Chapter 61
A peck? A smooch? Could this be what they call a kiss?
Since I had never once kissed anyone in my previous life, I was even more flustered.
They say you’re supposed to close your eyes when you kiss, but I was so shocked I couldn’t even think of such a basic step.
Our noses kept brushing—his nose bridge is quite high.
His eyelashes are long and full.
Even up close, his skin has a radiant glow.
Even in that fleeting moment, only these impressions kept running through my mind.
As expected of a hardcore fan to the bone—even while kissing, my eyes were busy collecting information about my favorite through my optic nerves.
Had about three or four seconds passed?
As our lips parted, Raymond’s face moved away again. His flushed face had turned bright red from his cheeks all the way to his ears.
“Aileen.”
The lips that formed my name looked indescribably sensual.
I had been staring at him blankly, but belatedly, heat rushed to my face. My cheeks burned as if scorched by fire.
We both, flushed, exhaled the breath we had been holding for several seconds. In the quiet room, only the sound of our breathing remained. As if insisting that the closeness from moments ago hadn’t been real, we suddenly became awkward like strangers the instant we separated. I turned my head aside, avoiding his intense gaze that seemed to bore into me.
“Uh… it’s late, so I should get going now. Let’s meet during the day next time.”
“Alright.”
Not knowing how to react, my mind was filled only with the thought that I needed to escape. As I got up, the strength in Raymond’s hand, which had been holding my arm, loosened.
Taking that chance, I hurried out of the room and ran down the stairs.
My heart pounded like a large drum, beating out a rhythm.
“Ha…”
After Aileen left, Raymond, now alone, let out a deep breath. It was to calm his racing heartbeat.
Was it a mistake to sit side by side to watch the moon?
Aileen, sitting so close to him, gave off an alluring scent. Lately, he had already been obsessively drawn to her lips, making it even harder to endure.
Like a butterfly intoxicated by the scent of flowers, he approached and pressed his lips to Aileen’s red cherry-like lips. It was the very sensation he had dreamed of—moist and soft. Like Cinderella finding the glass slipper that fit perfectly, his lips felt as though they had found their rightful place, unwilling to part. His mind was in ecstasy, stars sparkling within it.
When the kiss finally ended, the atmosphere turned awkward, and she immediately left for the ducal residence.
If it were up to him, he would have held her tightly so she couldn’t leave, keeping her by his side all night—but a wish was only a wish. He had to let her go, knowing how flustered she must have been.
Feeling an emptiness in one corner of his heart, Raymond reached for the book on the table. It was a gift Aileen had left for him, telling him to read it as well. But then, the sharp edge of the paper cut his fingertip.
Prick.
His skin split in a straight line, and a bead of blood formed. Reflexively, Raymond put his finger in his mouth. It was something Aileen had once done for him when he had been bleeding, and he unconsciously imitated it.
But when he removed his finger, there was neither a stinging sensation nor any trace of the wound. He simply stared blankly at the now perfectly fine fingertip, as if time had been reversed.
‘Just how…?’
Suddenly, his gaze sharpened.
As time passed, the Emperor sent someone to check on the Archduke’s condition.
The Archduke, being cautious, thoroughly concealed the exact location of his hideout. Moreover, with his forces hidden throughout the village, it was impossible not only to tail him but even to approach.
Thus, the man who received the order lingered around the outskirts of the village for several days before finally resorting to asking people who came out of the village.
“Excuse me, may I ask you something?”
“What is it?”
He happened to spot three women who seemed to have kind impressions.
The man described the Archduke’s appearance in detail and asked if they knew him. Since he shared blood with the Emperor, his appearance was bound to stand out no matter how much he tried to hide it, so he was confident.
“Ah! You mean that very tall, handsome young man who smiles a lot.”
As expected, the women recognized him and nodded at each other. However, something in their description didn’t quite make sense.
‘Smiles a lot…?’
Is that really the same person? He felt confused. As the man tilted his head, the women urged him to continue.
“We know who you mean, but why?”
“Ah… have you seen him recently, by any chance?”
“Of course. He still comes around the village often these days.”
At the matter-of-fact reply, the man’s eyes widened in shock.
“What? He’s been walking around? When was that?”
“Yesterday. I saw him walking around just fine with my own eyes.”
“I saw him too. It had been a while, and his face looked very smooth and nice.”
The women chattered together, showering praise on the Archduke’s appearance. The more he listened, the more convinced he became that it was indeed the Archduke—and that he was in perfectly fine condition, which was hard to believe.
“I… see. Thank you.”
