【 Chapter 11 】
“Spit it out. Wasn’t it enough to target me?”
Esadien, who had retrieved his sword, was staring at the masked man with an unfamiliar face that I had never seen before, as if to say “You’re next” in a clear message, even to someone like me who knows nothing about it.
“A little bit more!”
The knights outside seemed almost on the verge of tearing off the door. The wall was shaking.
“Hah, annoying.”
The masked man quickly moved to the remaining colleagues with a sigh that seemed like it was feigned.
“Esadien, you’re still an annoying brat.”
“What…?”
“…That’s what the client wanted me to tell you.”
With finality in his tone, Esadien furrowed his brows and drew his sword again. However, the masked man tore the scroll he took out of his sleeve.
“Ah!”
In the place where the attacking light disappeared, there was only one scroll left with a hole in the center. With a handkerchief that didn’t have any dry spots left, I clumsily wiped my mouth and approached Esadien, staggering.
“Esadien, what should I do if you get hurt again… I don’t know if the knights have potions.”
“Is that the issue right now? That’s not your concern.”
“……”
The stern voice made my heart ache.
‘Even if you ask me like that, I don’t know why the flame disappeared….’
The atmosphere became awkward in an instant. It was even more awkward when the knights broke in through the door.
“Are you okay, Your Highness?”
“The Third Prince was there to protect me, so I’m okay. Thank you for coming….”
“Are you really okay?”
The knight at the front asked, and I opened my mouth in surprise at the familiar face. The knight’s eyes focused on the rope hanging from the ceiling and the pool of blood on the floor, ignoring my clearly messed-up face. A triple spear echoed in my head.
I’m screwed.
I’m screwed.
I’m screwed!
‘Mom…. why are you putting your deputy on me…..’
The concealment of the knights’ report was now impossible. However, it was still possible to minimize it.
‘It was Esadien who hung upside down, and the blood, I just have to grab it and tear it off.’
I nodded my head with determination.
“Yeah! It’s okay, I’m fine…..”
“The Princess is bleeding. Do you have any potion to give her?”
…..I nodded, but Esadien ruined it!
‘Ah ah ah ah ah.’
I finally buried my face in my hands. As soon as I returned, it was confirmed that I needed medical treatment.
“This is a potion made by Priest Ramande.”
As soon as Esadien received the potion, he firmly removed the lid and handed it to me.
“Drink everything.”
“But, but you’re injured too….. If there’s any left, it’s enough for me after you get treated.”
“I can go back and get treated, it’s not a problem.”
‘No, why do you neglect that pretty body like this?’
Angry and emotional, I lashed out impulsively.
“The Prince may not care, but I am. What if the whip was poisoned?”
“If it was poisoned, I wouldn’t be standing here like this.”
“You might even hurt later!”
It was my mother’s deputy who cut off my rising voice.
“I have one more bottle, My Lady.”
“….ah.”
The knights were still watching us, and I suddenly felt embarrassed. I cleared my throat and handed the potion bottle to Esadien.
“Thank you, sir… But could you possibly take off your coat?”
Now that the tension was easing up, I noticed Esadien’s body. It was good, but sending him to the Imperial Palace like this was difficult.
“Yes? Ah…”
The deputy, who was surprised for a moment at the request to hand over the clothes, thought that he couldn’t leave Esadien like this willingly to take off his clothes.
“I’m sorry it’s not clean.”
“That’s all right. I’ll repay you later.”
Fortunately, Esadien was also a knight, so he didn’t mind such things.
As I watched him being treated, I also sipped on the potion bit by bit.
The cool and refreshing water passed through, and my throat, which I didn’t even realize was dry, stung all the way down to my stomach. It felt like drinking powerful carbonated water.
“Uh-oh.”
“Are you okay, Minuelle?”
“Ah, yes.”
“Well then… would you like to talk with me for a moment?”
I happily nodded my head. If we parted ways today, it was obvious that I wouldn’t be able to see him for several days. In that case, I wanted to spend more time with him, even if it was just a little bit.
“Okay.”
“But mi lady, it would be better for you to hurry and go back to the mansion to receive treatment from a priest…”
The deputy tried to stop him, but he couldn’t beat Esadien.
“It won’t take long. I hope you can spare some time while the lady drinks the potion.”
“….All right.”
“And let’s keep this incident a secret. I won’t report it to His Majesty.”
Acting on behalf of the Prince, Esadien turned his back.
‘Will our knights really obey that order…?’
I was worried, but all I could do for now was to walk as led by Esadien. However, my narrow steps seemed to bother him, as he suddenly hugged me tightly.
“Uh?!”
I was startled and held the potion bottle tightly as a belated explanation came suddenly.
“We’re going up to the roof.”
However, even after that, there were quite a long set of stairs and hallways.
‘It seems like I was just slow.’
Even if that was the case, it felt good that Esadien hugged me first, which was the first time. Moreover, the unshakable comfort of it!
‘I want to sleep like this.’
I was actually about to doze off, but thankfully the outside air woke me up before that happened.
