Chapter:41
“Your Highness.”
“What is it?”
“She’s taken the antidote, so she should be fine soon.”
“I know.”
Even though he knew it, he didn’t want to let her go from his arms. Her tears had already stopped—maybe the antidote was starting to work—but strangely, his heart still ached. It felt like the one poisoned wasn’t Erdia, but himself.
Annoyed by the thought, he let out a sigh without realizing and gently laid Erdia down on the bed.
“The pursuit?”
“We shook them all off. The Viscount’s fury might just spill past the third gate.”
“Of course it will. But he can’t openly send people to track us. It might reach her ears.”
“You think he’ll hide the fact that the ledger was stolen?”
“If he values his life, he will.”
Rivie Arfin never forgave failure. The Viscount had worked with her long enough to know that. The fact that the pursuit hadn’t reached here yet was proof of that.
“Even if he doesn’t say anything, that woman has plenty of eyes and ears. She’ll find out soon enough. It won’t take long.”
“Shall we prepare to leave?”
Khalid nodded instead of answering. They had to raid the dogfighting arena before news of the stolen ledger reached Rivie Arfin.
As soon as he got the signal, German left the room.
Through the door left ajar as German exited, Khalid briefly saw Aldin—the escort who had followed Erdia—standing stiff as a rock.
Aldin hadn’t stepped inside but remained outside, staring in for a long while, only turning away when the door fully closed again.
Even that gaze irritated Khalid.
“…Ha.”
He felt like he was losing his mind.
“I’ve only seen her a few times, so why is this bothering me so much?”
He brushed his sweat-dampened hair back with his fingers.
The gesture of brushing the hair stuck to her face was endlessly gentle. Thinking he was going mad, his hand moved without hesitation.
“Mm…”
Erdia softly rubbed her cheek against his hand like a child seeking comfort.
Her once-burning skin had cooled, and the lingering warmth seeped into his palm.
The moment her fluttering eyelashes slowly rose, Khalid stopped breathing. Just a moment ago, she had been crying with those unfocused black eyes.
“…Khalid.”
Thump—
He didn’t even have time to scold her for calling the Crown Prince by name. The desperate way she called his name struck his heart like a hammer.
Erdia’s eyes, now focused and staring straight at him, held something indescribable. That longing gaze was the same as before, yet a strange thrill passed through him this time.
He couldn’t breathe. His chest tightened painfully. Khalid flinched and quickly withdrew his hand.
“Are you awake?”
The awkwardly uttered words came out cold, an attempt to hide his shaken heart.
As his hand left, Erdia looked up at him with a pained expression, as if she had suffered a terrible wound.
But that look didn’t last. She soon glanced around, sighed softly, and then slowly opened her eyes again.
“Your Highness.”
Her voice, pressing down an unexplainable emotion in an instant, came out calmly.
It was the composed voice he was used to hearing. That should’ve been normal, and yet the different expression and tone from earlier kept bothering him.
Her eyes still sparkled like the first time they met, but the look she gave him just before was burned into his mind.
You shouldn’t be looking at me like that.
Frowning at a growing headache, Khalid pressed a hand to his chest where a dull ache throbbed.
“You were poisoned.”
“Pia poison, wasn’t it?”
“You know it?”
“I’ve encountered it before, so yes. I owe you a great debt, Your Highness.”
“I got the ledger. That’s all that matters.”
It was hard to obtain, and even German had clicked his tongue at its poor quality and reputation.
Pia poison devoured the mind before the body, and death came slowly. The longer one endured, the more unbearable the pain. Rumor had it that it was once used to break slaves.
“Still, thanks to you, I escaped the pain faster. And the ledger—it was something I had to retrieve anyway.”
“You did well stealing it. But next time, send a subordinate. Don’t go through something like this yourself.”
Erdia hesitated for a moment, then faintly smiled and asked:
“…Were you… worried about me?”
Khalid’s face froze instinctively.
Is she stupid?
The sight of her, nearly dying, smiling just because he showed concern—something about it made him irrationally angry. The word “stupid” was all he could muster.
He’d always known that her eyes held a certain fondness when they looked at him. That was why he’d firmly rejected her when the topic of engagement came up—he had made it clear it was nothing more than a formality.
Yet despite that, her unwavering gaze had always made him uncomfortable, irritated.
And even now, this woman—
“Being reckless is just another form of stupidity.”
At those words, Erdia raised her head and said firmly:
“It wasn’t reckless. It was a variable. The Viscount returned earlier than expected—”
“You should’ve calculated for that.”
“And I did. That’s why I rushed to steal the ledger. The operation was a success, wasn’t it?”
“You were poisoned. No matter how important the ledger was, it wasn’t worth your life.”
“The Viscount’s estate is full of antidotes. I wouldn’t have died. So I decided it was better to get the ledger to you first. I also know how much effort you put into this. We couldn’t afford failure.”
Her words weren’t wrong. Normally, he would’ve simply nodded.
But the way she didn’t retreat a single step and argued back—oddly enough, it provoked him.
Is your life really worth less than some ledger?
The daughter of Marquis Valandier?
And if that wasn’t it—then her words meant she truly thought her life meant nothing if it was for him. Khalid fell silent.
“So, Your Highness… Were you really worried?”
He didn’t want to answer those hopeful eyes.
Worried? Who, me?
Unable to smooth out the deep crease between his brows, Khalid rose from his seat.
He wanted to turn and walk out right away, but as soon as their eyes met again, words came out of his mouth against his will.
“You seem fine now—no lasting effects. We got the ledger, so we’ll be raiding the dogfighting arena. Your efforts won’t be in vain.”
He had thought the antidote wouldn’t even work properly—but it turned out she responded quite well. Still pale, but significantly better than earlier. Almost back to normal.
That was a relief.
Ugh. Relief? Seriously?
If he stayed any longer, he’d be consumed by madness, so Khalid turned away without hesitation.
“Wait! Your Highness, please wait a moment!”
Freeze—
Her voice, calling out to stop him, made him halt.
His head screamed for him to walk out, but her voice was like chains holding his body in place.
God, I’m really losing it.
Oblivious to his turmoil, Erdia rustled under the covers and spoke:
“I—I’ll come too.”
“So I’m not the crazy one—you are.”
“What? Did you just say I’m crazy, Your Highness?”
“…”
“No, no—I didn’t mean it like that!”
“I’m not taking you. The Marquis didn’t raise you just to have you end up dead in a strange city.”
“So it’s dangerous enough that I’d die in a strange city?”
“It would be—for someone like you.”
“I’ll be fine. And besides, I’m Erdia.”
“…”
“I have a name, not just ‘you.’ Why do you keep speaking informally to me?”
“How old are you?”
“Well, obviously, I’m twe—twenty-three.”
Twenty-three—almost ten years younger than him.
Khalid smirked slightly, looking down at the petite woman who barely reached his chest.
Thinking he was mocking her, Erdia pouted and muttered:
“Actually, that’s not exactly accurate… My age isn’t really my real age…”
“But your identification says twenty-three.”
“Right. It says twenty-three. So I guess…”
“Should I still be formal with you?”
“…You’re much older, Your Highness. Speak casually, if you like.”
Her sulking face and grudgingly given permission were amusing. Khalid found himself covering a smile that had crept up unknowingly.
