ESMLT 08

Chapter 8

“…Milady. Are you crying?”

What’s he talking about? I snapped my head to the side and stared at the fire again.

“I’m not crying.”

“You are.”

“I said I’m not.”

“No, what’s definitely in your eyes… are tears… Damn it, they fell on your cheek.”

“I just moistened my eyes because they were dry.”

“Don’t you think that’s a pathetic excuse?”

When I glared sharply at the crown prince with my tearful eyes, he pressed his lips tightly shut.

Yes, I’m crying. Why am I crying?

No matter how I thought about it, he was infuriating.

Even when I had my back exposed to the zombies and shouted for him to hold my hand, he was testing me.

What if his hand slipped… what if he let go by accident… how much would I…

Just recalling that moment made my stomach twist.

When I let out a few tears, the crown prince’s pupils trembled in an unprecedentedly flustered expression.

I wiped at my eyes with the back of my hand, letting the tears—and my anger—flow freely.

I must have been breathing hard.

A strong wind blew. The refreshing scent of wet plants reached me, soothing my dizzy head.

After quenching my throat with the crisp air, my wildly fluctuating emotions began to settle.

Embarrassed by the belated awkwardness, I rubbed my eyes again, only for the crown prince to gently pull my chin toward him.

Unlike before, he looked remarkably calm.

“You’re flushed.”

He frowned slightly and dabbed at my eyes with his fingertip.

I couldn’t help but be amused at the expression that could easily be mistaken for concern.

“Wait.”

The crown prince carefully let go of my face and headed toward the pond, pulling out a handkerchief from his sleeve.

He carries a handkerchief… despite appearances.

He dipped it in the pond and returned, wringing out the water to gently wet my eyes.

The heat on my eyelids cooled instantly. Feeling much better, I tilted my head and let him tend to my face obediently.

After a short while, his calm voice spoke.

“I apologize again.”

“…….”

“I didn’t expect that you’d like me so much that you’d cry.”

What kind of nonsense is that?

“Was I really that worrying to you?”

“…Are you going to keep spouting nonsense?”

I couldn’t speak politely.

Trapped in the zombie zone, with no one around to see or hear, what did etiquette toward royalty even matter?

Perhaps the crown prince thought the same—or maybe he truly felt sorry—because he didn’t bother pointing out my insubordination. All I heard was a faint chuckle.

When the handkerchief felt lukewarm, I removed his hand.

The firelight painted the vague scenery in sharper detail.

“That should be enough to prevent swelling.”

He glanced at me and sat beside me, resting his arm with the handkerchief on his knee.

I sniffled and peeked at him. His side profile shimmered in the red glow of the fire.

It’s obvious, but… that face is annoyingly handsome.

Yet I wouldn’t admit it, for pride’s sake, and instead said,

“…Since I saved Your Highness, I’ve won our wager.”

“Now that you mention it, we never decided on the wager’s reward. Speak. I’ll grant whatever you want.”

I extended my pinky finger, and the crown prince’s eyebrows shot up.

“You want me to… sever it? I can’t promise a pretty cut.”

“Who said anything about cutting?!”

When I panicked, he chuckled.

He had always laughed easily, but until now, his demeanor had been sharp and tense; now it felt slightly relaxed.

I gave him a disapproving look and said,

“I mean, let’s make a pinky promise.”

“…A promise?”

“Why do you look like it’s the first time you’ve heard that word?”

“It’s been a while since I last heard it… this ‘promise’ word.”

“Sorry for being childish. But I feel like I have to do this.”

The crown prince stared at my hand, his expression complex and subtle.

“It’s not that it’s childish… it’s just… odd, isn’t it? The word ‘promise.’”

“What’s odd about a promise?”

“It’s based on trust. A law of the heart, invisible. How many truly keep it?”

“But Your Highness will keep it, won’t you?”

He looked slightly lost for words.

His clear, luminous eyes wavered once.

That look again.

The strange, innocent look he had when I saved him.

I wasn’t trusting him without reason. Being wary of humans, I despised deceit—so I thought that at least by locking pinkies, he’d keep his promise.

Seems like he’s misunderstanding… but there’s no need to clarify.

Feeling awkward, I waved my hand.

“Are you leaving my finger like this?”

He chuckled, linking his pinky with mine, and playfully wiggled it a couple of times.

“I promise. I’ll grant whatever wish you have.”

“Are you really promising?”

The crown prince nodded nonchalantly, as if saying, Do you think I’d lie?

Taking it so calmly felt strangely unsettling.

I shook off his hand and took out my water bottle.

The spot where his warm touch had been felt slightly empty.

He seemed to feel it too, muttering to himself while looking at his pinky.

“I’m starting to regret it a bit.”

“Regret what?”

I asked before drinking, contemplating whether to wish for a pardon or wealth.

“My secretary insisted, and my engagement with you was broken. Redria Arios’s personality is as stubborn as Yours, so she’s… not suitable as crown princess—”

Pft!

I accidentally sprayed the water I was drinking toward the crown prince.

He frowned and brushed the wet drops from his face with his hand.

“…Saying she’s completely unsuitable as a crown princess candidate.”

I coughed, staring dumbfounded at him.

Who is he pairing me with, exactly?

Of course, he meant Redria, not me—but even the thought of her being a candidate gave me goosebumps.

“She’s still a candidate, really?”

“Seems like she might run away if she knew.”

“Did you say that was your secretary’s honest opinion?”

“Want me to break his skull? Good. I’d like to shut that sharp-mouthed fool up.”

The crown prince smiled mischievously.

Despite his harsh words, his eyes were warm.

He really trusts his secretary.

His secretary had rushed about trying to save the prince while he was trapped in the zombie zone—he was the only person the prince truly trusted.

Even a human skeptic trusts someone.

Feeling slightly unsettled by the thought, I stowed the water bottle in my backpack.

“Since we’re talking, I’ll ask. Milady, do you see anyone?”

“No one.”

“Of course not, given your reputation as a troublemaker.”

“….”

…A little sociopath, through and through.

“Why do you ask?”

He gave a lazy smile and looked at me.

“Then… would you marry me?”

What…?

A sudden breeze rustled the delicate leaves and his hair.

Shadowed eyes in the eyehole, golden irises reflecting the moonlight.

Being looked at so intently… honestly, my heart fluttered.

Who wouldn’t be stirred by such a scene?

If it weren’t for the anger boiling inside me, I might have nodded immediately.

But don’t forget.

This guy laughs at zombies and tests my life with his own. He’s infuriating and insane.

“Surely it’s not because you like me just for saving you earlier?”

“Hah, of course not.”

Even afterward, he chuckled dismissively twice, which only irritated me further.

“…Then why would you want to marry me?”

“Having you by my side in this boring palace would be fun. I’m enjoying myself even now.”

…It must be fun if zombies swarm outside the forest.

I rested my backpack filled with food and supplies as a pillow, turning my back to him.

“If you’re going to keep talking nonsense, I’ll sleep. You can do as you please, Your Highness.”

When I spoke curtly, I heard his laugh above my head.

I closed my eyes, raising an eyebrow slightly, feeling his movement as he shifted position. The cold wind cooling my back disappeared.

He was acting as a windbreak. Maybe he felt a little sorry for making me cry.

“Wake me in a bit. I’ll take over the night watch.”

“Alright.”

As I responded, I felt a hand gently tucking stray hair behind my ear.

I flinched, and the hand quivered slightly with his smile. Even after he stopped laughing, his fingertip trembling over my cheek left me slightly puzzled.