Chapter 42
Without looking at him, I asked,
“What happened to the coffin?”
“Another soldier moved it.”
Now that I thought about it, Vodka was there too. I had been so focused on myself that I didn’t even think about him. I quickly raised my head.
“What about Vodka? He was hit by the same arrow.”
“He’s recovering as well, so don’t worry. He’s not someone who dies easily.”
I carefully asked,
“Then the two hundred million I promised to repay…”
“I’ll consider it repaid.”
My eyes widened instantly. I wasn’t used to him saying something like that so easily.
“You really mean it’s settled?”
“Do you think I would lie right now?”
His voice was low. There wasn’t even a mocking smile on his face. The serious atmosphere made me lower my head without thinking.
Silently, I ate more bread, then salad, then a spoonful of tomato soup. It tasted good. As expected from the Demerut family.
To provide food with this much care, they had to be very wealthy.
While eating quietly, I realized the tray was almost empty. I hadn’t thought I was hungry, but apparently I was.
Calyx was still standing beside me. After hesitating for a moment, I asked,
“Do I really have to stay in this bed for a whole week?”
“If you feel suffocated, you can walk around the room. But don’t go outside.”
“Why?”
“The weather outside is cold, and there might still be dangerous bastards around. It’s better to stay in this room.”
“Did you catch the one who tried to kill me?”
“Yes.”
It was a simple answer, but it strangely made goosebumps rise on my arms. Ignoring the chill, I asked,
“What happened to him? Why did he try to kill me?”
“We’re still investigating. That bastard hasn’t opened his mouth yet.”
“Then…”
“We’ll make him talk, no matter what.”
I wanted to ask more, but I was afraid of hearing something terrible, so I kept quiet.
I moved my hands slightly. I still couldn’t hold a sword, and it made me restless. I was tired of the cold weather, but at least I wanted to hold a blade.
“I’m really fine. Can’t I stay here for just three days?”
I said firmly. Calyx stared at me as if he could see through me. Under his intense gaze, I lowered my head and looked only at the empty tray.
“I rarely get sick. I don’t even catch colds. Even after coming here, I’ve been perfectly fine…”
“That’s because of your blood.”
Blood? What did he mean? I looked up and met his piercing gray eyes.
“That royal blood of yours.”
He spoke as if crushing the words. It even sounded slightly mocking. I stayed silent, and his next words struck my ears.
“Maybe the reason you survived wasn’t because of me, but because of that blood.”
His eyes didn’t leave me, as if trying to look inside me. He had said something similar before, and the way he kept staring bothered me.
And again, he connected me with royal blood. Trying to shake off the uneasy feeling, I spoke.
“I still don’t think I’m a princess—”
“Mr. Lerit.”
His voice was gentle but firm. It made me tense immediately. I flinched as he slightly lowered his head toward me.
The scent of his perfume suddenly filled my nose, and my heart began to beat faster.
His eyes slowly moved over my eyes, nose, and lips. I quickly turned my gaze away.
The thick scent, my pounding heart, the heavy atmosphere—
His voice brushed against my ear.
“No matter how much you deny it, your blood can’t lie.”
His low voice echoed softly. My heart pounded loudly. When his breath lightly touched my neck, he finally stepped back.
I was still confused. His scent lingered at the tip of my nose.
Without looking at him, I heard his low voice again.
“The one who tried to kill you was probably influenced by that necklace.”
The necklace. I quickly searched my pocket. The watch my mother left me was around my neck, so I had kept the necklace in my pocket.
I felt the heavy object and pulled it out. The emerald still shone with a fresh green light.
“If it’s because of this necklace… does that mean they tried to kill me because they think I’m royal?”
“There’s nothing certain, but we can’t rule that out.”
I couldn’t speak for a moment. I still couldn’t accept that I was royal, yet I might die because of it.
“Are you going to keep carrying that necklace?”
Because of this necklace, I could be in more danger. Lothas had mentioned something about detecting the necklace and taking it away.
Even so, I didn’t want to return it to Calyx. I still couldn’t fully accept that I was a princess, but I had a strange feeling that I needed to keep it.
