At Evelina’s whisper, Kaiden lowered his head, covering his mouth with his big hand. Evelina wondered if he was acting or if he was doing it because he was embarrassed, but regardless she just laughed.
Soon he slowly raised his head and asked her, with wet red eyes.
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“Is this permission?”
“Yes, it’s permission. I think I’ll be ready by then.”
When she saw his watery red eyes, she couldn’t take her eyes off him as if possessed. At the same time, when she realized that the image before her was fake, her heart felt stuffy.
Her life now had nine days left. She had never felt that the fact was this fortunate.
Nine days and she won’t have to be afraid of the abominable behavior. She felt so pathetic, reacting to his behavior every time she saw it.
She didn’t know if he was serious, because a strange question popped up in his mind without him even realizing it.
“Is that okay? Wouldn’t it be scary?”
“I think it’s going to be scary. But I want to endure it even if I’m scared.”
She looked at him saying so. Then he forgot that this was the banquet hall and tried to kiss her. Then, Evelina looked elsewhere as if she was conscious of the surrounding gaze.
He looked at her like that and immediately hugged her, stroking her cheek.
“Oh, my…”
Evelina felt strange that she was hugged by him with her buttocks off her chair. It was as if he wanted it very desperately.
He didn’t like her touch at first. Now he was pretending to be happy as if his body’s reaction was nothing.
How.
Funny.
She smiled and tried to hug him the same way he hugged her. But because he was hugging her arm, she couldn’t reach out and touch his back.
~~~~
That night, they returned to the room together.
“I won’t do anything today.”
Evelina, who washed separately on purpose, was surprised that he was waiting near the bed instead of waiting on the sofa. However, she immediately erased her surprised expression and said.
“I love the sound of Kaiden’s heart.”
“…me too. Lina’s hair also smells really good.”
There weren’t only two of them in the room. The maids and servants came in to prepare their beds. Evelina was conscious of the maid’s touch to wipe off her wet hair but soon felt the maid withdraw when Kaiden reached out.
“From here on out, I want to be alone with you.”
“I like that.”
At Kaiden’s words, Evelina allowed it. Then the servants quickly heard her permission and went out.
He was satisfied with the actions. Everyone in the palace seems to care and be careful about what Evelina said.
“Can I dry your hair?”
“I think you’ve already done that.”
When Evelina said so playfully, he smiled more like the sun and clenched the towel. Then, when Evelina sat on the bed, he went over to her side and ran her wet hair through the towel. He held the towel tightly and dried Evelina’s hair, which she was amazed at because he seemed to be quite good at this.
“When you’re done drying my hair, I have to comb it. It must be annoying, should I ask the maid to come back in?”
“I’ll do it. I know how to do that.”
Evelina looked at him in wonder on how he, who was the crown prince, knew well what the servants were doing.
“When I was a mercenary, I often did this.”
“Can you tell me about that time?”
“I don’t think I’ll like it if I talk about dark things. I want to show only the good side to Lina.”
His words sounded so sincere that she was at a loss for what to say.
She soon lost her words, then came to her senses and said.
“We’re married now.”
“Yes, we’re married. Because you’re my only wife.”
Evelina laughed at his words and said,
“Do you want me to show you only good things?”
“No. I want to know everything about Lina.”
“Well, what about me?”
“…I was stupid.”
For a moment, her body tensed because of Kaiden’s gaze.
“When I was a soldier, no one knew I was from the royal family.”
“Oh, my.”
“So I did a lot of odd jobs. I also had to tend to a noble lady who supported our mercenary corps.”
“She…”
“She’s not alive right now.”
Evelina thought that even if he didn’t lie to her, he was hiding the truth. He killed the lady who treated him as a servant and abused him. He gave her location to his friend.
The lady died at the hands of a political opponent who looked for her with her eyes lit up. Of course, the atrocities she had done were enormous, so when Evelina read them from a third party’s point of view, she thought it was cider*.
*TN: slang for great and happy.
Now.
She felt very scared, but.
“I’ll comb your hair.”
“Yes, I like it.”
He touched Evelina’s hair with his hands because he was amazed that it was quite dry. Then, soon after, he brought a comb and started combing her hair one by one, and her body was getting drowsy.
