REFDL 81
“Ugh!”
“Aaak!”
The knights flew in all directions.
It felt like a giant, invisible beast had swung its front paw. In that moment, I thought his power was actually closer to a dragon’s.
Thump!
“Ugh!”
The Fourth Prince, who had held me as if he’d never let go, fell away so easily.
His body floated through the air and hit the sofa before falling backward.
I wavered along with the impact, but a firm arm wrapped around my waist to support me. I felt relieved when I noticed a familiar scent.
I hurriedly hugged his body.
Kaelus breathed heavily, growling like a real beast, and flinched.
His unstable emotions calmed down, then grew rough again.
“Damn it, you got here fast.”
The Fourth Prince staggered to his feet. He seemed to have survived because Kaelus controlled his strength while throwing him, unlike the Denos knights who were completely knocked out.
…However, that mercy didn’t look like a conscious choice. It seemed more like instinct or habit.
Kaelus immediately gripped his sword with an expression that said, ‘Why did I let that bastard live?’
Aaaaah!
“Kaelus. No!”
“…….”
Hitting a prince of another country is completely different from killing him.
Of course, hitting him is also problematic! Actually, it’s beyond problematic; it’s a huge issue!
But because of what that guy did, I figured we were safe up to that point.
Kaelus stopped and looked back at me when I shouted and clung to his arm. His eyes were gloomy and dark, like an afternoon sky during a heavy downpour.
My legs went weak. He looked like he might strike down a bolt of lightning at the obstacle that stopped his actions.
Kaelus stared at me for a moment, then asked in a cold voice.
“Why do you stop me? Did you grow to like that guy?”
What?!
“Are you crazy?!”
I jumped because the idea was so ridiculous.
Kaelus’s attitude instantly softened. The Fourth Prince, who was watching us, raised and lowered an eyebrow.
He looked irritated, but he also seemed confused about why he felt that way.
While the prince chewed over his emotions, Kaelus leaned his face closer and interrogated me.
“You were kissing when I entered. What about that?”
“Of course he forced it on—”
Before I could finish my sentence, Kaelus started walking toward the Fourth Prince.
“—me. Hey! I told you to calm down!”
Drag, drag, drag.
…This must be how a human feels when clinging to the body of a rampaging dragon.
I tangled my whole body onto him, but he effortlessly dragged me along.
Kaelus only walked slowly because he was being considerate of me. If he hadn’t been, the Fourth Prince’s head would’ve fallen to the floor twice already.
The Fourth Prince seemed to know it too. He put his pride aside for a moment and moved toward the window.
It’d be better to leave through the door, but Kaelus and I had our backs to it.
But this is the 6th floor!
If he jumped to avoid Kaelus, he’d be lucky to end up with a serious injury. Otherwise, it was certain death.
I briefly simulated a scene in my head where I’d grab the Fourth Prince, jump out the window, and return to my original form to fly away, but I discarded it.
That method was a problem even if it succeeded.
Kaelus might hold a grudge, and the Fourth Prince, who doesn’t know gratitude, might use that to his advantage. If that happened, a pissed-off Kaelus would go find him and… slash. The result would be the same.
My useless thoughts came to an end.
There was no time. I chose the means I expected to be most efficient among my limited options.
Chu.
In the past, I thought it lacked logic when characters in dramas suddenly kissed to change the atmosphere in a difficult situation.
I repent for those thoughts.
I thought it was out of the blue when I was just a viewer, but now that I’m in it, I understand.
Stopping him with a mouth is more certain than stopping him with a palm. It achieves the goal of ‘changing the atmosphere’ most effectively, and it distracts the other person’s mind wonderfully.
“Mmph. Hng. Eung…….”
The downside: control of the situation can pass completely to the other person.
My arms were still tied. Since he decided to hug me, I had no way to escape.
I wouldn’t have been able to escape even if my hands were free.
…Actually, I didn’t even think about escaping.
I responded actively. I accepted whatever he did.
We groaned every time our tongues tangled and pulled.
I felt Kaelus’s mood soften through our touching skin.