Even I couldn’t understand why.
“Yes.”
“If you lose it, it’ll be your loss. So keep it safe.”
Silence filled the room. Since Calyx didn’t speak, I had nothing to say either.
Feeling awkward, I looked around and noticed his wrist. It was partly covered by his shirt, but I could see a thin bandage wrapped around it.
‘Did he get hurt saving me?’
As soon as I thought that, Calyx spoke.
“Rest. And don’t think about coming outside.”
He turned to leave. I suddenly called out to his back.
“What happened to your wrist?”
Calyx paused. After a moment, he turned around. There was a strange flash in his gray eyes.
Since he didn’t answer right away, I hesitated and added,
“If it happened because of me…”
“It’s because my body hasn’t fully neutralized it.”
Neutralized? I remembered the time he collapsed before.
“Did you take your medicine?”
Calyx just stared at me. I wondered if I shouldn’t have asked, but then he suddenly lifted the corner of his lips.
“Yes.”
His unexpected reaction made me uneasy. I wondered if touching him before had caused some bad effect.
“Did it get worse because of me?”
“No.”
That was a relief.
“My body was going to die around this time anyway. So it’s natural.”
“What do you mean—”
“There are soldiers around, so you’ll be safe here.”
“……”
“Don’t think about leaving.”
With that, Calyx left the room.
He said it wasn’t my fault, but that he was going to die? What did that mean? My mind felt even more complicated than before.
He said it was natural because his body was meant to die around this time. Even if he controlled it with sword aura, did that mean he wouldn’t last long?
‘What… so he’s been living knowing he would die?’
My heart slowly sank. From his condition, if his body wasn’t properly neutralized, it was obvious things would get worse.
‘But that doesn’t mean I…’
I quickly stopped my thoughts. I still couldn’t fully accept being a princess.
With a sigh, I took the necklace out again. The emerald shone brightly, full of life.
‘Is this really proof that I’m alive?’
At this point, I was truly curious. Should I go to the palace and confirm my identity? But Calyx had said someone there might try to kill me.
I didn’t even know who wanted me dead right now. I didn’t want to go to the palace and die without knowing why.
‘Who is trying to kill me?’
The man who shot the poisoned arrow from the snow had clearly been ordered by someone. That screaming voice wasn’t anyone I knew.
I didn’t know the details, but one thing was clear. Someone was looking for this necklace. And someone wanted the princess dead.
I was trying to catch a scammer, and now even my life was in danger.
I put the necklace back in my pocket. Still, I survived. Somehow, I would catch the scammer and get all my money back. The rest—I would think about later.
At the same time, in the main palace, Poedin was looking at orchids when he frowned.
“What do you mean?”
He spoke to the attendant standing before him.
“The connection to that magic stone was cut off?”
“Yes. We tried contacting it several times, but there’s no signal. Perhaps they destroyed the magic stone there…”
“They dared?”
Poedin laughed.
Prod Swindel. I trusted him and gave him support, and he stabbed me in the back. There was no place in this kingdom beyond my sight.
Ah, there was one. Calyx’s territory. That cursed land, unbelievably cold and difficult to approach.
Poedin let out a laugh of disbelief.
“What about Prod Swindel’s location?”
“Well… a few knights tried to track him, but they haven’t found him yet.”
“And the other bastard? The one who was supposed to do the job? We should at least catch his signal.”
“There’s no signal from him either.”
“No signal? Then was he caught?”
The attendant calmly lowered his head. Poedin let out a dry laugh.
“Send more reliable men. We have to find Prod.”
“Yes, I will.”
Then the attendant carefully asked,
“By the way, what about the family gathering His Majesty is hosting this time?”
“Tell him I’m busy and won’t attend.”
“But His Majesty requested that all family members attend, and the princess will also be present—”
“Princess?”
Poedin’s eyes flashed. The attendant quickly lowered his head.
“Don’t mention that princess in front of me again. She’s nothing but Mother’s doll.”
The attendant silently bowed deeper. Poedin sat down in his chair, looking bored.
“A family should feel like family.”
Poedin had never thought of them as family. To him, they were just people living in the same place.
