Chapter 7

Rezette paused to think for a moment. His cold, logical mind analyzed the reason for this sudden surge of emotion. There was always a reason why emotions fluctuated.

He had first seen this woman three years ago, and even now, after all this time, she remained etched in his memory like a fragment. Why?

As he thought about it, Rezette realized the reason. He had seen this woman during the most hellish days of his life, and so this emotion was probably a leftover feeling from those days that had resurfaced unexpectedly.

It would be a lie to say that he had never coveted a jewel-like woman he knew he could never possess. Back then, he had been a little more humble than he was now, and in turn, he had worshiped those who shone as brightly as the sun. Like a crow that gathers any shiny object it comes across.

Let’s see if that habit still exists, Rezette thought to himself.

He wrapped one arm around the woman’s slender waist and carefully lifted her injured shoulder, holding her in his arms. He climbed into the bed with her, still holding her.

Her body, slick with sweat, pressed gently against him through the thin fabric of her dress. Rezette slowly ran his index finger and thumb through Elise’s disheveled silver hair. It was an addictive feeling.

Even though he was daring enough to climb into bed with Argan’s princess and do something worthy of punishment, his guilt was light, perhaps because he had found a reasonable excuse for his actions.

The woman moaned and clung to him, seeking his warmth. His body temperature was hotter than hers, and her legs tangled with his as her body pressed tightly against him from her chest to her lower body.

Rezette’s brow narrowed slightly. She was so fragile that she seemed like she would break if she were hit. The curves of her body that came into contact with his were more revealing than necessary, the touch of her soft skin wrapped in a thin layer of fabric.

Even though she was sweating profusely, the princess smelled of grass flowers. Even he, who was embracing her, seemed to be buried in a flower in full bloom.

“Sir…”

Rezette held a strand of hair, shining bright even in the darkness, as he stopped moving at the sound of the faint whisper.

“Do you really not know who I am?” Elise asked.

“Did you wake up because of me?” Rezette replied, a hint of surprise in his eyes.

Surely she had been sleeping, right? The woman in his arms lowered her head, and before Rezette could pull away, she grabbed onto him tightly. Unable to open her eyes, the princess struggled to catch her breath.

“We’re almost at the capital, sir,” the woman whispered.

“Yes,” Rezette replied.

“I feel… so bad…” She mumbled, her words barely audible. Gently shaking her, Rezette leaned his ear closer to her lips.

A faint breath, tinged with a myriad of emotions, tickled his ear.

“Consider it a final struggle,” the princess said.

“I don’t know what you mean,” Rezette replied.

“You can even think of me as a crazy woman…” The princess’s voice was barely above a whisper. “Please, just once, think of my worth.”

These were her final words.

***

Time passed quickly. It wasn’t until Elise’s cold had lasted for a month that it finally subsided.

“We can’t afford to wait any longer,” the duke said matter-of-factly. As soon as she seemed to have recovered, he calmly said that he would advance the date of her execution. What could Elise say in response? All she could do was nod her head.

“It looks like we’ll have to ride horses from now on. Will that be alright?”

Until now, they had traveled in a cart meant for transporting criminals. However, as time grew short, the mode of transportation switched from a cart to horses. Should I insist on continuing to travel by cart? Elise thought. But the man who had guarded her side until now must have noticed that her condition had improved enough for her to ride a horse. He must have recommended it with that in mind.

Helplessly, Elise agreed.

“Which horse should I ride?” she inquired.

“Which horse would you like to ride?” the duke asked, turning to Elise as he finished saddling his own horse. There was a rare hint of doubt in his blue eyes.

“Excuse me,” Rezette rushed over to Elise. His sturdy frame easily overpowered her, causing Elise to involuntarily shrink back.

This gesture, which had become familiar in the past month, was repeated as he firmly grasped her waist. It was strange how comfortable she had become with him in just a month. At first, she had to grant permission for him to even touch a finger to her body, but now it had come to this. It wasn’t a bad change. He still withdrew after the necessary amount of contact, but to this extent…

“Hold on tight,” Rezette said.