Crunch.
It was the sound of the Fourth Prince crushing a piece of wood as he approached.
I reflexively pulled away at the noise, and Kaelus let out a dissatisfied sound. I pushed my upper body back and stopped him as he tried to dive in again.
No. I mean. I didn’t plan to go this far in a place like this…
Kaelus’s eyebrows twitched, and he let go of me. Unlike when he looked at me, his eyes grew colder as he turned to the Fourth Prince.
The Fourth Prince had stopped moving and looked enraged. A confused expression appeared on his reddened face.
He didn’t seem to understand why he was angry.
“Ah!”
Kaelus picked me up in his arms. My gaze was forced away from the Fourth Prince and toward Kaelus.
“…….”
Does he know that he momentarily had a satisfied expression?
The man still had a face that was usually indifferent and cold. But sometimes, changes like subtle ripples happen within him.
When I realized those ripples came from me, the feeling was something words couldn’t explain.
“Your Highness.”
Kaelus stared at me, then nodded toward the Fourth Prince.
“I’ve found my person, so I’ll be leaving now.”
“……I’ll formally protest this matter.”
“Go ahead.”
Kaelus said and headed for the door. He stood with his back to the Fourth Prince. His attitude suggested that someone like the prince wasn’t a threat even if left behind his back.
Snap.
The trampled piece of wood broke completely under the Fourth Prince’s sole. Kaelus spoke without looking back.
“We both have plenty of things to talk about, after all.”
***
“Yuram!!”
The children, who were guarding the horses with Nitan, ran over crying.
Kaelus, whose reason had returned, looked embarrassed for a moment before quickly regaining his composure.
The accident already happened. All that was left was to clean it up.
Nitan looked at Yuram, who felt awkward in Kaelus’s arms, then at Kaelus, who was hesitating while pretending not to. Nitan understood everything.
His expression said, ‘I guess you feel embarrassed now that you’ve come to your senses?’
…Looking at that face, Kaelus realized how childish he’d acted. He felt ashamed, but he acted shamelessly without showing it.
Kaelus spoke to Nitan with only his eyes.
‘I guess you haven’t been hit enough lately.’
Nitan understood and quickly joined the cleanup with a serious face.
“Odan. Your mask slipped.”
“……Ah.”
Odan had never worn a Knum’s half-mask properly. His mask had been slipped down from the start.
But clever Odan understood immediately. He tightened the mask strings as much as possible to hide his face.
It looked awkward because there were still many gaps. Anyway, he achieved the goal of ‘hiding the face.’
The Fourth Prince burst through the door looking like a vagrant right after that.
He was huffing because he couldn’t overcome his anger, but he paused when he found Nitan and the children.
The Fourth Prince adjusted his attitude in an instant. He just brushed off the dust and straightened his waist, but he immediately returned to being a precious prince of another country.
“Duke. I’m glad you haven’t left yet. I have something I must say—”
His eyes moved busily while he spoke, then stopped on Odan.
Nitan stood in front of the child.
Right after that, the thought occurred to him that his attitude might have actually drawn the Fourth Prince’s attention.
‘Oh no……!’
As expected, the eyes of the Fourth Prince, Valita, narrowed.
“Who are those children?”
“They are children I sponsor,” Kaelus replied.
“Sponsorship. You, Duke?”
“……To be precise, I told another noble to sponsor them. If I step forward, attention will be drawn. I didn’t think that would be very good for growing talents.”
“I see. But Duke. It feels like you’ve suddenly become talkative. Is it my imagination?”
“…….”
Valita, who had completely regained his composure, rolled his eyes slowly.
He didn’t give any attention to Rotol and Mirim, who looked confused because they didn’t know what was happening. He was observing the little one hesitating behind Nitan.
Blonde hair and blue eyes.
They were the same as his. Whether in Firmus or Denos, commoners almost never have those colors. They are colors like a monopoly of high-ranking nobles or royalty.
‘Since he’s hanging out with those others and said he receives sponsorship, he must be a commoner…….’
Is he an illegitimate child?
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