Chapter 27
Alliance for the Dead (2)
After running swiftly for quite some time with Berenice in his arms, Kaiden finally stopped when he confirmed that the pursuing footsteps behind them had disappeared.
Just being carried and moved so fast by someone could actually make you feel nauseous, huh…
Berenice realized this for the first time that day. Without even checking where Kaiden had stopped, she squatted down, one hand covering her mouth, trying to calm the churning in her stomach.
“You’re more fragile than you look.”
It’s not that I’m fragile. You’re just… abnormal, Your Highness.
Swallowing back the retort she couldn’t voice, Berenice glared up at Kaiden, who was standing there completely unruffled.
How could someone’s complexion be so calm after sprinting full-speed while carrying another person for ten minutes straight? It was inhuman.
Thinking that his stamina was beyond absurd, Berenice finally managed to steady herself and stood, groaning softly.
“Feeling better now?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Then shall we continue the conversation we couldn’t finish earlier?”
“……”
“Why were you wandering around alone at this hour looking like that? And that ‘keepsake’—what exactly is it?”
Even before her regression, she had thought the same thing about him—he was a man who simply didn’t know how to give up.
“Why are you so curious?”
“I asked first.”
“I’m pretty sure I already answered you earlier. It’s a secret.”
“……”
“Then it’s my turn to ask. Why did you return in secret?”
“That’s a secret too.”
“Then I suppose we have nothing more to talk about, Your Highness. May I go home now?”
Kaiden’s handsome brow furrowed at her reply. She could feel clearly that he didn’t like this situation one bit.
“So, you have no intention of telling me the truth?”
“That’s right.”
“……Then ask again.”
“Pardon?”
“The question you asked me earlier. Ask it again.”
What is he scheming now?
Narrowing her eyes, Berenice studied Kaiden’s unreadable face for a moment before speaking slowly.
“Why did you return in secret?”
“Because my brother’s death felt wrong. My brother wasn’t the kind of man to take his own life.”
“……Your Highness?”
“So I’m investigating everything and everyone who might even remotely be connected to his death. Does that answer your question?”
Leaning casually against the wall of an empty building, Kaiden’s frank answer left Berenice speechless.
Come to think of it, the last time she’d seen him before her regression, he’d asked her something similar—
[Did Bledin Wiltiera truly betray his lord, the Crown Prince of Egonid, Lucadin Manus?]
Even back then, he had been chasing the mystery surrounding the Crown Prince’s death.
He’s… just like me.
A realization struck Berenice like lightning. Kaiden said nothing—he only watched her silently, as if giving her time to gather her thoughts.
Moments later, when he saw a flash of resolve in her amber eyes, he asked again, in the same calm tone:
“Why were you there?”
“……Because I want to know why my brother had to die like that.”
“Did you find an answer?”
“I only learned this much—that he pursued the truth, came close to it, and was killed for it.”
They fell silent, gazing into each other’s eyes—amber meeting crimson.
Within those colors were the same emotions: longing, questions, and anger.
Both of them realized then—they were chasing the same thing.
“And the ‘keepsake’ you handed to those rats earlier?”
“I don’t know exactly what’s inside it. I just know it’s something that can buy us some time.”
“So it’s enough to fool those idiots for a while.”
Silence again.
Even after realizing they shared the same purpose, Berenice still hesitated.
Ever since Marion’s betrayal before her regression, she had stopped trusting people easily. Even now, after turning back time, the only ones she could truly rely on were her family and the white raven who had helped her until her death.
No matter how similar their goals might be—could she really afford to move alongside someone as unpredictable as Kaiden?
If he could be trusted, he’d certainly be an invaluable ally. She had even considered using the change in his fate to turn things to her advantage.
But her past experiences held her back.
“It seems you don’t trust me enough to speak freely.”
“……”
“That’s fine. I understand—I’m the same.”
“Your Highness, that’s…”
“I won’t tell you to trust me. I don’t trust you either. In fact, I don’t trust people easily at all.”
Straightening up from the wall, Kaiden slowly walked toward her.
“We haven’t had enough time to build that kind of trust.”
“I agree.”
“But we don’t have the luxury to take it slow, either.”
“Yes.”
“So let’s do this instead.”
Kaiden extended one hand toward her, as if for a handshake.
“Let’s trust not each other, but each other’s situations.”
“……”
“I want to prove that my brother didn’t take his own life, that he was murdered—and find the one who drove him to his death.”
“I… want to uncover the truth my brother was chasing. To find his killer too… and to prove that Bledin Wiltiera was an honorable knight.”
And beyond that—to protect her family, so that their mansion would never again burn to the ground.
With that thought, Berenice took Kaiden’s outstretched hand.
It was a temporary alliance, formed for the sake of their respective goals.
“We’ll have to share what information we have, but… now’s not the time.”
The eastern sky was already beginning to brighten.
Dawn was coming fast—it was nearly time for them to return to where they belonged.
“I’ll be busy preparing for the banquet for a while, so I won’t have any free time.”
“Ah, that’s right. The banquet.”
“You didn’t know?”
“I stopped caring about those things after my coming-of-age ceremony.”
“……Then what reason will Prince Kaiden give for returning to the capital a week from now?”
“Does one need a reason to go home?”
“Maybe others don’t, but this Prince Kaiden probably does.”
“And who would dare question my reason?”
Dare? …No one, of course.
Just moments ago, they’d been speaking in such a serious, heavy tone, forging an alliance—but now…
“You really know how to change the mood in an instant.”
“One of my few useless talents.”
“Is that a good thing?”
“Of course. Being serious all the time is boring.”
Normally, she would have found his words irritating—but now, she sensed something different in them.
Beneath his teasing, there was a small, deliberate kindness—an attempt to ease her heart, even just a little.
Of course, she could still tell he genuinely found amusement in it.
Still, this once, Berenice decided to accept his gesture at face value.
“No one would dare question Your Highness, but you should still have an excuse. You could use the Spring Banquet as one.”
“That’s not a bad idea.”
Why does it feel like… he was thinking the same thing as me?
A moment ago, he’d acted like he didn’t care at all about his return, yet somehow she couldn’t shake that impression.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“It’s nothing.”
Maybe what I see on the surface isn’t all there is to him.
Looking around to get her bearings, Berenice realized where they were.
“Heading back?”
“Yes. I need to hurry if I want to get to my room before sunrise.”
“Do you know the way?”
“I do.”
“……How?”
“I’ve memorized most of the capital’s streets.”
“So you’re not just amusing—you’re meticulous too.”
“Thank you for the compliment.”
“It was one, so feel free to accept it.”
Maybe he really is as straightforward as he seems…
Watching his shameless grin as he told her to “be more grateful,” Berenice began to think that maybe she’d been overanalyzing.
“Then, I’ll take my leave now.”
“I’ll come with you.”
“……Didn’t I just say I know the way?”
“But I don’t.”
“Excuse me?”
“I said, I don’t know the way.”
Anyone could tell that was a blatant lie—but Kaiden said it with complete confidence.
“No need to escort me all the way to the Imperial Palace. I’ll just walk with you until we hit a familiar road.”
It was ridiculous, but he was royalty.
And when a prince claimed he didn’t know the way, who was she to argue?
“Then let’s go.”
“……Yes.”
Though he’d claimed to be unfamiliar with the route, Kaiden walked ahead of her with perfect confidence.
Berenice sighed softly and followed behind him.
The faint blue haze of dawn watched silently as the two figures disappeared into the quiet streets.
