Startled, Pristin quickly grabbed onto the edge of the bed.
But it was too much to withstand the massive frame, and eventually, Pristin fell back with a thud.
She blinked her large eyes in surprise. Jerald, now expressionless, but with still-swollen eyes, looked down at Pristin below him. Unbeknownst to herself, Pristin trembled under his figure.
Then, Jerald slowly lowered his upper body and approached Pristin. With each movement closer, Pristin couldn’t even move her tense face.
The distance between their chests narrowed until it was almost touching. The pungent smell of alcohol, yet Jerald’s lingering scent that couldn’t be covered up, seeped deep into Pristin’s lungs.
Whether it was due to tension or something else, Pristin’s heart started racing when Jerald brought his face closer to hers.
“Ah…”
In the proximity where it seemed their flesh would touch any moment, Pristin made a startled sound.
Jerald, with a perplexed look, gazed at Pristin with sad eyes and slowly moved his lips to her ear. Until that moment, Pristin didn’t even flinch, only barely breathing.
“Don’t hate me.”
At the low voice echoing in her ear, Pristin flinched.
“If you hate me too, then I have no one left.”
He pleaded with a miserable voice. Don’t abandon him. Don’t push him away.
Perhaps it was because of the unexpected words that her heart was stirred. Pristin remained lying there, unable to take any action, with a complex expression on her face.
Whether it was the heat of the alcohol or the heat of the atmosphere, the hot breath touched her neck, causing her heart to beat even more forcefully.
Pristin struggled to make a sound as her lips trembled.
“Your Maj—”
But before she could finish calling him, Jerald slumped down right next to Pristin. Startled, Pristin blinked a few times and slowly turned her head to the side. Jerald appeared as if he had fallen asleep, eyes closed and not moving at all.
“…”
Pristin stared at the sleeping Jerald for a while. It was a deeply asleep appearance that felt like a dream, as if he was pleading not to be abandoned while expressing his sorrow for the dances with Akkad.
“…How much will you regret this when waking up?”
Whispering quietly, Pristin slowly reached out her arm towards Jerald. However, she couldn’t bring herself to touch him directly. Pristin hesitated and wandered near him for a while.
And after a very long time, as if gathering her courage, Pristin cautiously touched Jerald’s face. She felt tear stains on her fingertips.
“…”
Quietly, Pristin wiped away the tear stains on his cheek. However, even after his cheek was clean, Pristin couldn’t easily withdraw her hand. Like someone who rejected and pushed him away, but couldn’t completely abandon the feelings toward him.
Pristin looked at Jerald, who fell asleep with the same sad eyes as he had earlier. It was a possible expression and behavior since he didn’t know she was beside him.
“Your Majesty, you are being too cruel to me.”
They couldn’t be together. It wasn’t just one reason, but a combination of various reasons that led to that conclusion. So she had let go of the longing she had held for him, even if it meant hating him instead of loving him.
Yet, despite all that, he continued to approach her and was currently seducing her as he promised.
There was the mind that told her she had to push him away, and her heart that was being forced to hate him. The clash between the memories of their time together and the emotions that were difficult to completely shake off tormented Pristin.
If only those moments were just a fleeting period of youthful emotions, and if enough time had passed since they broke up, they could have forgotten each other and gone their separate ways. If that had happened, it wouldn’t have been as painful as it was now.
“…No, we can’t.”
Pristin slowly rose from her place. Then she gave Jerald, who was still asleep next to her, a glance, and took out a ring she had been wearing as a necklace, hidden behind her dress around her neck. The ring had the emblem of the Limburg royal family, and Pristin held it in her hand, caressing it with a pained expression as she closed her eyes.
“It’s not right, Your Majesty.”
As if hypnotizing herself while looking at the ring, Pristin whispered quietly.
“It’s right to end the relationship that has already been broken once.”
Even if it was cruel to both parties, it was the right and reasonable thing to do.
Pristin glanced at Jerald for a moment, ensuring that his shoulders were fully covered by the blanket. Then she immediately left her bedroom.
Aruvina, who was waiting with an anxious expression at the door, looked surprised when she saw Pristin coming out.
“Your Excellency.”
“…”
“What happened… Did something—”
“Nothing happened.”
Just in case she had concluded in a strange way, Pristin cut off Aruvina firmly.
“I’ll sleep in another room today.”
“But His Majesty…”
“He’s sleeping inside. Don’t go in.”
Pristin spoke to Aruvina in a dry voice.
“He seems to be very drunk.”
“Ah…”
Aruvina panicked for a moment, then nodded as if she understood.
“I will prepare your sleeping quarters, Your Excellency. This way, please.”
Pristin slowly followed behind Aruvina. And just before she was completely out of her own room, she turned her head slightly to look back. She quietly gazed at her room where Jerald was sleeping, but then she turned her face forward again, masking any expression as if nothing had happened.