After expressing his thanks, the man left the group of women.
And the news was immediately delivered to the Emperor. Needless to say, the Emperor’s furious outburst fell directly upon the head chamberlain, who had rushed in at the summons.
“To see the sun of the Empire—”
“What on earth is going on here?!”
The moment the chamberlain entered the audience hall, shrinking in on himself, Kyle shouted in irritation.
At his roar, the chamberlain, prostrated on the floor, trembled violently.
“Th-that is… I thoroughly warned the priests and healers. I checked again, but there was no sign that anyone had gone to the Archduke. I have no idea why he remains unharmed.”
Though trembling, the chamberlain rolled his eyes in confusion, unable to understand what had happened.
“You have no idea?”
“Y-yes… I do not know.”
“Is that truly something someone tasked with carrying out my orders can say?”
Shing.
A sharp metallic sound rang out as a longsword was drawn from its sheath. The grating noise sent chills down the chamberlain’s spine.
“Not knowing is a grave sin. And the price of failure is your life.”
Kyle spoke in a languid voice as he began to walk. The sound of the sword’s tip scraping the floor drew closer and closer to the chamberlain.
His heart pounded, and cold sweat drenched his entire body. In his mind, alarm bells blared wildly.
The Emperor has truly gone mad. If this continues, I’ll die like a dog.
Reaching that conclusion, the chamberlain began to struggle desperately to survive.
Only the instinct to live dominated his entire being.
“P-please spare me, Your Majesty! If you give me a chance, I will surely deal a fatal blow to the Archduke!”
“You? How?”
Kyle stopped in place at that moment.
The Emperor is listening to me!
Sensing this as his chance to live, the chamberlain hurriedly continued.
“I will find the Archduke’s hideout and burn it down.”
“Hah. The special task force couldn’t even find Raymond’s hideout—how do you plan to do it? You’re just trying to save your own skin with tricks in front of me.”
“I-if I cannot find it, then I will set the entire village on fire!”
“Oh? That’s not a bad idea.”
Kyle tilted his head at the suggestion. It was certainly an appealing method.
“Very well. I’ll give you one last chance to redeem yourself.”
“Th-thank you, Your Majesty.”
The chamberlain lowered himself even further, though there was no space left to bow. He resolved to seize this narrow chance at survival no matter what.
“Thank you for your hard work, my lady.”
“Goodbye.”
After finishing my lesson, I bid farewell to my teacher as she left the room and began organizing my desk. I had been given a difficult assignment and was wondering how to approach it. Shortly after, Claire came in to clear the teacups and clicked her tongue with concern. Hearing her mutter in an unusual tone, I looked up at her.
“Oh dear… what a mess.”
“Claire, what happened?”
“My lady, you won’t believe it. There’s been a huge fire in Hills Village. It’s absolute chaos with everyone trying to put it out.”
“What?”
Startled, I shot up from my seat. At that moment, the book and writing tools in my hand fell to the floor with a clatter.
Hills—that’s where Raymond’s hideout is!
I quickly opened the glass door and stepped out onto the terrace. In the distance, rising smoke was staining the clear sky black.
What if Raymond is hurt?
The thought filled me with dread.
“I’ll be back in a bit!”
“What? My lady? Where are you going all of a sudden? You’re not going to Hills Village, are you?”
Ignoring Claire’s desperate voice behind me, I ran down the corridor. Koa, noticing my movement, came alongside me and matched my pace.
“We’re going to Hills. The village is on fire. It’d be better to take a horse.”
“Understood.”
We rushed to the stables at once. Koa brought out a horse and mounted it, and I climbed up behind her, wrapping my arms around her waist. Even without me saying anything, she seemed to understand my urgency and spurred the horse forward at full speed.
As we got closer to the village, the screams of people tearing through the air grew louder.
Crackle. Whoosh.
The village we arrived at was being devoured by red flames. The fire hadn’t started in just one place—houses scattered here and there were burning simultaneously.
Someone definitely set this on purpose.
I couldn’t be sure who or what their motive was, but a bad feeling rose within me.
“Let’s go to the hideout.”
At my request, Koa steered in that direction.
Sure enough, the Archduke’s hideout was also engulfed in flames. Black smoke soared endlessly into the sky as if celebrating victory.
At the sight, my heart sank.
With Koa’s help, I got off the horse and stood there, staring blankly at the building, which was already more than halfway burned down.
R-Raymond… where is he? He’s not inside, is he?
The wooden structure had already collapsed completely, making it impossible to even think about going in to save anyone. My legs gave out, and I collapsed onto the ground.
