Episode 92

The crown prince tilted his head, observing me frozen in fear.

“Why aren’t you asking what I’m staring at today?”

“Th-that’s…!”

“Judging by your stammering, it doesn’t seem like you’re pretending not to know.”

At his remark, regret immediately washed over me.

I ‘should’ have pretended not to know!

‘Oh no, oh no! Why on earth did I act like that…?’

Caught up in the chaos of the charity event, I had completely forgotten. Back then, I had rudely lashed out at a boy who had been staring at me intently—without realizing he was the crown prince.

It explained the uneasy feeling I had whenever I looked at him, as if I’d forgotten something important.

“I honestly thought I was dealing with some thug,” the crown prince said with a mocking laugh.

‘Sigh… I have no choice.’

It was too late to pretend or make excuses now. Letting out a silent sigh, I slowly got up from the sofa.

“…?”

The crown prince looked at me curiously as I knelt down without hesitation.

“Wh-what are you doing?”

“F-forgive me!” I bowed my head deeply and began to beg.

I had no other choice. I still hadn’t even found my heart, and dying from treason against the royal family was not an option!

“I-I didn’t recognize your imperial highness…! I have committed a grave sin worthy of death!”

“…”

“Please… Please spare my life…!”

“Pfft.”

Suddenly, I heard the sound of someone deflating a balloon near my head.

“Hahaha! You’re absolutely hilarious!”

Startled by the loud laughter, I lifted my head. The crown prince was laughing so hard he was clutching his stomach, even wiping tears from the corners of his eyes.

“Grave sin worthy of death, but begging for your life—what’s that supposed to mean?” he said, his voice still tinged with laughter.

“Uh, well… that’s…”

I had meant it as a plea for leniency. But fearing I might make things worse by speaking, I hesitated, stumbling over my words.

“Enough. Get up already,” he said, still chuckling as he tried to compose himself.

“If you stay like that, I feel like Duke Kallios might actually try to kill me.”

“Y-yes! My apologies!”

Thankfully, my legs had already started to cramp, so I quickly stood without hesitation.

‘…At least he’s not holding it against me anymore, right?’

I glanced at the crown prince. He didn’t seem angry or like he’d hold the matter over my head.

Feeling relieved, I hurried back to my seat. Seeing this, the crown prince broke into laughter again.

‘He’s so young—he probably finds everything amusing. At that age, even falling leaves can make you laugh…’

Still, watching a handsome person laugh wasn’t unpleasant.

“Hehe…”

Awkwardly, I decided to return a smile as a gesture of reconciliation.

‘Huh?’

It was then that I noticed something still plastered on his forehead—a stark white gauze pad.

‘Now that I think about it… his arm is still bandaged too.’

The injuries were undoubtedly from the assassination attempt that day.

I was taken aback.

‘Wait, has he not called Diana yet?’

According to the original story, the crown prince should have summoned Diana immediately after the temple charity event. While I had taken this year’s Saintess title, there was no denying Diana’s exceptional healing powers that day.

“What are you staring at?”

Caught staring, I was jolted back to reality by the crown prince’s teasing smirk.

“Did you fall for me all over again because I’m just that handsome?”

“N-no!”

Reflexively, I blurted out in a loud voice, startling myself with my own volume.

The crown prince frowned faintly but then offered a charming smile.

“Hmm… I’ve never been told I’m ugly before.”

“It’s not that… Y-you’re handsome.”

Objectively and subjectively, the crown prince was indeed handsome. He was one of the male lead candidates—how could he not be?

‘But you belong to the female lead.’

Resolutely drawing a mental line, I watched as the crown prince’s face brightened with delight.

“Really? So, back then, you were kind of…”

“But!” I interrupted him.

“…?”

“I think the duke is the most dignified and handsome of all!”

I had no choice. To resist the allure of beauty and temptation, I had to counter with something stronger!

“Ahem.”

The crown prince’s aide stifled a laugh at my boisterous declaration, and the crown prince furrowed his brows again.

“You must have low standards… Is it because you’re still a child? Also, the duke has already been married once…”

“But!” I cut him off before he could dig deeper. “Did you… not get treated yet?”

“Treated?”

“Yes. I heard you were planning to get healed by Diana. Now that the festival’s over, why…?”

“Why haven’t I called for the Saintess candidate?” he asked, and I nodded.

“Well, thanks to another Saintess candidate, I can at least move around. Though I’m still sore here and there.”

“…”

To endure injuries because he could move a little… It made me feel guilty as the “other Saintess candidate” who had only half-healed him.