“Hold on? To what…”

Before Elise could even finish her sentence, he suddenly picked her up in his arms. Elise gasped in surprise, her arms involuntarily wrapping around his neck as she was lifted off the ground.

But the contact was brief, and soon Elise found herself perched atop his horse. The higher vantage point made her head spin slightly. His horse was much larger and sturdier than the one she had ridden in the Imperial City.

“Thank you… I guess.”

But I can ride a horse on my own, at least, Elise thought to herself. Just as Elise found the reins and grabbed them, the horse trembled underneath her. She turned around in surprise and found herself pressed against the hard chest of someone wearing thin armor. The duke had mounted on the horse behind her.

“You need to watch where you’re going, Your Highness,” he said. Elise’s face heated up with embarrassment. Did he see her as such a weakling who couldn’t even ride a horse alone? Of course, her skills were limited at best.

Before she could fully process the unexpected situation, the duke’s large hand enveloped hers, taking control of the reins. “Allow me,” he said. Elise was at a loss for words. The hand that held the reins felt rough, but also warm.

***

It was clear to Elise that she may have misunderstood this man’s habits a bit. She waited patiently on top of the horse as he prepared to lower her down, wondering if he saw her as someone who couldn’t even walk properly on her own.

“Please wrap your arms around my neck,” he said.

Elise didn’t see the need to go into such detail unless it was really necessary. However, she didn’t want to show off the strength of her legs to him specifically, so she obediently wrapped her arms around him, and her feet touched the ground in no time.

“We will be camping here for the night. Please wait while I make arrangements for a place for you to rest,” the duke said.

“I can just rest anywhere, it’s fine,” Elise replied.

“If you sit in a cold place and then the temperature rises again, it will delay our journey,” the duke explained.

However, each time he spoke in such a cold tone, the excitement that had been slowly building inside her disappeared like melting snow.

After tucking Elise under his cloak and settling her onto a comfortable rock, the duke began giving orders to his knights. Elise felt the gaze of the soldiers as she fiddled with the duke’s cloak. She had been trained to never avoid the gaze of nobles or commoners, so she met their eyes without any hesitation. However, the soldiers quickly looked away, not just one, but several of them simultaneously.

Elise frowned, but none of the many soldiers tried to meet her eyes again. Was her face dirty? Elise wiped her sweaty cheek. Maybe she looked sickly, as she had been bedridden for weeks.

It just so happened that the duke was away for a long time and had many instructions for his attendants today. Elise stood up from her seat and listened to the faint sound of water. She was about to move towards the sound, which was coming from deeper in the forest, when a sharp voice stopped her.

“Your Highness.”

Elise turned around in surprise. The duke was quickly approaching her, having sensed her movement.

“Where are you going?” he asked.

Elise’s shoulders tensed slightly at the sense of superiority coming from the difference in their heights and builds. She tightly grabbed the duke’s flowing cloak and mumbled quietly.

“I thought there might be a lake inside the forest. Can I wash my body there?”

The duke’s blue eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at her intently, trying to gauge her intentions. It would be unexpected for a prisoner to suddenly act out without any guards to watch over them.

“I will accompany you,” said the duke.

“What?”

“What?” Elise was taken aback. “You’re going to accompany me to wash my body?”

“Yes.”

The duke responded so indifferently that it wasn’t just Elise who was surprised. Elise witnessed the duke’s direct knight, whose name was Ruben, gape in shock. But that wasn’t all. All the gazes looking at them were filled with meaning.

Elise shook her head to clear her thoughts. This was an opportunity, an opportunity to seem to have an intimate relationship with Rezette Kyrsatan. Not bad, she thought. It would also be good to show as many people as possible that they were leaving alone. Even this time, it was Rezetter who grabbed her first, not the other way around.

Elise nodded her head as she quickly organized her thoughts. “Alright, you can accompany me,” she said. 

The faces of the knights who had been watching with bated breath showed an unparalleled shock.