Episode 78. Strange Scandal (3)
Today, he was showing a side that I hadn’t seen before. Amid the strange and unpleasant atmosphere, only his anger at the accident felt like a vivid sincerity. I was confused.
He stared at me intently and said softly.
“You shouldn’t die yet.”
“...”
“You have to live for a very long time, as strong as you are now.”
How could a wish for good health sound like such an outrageous demand?
“Miss Lorisha.”
I wanted to tell him not to call me by my name, but when I saw his eyes hiding a certain intense light, I couldn’t speak.
Well, it’s such a great name, but if I can’t give my name to someone who saved my life twice, then I’m the bad one.
In this situation, I should let him call me a soft bean cake.
The air in this room was starting to suffocate me. So I tried to change the subject.
“Hey, there’s something I want to discuss. In the upcoming competition, a little more...”
His face instantly became calm and gentle, and he cut me off.
“Miss Lorisha. From now on, you must not make any more mistakes. There will be no next time for you.”
As soon as I heard him, I instinctively felt that he knew the truth.
“Do you know why my accident happened?”
“I saw it.”
The tension eased for a moment, and I sighed deeply and relaxed.
From now on, my conversation with him would be easier, but I felt more confused for some reason. My thoughts weren’t flowing as they usually were.
Was it because of my head injury?
I mumbled.
“I want to ensure the safety of Her Highness the Princess.”
“Trust me.”
“...Your Excellency?”
Thinking back, I had never had a hard time talking to Prince Kydel.
Rather, I had never met someone so kind and understanding. Of course, that was a separate matter from the annoying and unlucky part.
But today, strangely, it wasn’t like that. As if a light was blinking, the person I knew appeared and disappeared, blinking. Was I really seriously injured...?
I spoke more cautiously, worrying about myself.
“Her Highness Milliora and His Highness Grayon are rivals, so it would be difficult to believe and rely on you, Prince. I just wanted to ask for a simple piece of advice.”
“Not me.”
Prince Kydel lifted his upper body and leaned back deeply against the backrest.
His slightly crooked eyebrows were filled with annoyance and embarrassment at the same time. At first glance, he looked like someone who was slightly hurt.
By the way, his words were often short today. And he was sticky.
And what’s with that adhesive-like gaze...?
I responded in confusion.
“I understand, I understand. Given the situation, you should naturally keep your distance from me for your own safety. I apologize for my short-sightedness, Prince Kydel.”
“Locard.”
“Yes?”
“A name is a name. That’s the rude part.”
‘Um... I might have died in the palace hunting grounds back then.
This might be hell.
If I’m not crazy right now, where else would Prince Locard Kydel send me ‘such a signal’ than in the frozen hell?
Then he said.
“Miss Lorisha. I’ve seen a lot of death. No man my age has seen as much death as I and my comrades.”
I looked at him, surprised by the sudden change of subject.
“Death leaves a mark on people. Every time. The death of someone you cherish is definitely more.”
“Your Excellency...”
“Yesterday, you almost left a mark on me. I was angry and a little confused about that. Now that I’m face to face with you, I can’t help but confirm that fact.”
I was speechless, feeling sucked into his intense eyes.
I was confused. He really was accepting my death as if it were his own. Maybe that’s why his attitude toward me had changed.
But it was an explanation that wasn’t sufficient.
Today, my head was spinning slower than usual. So, if I dare say based on my feelings so far, I felt like he was tempting me.
The fact that I was feeling crazy thinking like this was proof that it was crazy.
I realized that his eyes were fixed on me, and I felt confused again.
When our eyes met, he smiled faintly, and the smile was incredible as he turned his head slightly and looked down at me with his jawline exposed.
'Surely, you're telling me to fall in love with you right now...?'
My head started to throb. However, since I couldn't trust my own reasoning ability, I gave up holding on and continued.
"Your Excellency, are you interested in me? So, as a woman..."
After I said that, I felt like I could breathe, but my mind was not in words.
I shut my eyes tightly and bit my lip. It was to endure his laughter.
If my earlobes had muscles, I would have closed them as well, but I couldn't, so I shrugged my shoulders.
However, as time passed, the room was still quiet.
"..."
I finally opened my eyes tightly and looked at him. When I did, he looked at me with a slightly agitated expression.
"...?"
"You didn't know that yet?"
I was dumbfounded, not understanding what I had just heard.
It seemed like it was my turn to burst out laughing this time. The most popular man in the empire, Prince Locard Kydel, was seducing me.
If you were to line up the young ladies who covet him, it would stretch from here to the village below Tunbar Mountain, where I lived. That kind of man, me?
I couldn’t laugh in the end, and he didn’t loosen his stiff expression.
I couldn’t help but ask, unable to do anything about my wandering eyes.
His shaky emotional ups and downs, his attitude of pushing forward as if he had already decided everything, everything was out of sync and creaking.
‘No. This isn’t it.’
“Is this your first time courting a woman?”
“Isn’t that the same for you, Miss Lorisha? Are there any other men besides me?”
“Huh? A man? No, ‘not me’...”
That’s the way of saying that if I don’t have any other men, then you’re my man!
“Answer me.”
“No, there isn’t...”
I sat down and looked at the wall, feeling empty as to why I answered. Then I turned my head away, embarrassed by what I had just said.
We each turned away from each other and sighed toward our different walls.
I slowly lay down and slowly pulled the blanket over my head.
'Mom... Where is this? Do you know?'
"Mom!"
Suddenly, my blanket was lifted, and I screamed in surprise.
