#46. I Think I Love Him
which had been moving for quite some time, finally stopped.
Belia and Khalid slowly stepped down.
They had arrived at the construction site of a clinic.
At present, construction for a total of eight clinics across the Empire—including this one—was underway simultaneously.
“Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could just build buildings with a flick of magic?”
“Haha. Think of it this way—since it’s a place where we’ll be staying for a long time, it’s worth putting in the extra care. That makes it bearable.”
Magic was convenient, but it was usually limited to destroying things or amplifying existing abilities.
With higher-level spells, one could use mana stones to imbue weapons with special powers, but since mana stones were so expensive, such things were rare.
“It looks like it won’t be finished until autumn.”
“That’s actually fast, Belia.”
Belia bit her lip.
She wanted to settle down quickly. It still felt like she was far behind Raoul.
Khalid approached her, brushing a finger lightly over her lips.
“Don’t keep biting them. What if you end up hurting yourself?”
Belia replied curtly, without real reason.
“So what. It’s fine.”
“It’s not fine with me.”
Khalid pulled her into a brief, soothing embrace before letting her go.
“Don’t rush. We’re already doing well, you and I.”
Belia let out a small sigh.
The clinic under construction was at the stage where the foundation was complete and the walls were rising.
Several craftsmen were hard at work.
Diligent. Nothing to worry about.
Watching their steady labor, Belia curved her lips into a satisfied smile.
It was worth the effort Khalid had made to recruit such skilled workers.
After giving a few instructions at the site, the two decided to head back to the imperial palace.
“What are you doing?”
As soon as they got into the carriage, Khalid naturally lay down with his head on Belia’s lap.
“I’m so tired today.”
Belia gave a wry smile, then ended up fanning the man who closed his eyes on her lap.
“You worked hard.”
“You know I’m doing all these things I was never destined for—because of you, right?”
“What do you mean? You’ve always been the type to pile work on yourself.”
“Now that is news to me.”
With shameless ease, Khalid shifted into an even more comfortable position.
Hopeless. Really.
Even though he was busier than Belia herself, Khalid always pretended to be a carefree idler.
The two of them chatted idly, exchanging trivial words for a long while. Yet strangely, even though they should have reached the palace by now, the carriage was still moving.
“Isn’t it taking unusually long today?”
Belia, thinking something might be wrong, moved to pull aside the curtain on the window. But Khalid’s hand reached out and stopped her.
“Hm?”
“Stay still, Belia.”
He was clearly up to something again.
“Where exactly are we going?”
“Shh. Just wait and see.”
His voice was brimming with excitement.
Belia’s curiosity grew—what could possibly make him this delighted?
He’d been gloomy for quite a while recently, something that had weighed on her mind. But then, a few days ago, he had suddenly brightened up, and today he was acting unusually playful.
“Are you kidnapping me, Your Highness the Second Prince?”
“That’s right. So I expect my princess to be a well-behaved hostage.”
The absurdity of a kidnapper politely asking his victim to cooperate made her laugh.
Shaking her head at his audacity, Belia chuckled.
“That makes no sense. No kidnapper talks like that.”
Khalid tilted his head, feigning thought.
“Hm… or is that something you’d prefer?”
He was clearly suppressing laughter.
“Prefer what?”
What nonsense was he going to spout this time?
Khalid suddenly sat up, seizing both her wrists with one hand and raising them above her head, while pulling her close by the waist with his other arm.
“Kyaa!”
Half-reclined against the seat, Belia stared wide-eyed at Khalid hovering over her.
“This sort of forceful thing? Where I don’t let you move…”
At his words, Belia’s face turned crimson.
“Wh-what are you saying! Really now!”
She glanced around nervously, then cut herself off, wriggling beneath him as if to escape.
“Hahaha.”
Khalid only embraced her more warmly, still leaning over her.
In the end, Belia stopped struggling and simply lay in his arms, eyes closed, soaking in his warmth.
Before long, the carriage stopped.
Belia quickly straightened her clothes and hair as she rose.
Disheveled like this—if someone saw, they’d misunderstand for sure.
“I think we’ve arrived.”
Curious, she peeked through the curtain. But all she could see were trees, blocking the view.
“Let’s get out.”
Khalid opened the door first, stepping down and extending his hand.
Though puzzled, Belia took it and descended.
“Where are we—”
She was about to ask when a sudden realization struck her.
“No way?!”
Khalid’s lips curved into a radiant smile, his face unusually animated, as if he’d long awaited this moment.
“Yes. The house I told you about.”
It really was exactly as he had described.
Past the broad lawn rose a mansion, dazzling and grand. Unlike his bare and austere palace, this place was bright and elegant.
The white marble gleamed brilliantly in the sunlight.
“Wow…”
No wonder he had spoken of it with such pride.
“Well? What do you think?”
