Grant me Your Grace Chapter 57

“Hah… phew, ha…”  

 

Princess Dahlia Baran managed to slip out of the imperial palace, avoiding the watchful eyes of Bertha and the other maids. 

 

Even though she had merely descended from her bedroom and exited through the back door, cold sweat drenched her entire body.  

 

She didn’t want anyone to see her covered in blemishes, nor did she want them to stop her from leaving the palace upon seeing how difficult it was for her to move. 

 

That’s why she had sneaked out.  

 

‘Above all, I absolutely cannot let them find this note…’  

 

With trembling eyes, Dahlia stared at the note before hiding it inside her robe. 

 

Lighting a candle, she mustered all her strength to move forward.  

 

With each step, searing pain burned across her skin. But she couldn’t afford to hesitate. This wasn’t her usual path, so she had to be several times more cautious.  

 

Unlike when she headed to the temple—where she could pass by soldiers without a second thought—today, she had to hide at the slightest sound, her ears sharpened to every noise. 

 

The note, which detailed the patrol routes of the imperial soldiers, proved immensely helpful.  

 

Who had given her this information, and why? How had they even managed to do so?  

 

‘…No way.’  

 

For a brief moment, she wondered if this was a trap set by Saltar. But Dahlia quickly shook her head. She refused to let such worries slow her down.  

 

If it really was a trap, then she’d just have to carve out her own heart before it could be used against her.  

 

Clutching the dagger at her waist, Dahlia pressed onward.  

 

Before long, she reached the fortress wall. Scanning her surroundings, she recalled a small hole she had used as a child.  

 

The fact that it still existed spoke volumes about how poorly the walls were maintained.  

 

‘Though I suppose it’s to my advantage now…’  

 

With a conflicted gaze, Dahlia stared at the hole before hastily crawling through.  

 

‘From the wall, thirty steps toward the North Star.’  

 

Recalling the instructions from the note, she took one careful step after another.  

 

One, two, three, four…  

 

Fifteen, sixteen, seventeen…  

 

Twenty-eight, twenty-nine.  

 

‘Thirty.’  

 

Gritting her teeth against the unbearable pain, she finally began digging into the desert beneath her feet.  

 

Just then—  

 

“Ah, damn it, that’s why I said I wouldn’t lend you money!”  

 

“I’ll let you in on a better deal next time.”  

 

The murmurs of two soldiers reached her ears. It seemed they had secretly left their post and were now returning.

 

Dahlia held her breath and dug through the desert sand even faster. 

 

Every time her hands touched the sand, it felt like thousands of needles were piercing her, but she couldn’t stop.  

 

“Dammit. Today’s stakes were the highest I’ve ever seen…”  

 

The voices of the soldiers were now dangerously close. 

 

Swallowing her sobs, Dahlia desperately clawed at the ground.  

 

Just as the soldiers emerged from the darkness—  

 

Thud—

 

“Huh? Did you hear something just now?”  

 

One of the soldiers scanned the desert. His companion turned his head, brushed off his chest, and nudged him.  

 

“Ugh, you scared me. There’s nothing here. Let’s hurry back. If they find out we snuck out, we’re both dead.”  

 

The two soldiers quickly disappeared back inside the fortress walls.  

 

Whoosh—

 

The wind swept across the sand, briefly revealing a wooden plank.  

 

“…”  

 

Beneath it, Dahlia, who had been hiding with her hand clamped over her mouth, swallowed a sob and slumped to the ground. 

 

Slowly opening her tightly shut eyes, she stared ahead with trembling gaze. She had returned. To this horrific underground prison.  

 

To find the salvation she had abandoned.  

 

Dahlia scanned the damp cavern.  

 

‘They said there’s a marker somewhere here leading to Hissin’s cell…’  

 

As she moved the candle around, a faintly glowing line suddenly caught her eye. It was a mark made with luminescent stone, so faint that one might easily overlook it unless they looked closely.  

 

‘Who on earth would…’  

 

Could it really be a marker left by Hissin? But once someone was locked in this underground prison, they could never escape unless released from the outside.  

 

There was no time to waste. The guards could come in at any moment, and she had to find Hissin quickly.  

 

Following the faint trail of the luminescent stone, Dahlia moved slowly along the markings.  

 

From somewhere far away, a chilling wail echoed. It could have been the wind trapped in the cavern—or the groans of prisoners broken by torture.  