“It’s a joke. Relax. I’m not saying your healing was bad,” he said, smiling faintly as if he’d noticed my silence.

“There’s a royal doctor in the palace. Unless I’m completely incapacitated, I don’t feel the need to rely on healing powers.”

“I see…”

“Besides, she’s busy healing plenty of others right now.”

“Diana?”

“Yes.”

I was surprised. Given Marquis Barelotte’s ambitions, I had expected him to send Diana to strengthen ties with the crown prince immediately.

“Also, I still have over 80 bottles of this left.”

As I tilted my head in confusion, the crown prince pulled something from his pocket.

“Th-that’s…!”

A small vial of green liquid—my miracle cure!

“You didn’t throw it away?”

I had assumed he’d discarded the 100 bottles he’d bought. While it would’ve been a waste, it would’ve been strange for someone his age to drink that much.

“Why would I throw it away? Do you think 100 gold is a joke?”

“N-no! That’s not it…”

The crown prince unscrewed the cap, giving me a strange look. Then, to my astonishment, he downed the entire vial in one gulp.

“Ha…” Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, he remarked, “I thought it was just watered-down nonsense, but it’s surprisingly effective. I stayed up all night and felt fine.”

“Thanks to it, I’ve also benefited greatly, young lady,” the aide chimed in with a smile.

“I-it’s not watered down…” I replied sheepishly. I had considered it, but Grandpa Gordon had done a surprisingly good job creating it.

“I know. That’s why you won the entrepreneurship competition,” the crown prince said with a hearty laugh.

His sharp features softened into a warm, approachable expression, a stark contrast to the man who had just traded barbs with the duke.

I found myself staring at him, intrigued.

‘Now that I think about it… he was kind in the original story too.’

Among the male lead candidates, the crown prince was the most gentle and affectionate. He was the charismatic type who could be endlessly tender toward “his woman.” In comparison, the Pope had an unsettling air, Edwin was the classic stoic knight, and the second prince… well, he was downright insane.

While reading the story, I had secretly hoped the crown prince would be the male lead.

‘He’s been gentle and kind-hearted since childhood.’

But recalling his personality from the original story only made me more confused.

‘Why hasn’t he called the female lead yet? By now, he should’ve been fully healed according to the plot. What’s going on?’

I had deliberately only half-healed him to follow the story’s flow. So why was I still the one here with him? The deviation from the original events felt ominous.

As I grew anxious about the changes, a voice suddenly cut through my thoughts.

“Is that bear the one they say saved Your Highness? The one possessed by a spirit?”

The crown prince’s aide was looking at teddy bear in my arms with curiosity. As expected of someone close to the prince, he seemed to know about the incident where I helped him.

“Yes, that’s right!” I answered reflexively, then glanced at the crown prince nervously.

While it was true that I had saved him, it hadn’t been… a pretty sight.

“Want to play? Want to play? Want to play?”

“How about I try taking off one limb at a time?”

I would never forget the crown prince’s horrified expression as he stared at teddy bear, who had been endlessly repeating the same phrase like a broken record.

Thankfully, the prince didn’t seem angry at the horrifying stuffed bear.

“Is it magic?” he asked.

“No! It’s a… tribal item! They say a spirit is bound to it!”

“Ah, a spirit… Did the duke give it to you?”

“Yes! Want me to awaken it again to show you?”

“No, that’s okay.” His reply came swiftly.

“It seems hard to control, so there’s no need,” he added hastily, his voice trembling slightly despite the smile on his face.

‘Ha, you’re scared.’

I giggled understandingly, and the prince finally looked relieved as he continued, “It’s fascinating.”

“Yes, it’s amazing!”

“No, I mean you.”

“Me?”

“Yes. I thought the duke was only supporting you because of his sick younger son. But he’s even given you such useful items.”

True to his nature, the crown prince had quickly grasped my circumstances. He seemed surprised that I was receiving such favorable treatment from Duke Kallios, even though I wasn’t Diana’s replacement.

To be honest, I found it surprising too. In my previous life, I could never have imagined such a thing.

The crown prince’s next words, murmured under his breath, pulled me out of my thoughts.

“…Too bad. If not for that, I could’ve had her first.”

“What?” I blinked at him in confusion.

“Nothing,” he said with a soft smile.

“Come to think of it… I don’t think I properly thanked you for saving me that day,” he continued.

Before I could react, he smiled gently, his eyes curving warmly.

“Thank you, Belze.”

It was a smile so beautiful it made my nonexistent heart skip a beat.