Jin waved his hand in front of her face and realized she was completely out.

'These little ones.'

To him, both Adrian and Nina felt like children. But that's what she had just said.

'She and Adrian want to protect everyone.'

It was a blunt declaration, but it struck Jin because it was something he hadn't even considered.

The shock was at his own 'complacency.'

The moment Nina returned, it was as if he had regressed to his knight order days—his vision had narrowed.

She was back, and there were no particular issues with the castle, so that was that.

Thus, his goals had shrunk. His focus aligned with the two years ago when he had fled, leaving Nina behind.

Hone his swordsmanship so it never happened again. He never wanted to abandon Nina and run away a second time.

That's all he had thought.

Unlike him, Nina and Adrian must have been looking at the bigger picture.

The bothersome imperial family and temple, the heretic groups constantly nipping at their heels. And other things he couldn't see.

'I'd grown so used to the discomfort that I forgot about it.'

Just because something was familiar didn't make it normal.

To survive the storm that would eventually return without being swept away, they needed preparations.

In the end, Jin stayed up all night without sleeping.

Nina woke up satisfied. In a refreshed mood, she slowly opened her eyes from within the soft, warm blankets.

Spotting Jin's arm soon after, she lifted her head and grinned broadly.

"You're awake? Huh? Jin?"

She thought he had gotten up first, leaning his upper body against the bedhead, but his face looked like he had pulled an all-nighter.

His hollow eyes met hers.

"Couldn't sleep? Because of me?"

The flustered Nina felt a pang of guilt, having just thought herself refreshed moments ago.

"No, no. Well, yes? No, not in the way you mean from what I said."

Jin shook his head. Nina bundled the blanket around her like a hood and sat up.

She didn't want to leave the fluffy blankets.

"What? What's wrong? Did I kick you? Steal the blanket? Snore?"

"None of that."

The usual playfulness on his face was gone, replaced entirely by worry. Nina grew concerned.

She pulled back the blanket she had draped over her head like a hood.

Even in the faint morning sunlight, her hair shone like midday snowfields.

"You know."

Jin opened his mouth, then clamped it shut. Nina listened quietly.

People thought she liked talking and was good at it, but she had patience for listening too.

Even when clashing words with Adrian, she waited persistently. Not for an hour or two, but days, weeks, a month.

When someone feels another devoting full attention, leaning in to catch even the faintest breath, they choose their words carefully.

They get to the point, skipping the fluff.

Even stammered stories find direction.

Like Jin now.

"I feel so useless."

At Jin's words, Nina blinked.