IWAP - Chapter 54

The horse, which had been running like a madman foaming at the mouth, neighed and thrashed about. More than half of the reins were torn off by the horse's violent movement.

The horse's body swayed violently once again. It was a miracle that it was running without falling. The reins, having gained momentum, were torn in an instant, leaving only about a quarter of them intact.

The faces of those who had somehow entered my heart—Landt, the Marquis, Elle, Anasha, Evan, and others—came to mind one after another. The things I hadn't done well weighed on my mind more than the things I had done well. Regret washed over me, thinking it would have been better if I had opened my heart a little more. Finally, the Crown Prince's face also came to mind.

Despite my efforts to hold on, it seemed I still held him in my heart. Unlike then, the man now said he loved me.

Would he grieve my death now?

Did he mourn my death back then?

I let out a chuckle. Why am I having such a useless thought in a moment of such urgency?

As if there wasn't even time to be lost in thought, the reins that had been barely holding on snapped completely. My body felt like floating up into the sky. In an instant, the blue sky filled my vision. I closed my eyes.

“Bee!”

The sweet scent of spearmint brushed past my nose as something solid enveloped me. The force that sprang out...

Unable to crawl, it wrapped around me and rolled on the floor. It barely stopped after rolling for quite a while.

"Haa. Haa"

Rough breathing echoed in my ears. When I opened my eyes, what I saw was someone's chest rising and falling along with the breathing.

Strong arms and legs wrapped tightly around my body. I lifted my head to check his face. As expected, the Crown Prince was breathing heavily with his head pressed against the floor. Our eyes met. 

"Are you alright?"

"Yes."

"Thank god."

A sense of relief settled in his golden eyes. He tightened his grip on me. His firm arms wrapped around me even more tightly, as if squeezing my body.

My body was pressed against his. I rested my head on his chest and waited for his breathing to calm down. The sound of his heart pounded in my ears.

I couldn't tell if the loud ringing of my heart was his or mine.

"I thought my heart was going to sink."

My heart sank at his words, which he spat out like a sigh. It was a reaction different from before.

My heart had always pounded like crazy whenever I saw his face. But it was nothing more than a reflexive reaction, like Pavlov's dog. I had never felt this way while being with him.

"Honestly, I thought something bad was going to happen to you..."

He could no longer continue speaking and shut his mouth. It was strange that he hadn't felt it until now.

His body, wrapped around me, was trembling slightly.

"It's okay."

I waited for him to calm down. He closed his eyes and held me for a long time without moving.

"I should get up now."

“I see.”

He did not open his eyes even as he answered. The grip that was holding me back loosened slightly, but his arms were still wrapped around me.

“A lot of time has passed.”

"Ha."

He let out a deep sigh. I fidgeted in his arms. His arms, which had been wrapped around my waist and back like a net, released themselves willingly.

I sat up and checked my body. There were small scratches here and there, but I didn't feel any major issues. It was a blessing in disguise.

“Aren’t you getting up?”

Even as I was checking my body, he just kept looking up at me. He had no intention of getting up.

I frowned as I looked down at him.

"You look beautiful looking up from below, too. I’d like to admire you a little longer."

"Judging by the way you are talking nonsense, it seems fortunately that you are fine."

I turned away from him. The sun was already setting in the west. Night falls earlier in the mountains than elsewhere. I needed to quickly find where the others were, but I couldn't even guess where I was.

"... Ugh."

Just as I was gauging my direction and about to move, I heard his groan of pain. I turned to look at him and saw him curled up, clutching his chest. Startled, I ran toward him.

“Are you okay?”

Worried, I placed my hand on his shoulder. Even at my question, his crumpled face refused to smooth out.

"Your..."

I was about to call out to him again when my body tilted, and the world spun around. In the blink of an eye, my back hit the floor. He was looking down at me with a mischievous smile.

"It looks like you are worried about me."

"Were you lying?"

"I felt like if I didn't do this, you would leave me behind."

His red lips curved upward in a pleasing arc. I narrowed my eyes and glared at him. Unlike his smiling expression, his complexion was pale, as if covered in dough.

"Looking up from below was unique and nice, but I still prefer looking down from above."

He acted as if nothing was wrong, grinning as usual, but he could not hide the cold sweat beading on his forehead.

