Chapter 19
“Get better soon. That way you can get up and start demanding working conditions or whatever from me.”
He lightly tapped Netty on the forehead.
Perhaps because it bothered her nerves, the way her small nose twitched brought him a strange sense of comfort.
Kai stayed by Netty’s side all through the night.
Around dawn, Anton returned from checking the situation at the castle.
“The signal fires are lit. The whole city is in an uproar—apparently a member of the imperial family was kidnapped last night.”
Jürgen Schultz had even put up an enormous bounty. Anyone who reported the prince’s location would receive a reward large enough to live comfortably for the rest of their life.
Looks like he’s pretty frantic.
Kai worried, just a little, that Anton might have had a change of heart.
But Anton—
“The prince is right here, though. Doesn’t that make me the kidnapper? Hahaha.”
Seeing him laugh so heartily, Kai realized his concern had been unnecessary. Somehow, Anton seemed like he’d get along well with Netty.
Kai dampened a dry towel and placed it on Netty’s round forehead.
Her fever had gone down quite a bit.
Relieved, he carefully wiped her slender neck, white shoulders, and exposed arms.
“Your Highness, I’ll take over from here. Please get some rest.”
“…No.”
He didn’t like the idea of leaving Netty in someone else’s care. Especially when he thought of her lying there defenseless.
Watching him tend to her so attentively, Anton spoke up out of curiosity.
“By the way, who is that woman? You’re taking such care of her, Your Highness.”
“…Is this your first time meeting her?”
“Huh? Of course. Where would I have met such a beautiful noble lady?”
The look of genuine confusion on his face told Kai he wasn’t lying.
Then why had Netty acted like she knew this man so well?
‘Someone who’ll help the protagonist in my place.’
That was how Netty had described Anton Becker.
From the context, the “protagonist” must have meant himself.
He didn’t know why she’d called him that.
Maybe she’d just been delirious with fever and spouting nonsense…
Still, one thing was certain.
Netty Kertis—this woman shrouded entirely in mystery—was always prepared to leave him.
And that was something Kai could never allow.
A full day passed with them unable to move anywhere.
Waking from a light doze, the first thing Kai did was check Netty’s condition.
Her fever was completely gone, and even the swelling had subsided. All that remained were faint bruises, as if they’d been erased with a rubber eraser.
Her recovery really was monstrous.
With complicated feelings, Kai looked down at the woman beside him.
Netty Kertis lay curled up on the bed,
murmuring strange, incomprehensible sleep talk.
“Hii thereee… Olive Old… ngh, if you need anything, just say it… you little punk…”
“Did she work in a marketplace or something?”
“…Huge discount… only today… never again… I’ll slice you up… you… punk…”
The more he looked at her, the more curious he became about who she really was.
At first, he’d kept her alive thinking she might be useful, but Netty’s information-gathering abilities went far beyond what the word “spy” could explain.
And the back of his neck still throbbed from where she’d hit him.
He’d teasingly handed her a frying pan, only for her to smash a monster’s head with it—and then ambush him and knock him unconscious.
How could such monstrous strength come from such a small body?
And where had she gotten this inhuman level of recovery?
Everything about her was a question mark, yet Kai was certain of one thing.
To save the Empire in crisis, he needed the information this woman possessed.
How can I make her stay by my side and keep helping me?
For now, he had nothing to offer her.
He couldn’t promise status to a spy, and Netty didn’t seem interested in gold or treasure.
Threats no longer worked—and he no longer wanted to use them.
There has to be a way to keep her bound to me…
He was tapping the armrest of his chair, lost in thought, when—
“Ugh…”
Netty stirred.
Seeing her shiver slightly as if cold, Kai pulled the blanket up to her neck.
Then, just as he was about to remove his uniform jacket and drape it over her as well—
Netty opened her eyes.
Seeing a face so close it was almost touching hers, Netty’s face flushed bright red.
“W–W–What?! Why are you so close?! You scared the life out of me!! I thought you were a statue! Like I was in a museum! Like I came here for a museum part-time job!!”
As Netty rambled on about clutching her chest, how her heart hurt, and how dying like this might still count as a good death, Kai realized something.
Ah. So I do have a weapon after all.
Deliberately, Kai softened the corners of his mouth into a smile.
At just the angle Netty liked best.
“Seriously, what is wrong with him? He knows he’s handsome and that’s why he’s acting like that, right? Right?!”
I was seriously going crazy. Ever since I’d come to my senses last night, Kai had been acting strange.
Sure, in a world this insane, people going a little crazy wasn’t surprising, but—
Still, isn’t this a bit too much?!
I screamed internally. Trying to hide my confusion, I forced myself to take a bite of bread—and immediately felt like my throat was choking up.
“What’s wrong, Netty?”
“Huh? W–What do you mean?”
“Why have you been picking at your food like that? You’re eating like a little mouse nibbling at something… no, like a pretty sparrow pecking at feed.”
I heard that. You almost said “mouse.”
Whatever his scheme was, this wasn’t concern—it was something else entirely.
“Or maybe your fever hasn’t fully gone down yet. That’s troubling.”
Kai placed his palm against my forehead.
“Hiiik! S–Stop that!”
Either way, it was bad! Terrible for my heart! At this rate I’d drop dead any second!
“You psycho! What do you even want from me?!”
“…What I want? Nothing like that.”
“Oh, come on! You hesitated just now—I saw it!”
“I’m serious. I don’t want anything from you. If there’s something I want, it’s only you.”
Kai grinned, pulling up the corner of his mouth.
For a moment, it felt like bright light filled the entire cabin.
Damn it! Too bright! My eyes are burning!
Kai’s suspicious kindness didn’t end there.
“Netty, aren’t you thirsty?”
“No, I’m fine. My esophagus is totally clear right now.”
I narrowed my eyes at him warily. Kai curved his eyes downward and smiled deeply.
“Haha, Netty, you really have a funny way of speaking.”
“…E–Excuse me?”
Netty? Netty?!
Why are you saying my name so sweetly?!
You used to always call me ‘Netty Kertis’ with that stiff, stone-chewing expression!
And what? I’m funny? I speak funny?
Who was it that kept telling me to shut up every chance they got? My disbelief packed its bags and left.
And that disbelief returned to my brain hand-in-hand with its friend, suspicion.
Kai Hayden—there was no way that man had feelings for me.
I’d bet my entire fortune that he didn’t even have one gram of that kind of emotion.
You might fool everyone else, but you can’t fool me.
What, are you trying to lure me in with that dazzling—no, rotten—handsome-man routine?
“Netty, you’ve got crumbs around your mouth. Excuse me.”
He lunged toward my face.
“Hyaaa! I was saving those for later!!”
I screamed and defended both my cheeks.
I couldn’t let a single crumb fall victim to his gentle hands.
He froze mid-reach.
“…Were you very hungry?”
“Yes! Very! Extremely! I’m saving it to eat for breakfast tomorrow!”
Even so, Kai was a formidable opponent. His soft voice tickled my ears.
“You’re like a cute little squirrel, Netty.”