 

Forcing down the fear rising in her throat, Dahlia ventured deeper inside.  

 

“Haa, agh…”  

 

Just as the pain from the red welts was pushing her to her limit— Beyond her flickering vision, she finally saw the iron bars embedded in the ground.

 

Slowly raising the candle, Dahlia’s tears spilled over at the face visible between the bars. 

 

“You’ve come, Your Highness.”

 

Hissin was there. My only salvation, the one who could soothe my pain.  

 

Dahlia tightly shut her eyes, letting the remaining tears fall, then spoke in a low, trembling voice.  

 

“I swore I would never seek you out again…”  

 

The candlelight flickered faintly in response to her voice.

 

 For a moment, darkness enveloped them before revealing a pair of red eyes gazing intently at the exhausted princess.  

 

“In the end, I’ve come back to you like this.”  

 

Another surge of emotion threatened to overwhelm her, and Dahlia held her breath. 

 

The excruciating pain made her loathe herself for seeking out Hissin—for coming to this dreadful underground prison.  

 

Yet Hissin, who had been silently listening, looked at her softly, without mockery or reproach.  

 

“What does a past vow matter?”  

 

He reached his hand through the iron bars.  

 

“Even the almighty gods are known to be capricious at times—how much more so the heart of a human?”  

 

Her wavering eyes fell upon his scar-covered hand. Just grasping it would ease the suffocating pain, even if just a little.  

 

Melted wax dripped down the candle’s body as the flame swayed. 

 

The flickering light made Dahlia’s vision swim, and finally, she took a step toward Hissin’s outstretched hand.  

 

One step, then another. With each movement closer to him, a swarm of thoughts assailed her reason.  

 

‘Turn back now. The goddess Nuit will be furious. As the princess, you must not defy imperial law. If we’re caught, we’ll both lose our lives…’  

 

But the more her thoughts spiraled, the more violently the pain resisted. Her breath hitched as if she might collapse at any moment, her vision growing distant.  

 

Amid the fierce tug-of-war within her, the moment her hand finally clasped Hissin’s large one—  

 

“Haah…”  

 

Every tormenting thought fell silent at once.  

 

No guilt, no royal dignity, no countless virtues she had to uphold or evils she had to reject.  

 

As if only she and Hissin remained in the world, she sank into a tranquil void.  

 

Dahlia wrapped both hands around his, then pressed her forehead against them as if in prayer. The pain that had gripped her hands and face quickly began to fade.

 

After days of unbearable thirst, even drinking from an oasis couldn’t feel more refreshing than this.  

 

Hissin gazed intently at Dahlia, who was holding his hand with tender affection.  

 

Even in the dim light of a single candle, the horror was unmistakable—Dahlia’s body was covered in dark spots.  

 

They said the fire was so vast it could’ve burned down an entire village. In the dead of night, the blaze had trapped all the guards inside their barracks.  

 

The extent of their terrible burns could be guessed just by looking at Dahlia’s body.  

 

Hissin clenched his jaw slightly and wrapped his other arm around Dahlia’s waist. 

 

Clang!

 

As her body brushed against the cell bars, Dahlia flinched and lifted her head. Her hazel eyes trembled like those of a frightened rabbit.  

 

At the same time, unanswered questions lingered in her mind.  

 

‘How did he summon me here? How did he find the secret passage leading to this place? Just who are you?’

 

Meeting her questioning eyes, Hissin spoke.  

 

“Do not wonder about anything. No matter what you ask, my lips will give you no answers.”  

 

He tugged on the long cord crossing her collarbone, and the robe and veil covering her body fell to the floor together.  

 

“Simply take me as you please.”  

 

His face filled her hazel eyes, now fully exposed.  

 

“This body belongs solely to Your Highness. If you require it, I would even offer my life.”  

 

Pleased by her words, Hissin lowered his head. 

 

As his rough lips met hers, the familiar scent of figs brushed his nose.  

 

When he pulled away, Dahlia’s trembling lashes slowly lifted, revealing her beautiful eyes beneath.  

 

She looked at him with a lowered gaze, and her once-colorful eyes settled into resignation.  

 

“Alright.”  

 

At her consent, the corners of Hissin’s lips curled into a crimson line.  

 

“Submission… to my master.”  

 

The moment Dahlia’s eyes widened—  

 

“Hng—!”  

 

Hissin claimed her lips without hesitation.