“So, with that in mind… I think I should head back early today and get some rest.”
I endured my embarrassment and stubbornly continued pretending to be sick and weak.
“That’s okay, right? There’s… plenty of time.”
As I said that and stared straight at the Crown Prince, he slowly nodded.
“All right. There’s no need to rush.”
Yes, good thinking.
There was no need to have an important conversation while dancing right in the middle of the banquet hall.
Perhaps the Crown Prince believed my excuse about being sick, because he even offered me a favor.
“I’ll send my personal physician to the detached palace.”
Well, maybe he was only pretending to believe me.
If I refused, he would suspect that I was faking it.
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
Since I was already pretending to be sick, I might as well get a whole bunch of medicine for emergencies.
I pretended to cough again.
I had never caught a cold even once, so I wasn’t sure whether I looked convincing… but it was probably similar to when someone choked on something.
When I removed the hand covering Elhardt’s eyes, he lowered his head and examined my face.
“Are you all right…?”
No, Elhardt… What am I supposed to do if even you fall for it…?
“I think it was a little cold in the banquet hall.”
There was nothing I could do with the Crown Prince watching us.
“Let’s hurry back and rest.”
After carefully fastening the jacket I was wearing, Elhardt scooped me up into his arms.
“W-wait…! There’s no need to go this far….”
Startled, I struggled, and he adjusted his hold on me.
“I think I’ll feel better if I do this.”
As he said that, he pulled me closer into his arms, leaving me no choice but to relax my body.
This was the first time in my life that I had ever been carried by someone like a princess.
‘Oh… It’s more comfortable than I thought.’
Elhardt wasn’t merely large in stature. His muscles were firm, and he also had a high body temperature, making him surprisingly comfortable to be held by.
Just as Elhardt was about to leave the lounge with me in his arms, the Crown Prince blocked his path.
“Wait.”
The Crown Prince casually tossed aside the dress he was holding, took off his own jacket, and draped it over me.
When his hand touched my body, I felt the surrounding mana move ever so slightly, but it happened so quickly that I couldn’t be certain.
Only after carefully fastening it so that nothing except my face was exposed did the Crown Prince withdraw his hand.
“Follow me.”
Without waiting for an answer, the Crown Prince turned and began walking. Elhardt stared at him for a moment before following.
At the end of the western corridor, there was a door that led outside without having to pass through the banquet hall.
‘She said I’d die if I went out that way.’
Remembering Lucia’s words, I eyed it suspiciously, but the Crown Prince stepped outside first and said,
“If you go this way, you’ll be able to reach the detached palace without running into anyone.”
“Isn’t this garden reserved exclusively for members of the imperial family?”
Elhardt asked on my behalf.
“I believe anyone who enters without permission can be executed on the spot.”
“You know quite a lot.”
The Crown Prince sounded surprised.
“There’s no need to worry. There’s no one guarding it tonight.”
“……”
As Elhardt looked at him suspiciously, wondering if he was trying to deceive us, the Crown Prince shrugged.
“I’m simply showing Ser a favor. It’s not as though you’ll obediently let yourself be killed anyway. There’s no reason for me to do something that would only put me at a disadvantage.”
Elhardt looked at me as if asking for my opinion, so I gave him a slight nod.
The Crown Prince wasn’t wrong.
Cradion wouldn’t harm Elhardt unless absolutely necessary.
If they intended to do so, they would have acted long ago.
“I’ll gratefully accept your favor.”
“You’re welcome.”
Once Elhardt stepped into the garden, the Crown Prince turned around and went back inside the building.
He was probably heading back to the banquet hall.
Then I remembered that the Crown Prince had given me his jacket.
‘Well, he can wear another jacket or change his clothes or whatever.’
It wasn’t my concern.
Rather, it would be better to take a look around the imperial family’s garden, since I would probably never set foot here again.
‘Is it… well decorated?’
If I had come during the day, I surely would have been amazed, but under the hazy moonlight, it merely felt serene.
Rather than looking at the flowers and trees buried in darkness, I found it more interesting to look at Elhardt’s face.