“It’s beautiful! Truly beautiful!”
Belia’s admiration was genuine.
She also liked how tall trees ringed the estate, shielding it completely from outside eyes.
“I made a few more improvements before bringing you. I thought… it would be wonderful if we could live here together.”
Her heart wavered at his suggestion.
In this peaceful place, living alongside him would surely bring happiness. But it wasn’t possible. Belia shook her head.
“You know we can’t.”
The Emperor’s death was imminent.
She had to stay at the palace, monitoring his condition—and she couldn’t afford to overlook Raoul’s movements.
“With the Kanteliff Dukedom backing him, Raoul won’t be easy to deal with.”
The western Tessa Dukedom and the Kingdom of Ronica.
And in the center, the Kanteliff Dukedom.
The battle for the throne would be fierce.
“I can’t afford to show weakness.”
Belia strolled slowly across the broad lawn.
“You really don’t care about humoring me at all, do you?”
“And you only brought it up even though you knew my answer.”
“Sigh… My princess has no sense of romance.”
With a half-laugh, half-sigh, Khalid drew near.
“Then at least visit often. That alone would make me happy.”
“Fine. I will.”
Khalid spread out a blanket he had brought without her noticing.
“The thing you mentioned before.”
“Oh? Ahaha.”
Belia burst into laughter, sitting beside him.
He remembered how she once said she wanted nothing more than to just sit like this. Khalid always remembered everything she said—every little detail.
…Strange.
They really were no different from any other lovers.
A gentle breeze brushed past.
The late summer afternoon stirred an odd feeling.
“Ah, this is wonderful!”
Belia stretched her arms high and flopped onto her back.
The once-blue sky was now painted in shades of crimson, blending into a breathtaking tapestry of red, pink, purple, and blue.
Khalid lay down beside her.
“That sky looks like your eyes.”
Belia turned her head toward him.
“Does it?”
“Beautiful.”
“Haha, what are you saying.”
She dismissed it with a laugh—he said things like this all the time.
But Khalid went on, voice light and sincere.
“It’s true. That violet shade—just like your eyes. Maybe that’s why I thought you were beautiful the first moment I saw you. I love this hour’s sky.”
Thump. Thump.
Belia’s heart fluttered wildly.
But then she recalled something and pouted.
So he thought I was beautiful from the start? That’s definitely exaggerated.
“…Back then, when I asked you to marry me, you didn’t react at all.”
That was when they had first met.
When Belia had asked him to marry her, Khalid had looked at her like she was utterly absurd.
“You were beautiful then too.”
“Liar.”
“…No one had ever said such a thing to me.”
His low words carried a bitterness that stabbed at her heart.
She could sense the loneliness behind them—so strong she couldn’t even bring herself to console him.
“You’ve been in the palace for months now—you must have noticed the atmosphere.”
His voice was calm, but that made her ache more.
The subtle, rejecting gazes directed at Khalid.
From that alone, she could easily imagine how he had grown up.
It was no wonder he had become the arrogant prince—pride was the only way to endure, to cling to his status as a legitimate heir amidst such hostility.
“There were plenty of women who wanted to marry Raoul, even if they weren’t noble daughters.”
Khalid let out a bitter laugh.
“Of course, some of them tried to test their luck with me, since Raoul was out of reach. But the moment he showed interest, they’d all rush straight to him. Obvious, wasn’t it?”
He chuckled, recalling how one such woman had indeed scurried off to Raoul after lingering around him.
Belia squeezed her eyes shut.
“But then you chose me, saying you wanted to reject Raoul’s proposal. That was the first time in my life anyone had chosen me over him.”
For Khalid, it was monumental. Someone had picked him—not Raoul.
That’s why, truthfully, Belia had always been beautiful to him.
When he later discovered she had chosen Raoul in the past before regressing, the despair was crushing. But by then, it was already too late. He had fallen far too deeply to turn back.
“Belia.”
The sky was now burning red.
Still gazing upward, Khalid murmured:
“That’s why, for me, there’s only you.”
Belia couldn’t answer.
When she confessed to him that she had returned from the past, she had thought only of her own feelings.
But what about him? How had he felt, listening to that?
How had he managed to comfort her, saying everything was fine?
She couldn’t even turn to look at him now. If she did, the tears welling in her eyes would spill over.
What do I do…
Her chest felt painfully tight.
Belia squeezed her eyes shut.
A single tear slipped down her cheek and fell to the ground.
I think… I love Khalid.
She hadn’t thought it was love.
After being burned so badly before, she’d never imagined she could feel this way again.
But in that moment of realization, everything became clear, as if the most difficult puzzle had suddenly found its answer.
Yes. It was love.
Unbelievably, impossibly—
she had fallen in love with someone again.
Say it outloud
But it’s alright this time, because he truly loves you back ❤️