WICE 53

#53.

Her heart began to race. It felt as if a tsunami had swept through Roni’s chest, leaving her emotions in disarray.

Knowing in her head that Allen liked her and actually hearing him say it were two entirely different things. Her whole body tingled for no reason, and it became difficult to meet Allen’s eyes.

Allen intertwined his fingers with hers, holding her hand tightly. His hand was so large and warm. Roni stared blankly at their joined hands, then, realizing she shouldn’t let this happen, opened her lips.

“D-Don’t do this.”

“If you don’t like it, you can pull away.”

Allen loosened his grip slightly, testing her. Why was he so calm? It felt as if she were the only one nervous and restless.

Even though I spoke to him so harshly, why doesn’t he even think of letting go of me?

Roni tried to pull her hand free despite her pounding heart. That was when Allen grabbed it again.

“Even if you pull away, I won’t let you go.”

His expression showed that he had absolutely no intention of releasing her. Even that self-assured look of his was unbearably attractive.

Roni felt like prey already caught in his grasp, like a butterfly caught in a spider’s web.

But being ensnared in that web didn’t feel entirely unpleasant. In truth, maybe she had always wanted it to be this way.

You’re crazy, Kim Sohee.

Roni sighed softly as she finally admitted her own heart.

Her heart trembled without stopping. This constant urge to touch him—it wasn’t just admiration as a fan.

Ah… I like Allen.

Helpless, Roni just stared at him. His gaze, as always, was fixed solely on her.

If she stayed like this, she really might fall for him. No—she realized she had already fallen without knowing.

Once she recognized her feelings, there was no stopping them. Even knowing she couldn’t keep the promise to stay by his side forever, she couldn’t bring herself to refuse.

Allen pulled her closer and asked,

“There’s something I want to know.”

“S-say it from over there. Don’t come closer.”

Barely suppressing her uncontrollable emotions, she pushed him back. Fortunately, he obediently stepped away.

Afraid he might notice her feelings, Roni kept dropping her gaze. At that moment, Allen asked an unexpected question.

“Who are you?”

“…Who else? I’m Roni.”

The trembling in her heart stopped as if cold water had been thrown over her. Roni flinched at the sudden question.

That night when she had been drunk, the words she had babbled came back to her. She had insisted she wasn’t Roni—that Biana was the true heroine.

Roni felt a chill of fear. Unable to bring herself to confess, she hesitated, and Allen answered in her place.

“Judging by your expression, it seems you remember.”

“……”

“I only thought it was a feeling I had… until you said it yourself.”

“Allen… that was just me saying I’m not the same childish Roni I used to be.”

At her belated excuse, Allen’s gaze cooled. It wasn’t the answer he had wanted.

Roni regretted her drunken confession. Why had she told him such a thing? Was it because she had wanted to reveal her true self to him, no matter what?

She couldn’t bring herself to tell him the truth. Soon she would disappear from this world without a trace. If Allen knew, it would destroy him. It hurt to realize just how important she had become to him.

“Roni, don’t lie to me anymore.”

“I’ve never lied…”

“Is that just what you’ve decided to believe?”

Allen gave a bitter smile, then composed his expression.

“Fine. It doesn’t matter who you are. All I want is to know you.”

His coaxing voice was sweet, pleading for her to share what she was hiding. His sincerity shook her deeply.

As if under a spell, the knot of unease inside her began to loosen. The words It doesn’t matter who you are soothed her fears.

Maybe… if it was Allen, she could reveal the truth. Maybe then they could find a way to stay together.

“I want to know you.”

At his words, Roni’s defenses crumbled, and she began to speak.

“I am—”

At that moment—

—BOOM!

A massive explosion rang out from outside the window. Startled, both of them turned to look. In front of the hotel, a strange crowd had gathered.

Moments later, someone pushed through the people. Roni’s eyes widened in shock as she recognized him.

“No way…”

Freddie was running toward them, carrying a bloodied Biana in his arms.