“Wow…”
I opened my mouth without realizing it as I took in the view that pierced through my eyes. The sun had tilted beyond the horizon and the colors of orange, blue, and purple were faintly intertwined in the sky. Below them, the lights of the city flickered like scattered stars.
‘Huh?’
We fell into a trap in the middle of the city square. But did they really bring us all the way here on purpose?
‘Why would you do that?’
With a slight incline, Esadien found a flat spot on the roof and put me down.
“This should be suitable for you to sit.”
“He—here?”
Of course, it wasn’t a dangerous place, but I couldn’t help feeling scared, so I held onto Esadien’s hand tightly and didn’t let go.
“Don’t worry. There’s a slightly raised window in front of us.”
Despite that, Esadien didn’t let go of my hand and sat next to me.
The side view of Esadien looking at the night view didn’t seem like someone who was in an unfamiliar place. Come to think of it, he never hesitated or wandered from the moment we were trapped until we got here.
It was when Esadien spoke that I realized the fact.
“This mansion is the place where I lived with my mother when I was young.”
“I… see…”
Not just the mansion. As I looked back on the events of the day, from the Prince’s knowledge of a café we wouldn’t normally go to, to his familiarity with the geography of the square… I had only thought of him as someone who was very well-prepared, but it turned out he had lived in Kaduren.
“I wanted to thank you for protecting this place, not to mention my mother… no, nevermind.”
Esadien, who seemed to have something to say, only expressed his gratitude and then closed his mouth. I tried to smile as always, but the thought that crossed my mind made my mouth twitch stiffly. This mansion would not have been safe if the gunpowder had exploded.
‘Did the assassins bring Esadien all the way here mean they’d bury him along with the mansion?’
I could sense a strong personal hatred.
“Hey, Esadien.”
He turned around. As the wind blew, his mysterious blonde hair shook like a cascade of golden light.
“Do you happen to know who the client is?”
For a long time, Esadien didn’t say anything. I waited patiently, but what came back was a clear avoidance.
“….What did you do earlier?”
“What?”
“Absorbing fire.”
“That, I thought it just disappeared. It wasn’t hot, so…..”
Esadien stared at me quietly. The calm but piercing gaze made me feel small even though I had done nothing wrong.
“Actually, I didn’t see it. I just saw it fly away from you… But, to be honest, I…”
My voice trailed off, becoming almost a whisper by the end.
“I’m scared of fire more than anything in the world.”
“But why did you jump in? You’re too reckless.”
Nagging that it was reckless to do so even after hearing my explanation.
Will his mouth stick out like a duck if he keeps doing this?
“You have also been in danger many times.”
“Before being a prince, I was a knight. It is natural for me to protect you.”
“It’s also natural for me not to be able to sit still! I can’t just stand by and watch someone I care about getting hurt.”
“Minuelle.”
Accompanied by a small sigh, the name that slipped out seemed to mean “stop now.” The tip of my nose twitched and I lowered my gaze.
“I know. I remember what you said last time…”
“I’m not trying to say that.”
“What?”
“I can handle a sword, to some extent. I can fight. But Minuelle, you can’t, can you?”
I raised my head. Esadien was still looking straight at me.
“It would be best to keep this a secret until the cause is completely revealed…. whether it was a coincidence, a fluke, or another reason.”
I flinched a little. There was something to be suspicious about.
‘My tantrum is suspicious.’
I was just thinking, ‘my tantrum is suspicious.’ However, I couldn’t express it because I had no evidence that it was because of my tantrum and not something else. I would need to have been in a similar situation before. Besides, I am someone who just wants to live peacefully and comfortably. So the suggestion to keep it a secret wasn’t unwelcome. But I hesitated because of Esadien.
“I need to find the client. If we just leave it be, they’ll keep trying, and what if you get hurt?”
“It’ll be okay.”
“Esadien, you can’t guarantee that. Even if it takes more than 99 times, it could end with you losing your life on the hundredth. Are you really thinking of leaving it alone?”
I heard the sound of inhaling breath. Thanks to the faint light, I could also see that Esadien’s eyes had widened.
“I knew it was going to be like this after all.”
The words that came out after a moment were weighty, but I didn’t hesitate and retorted sharply.
“Please don’t even suggest breaking up because of that possibility.”
Feeling a sharp pain, I gripped Esadien’s hand, and my voice trembled as I spoke.
“I’m disappointed. Earlier, you said it was obvious that you were protecting me?”
“That.. of course.”
“Then why bring up the topic of breaking up?”
“But Minuelle…”
“Nevermind. I’m leaving.”
I swiftly pulled my hand out of Esadien’s grasp and stood up straight. The sun was setting, making it hard to see clearly. Despite that, I confidently took a step forward, planting my feet firmly on the ground.
‘Hold me. You’re going to hold me. Hold me!’
However, contrary to my expectations, Esadien did not move until I took one or two steps. And on the third step, finally, my foot slipped.
“Ack.….!”
💧
Thank you for reading!
