Episode 54

Chris quietly gazed down at Mindia, who lay limp in his arms.

Her body was so light, so devoid of strength, that it felt as though he were holding a delicate paper doll. A sudden wave of fear washed over him.

He tightened his hold on her, securing her sagging form against him. She let out a soft whimper, nestling closer into his embrace.

For some reason, his heart skipped a beat.

‘…Thank you for not leaving me this time.’

Her voice, as if he had once abandoned her, and her words, spoken like a painful confession, struck him deeply.

Every time she spoke to him in that quiet, vulnerable way, his heart seemed to tremble. Even when she called his name so calmly, it stirred something within him.

“…But I’ve never left you.”

Unable to hold back the turbulent emotions, he muttered the words as if confessing. But the only response he received was her steady breathing.

Despite the rough terrain they were traversing, which made their positions anything but comfortable, she had fallen deeply asleep, as if her exhaustion had finally taken over.

“……”

Without thinking, Chris wrapped his arm around her slender waist.

She was so fragile, lacking in both strength and flesh. She needed to eat more, to build her strength, to have more of herself rooted in this world.

A whisper escaped him, almost unintentionally.

“I need you…”

He couldn’t help but think that she often seemed like someone who wanted to die.

That’s why she would recklessly throw herself into danger, using her own body as a tool for revenge. She was more driven and sharp-edged than he had first imagined, capable of approaching even the men of her enemy’s household, as long as it served her purpose of vengeance against the Reinhardts.

Her strange fearlessness always lingered in his mind.

He had always been reluctant to treat people as tools, even if they were from Reinhardt’s family. That’s what he had told himself—that he cared because she was his ally, the one Reinhardt he had chosen to keep close.

‘I didn’t actually want to die.’

But now, she said this.

She told him she had tried to live because he had asked her to, because he had told her not to die.

She entrusted her life to him so completely, confessing that she hadn’t wanted to die after all.

She thanked him, from the bottom of her heart, for coming to save her. Her sincere gratitude was too overwhelming, too hot to handle.

‘…At times like these, you seem so fragile.’

When she was happy about the gifts he gave her, she seemed almost pure.

When he heard her voice, peace washed over him.

‘…Even though I should hate and resent you.’

Yet, every time he saw Mindia’s face, he found himself unable to muster any ill will.

Instead, he found himself wanting to protect her, to ensure she wouldn’t get hurt or break. The name “Reinhardt” attached to her no longer mattered.

After all, she had taken poison for him. She pretended to be strong even when she was in pain. She walked dangerous paths, even knowing the risks.

And those feelings—he knew them far too well.

‘…Is that really all?’

A question arose instinctively.

Is that really all?

‘Because she’s the woman of the alliance, the one you made a pact to protect?’

Because she’s weaker than you, fragile and in need of care, as you’ve always been taught to look after the weak?

Why had he wandered the hunting grounds, unable to think clearly, in search of her?

Why did the thought of her leaving make him feel so unbearably lonely and in pain?

Why did the image of snowfields, which always brought him comfort, now come with the vision of her silver-gray hair?

‘…You know the truth, don’t you?’

Chris instinctively lowered his head, brushing his nose against the crown of Mindia’s head. Her gray hair swayed lightly in the breeze, carrying a faint scent of cool, refreshing oil mixed with her own fragrance.

Her scent was so faint, it felt as if it could vanish at any moment. Like the snow in the North, it seemed it could melt away and disappear.

‘I don’t want to let go.’

The moment that impulse hit him, Chris let out a soft, bitter laugh and held her tighter.

Memories of his childhood came back to him—running through swirling snowflakes, desperately trying to catch them in his hands. The fleeting, fragile beauty of those snowflakes always slipped through his fingers, melting the moment they touched him.

He had always felt such regret when they disappeared, such an overwhelming sense of loss.

And now, he found himself feeling the same way.

“You said you didn’t want to die,” Chris whispered as he looked down at Mindia’s sleeping face.

Her long lashes trembled softly, catching the moonlight in a way that made her look fragile, almost sorrowful.

“That means you want to live, Mindia.”

But it wasn’t just about surviving. Merely breathing wasn’t living. True life meant finding happiness, peace, and moments of tranquility without being constantly hunted or anxious.

“I want that kind of life, too.”

Whether it was possible, only time would tell. And on that journey, Mindia would be by his side.

…Perhaps until everything came to an end.