Prince Kydel spoke as if he were very angry.
"When someone says something important, listen more seriously!"
“Huh? A man? No, ‘not me’...”
That’s the way of saying that if I don’t have any other men, then you’re my man!
“Answer me.”
“No, there isn’t...”
I sat down and looked at the wall, feeling empty as to why I answered. Then I turned my head away, embarrassed by what I had just said.
We each turned away from each other and sighed toward our different walls.
I slowly lay down and slowly pulled the blanket over my head.
'Mom... Where is this? Do you know?'
"Mom!"
Suddenly, my blanket was lifted, and I screamed in surprise.
Prince Kydel spoke as if he were very angry.
"When someone says something important, listen more seriously!"
"Do I not look serious?"
"I'm sorry for making you flustered. But if I don't say it now... Now is the only time I can say it before you get involved in another accident."
After all, I am the target of the First Prince of the Empire. Those who have something to say to me should hurry up and come quickly.
"I-It's hard to argue with that part."
"Yes. Then let's agree on the next part. I will call you by a nickname from now on. I have a few suggestions, but what's important is your opinion, so tell me if there's anything you want."
"Um, what are you...?"
“And don’t lock the window from now on. If I climb up the wall and the window is locked, it feels... pretty gross. I’m not blaming you at all.”
Ha! It looks like he was trying to sneak into my room again.
But what do you want me to do when you say something like that with such a serious and sincere expression...
“It would be nice if you came out to see me sometimes. If you sneak around too often, you run the risk of being caught...”
I was absentmindedly imagining him climbing the wall like a lizard.
If the imperial representative handsome man with the perfect image, were to be caught like that by the palace servants... Well, that would be something that no human being could do.
He continued talking, not caring that he had pushed me to the edge of a delusion.
“If you want to choose a nickname, do whatever you want. But I’d like you to try not to use it in front of other people. No matter how much I think about it, I’m a bit of a conservative person in that regard.”
Hmm. You’ve thought about it a lot.
“Your Excellency...”
“Of course, when it’s just the two of us, you can call me whatever you want. You can swear at me. In fact, I saw how impressed you were when you heard Galvan’s swearing on the ship. If it’s your taste, I respect it.”
"I'm sorry for making you flustered. But if I don't say it now... Now is the only time I can say it before you get involved in another accident."
After all, I am the target of the First Prince of the Empire. Those who have something to say to me should hurry up and come quickly.
"I-It's hard to argue with that part."
"Yes. Then let's agree on the next part. I will call you by a nickname from now on. I have a few suggestions, but what's important is your opinion, so tell me if there's anything you want."
"Um, what are you...?"
“And don’t lock the window from now on. If I climb up the wall and the window is locked, it feels... pretty gross. I’m not blaming you at all.”
Ha! It looks like he was trying to sneak into my room again.
But what do you want me to do when you say something like that with such a serious and sincere expression...
“It would be nice if you came out to see me sometimes. If you sneak around too often, you run the risk of being caught...”
I was absentmindedly imagining him climbing the wall like a lizard.
If the imperial representative handsome man with the perfect image, were to be caught like that by the palace servants... Well, that would be something that no human being could do.
He continued talking, not caring that he had pushed me to the edge of a delusion.
“If you want to choose a nickname, do whatever you want. But I’d like you to try not to use it in front of other people. No matter how much I think about it, I’m a bit of a conservative person in that regard.”
Hmm. You’ve thought about it a lot.
“Your Excellency...”
“Of course, when it’s just the two of us, you can call me whatever you want. You can swear at me. In fact, I saw how impressed you were when you heard Galvan’s swearing on the ship. If it’s your taste, I respect it.”
It seemed that the name of the sailor I wanted to have as a teacher for the first time since Miss Julia was Galvan.
But does Your Excellency think that’s what’s important right now?
More than anything, I couldn’t understand how a person like that could not miss out on being the top student at the academy that only gathered the empire’s brightest.
Did I study so hard and risk my life just to go to a place like that?
Now that I think about it, Misha has changed a lot since she went there. The academy was definitely a suspicious place.
I needed to talk to the Count about this. He had a lot of influence over the Academy’s operations.
And I needed a break, too. I had never taken a vacation since I entered the palace, even after being beaten and injured. I wanted to take a short vacation and go to the villa.
I wanted to eat the short ribs Moria made.
But when was the next competition?
I realized that Prince Kydel’s slightly thin lips, which never stopped babbling, were quite impressive. He really did look like a person who liked women. He was so good at harassing people.
By the way, do you like swearing? Are you serious?
“Miss Lorisha?”
“Huh? Yes? Why?”
“Did you just hear what I said?”
“No!”
But does Your Excellency think that’s what’s important right now?
More than anything, I couldn’t understand how a person like that could not miss out on being the top student at the academy that only gathered the empire’s brightest.
Did I study so hard and risk my life just to go to a place like that?
Now that I think about it, Misha has changed a lot since she went there. The academy was definitely a suspicious place.
I needed to talk to the Count about this. He had a lot of influence over the Academy’s operations.
And I needed a break, too. I had never taken a vacation since I entered the palace, even after being beaten and injured. I wanted to take a short vacation and go to the villa.
I wanted to eat the short ribs Moria made.
But when was the next competition?
I realized that Prince Kydel’s slightly thin lips, which never stopped babbling, were quite impressive. He really did look like a person who liked women. He was so good at harassing people.
By the way, do you like swearing? Are you serious?
“Miss Lorisha?”
“Huh? Yes? Why?”
“Did you just hear what I said?”
“No!”
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