He rolled on the ground, shielding me as I fell from the horse that had been galloping like a madman. There was no way he was unharmed. It was clear that something was wrong with him, but he didn't seem to have any intention of letting me know.

It was short-sighted of me to believe that he would be fine just because I was. Even if I knew about his injury in this situation, there was nothing else I could do. Moreover, I didn't want to let his efforts to keep it a secret go to waste. I didn't know how badly he was hurt, but I decided to pretend I didn't know, just as he wanted.

"You are playing too many pranks."

"What do you mean by 'pranks'? Don't you still know that I always get serious only when it comes to you?"

His face slowly came down. As I felt his breath, a silver thread tickled my cheek.

"If I kiss you like this, what will happen this time?"

Unlike his tone, tinged with laughter, his golden eyes deepened. His lips came close enough to almost touch mine.

"If you really want to feel my warning with your own body, I am fully willing to comply."

He smiled, narrowing his eyes at my answer. He slowly rose to his feet. His large shadow filled my field of vision.

"You're still such a heartless fiancée."

He bent over while standing and held out his hand toward me. I stared blankly at his outstretched hand. He chuckled at the sight of me.

"Will you refuse even this?"

I finally sighed and clasped his hand. My hand was completely enveloped within his large, calloused hand. He tightened his grip and lifted me to my feet. With a gentle yet strong strength, my body was nestled into his embrace.

"I am so glad you are safe."

I heard his low breathing near my ear. Held in his arms, I closed my eyes. I could feel the two hearts, which had been beating out of sync, slowly matching their rhythms.

I have already made up my mind not to run away out of fear of getting hurt. If I come to confirm my feelings, I thought I should stake everything on that heart once again.

I could no longer turn a blind eye. I had to admit it now. I was in love with him.

It is not that I am not afraid. The anxiety that things might go back to how they were back then if she appeared still lingered. However, the man now is not the man he was back then. Back then, he did not treat me this affectionately. He did not risk his life for me. He did not hold me this warmly.

I placed my hands on his back and hugged him. I felt his body flinch at my sudden action. I slowly traced my fingers down his spine, starting from the top. He snapped back, grabbing my shoulders with both hands and pulling me away from his body.

“W-what!”

A flustered look was clearly visible on his face. Seeing his flushed face, I couldn't help but smile. I realized I loved him, but I didn't want to tell him easily.

The man standing before me now was not the same man from back then, but a surge of impulse arose within me to make him yearn just as much as I had back then. So, I decided to hide these feelings from him for a while.

"We do not have time for this, Your Highness."

At my gesture, he looked up at the sky. The sun was slowly hiding itself. To make matters worse, dark clouds were gathering from afar.

“I see.”

Beep-

He whistled for a long time. A clear, high-pitched sound echoed through the mountains. He whistled again. He whistled a couple more times in succession, but there was no change. A look of disappointment settled on his face.

"It looks like they went far away."

The Crown Prince's horse was a military-trained horse. Trained horses responded to their masters' hand signals. The fact that it did not come meant that it was in a place where sound could not reach.

"First, we'll have to get out of the forest."

He looked at me. Worry filled his eyes. The fact that we had to get out of the forest meant that we had to walk until we got there. He seemed worried about that.

“Are you going to be okay?”

"It's fine. Even if it weren't fine, what could be done in this situation?"

"Yeah, I knew you would say that."

"Your Highness, would you be alright?"

"As you said, isn't it unavoidable in this situation?"

He took my hand and chuckled. Although he looked much better than before, his face was still pale. He moved his fingers, burrowing between mine.

"I won't collapse leaving you behind, so you don't have to worry."

He took a turn and started moving. I took a step, following his lead, and asked.

"Do you know the way when you move?"

"Well."

When I frowned, he burst into loud laughter.

***

I quickened my pace, but perhaps because I had wandered deep into the forest, I could not get out even after walking for quite a while. Eventually, just as I had feared, the surroundings grew pitch dark, and raindrops began to fall one by one.

The raindrops that had been pattering gradually grew heavier, and in an instant, turned into a downpour. He pulled my shoulder, which he was holding, tightly toward himself. My body pressed against his as if I were being embraced.

"Walking any further is too much."

As he said, walking any further seemed difficult. It was impossible to find a way through the torrential rain without a single ray of light in the darkened forest.

He looked around. His vision was so obscured that he couldn't see an inch ahead. He led me under a large tree standing nearby.

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