IDTRAFTML 24

~Chapter 24~

“Amelie Garnet?”

How did she get here?

Just as confusion and doubt about Amelie started to rise in Richard’s mind, he noticed her eyes, swollen and streaked with tears, and her body scratched and bruised all over.

“Amelie!”

The moment Richard recognized how unstable her steps were, he immediately ran toward her.

“Ugh, why now! My legs hurt so much, I feel like I’m going to fall!”

As Richard supported Amelie, her tears began to fall from her eyes, releasing all the tension in her body.

For a moment, Richard was startled by her fragile, worn-out state, but he couldn’t help but hold her gently, trying to comfort her in his arms.

As he felt her trembling, fragile body, a surge of anger he couldn’t explain began to rise within him.

“Who chased you?”

After waiting patiently for Amelie to calm down, Richard asked as gently as he could.

He had already sensed another presence in the dense bushes from where Amelie had emerged, so there was no need to ask for further details.

“Jonagel Jizir… He brought thugs with him…”

“…Jonagel Jizir, you say.”

Bzzzz-

Richard, his face hardening, repeated Jonagel’s name and took a whistle from his pocket, blowing it sharply.

It wasn’t long before several knights and guards rushed toward them.

“Did you call, Your Highness?”
“Jonagel Jizir, a member of the royal knights, has illegally entered the palace while under house arrest. Capture every one of his hired men and bring them in. I sensed a presence nearby, so they couldn’t have gone too far.”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

The knights and guards quickly dispersed to follow his orders.

In the midst of the commotion, Richard received a cloak from one of the knights and draped it over Amelie before lifting her in his arms.

“What—what are you doing?”

Amelie, startled, tried to struggle and get down, but she had already lost most of her strength, and Richard didn’t budge.

“You can’t even stand properly. Just stay still.”

“I can walk. I just wobbled a bit because I let my guard down earlier.”

“You’re really going to walk like that? Don’t go making things worse by falling while walking alone. Just hang on for a little longer.”

Amelie, silent after his words, stopped moving.

Had she always been this small and thin?

Richard suddenly realized how fragile she felt in his arms. She was so light that it almost felt like she didn’t weigh anything at all, making him finally believe the rumors about her frail body, which he had always dismissed.

‘And men—several men—actually… attacked this woman.’

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, and Richard clenched his teeth.

“Where are we going?”

When Richard suddenly started walking quickly, Amelie nervously looked around, clearly uneasy.

“To the main residence.”

“What? No! Why go to the main residence in this condition?”

“So, going to the training ground in this condition is fine?”

“That’s not the same! But if people see you like this at the main residence, there will be gossip.”

There were many concerns. Richard couldn’t understand why Amelie was worrying about rumors when her health was the most important issue right now, and he sighed in frustration.

Richard then pulled the cloak higher, covering Amelie’s face to keep her identity hidden.

“This way, no one will recognize you. Stop talking now.”

“…Thank you.”

Her thank you was barely audible, almost a whisper.

When the silence followed, Richard couldn’t help but feel that he should be thankful for her gratitude, even if it was so faint. It made him smile slightly.

“Ugh!”

Richard’s heart dropped, and his eyes snapped open.

Was getting caught by Jonagel Jizir a dream?

Just as his mind tried to process the situation, his body screamed in pain, as if it was falling apart.

“Ugh, this hurts so much…”

“Amelie!”

Wanting to get up, but unable to move, Amelie squirmed, and then Lysa rushed to pull her into a tight hug.

“Lysa?”

“Ugh… Amelie… I’m so sorry…”

Was she crying?

Hearing the sound of Lysa’s sobs as she buried her face in Amelie’s chest, Amelie floundered, not knowing how to respond.

Wait. But where am I?

Then, she noticed the fancy ceiling above her. The intricate design was one she had never seen before since possessing this body, so it was clear she wasn’t in the Garnet family’s mansion.

