Edited…

<Episode 4>

Thanks to the red cloth draped over my head, I didn’t have to go to great lengths to act as if I were possessed, which was fortunate.

“Ugh…”

However, he suddenly started making strange sounds.

Nevertheless, I continued to wear the red cloak. Outside, the rain was pouring, and the sound of raindrops hitting the dirty glass was also noisy.

Yet, amid the sound of rain, there was also the distinct patter of water dripping, as if leaking from somewhere.

Wait a moment…

Is it leaking?

“Your Grace?”

Thinking that the sound of water leaking was close by, I brushed away the cloak. Elkais’s expression was strange, and when I looked around, raindrops were falling right next to him.

At that moment.

Splat.

Water poured down on his head all at once.

“…Your Grace?”

“Ugh…”

Good heavens.

Just by reading the original work, one could understand why Elkais had an obsession. The reason why my older brother, Abellard Wilden, insisted on the Crown prince instead of Elkais was also in his personality.

Elkais wasn’t an easy person. He wasn’t particularly gentle to anyone other than Abellard.

Moreover, Prince Ferite Croppers, the Crown prince of the Croppers Empire, already had to be cautious around Duke Elkais de Robein. Elkais de Robein’s prestige was tremendous.

Furthermore, he was the only swordmaster in the Croppers Empire.

He was the sole swordmaster across the entire continent. Just by stepping out, he brought an aura of victory, a morale booster.

“Your Grace…”

Calling out to him with an anxious heart, he was crouched down, shivering.

Surely, I had inserted myself into someone else’s deserted island romance, but what I felt now was like being immersed in a zombie drama. It was a dismal feeling, as if watching someone I knew go through the process of turning into a zombie.

The sensation of the gun inside the wedding dress was cold.

Considering I might have to pull it out and shoot, I had thought about taking it out in advance. However, his eyelashes turned red, and he seemed determined to maintain composure, so I couldn’t do it.

“Tie me up.”

“What?”

“I said tie me up!”

I was momentarily surprised by his shout but quickly regained my composure. It seemed he had realized that something was not right with his body.

“Alright.”

Elkais, shivering and wrapped tightly around my shoulders, looked pitiful.

“Your Highness.”

“…”

“I’ll borrow the cravat.”

He sighed, and I took off the cravat he had given me. Using the cloak he had given me, I tied his wrists behind his back. The cravat covered his eyes.

Even though his eyes were covered, he didn’t resist. He just seemed to be shivering so much that he looked like he was about to freeze, like a statue about to be captured.

“Don’t speak now.”

“Alright.”

He said that and began to breathe heavily.

Roar!

I was startled once again by the sound of thunder. The rain intensified, and I shifted Elkais’s body slightly to the side, thinking more raindrops might fall on his head.

“Ugh…!”

He was very heavy. Nevertheless, he moved willingly as I tried to shift him.

There was only one place where the rain was leaking – where he had been sitting.

No other place was leaking. Although it smelled musty due to the presence of mold, the rain didn’t seem to be seeping through.

“You.”

“Yes.”

“Cover my nose.”

“Why?”

“Ugh…”

He bit his lip and swallowed his words.

For some reason, a refreshing scent lingered in the air. In the damp cabin, the scent felt oddly pleasant. However, it felt strange when I realized that the source of the scent was Elkais.

“You.”

“Yes.”

“Please, stay away.”

I didn’t want to listen because his voice sounded strange, but I had to.

I could feel the gun under the dress. If I shot Elkais now, he would sleep peacefully, but the guilt would never leave me.

Elkais was in a dangerous state. He probably knew it himself.

So, seeing him putting in so much effort, I couldn’t shoot him for my own comfort.

Sighing, I approached the window. Since it would be inconvenient if rain came in, I opened the door slightly.

The window acted like a small breathing hole. For a moment, it felt like fresh air was entering the room.

“Ha…”

He breathed as if in pain. I couldn’t just stand here, so I looked around. In the process, I secretly grabbed the sword he had loosened.

Elkais was biting his lips so hard that blood was dripping. I started worrying if he might end up biting his tongue. So, reluctantly, I grabbed the white cloth tied around my waist and stuffed it into Elkais’s mouth, who had collapsed to the floor.

“Endure it.”

“Ugh…”

He didn’t resist much.

However, for some reason, the feeling of committing an unwanted crime made my emotions a bit complicated.

He was breathing heavily, and his bitten lips were swollen and bright red. His blood showed through the white cloth.

He continued to lie down, trembling.

After about an hour, I also began to relax. He remained in the same position without any noticeable movement.

I decided to explore the cabin.

I could see candles and a tinderbox, but it would be foolish to light them in the dark. Lighting a fire would let the light seep out through the window.

In the original story, since Abellard and Elkais were both here, the probability of Abellard being here was very high.

Unfortunately, my brother might have been caught in the rain. But, since my brother was also a man… I would rather not get involved if possible.

My brother was a scholar, and I couldn’t be sure if I could defeat him. If Abellard was injured, Elkais would undoubtedly dispose of me without hesitation.

Unexpectedly, the smugglers seemed to be intellectual people. Otherwise, the shelves filled with books wouldn’t make sense.

As I scanned through them with my eyes, I decided to open a drawer.

Drung, Thack!

I was startled by a louder noise than expected. I opened it very carefully, but the cabin echoed with a surprisingly loud sound.

Elkais’s breathing remained steady. At this rate, he might not be back to his senses even by morning.

Moreover, it wasn’t that he couldn’t untie himself; he chose not to.

A Sword Master.

In that case, he would easily cut through the bindings. His current state was merely a self-imposed restriction, and it wasn’t genuinely effective.

The drawer was filled with strange items.

It seemed like there were also drugs, perhaps smuggled. Among them, I recognized some medicines I often saw.

Those drugs… they looked similar to the suppressants I had to give to Abellard, but they seemed to have been stolen. Of course, it wasn’t me; it was the original character, Elkais.

“Lucky me.”

Saying that, she pulled out one of the suppressant bottles that filled the drawer. Then she shook it in her hand.

The contents inside the brown bottle collided with a rhythmic sound, revealing its presence.

“You’re suffering, aren’t you?”

“….”

As if responding to my words, he looked at me. So, I approached him.

Even though his body was difficult to move, he was making an effort to distance himself from me. Well, where would he go in this narrow cabin?

Ignoring his feeble resistance, I sat near him. Then, I tried to untie the cloth around his mouth.

“Hey, be still.”

“Ugh…!”

However much Elkais resisted, the cloth that covered his eyes, not his mouth, came loose.

There was a momentary stiffness as our eyes met, and his bright red irises were truly beautiful. The reddened eyes seemed to be crying, probably due to the pain.

So, I gently wiped around his eyes. There were plenty of tears on my fingers, and each time he blinked, thick teardrops streamed down.

“…”

“Stay still.”

His eyes, which seemed to taste something, started glaring at me. Nevertheless, tears persisted, and his ruby-like shining eyes somehow drew closer.

“Heu.”

He still seemed to be in pain, but unlike earlier, his eyes were curved.

“Oh.”

While looking into his eyes, I realized that he had somehow released his arms. He was holding me down, meeting my eyes while doing so.

Elkais, with his left hand, held one of my hands, and with the other hand, he removed the white cloth that covered his mouth.

“If you wanted me, you should have said.”

Seeing him talk nonsense, it seemed like the Rut Cycle was definite. So, I inserted the suppressant into his mouth as it was.