"Non Rook!"

  The echo of his name faded as they left it behind.

  Non walked beside Emily in silence, each lost in their own thoughts.

  The sound of their footsteps mingled with the murmur of the wind, dragging dust and dry leaves along the streets.

  As they distahemselves from the se, the weight of what had just happened began to dissipate, though Non still felt a faint vibration of anger in his chest.

  A few seds passed, perhaps minutes, before Emily finally broke the sileh a low, trembling voibsp;

  "I'm sorry..." murmured Emily, looking down at the ground.

  Non g her, somewhat fused.

  "Why are you apologizing?" he asked softly but sincerely.

  Emily, without lifting her gaze, ran a hand through her hair, iwining her fingers in her chestnut curls as her face dispyed a look of shyness.

  "I caused you trouble... I didn't want you to get involved because of me."

  Non watched her for a moment.

  The way she touched her hair and the expression on her face seemed incredibly sweet, and although the situation wasn't particurly cheerful, he couldn't help but smile.

  "It's nothing," Non replied with a calm smile. "Really, don't worry about it."

  Emily, however, didn't seem vinced.

  She pressed her lips together and insisted again, this time lifting her gaze with a mix ret and .

  "Seriously... I'm really sorry."

  No out a small ugh before responding.

  "Rex, I doubt this will escate."

  Emily's eyes widened slightly, surprised by the fiden his voibsp;

  "Why do you say that?"

  Non maintained his smile as he g her, his expression more rexed than before.

  "It's just a feeling."

  Emily hough still with a slight trace of worry on her face. Determio ge the subject, she asked quietly,

  "Where were you going?"

  Non, who had been absorbed in his thoughts until that moment, suddenly remembered his inal purpose.

  "ht, I was going to the church..."

  Non lifted his hand to his , rubbing it as he tried to recall the exact dire.

  However, at that moment, Emily noticed something that made her frown.

  Non's knuckles were bruised and slightly swollen. The injury that had gone unnoticed amid the chaos was now clearly visible.

  Emily stopped abruptly and, with a ed expression, asked,

  "Are you okay? That injury..."

  Non, at first not uanding, followed her gaze to his own hand. He shrugged, downpying the situation.

  "It's nothing," he said calmly.

  However, Emily didn't seem vinced.

  She hesitantly extended her hand to touch his, as if trying to assess the damage for herself.

  Feeling the soft tact of her fingers on his skin, Non couldn't help but notice how delicate her hands were.

  She gently squeezed, feeling the swelling in Non's knuckles.

  "It's swollen," Emily said softly, clearly worried.

  Non managed a half-smile, trying to reassure her.

  "Really, it's nothing serious. Besides, I was going to the church; they probably help me there."

  Emily looked up, her still evident in her eyes.

  "Are you going to the main chur the city?"

  Non nodded without thinking mubsp;

  "Yeah, that one."

  Emily's eyes widened slightly as she recalled what it meant to pass through the main streets.

  "The main church...? If you go that way, we'll have to pass by the exit where that noble was..."

  Non paused, processing what she was saying.

  He had no desire to enter the duke's son again, so he looked at Emily, intrigued.

  "Really?" he asked, though something inside him had already suspected it. "Isn't there another church around here?"

  Emily took a sed to think, her expression ptive.

  "I think there is…" she replied ily. "Do you know where it is?"

  The silehat followed alpable.

  They exged looks, feeling a bit awkward, until Non, uo help it, burst into ughter.

  "Holy, I have no idea where it is," he admitted between ughs.

  Emily's face showed a look of bewilderment at his rea, but soon her ughter joined his, though hers was much more timid arained. She covered her mouth, but the small spark of humor that arose between them made the awkward moment fade away.

  Though the situation was a bit strange, Emily couldn't shake the feeling that, uhe noble who had humiliated her earlier, Non wasn't a bad guy.

  He was... different, and that shared little ugh made her lower her guard a bit.

  Suddenly, the sound of approag armor caught their attention.

  A group of knights atrolling the streets, and one of them stopped in front of them, watg curiously.

  "Excuse me," said the knight in a firm voice. "Where are you headed?"

  Non, still rec from the ughter, turo the man and replied without missing a beat.

  "We're looking for a church. Do you know if there's one around here?"

  The knight nodded fidently and pointed eastward.

  "Yes, there's a churot too far from here, though it doesn't have a ventional appeara's easy to miss."

  Emily, embarrassed, looked down, clearly ashamed for not having reized it earlier.

  Non smiled and nodded, grateful.

  "Thanks," he said politely.

  The knight, however, turned his gaze to Emily, whose clothes were still dirty and disheveled from the i.

  "And her?" he asked with a slightly inquisitive tone. "What business does she have here?"

  Before Emily could respond, Non intervened, his tone firm yet calm.

  "She's my panion. Is there a problem with that?"