“Maybe even after that… I wouldn’t mind if you stayed.”

No, more than that…

“I want you to stay.”

Once again, no response came. Only her soft, barely audible breaths filled the air, so faint that he had to strain to hear them.

“Hyah!”

Chris adjusted his hold on her and spurred his horse forward, eager to reach a healer or a priest before her condition worsened.

Of course, back at the palace, the very people who had endangered her would still be present…

But he knew that from now on, they would not easily harm her again.

* * *

At the temporary royal garden where everyone was to reconvene after the hunting festival…

“Your Highness, the Crown Prince.”

“I told you to search again.”

“I beg your pardon, Your Highness.”

Prince Albert clenched his jaw so hard the veins in his neck bulged.

“It’s dangerous to go into the forest at this late hour.”

“You must reconsider going back inside.”

“That applies to Lady Reinhardt as well, doesn’t it?”

Mindia Reinhardt’s disappearance during the hunting festival had caused quite a stir among the nobility.

The gathering, which was meant to showcase each participant’s hunting achievements, was now a chaotic affair. Even the knight who had caught the most game stood on edge. Although the Emperor awarded him a prize, the atmosphere remained tense.

It was Duke Reinhardt who finally addressed the Emperor.

“Your Majesty, I deeply apologize for the disruption caused by our family’s daughter.”

“It is not your fault, Duke Reinhardt.”

The Emperor, observing the proceedings, glanced quietly at the Crown Prince.

His son, who had been restless and unable to maintain composure, had always been a disappointment to him.

‘He lacks the necessary caution.’

The Emperor had many children, not just the Crown Prince. Several of his illegitimate children had shown promise, some even displaying talents that the Emperor himself possessed.

‘But the Empress Dowager took care of all of them.’

The Empress Dowager had always despised the idea of illegitimate children infiltrating the royal line, and she had taken swift action. Any child born out of wedlock was either dealt with or silenced before they could pose a threat.

If the mother of the child was of low status or a commoner, both mother and child were eliminated. If the mother was a noble, the child was killed or severely injured under the guise of an accident.

As a result, most mistresses refrained from having children with the Emperor, knowing it was a dangerous game with no reward. The notion of profiting from the Emperor’s illegitimate offspring had long been abandoned.

The Emperor himself had never become too attached to any one mistress. He had fathered illegitimate children more to divert the Empress Dowager’s attention than out of any genuine desire for more heirs, so when they were disposed of, he didn’t mourn their deaths.

And so, over the years, only the Crown Prince remained.

Although it had been a calculated decision to tarnish the Empress Dowager’s reputation with the rumors of the murdered illegitimate children, the Emperor couldn’t help but occasionally compare them to the Crown Prince. Some of those children had truly shown exceptional ability.

“Prepare my horse, now!”

“Your Highness! Please…”

“Did you not hear me?!”

Albert’s shout echoed across the courtyard, causing the nobles to recoil slightly.

The Emperor frowned.

‘He inherited the worst traits from both his mother and me.’

The Crown Prince’s explosive temper was a trait the Emperor felt had come from the late Empress, not himself. While she had been beautiful, her temper was foul and her persistence maddening.

‘And now Mindia Reinhardt…’

Could it really be that he cared about her? The Emperor found it hard to believe.

The Crown Prince had always been one to flit between women, much like his father. To the Emperor, there was no real reason for the Crown Prince to be so concerned over a single woman.

Once again, he felt dissatisfaction. Perhaps sensing his displeasure, the Empress Dowager whispered softly.

“The Crown Prince is still young.”

“I know that, Mother.”

“And he is your only legitimate heir.”

The Empress Dowager’s cold gaze was a subtle rebuke, a reminder of the Emperor’s other affairs leading up to the hunting festival.

‘Of course, and he is the only legitimate grandson I have left.’

Slightly averting his gaze from her, the Emperor spoke calmly. It was his duty to quell the growing tension in the room.

“We will soon form a search party for Lady Reinhardt. First—”

“Your Majesty!”

One of the nobles interrupted, his voice startled. The Emperor, displeased by the sudden outburst, turned to follow the man’s gaze.

“What in the world?”

“Lady Mindia?”

“Your Grace, the Grand Duke!”

Grand Duke Chris Elzerian was riding toward the palace, Mindia Reinhardt limp and unconscious in his arms.

The Crown Prince’s face instantly stiffened, his expression hardening as he watched their approach.