So, it wasn’t a dream when she was chased by Jonagel Jizir. But how did she end up here?

• “Where are we going?”

• “To the main residence.”

“Ah!”

As she tried to piece together the memory, she recalled the conversation with Richard.

Somehow, she had ended up in the main residence after being swept into Richard’s arms, a princess carry, of all things.

She had fallen asleep as soon as Richard covered her face, and she had briefly forgotten this detail.

“Lysa, don’t cry. I’m fine.”

“You haven’t woken up in three days, how can you say you’re fine, Amelie?”

“I was out for three days?”

Amelie’s eyes widened in disbelief.

So, the rumors were true after all.

She had loudly dismissed the rumors as nonsense, but now that it had become reality, she couldn’t help but laugh awkwardly.

Maybe her frail body really couldn’t handle that much of a strain.

“You must have been in so much pain, your eyes are all red…”

That was because she had used the wrong self-defense powder.

Amelie felt an unexpected guilt when she saw Lysa crying over her eyes.

To comfort Lysa, Amelie struggled to sit up, her body feeling like it weighed a ton.

‘Ugh, muscle pain!’

As she tried to sit up, every joint and muscle in her body protested. But she forced a smile, knowing that if she stayed in bed, it would feel like a funeral atmosphere.

“Stop crying, Lysa. Look, I’m fine. I’m sitting up now, so I must be doing okay.”

“But you said you were dying earlier…”

“I just really hate being away from the bed. I said that because I hate getting out of bed so much.”

She comforted Lysa with her usual excuse, even managing to joke.

Amelie couldn’t help but feel proud of herself for thinking of an excuse so quickly, even in the middle of a crisis.

“His Highness the Prince has arrived.”

At that moment, a voice from outside the door interrupted.

Lysa opened the door for Richard, who entered the room without hesitation.

But his expression froze when he saw Amelie sitting up.

What’s going on?

He looked as though he had just seen something unbelievable.

“Umm… hello?”

Amelie greeted Richard awkwardly since she didn’t know what to say to the frozen figure of him standing in place.

After a long sigh, Richard walked toward her.

“Three days of unconsciousness, and you’re just going to say ‘hello’?”

“Well, I thought you seemed surprised, so I greeted you.”

“It’s natural to be surprised when someone who’s been lying still like a dead mouse suddenly sits up.”

Yes, I’m guilty.

Even though Richard’s tone was full of frustration, Amelie couldn’t bring herself to complain. He had saved her life, after all.

“…I didn’t mean to say anything like that. I apologize.”

“Eh?”

Amelie was caught off guard by his sudden apology. She couldn’t help but let out an exclamation, feeling surprised by the timing.

“And what happened to you was also my fault. I didn’t have any guards around you, and I’m sorry.”

“No, it was Jonagel Jizir who tried to kill me. Why are you apologizing so much? If it wasn’t for you, I’d be in big trouble right now.”

Crack-!

Just as Richard was about to apologize again, they suddenly heard something breaking from the side.

“L-Lysa?”

It was the sound of Lysa breaking the armrest of a chair.

That had to be solid wood, right? There was no way it could break so easily.

Amelie stared, unable to believe it as she saw the armrest shatter in Lysa’s hands.

“Jonagel Jizir, that bastard. I’m going to kill him.”

“Lysa, calm down!”

“That trash is in the dungeon right now. He’ll be facing a royal trial soon.”

Lysa’s rage, which seemed like it wouldn’t be contained, thankfully started to subside after Richard’s words.

The dungeon was where the most notorious criminals were kept.

She had heard that royal trials were rare and usually only held for serious crimes like assaulting royalty. Jonagel’s illegal entry into the palace was a serious crime, but it wasn’t enough to hold a royal trial.

“Was it serious enough for a royal trial?”

“Of course it was!”

“That’s obvious.”

Richard muttered in confusion, and both of them answered at the same time.