TEDLB | Ch 13

Episode 13 — Close Enough to Burn

At the same moment, Yvonne’s small shoulders jumped and trembled.
“…!”

Ricardo, who had been watching her whole-body reaction with that unreadable look, finally moved the hand he’d been holding in midair.
He brushed a stray lock of hair off her forehead and smiled lazily and slowly.

“Seems His Most Gentle Majesty doesn’t care about his companion at all,” he said.

“…”

“Have you ever been held by a man?” he asked.

“Watch your words.”

Yvonne had tolerated a lot because he was wounded, but even she had limits. She shoved his shoulder.
She hadn’t expected him to back down, but surprisingly, Ricardo did. He stepped back without a fight.

“Watch how you speak of the Emperor. You never know when I might change my mind.”

“Judging by how you’ve kept me alive so far despite my injury and my sass, I’d say I’m pretty important to you, Your Highness.”

He sounded like he’d already guessed some of her motives. He looked even more relaxed now, like he was enjoying teasing a woman who didn’t know what to do. Ricardo toyed with the hair at her ear; the gesture was inappropriate, but she couldn’t bring herself to stop him.

She stared at him, eyes wide. He opened his mouth again.
“If we think about it, aren’t we accomplices?”

“Accomplices? That’s ridiculous.”

“A Crown Princess hiding a strange man in her private chamber and enjoying secret meetings — how scandalous.”

Ricardo kept playing with her hair at her ear. Even though the motion was suggestive, Yvonne couldn’t find the words to tell him to stop.

Looking up at him, eyes wide, she watched as he spoke again.
“So you can’t do anything about me, right? As you said, I’ll do my best to survive and get out.”

Yvonne was struck by how accurate he was; she fell silent. She swallowed a deep sigh for the sake of her dignity as Crown Princess. Nothing else bothered her. Even if Ricardo insulted the Emperor and the royal family, it couldn’t hurt her anymore. The real problem was that now he was getting more blatant in his behavior.

Ricardo’s attention toward her wasn’t romantic in any gentle sense — it was blunt, even sexual. He exposed his bare chest without care and eyed her with darker red eyes. If it had been just her imagination, she might’ve been relieved. But it wasn’t.

“You seem interested in me,” he said when she took a step back. He didn’t deny it; he nodded easily. “You’re beautiful, after all.”

Then, suddenly, he took her hand and kissed the back of it. In their world, a hand-kiss happened sometimes, so it wasn’t entirely unique — but the fact he was the one doing it felt strange and oddly intimate. The Wolf of Naha, who bowed to no one, kissed Yvonne’s hand and smirked.

“I never paid much attention to the Emperor or his companion before,” Ricardo said, trailing off and rising to his feet. “But seeing you up close… the Emperor seems a bit of a waste, doesn’t he?”

“Stop saying dangerous things.”

Yvonne tried to ignore the flirtation. She had to. Emotional complications between them would be dangerous. She needed distance again. She moved across the room and sat in a chair by the window.

“The space under the carriage will be cramped, but one man can hide there without a problem. Don’t worry.”

Even though she could tell Ricardo was watching her with narrowed eyes, Yvonne kept speaking like nothing bothered her.
“Trust me — it’ll be easier to escape from the summer residence. It’s surrounded by forest, so our people can hide there, and it’ll be simpler to secure you a route to flee.”

“I don’t trust anyone but you,” Ricardo said, amusement sparkling in his eyes. “But this once, I’ll trust you.”

That was a relief, but she still wasn’t ready to relax. She stood up.
“Let’s go. Rest now.”

“As you wish.”

She left the chamber while feeling the shadow of his interest follow her like a scent.

The news that Frederick would postpone the Empress’s coronation for a week and travel to the summer residence spread beyond the palace walls. People were outraged — how could they treat the loyal, proper Crown Princess so coldly? That public anger was exactly what Yvonne wanted.

She heard the rumors through outside sources and smiled with satisfaction. Everything was going exactly as she planned. For the first time, the Emperor was hearing public criticism directly instead of hiding behind Yvonne as his shield. In her previous life, she’d died many times worrying about Frederick’s fragile heart.

“Before breakfast, they’ve called the ministers together for an emergency meeting,” Lucy whispered as she served Yvonne. Yvonne nodded and wiped her mouth with a napkin.

‘Even if they tried to cancel, it won’t be possible now,’ she thought. Thanks to the groundwork she’d secretly laid, the Emperor’s trip would go ahead, departure set for noon. If they canceled now, it would backfire and make Frederick look even worse — indecisive and weak. Yvonne was certain he wouldn’t cancel; this fact didn’t bother her the way it once would. The feeling of being free from the old shackles of “love” felt oddly sweet.

While Frederick floundered trying to manage public opinion, Yvonne calmly finished breakfast and checked the luggage for the trip herself.

“I haven’t ridden in a carriage in a long time — I should check it myself.” She used the excuse and climbed into the carriage waiting in the palace yard. The carriage door closed with a thud. She cleared her throat and tapped the floor with her heel.

“It’s okay, right?” she asked. Silence answered for a moment, then a low grumble came from the carriage.

“What a humiliating sight…” Ricardo muttered. Imagining his annoyed face made Yvonne almost laugh out loud.

“Wait a bit. We’re about to leave.”

“Sure.”

Ricardo sounded displeased but agreed. Yvonne tapped the floor again and stepped out. Under the cover of the deep darkness between midnight and dawn, Yvonne and Lucy summoned the bribed carriage driver near the Empress’s palace and transferred Ricardo there. The driver, loyal to Yvonne, believed her story that she was moving a surprise gift for the Emperor.

Ricardo, improving but still uncomfortable moving, grumbled as he crouched on the carriage floor. Lucy kept talking to the driver, loudly praising how valuable the “gift” was to distract him. Even though she wasn’t sure how it would all turn out, Yvonne had actually prepared cufflinks for the Emperor just in case the plan required it. With everything in place, Lucy helped Yvonne into the carriage first.

“The summer residence isn’t far, so don’t worry about getting motion sick,” Lucy said with a sly smile, glancing at the carriage floor. Ricardo still wasn’t thrilled — it seemed he hadn’t warmed up to the idea yet.

“You must have a reason for protecting him so much,” Lucy sighed, not pressing further.

‘One day I’ll tell them,’ Yvonne thought with a bitter smile.