“My job as a soldier was hard, but I’m glad it happened then.”
“Why? At that time, your royal blood was suspected and it was hard.”
“It was hard, but that’s when I got hope.”
She wondered what his hopes were. In the original work, she only saw the evil spirit of revenge. He was a psychopath in the original work. He was a person who easily got rid of everything for revenge and looked for the meaning of his life.
Of course, it also disappeared like snow melting after meeting Serena.
“What kind of hope was that?”
She wondered if he hoped that Serena didn’t show up, or maybe she was the only one who didn’t know, and maybe he had already found her.
“My hope is right before my eyes. It is the hope that I want to give my all.”
“I heard you made it when you were a mercenary.”
“Yes.”
Evelina realized for a moment. His hope was vengeance, as in the original. It was natural that it was his hope in front of me.
Her father was the one who repeatedly aimed for his life. She was the only precious daughter of his enemy, who was just as precious as her father’s life. He must be shaking with emotion at the hope of breaking her.
“Ah…”
As soon as she made eye contact with him, Evelina lowered her gaze as if he was reading her mind again. Then, she ignored her trembling body with a survival instinct and thought of sad thoughts to cry. But rather than being sad, her eyes were wet with fear.
“I’m so… so happy…”
She looked at her feet, avoiding his gaze.
“If I kiss you now, you’ll be afraid.”
He said so and sighed. Then he said, rubbing his face against her wet shoulder.
“This scent will spread to me soon.”
“…Yes, the scent of Kaiden will blend in with mine.”
She said so in a trembling voice. Then she looked at him gently as he raised his chin and looked at me.
“Yes, I suppose so.”
He didn’t kiss her, and Evelina thought that his behavior was not consideration or kindness, but the ease of predators who wanted to enjoy their prey for a long time.
“What if I go to the hunting grounds tomorrow and catch the white wolf right away?”
“I don’t want to do it for the first time on a hunting ground. The barracks are small… It’s not soundproof…”
“No, I don’t mean that. Taking Lina in that kind of place..”
His ears were so red that he was getting a little ashamed to say this.
“I don’t want to. Then Lina will feel less of my heart.”
“Why?”
“I really cherish Lina. But if I act like that in that place, it would seem like my heart is just words.”
She thought he was a delicate psychopath. Delicately intelligent, stirring, and delightful. The sense of despair that neither intelligence nor acting can beat.
“Same for me. It’s my first time as well. The first time I want to be special.”
“I understand, same for me.”
He went on straight as if he felt her anxiety.
“I mean, I want to get it and come back with you.”
“You don’t want to catch anything else?”
“Is there anything else you want?”
“No!”
Evelina opened her mouth as if to turn her back, realizing that he meant to come back straight away after hunting only game.
“You’re going to cherish me a lot, right?”
“Yes.”
He answered firmly. As if she asked the person who made up his mind.
“I’m happy… Yes.”
She pretended to be moved and said so, then immediately pulled his arm.
“You need to dry your hair before you catch a cold.”
“It’s okay because Kaiden is warm.”
So she led Kaiden to bed, and he had to hug her and fall asleep like that.
She fell asleep quickly because of fatigue and high doses of sleeping pills.
Kaiden stayed up all night with his eyes closed because his heart was beating so fast.
~~~~
“Do you share the barracks?”
“Of course.”
Evelina admired the luxurious barracks on the hunting ground.
“Why don’t you go out, Lina?”
“Can I do that?”
“Yes, it’s okay to be here with other ladies, but I thought it would be boring.”
She thought it was true. After all, if she stayed in the barracks, she would have to spend time with Princess Elsius.
Thinking of that, Kaiden spoke to her as if he were considerate.
“I want to go with you. I’ll be careful not to disturb you.”
“What do you mean disturb? I’m happy to be able to enjoy it together.”
They didn’t know then. How what happened at this time would change her relationship with him?
“Grab it as soon as possible and go back.”
“All right, I’ll get it in two hours.”
He had already checked where the white wolf was, so he said with a gun.
“I will definitely dedicate the white wolf to Lina.”
Kaiden said so, hoping that Evelina’s heart would be fully opened with the wolf he would dedicate.