He walked silently toward the detached palace with his lips firmly shut, as though lost in thought.
‘Come to think of it….’
Something suddenly occurred to me, so I asked him a question.
“What you said earlier… You didn’t mean it, did you?”
“What?”
“That you could turn your back on Bardia.”
Even if Elhardt truly harbored such feelings, no one could blame him.
Especially considering how Bardia had abandoned someone who had fought while putting his life on the line.
But if Elhardt had truly come to hate Bardia, there would be no reason for him to endure the humiliation of remaining a hostage, which was why I asked.
I wanted to know what he truly thought.
“…I don’t know.”
Elhardt finally spoke after a long silence.
“I did not fight to preserve the royal family or protect the rights of the nobles.”
His gaze remained fixed ahead, yet at the same time, he seemed to be recalling all the steps he had taken along the way.
“What I wanted to protect was the lives of the people who relied on the walls of Bardia to live from one day to the next.”
Yes.
I thought that was what it would be.
Just like Mikhail, Elhardt was someone who had longed to protect those who sought his protection and had made himself into a wall.
Even if someone spat on his back, threw filth at him, or treated him carelessly.
The mana scent that spoke of the years he had lived proved Elhardt’s noble character.
“But, Ser. I also came to realize that I have merely lived peacefully thanks to the protection and sacrifices of others.”
He lowered his gaze toward me as he spoke.
“I feel as though I could do anything for my wall.”
Elhardt’s wall.
What—or who—did that mean?
“Am I wrong to think that way?”
Elhardt asked for my opinion.
I thought for a moment before answering.
“That depends on how convincing your wall is.”
I didn’t know the answer either, but in a way, I had experienced something similar.
“If it’s a pathetic wall, I’ll kick it down and build a new one.”
Mikhail had been the hero of his era, a sturdy wall that people desperately needed.
But even if he had tried to walk down the wrong path later on, I would not have gone easy on him.
If anything, I would have given him an even harsher scolding because he was my close friend.
“People aren’t worth trusting. You have to keep your eyes wide open and watch them carefully.”
Whatever the reason, his irresponsible act of abdicating in favor of Caleb and leaving should have earned him a severe scolding.
But I had not been by his side, and now I regretted my choice.
I had never imagined that my wall would collapse.
Because I failed to see the vulnerability Mikhail carried within him, I left him alone.
How utterly foolish of me.
“I see.”
“Yeah.”
I nodded emphatically.
“Don’t let your guard down. Keep a close eye on that person you call your wall, and make sure he doesn’t suddenly do something foolish.”
Perhaps my advice had struck a chord with him.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
There was a hint of laughter in Elhardt’s voice as he answered.
***
After returning to the detached palace, Elhardt laid me down on the bed and refused to let me lift even a finger.
The reason I couldn’t immediately confess that I had been faking my illness to the man treating me like a sick person was….
My performance earlier had come back to haunt me.
‘It was too convincing.’
The Crown Prince’s personal physician diligently wrote down the symptoms I had made up before saying,
“It seems to be due to the sudden change in environment. I’ll prescribe medication suited to your symptoms, as well as some restorative medicine to help strengthen your body.”
It was a relief that he was naive enough to take a fake patient’s words at face value.
Thanks to that, I managed to stock up on plenty of emergency medicine and precious medicinal remedies, which left me feeling quite secure.
But then….
“Why didn’t you tell me you weren’t feeling well sooner?”
The moment we were alone, I was immediately cornered.
“Huh? Well, you see….”
As I rolled my eyes around, wondering how I was supposed to explain this, Elhardt sat down beside me and said,
“Don’t even think about getting down to the floor. Sleep here.”
“You want me to sleep on the bed? With you?”
“We slept together last night, too.”
That was completely different.
More importantly, he was the one who had unilaterally moved my sleeping bag…!
“Does having me around bother you?”
As he asked that, he leaned his body toward me.
I could feel his weight sink into the bed, and I reflexively held my breath.
‘Of course it does.’
It bothers me an unbelievable amount!
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