───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────
And that day, it was around the beginning of dawn.
‘There’s no problem here…’
And that day, as dawn was breaking, Aruvina woke up earlier than anyone else in Camer Palace and began her day by taking a round around the entire palace. Just like any other day, she was satisfied with the calmness of Camer Palace, without any unusual incidents, as she made her way back to her own room.
‘Hmm?’
Aruvina narrowed her eyebrows and her ears perked up.
‘What’s going on?’
Strange sounds were coming from beyond the door. It sounded like murmurs or moans. Aruvina raised her head up with a puzzled face.
It was the room where Pristin was temporarily staying.
‘Is the bed uncomfortable?’
With a hint of concern, Aruvina cautiously knocked and entered the room. She tiptoed towards the direction of the bed where Pristin was lying, muffling her footsteps. The closer she got to the bed, the louder the sound became.
And finally, when Aruvina noticed Pristin’s appearance, she couldn’t help but be taken aback.
“…I, I can’t…!”
Pristin was lying down with her eyes tightly squeezed shut and was in agony, unable to move. The expressions of pain on her face, coupled with the sounds of groaning and gasping, were too much to be dismissed as mere nightmares.
A startled Aruvina quickly approached Pristin. She made the judgment that it would be best to wake her up as soon as possible.
“I don’t know, that person. I don’t know…”
“Countess.”
Aruvina called Pristin in a quiet but clear voice.
“Countess.”
“Please…”
“Countess!”
“Ha…!”
And at that moment, Pristin opened her eyes with a loud gasp. However, even after opening her eyes, Pristin seemed to be someone who couldn’t grasp the situation for a while.
She stared at the ceiling with dilated pupils, still holding her breath, and only after a while did she slowly look around as if coming to her senses. And after spotting Aruvina, she opened her mouth with a trembling voice.
“…Aruvina?”
Her voice was hoarse. Her lips were slightly trembling, indicating that she had been plagued by a rather severe nightmare.
“Yes, it’s me.”
Aruvina spoke to Pristin in a surprised voice.
“I’m glad I came in. I didn’t expect you to be like this…”
“…”
“Are you okay? Did you have a bad dream?”
Pristin’s current state was not at all good. Her face was covered in cold sweat, and her lips lacked color.
Her body trembled as if she had witnessed a shocking scene, and her appearance was quite pitiful.
Pristin continued to tremble for a while, and eventually, as if unable to endure it any longer, she buried her face in her hands on her knees.
“Ha…”
As Pristin buried her head into her knees, it became difficult for Aruvina to discern what expression she was making. But even without seeing it, Aruvina could roughly imagine.
Aruvina had a concerned look in her eyes, and patiently waited until Pristin lifted her head again. Pristin stayed still with her head buried for a while, as if trying to calm her restless heart.
When Aruvina heard Pristin’s breath calming down to some extent, she called her in a soft voice.
“Countess…”
“It’s nothing.”
Pristin said so, slowly lifting her head. Her face was noticeably less expressionless than before. However, there was still no color in her face. After wetting her trembling lips with her tongue, she spoke slowly.
“Just… I think it was just a nightmare. My sleeping arrangement changed, you know. It’s probably because of that.”
“But…”
“I’m really fine.”
Pristin forced a smile, making an effort to show that she was all right. However, it seemed like she didn’t know that it made the person seeing her even more sympathetic.
Aruvina, unable to fully believe Pristin’s words, looked at her with a worried expression and asked.
“Should I bring some water for you?”
“…No, I’m fine.”
Pristin hesitated and spat out clearly.
“I can’t sleep anymore. I’ll go to the herbal garden.”
“At this hour?”
Aruvina dissuaded Pristin in a surprised voice.
“It’s too early.”
“It’s okay. I feel like I need to walk a bit. I’ll be fine soon.”
Pristin forced a smile to reassure Aruvina.
“You don’t need to come with me. The sun hasn’t risen yet… I’ll go alone.”
“But…”
“It’s cold, I don’t want you to deal with it for nothing. I won’t be long.”
When Pristin insisted, Aruvina nodded as if she had no choice.
“All right, I understand.”
“Don’t worry too much.”
“Instead, dress warmly. It’s cold in the early morning.”
“I will.”
Pristin nodded, then stood up from her seat. Cold sweat was left behind where she had been lying. It was a clear indication of how much she had suffered from the nightmare. Aruvina felt more worried seeing that, but she silently helped Pristin to be able to go out.
“I’ll be back.”
Pristin’s face looked slightly better than before. However, her pale complexion still worried Aruvina. She approached Pristin and wrapped her shawl tighter around her.
Pristin smiled with her colorless face and turned away.
