Chapter 16
02. Even if the end of the world comes, new life is still born
So the Cocoa Empire even had a princess. I had only written about the male and female leads’ first meeting, so I didn’t know the detailed settings of the male protagonist.
“Ah, that person.”
“Yes, she is Jeanne de Cocoa.”
So her name was Jeanne. When the silver hair that had been hidden beneath her cloak was revealed, I could only nod.
It was because the woman had the same mysterious silver hair as the male protagonist, Louis de Cocoa.
“So the princess is alive. That is truly a relief. But… how did she end up here alone?”
I approached the princess and placed the back of my hand against her cheek.
“She has a fever. She’s not seriously ill, is she?”
“She doesn’t appear to be injured.”
That was a relief. Still, even surviving alone is difficult in this world—yet she was pregnant. How much suffering must she have endured before we found her?
“This is strange. No matter how chaotic things are, why would a princess—especially a pregnant one—be wandering around alone?”
Killian rested his chin lightly on the top of my head and voiced his doubt. Come to think of it, he had a point. His suspicion made sense, so I casually pushed him away and looked at Sir Barren.
“She really is the princess, right?”
“What do you mean by that all of a sudden…?”
‘Yurina’ is a noble lady, so she might have met the princess before, but I myself had never seen her face.
Yet just because of her unusual hair color and Sir Barren’s reaction, I had immediately believed she was the princess.
Even if she weren’t, though, I couldn’t just abandon a pregnant woman in a place like this.
“I swear it—this is indeed Jeanne de Cocoa! I have greeted the princess when she visited the temple, so I am certain!”
“No, Sir Barren… your clothes are getting dirty. Please get up.”
“No, I cannot. I swore my knightly oath to Lady Marie. However, both Lady Marie and I are citizens of the Cocoa Empire. If we were to leave the princess here and that fact were later revealed, we would not escape severe punishment.”
I was planning to take the princess with us anyway, so there was no need for him to go that far. Still holding the princess, Sir Barren blinked heavily, unable to wipe away the rain pouring down on him.
“Since it’s you who has sworn loyalty to me, I’ll believe you. I was just worried that something like what happened with the archbishop might happen again.”
“That will not….”
Sir Barren, who had been lying in bed the whole time the archbishop caused trouble, could not give a firm answer.
But after shaking his head as if to brush off the rain, he looked up at me with gentle eyes.
“I will do my best. So that no one dares to treat Lady Marie carelessly….”
“Alright. I’ll count on you.”
Even Sir Barren, who said that, wasn’t someone I could fully trust yet. Still, I bent toward him and wiped away the rain that kept making him squint.
“M-Marie?”
Startled, he staggered back and blushed. Right—he had said he wasn’t used to touching women.
Then what about the princess he had been holding in his arms this whole time?
“Heh.”
Before I could even wonder, Killian shoved his face between me and Sir Barren. Narrowing his already long eyes, he cut off the conversation completely.
“How long are you going to keep doing this? It’s too ugly to watch.”
“That’s true. Let’s go.”
“We’re going together, Marie. I don’t want to die from being smashed by a mace.”
Killian immediately stuck close behind me. The man who had survived the mansion’s traps—traps no one else could avoid—with only minor injuries.
He even put on an exaggerated pose, hunching his broad shoulders as if he were scared.
“This distance is enough. You’re kind of scary, so could you walk a little farther away?”
“Oh dear. This is what I get after executing a servant of God because I couldn’t stand seeing my master insulted….”
“Ah, fine. Then walk beside me.”
A man who could stab someone from the front—if I let him walk behind me, I’d never be able to relax. I placed Killian beside me like I was keeping an eye on him and walked toward the mansion in silence.
I had been so distracted by warm beds and good food that I completely forgot. I knew better than anyone what kind of person Killian was destined to become.
Even so, dangerous as he was, I had no choice but to live with him for now.
But I would never grow attached to him. A normal small-time citizen from the 21st century and a criminal who could kill without blinking could never coexist.
“Ugh, I’m soaked and sticky. I want to wash up quickly.”
“Lady Marie, where should we place the princess?”
“Hmm… for now, in my bedroom?”
Not because of her status, but because the princess was pregnant. When I entered through the front door and pointed upstairs, Killian shook his head with a gentle expression.
“That’s not right. You got caught in the rain too, Marie. If you give up your familiar bed and end up ruining your health, that’ll be troublesome for me.”
“I agree. Mr. Eugene is coming this way. Shall we ask him?”
Sir Barren passed us and approached Grandpa Eugene. For a brief moment, Killian and I exchanged glances.
Or rather, my gaze quickly lost its place, while Killian kept looking at me.
“Excessive kindness only invites greed from others.”
“Are you talking to me?”
“Do I look like I’m talking to a chatterbox?”
“I was never kind to the archbishop.”
“Well, if you had disciplined him from the start so he couldn’t get out of line, maybe I wouldn’t have had to kill him?”
Was he saying this happened because I had only watched the archbishop’s arrogance instead of stopping it?
Annoyed, I glared at him fiercely. Killian gave me a captivating smile.
“I just hope I won’t end up harming the princess.”
“If you do something like that, I might kick you out.”
“Do as you like. Either way.”
“….”
I had expected him to flatter me again.
Instead, his calm tone made me flinch.
“You are the owner of this mansion. Don’t forget that, Marie.”
After saying that, he raised his now-cold hand and, before I could react, quickly brushed my chin.
“You’ve got soot on you.”
My heart dropped at the smooth gesture. What a terrifying man.
Before Killian could say anything else incomprehensible, I walked past him.
“First, we should wipe off the rain and change her into dry clothes. Fortunately, there is a room we cleaned earlier, so we should move her there….”
Grandpa Eugene was standing by the stairs talking with Sir Barren. I looked around for Rita, and Grandpa Eugene explained,
“Lady Rita seemed greatly shocked, so I sent her upstairs to rest with the cat. She is using your bedroom, miss. Is that alright?”
“Of course. It’s a shared room anyway. As for the princess, I’ll take care of her. Since I’m a woman too, it’ll be better that way.”
“If you need anything, please call me. I will help as well.”
Grandpa Eugene and I followed Sir Barren up the stairs.
Just before turning away, I glanced back and saw Killian roughly pulling off his soaked shirt.
His broad, inverted-triangle back and the delicate muscles rippling as he moved. Across his body, shadows traced the lines of his muscles, and countless scars—both faint and dark—were etched in pale white.
How did he get hurt so much? I had set Yustiva as a harsh place, but still, this was too much.
Unable to look away, I felt Killian notice my gaze and turn toward me. Then he moved his lips as if smiling.
“…Pervert.”
