"It doesn't matter if your lips turn purple or green!"
As I slammed his clothes on the floor and raised my voice, I heard another sigh.
My eyes became hot. He laughs at Ayla, but in front of me, he sighs all the time. I didn't even want to look at it.
"Even if I freeze to death here, I won't hurt you, so you can go to the birthday banquet of your precious twin siblings! Go and flatter those two people!"
"Even if you spend the night here, Your Highness will not freeze to death. At most, you get the flu."
"Then I can get the flu and die!"
I let out a harsh yell, and he brushed up the hair that clung to his eyes rather roughly.
I flinched a little at the frustrated movements. However, the voice that came out of his mouth was as plain as ever.
"What am I going to do to stop being the heroine of a tragedy?"
My eyes rose again at the sharp tone.
He was always polite to Ayla, but he was so sarcastic to me.
I stared at him with blazing eyes and pulled the pearl ornament from my tightly braided hair. Then, without hesitation, I threw it into the rushing lake.
"Bring that back. Then I'll quit."
Barcas's eyes narrowed.
I thought he would burst into rage with a cold face or turn around relentlessly. Then I thought I would hold out here all night and collapse.
Look at me as a corpse and feel remorse.
But as always, Barcas didn't follow my wishes.
He proudly pulled the buttons of his uniform jacket in front of me.
My eyes widened, and I snorted. He just thinks I'm going to stop him, and he's bluffing. There's no way he's really going to jump into the water.
I pretended to be relaxed and watched as he took off his knightly uniform, set it down under a tree, and removed his calf-high boots.
Let's do it to the end, right?
Barcas untied the sword belt around his waist and approached the shore in a see-through shirt and light cotton pants. Then he stared silently at the lake where the rain was pouring down.
After all, he must have come out strongly, expecting me to break my stubbornness.
As I laughed at myself, he jumped into the water without warning.
I jumped to my feet.
The gray water engulfed his body in an instant. I, who had a dazed expression, scrambled over to peer into the dark water.
"Barcas?"
The lake was silent.
There was no trace of an 18-year-old boy who had grown up frighteningly chiseled since he was 16 years old. I raised my voice.
"Barcas!"
In the pouring rain, only my voice resounded.
I now began to use evil.
"Come on, don't mess around!"
The wind blew at the right time.
The lake was stirred for a moment, but there was still no trace of him.
Suddenly, I gasped for breath.
I jumped into the water without any covering. I only took a few steps, and the water was up to my waist.
I stirred the surface of the water vigorously with both hands and raised my voice.
"Berkas! Berkas! Where are you!"
I could feel the slippery mud and branches beneath my feet.
I took a step a little deeper. Before I knew it, the surface of the water was up to my chest.
I sobbed harshly as I made through the icy water.
"My... I was wrong! So stop now!"
As I lost my reason and let go of my throat, the surface of the water nearby stirred loudly, and an elongated figure emerged from the water.
I looked at him with frozen eyes.
After shaking his head and gently brushing off the dripping water, Barcas slowly turned his head toward me. His blue eyes shone faintly beneath his water-soaked eyelashes.
"Come on."
Gently clutching my shoulder with one hand as if to keep my balance, Barcas held something in front of me.
I stared down at it in a daze.
"Is that enough?"
In his palm was the pearl ornament I had thrown away.
A hollow smile leaked out of my mouth.
I clasped one hand around my forehead and let out a bloody laugh. The next moment, I contorted my face like a man caught by something, snatched the pearl ornament, and threw it away.
Seeing that I had effortlessly scooped up what he had worked so hard to salvage, he didn't show any reaction.
I, who was staring at the calm face, couldn't hold back the fork and threw my hand away.
"Is it on purpose? Try to scare me!"
Even after being slapped in the face, he was silent.
Somehow, that equanimity made me even fiercer.
I began to beat him with my fists.
"You held on until I was told that I did something wrong! You naughty bastard! I hate you so much!"
"Do it in moderation."
Barcas suddenly grabbed my wrists and lowered his voice.
I looked up at him with teary eyes. I looked like I was going to die of frustration, and a ridiculous sigh came out of his mouth.
"You've fulfilled your quota today. Stop being a swarm and come out here."
"I don't like it. I will never listen to anything like that! I'm going to drown here, so get out!"
He dragged me up to the shore in a very angry way.
I continued to punch him in the back. Barcas, who was looking at it with amazement, shook his head and picked up his coat. Then he wrapped it tightly around my body and tied my arms tightly with his sleeves so that I could not punch him anymore.
I struggled to release the restraint, but when my arm wouldn't budge, I kicked him in the shin.
"Are you crazy about tying up a Princess? You thug!"
"Who's going to say something?"
He let out a long breath and wrapped his arms around my shoulders as if he were carrying a sack of sacks.
I screamed like an angry duckling.
"I'm a member of the royal family, you idiot! How can a knight treat a Princess like this?"
Barcas silently grabbed his sword and clothes and walked out in the rain.
I, who was writhing like a wild animal and screaming all kinds of insults, soon went limp.
He dropped me off only after arriving at the palace. I, who was glaring at him with a smirk, soon collapsed from exhaustion.
And that evening, I caught a terrible flu, just as he had predicted.
Barcas sat down in a chair beside me as my fever swelled and read quietly.
I don't know how shallow it was to look peaceful.
I asked him if he could get sick all the time, and he replied, "Sometimes it's not bad.'
I stared at him with feverish eyes, and buried my face under the covers, thinking a little unreservedly, Where is it sometimes?
Deep down, I was overjoyed that instead of attending Ayla's birthday party, he stayed by my side. So I was able to forgive him for being a little mean.
I tried to sleep while hiding my laughter.
Even though I was very distressed by the fever, I kept laughing strangely.
It was always like that when I was with Barcas. I feel painful, frustrated, and angry, but at the same time, my heart is overwhelmed. Sometimes I felt like he was very close.
Aren't we actually like friends?
In such a shameless misunderstanding, the years of the two of us piled up one after another.
It must have been a hard time for him, but for me, it was a gem.
Because of his presence, I was able to endure the extremely lonely days. But now, the memory of the past was not a comfort, but an inseparable shackle that held me together.
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