Biana lay unconscious on the bed. Roni could only stare blankly at Freddie, who was shouting in rage for the culprit to be found.

This was a starkly different reaction from when Roni had been in danger. Seeing Freddie lose all composure and rage like this, Roni realized his bond with Biana was far deeper than she had assumed.

In the story, Biana had hated Freddie. After all, he had exploited her goodwill to side with the Empress in expelling the Empress Consort.

Because of that, at just eight years old, Biana had been separated from her mother. Guilt that her mother had been cast out because of her always weighed heavily on her. To her, the palace she was left in became nothing more than a prison.

So Roni had assumed that Freddie, too, didn’t care for Biana. But seeing his expression now, she realized she had been wrong.

Freddie looked at Biana with the tenderness of someone cherishing family, yet his eyes gleamed with a murderous rage toward the attacker.

It was the first time Roni had seen the Crown Prince reveal such killing intent. Alone in the room with Allen, she stared at Biana worriedly and whispered,

“Biana…”

It seemed she had been attacked on the way to see Roni. That day, when Freddie had suddenly appeared, Biana hadn’t been able to say everything she wanted.

Who could it be? Who would dare attack Biana?

The physician said her internal injuries were severe, and healing magic had its limits. For someone to cause such fatal wounds to a defense-type like Biana, Harry Romanit was out of the question.

If he had possessed such power, he would never have lost his claim to succession. Allen placed a reassuring hand on Roni’s shoulder.

“Don’t worry. Her mana flow is a little disrupted, but her life isn’t in danger. She’s only in shock. She’ll wake up soon.”

“…But who could have done such a thing?”

Roni sighed, and Allen looked down at the unconscious Biana with a cryptic expression.

“It seems someone attacked her with magic.”

“And she didn’t evade it? You know Biana is defense-oriented, right?”

“If she was ambushed by someone she knew, she wouldn’t have been able to react.”

“Damn it!”

Freddie slammed his hand against the desk. Aaron swallowed nervously—he had never seen his master so unsettled.

Weren’t things supposed to be bad between the Crown Prince and the princess? Aaron had thought he was ordered to monitor Biana only to find fault with her, but now he couldn’t believe the prince’s attitude.

Freddie’s eyes gleamed coldly.

“Find the culprit. By any means necessary.”

“As you command.”

When Aaron left, Freddie muttered a curse under his breath. Anxiety gnawed at him. Biana had been attacked the moment he went to see her.

Could this really be unrelated to the Empress? Though he had ordered Aaron to find the attacker, he desperately hoped the one behind it wasn’t his mother.

If this, too, was the Empress’s doing, then he could no longer stand by. After all, Biana was the little sister who had already suffered once because of her.

Running his hands over his face, he muttered bitterly to himself.

“Mother… please, not this time.”

Harry Romanit staggered unsteadily back to his lodgings. Following him at a distance was a man with his hood pulled low, pretending not to notice Harry’s faltering steps.

Beneath the hood, his face was hidden behind a silver mask that revealed only his jaw. A faint, eerie smile crossed his lips just as Harry burst out angrily,

“What the hell was with that woman! I nearly got killed out there!”

Clutching his chest with a shiver, Harry trembled. The uproar that had shaken the whole district just moments ago had been his doing.

But the sudden intrusion of that woman had ruined everything, leaving him infuriated. Harry clenched the vial in his hand, recalling their encounter.

“Was what you said true just now?”

The woman, blocking his path, had asked bluntly. Harry had glared at her irritably.

“Who are you?”

“Were you really planning to give that to Roni? Truly?”

Harry had been scheming to humiliate Roni while also striking at that insufferable Allen. But apparently, this woman had overheard everything like a rat in the shadows.

His face twisted at the unexpected interference, but he couldn’t let on. He forced a straight face.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. This is medicine for my chronic illness.”

“Don’t try to deny it. I already heard the two of you talking.”