Chapter 14

In the blink of an eye, her view flipped. Karina couldn’t understand what had happened to her for a while. Noah, as if he didn’t care about her confusion, skillfully climbed the tree with one hand. No, rather than climbing, by the time she came to her senses, they were already on the branch where she had first discovered him.

‘What is this? Is this a dream?’

Karina, who had been dumbfounded, froze as soon as she felt the change in the air. The goosebumps on her skin confirmed it wasn’t a dream. When she looked down at the distant ground, her arms instinctively tightened around his neck. It was a survival instinct.

“You can keep holding on if you’d like.”

“…….”

“Even if you fall, it’s not high enough to kill you, but it’ll hurt quite a bit.”

At a height she had never experienced before, she was speechless, while Noah nonchalantly chattered away. Despite carrying someone up a tree, he didn’t seem the least bit strained. In fact, his excessive composure was the problem.

“Let… let me down….”

For the first time in her life, Karina realized that she was afraid of heights. All she could do was cling to the man in front of her and tremble. As she did so, voices came from close by.

Karina braved her fear and looked down.

“There doesn’t seem to be anyone here.”

The familiar voice belonged to Phyllis. It seemed like today was an utterly unlucky day.

‘What kind of terrible day is this?’

Karina, who normally wouldn’t even dream of uttering such words, thought them freely in her mind. Noah, seemingly oblivious to her inner turmoil, pricked his ears in the direction of the conversation.

“Her Highness the Princess said this is the only trail in the area.”

“Could she have gotten lost?”

When Phyllis muttered in disbelief, Cornell’s face turned equally serious. Fortunately, they didn’t seem to realize there were people in the tree.

Well, of course, they wouldn’t. Even Karina herself couldn’t believe the situation she was in.

“Don’t worry too much. She couldn’t have gone far.”

Cornell said this while glancing around. At that moment, Karina flinched as she felt her body tilt slightly. Of course, it was just a feeling.

“Don’t be so nervous. That’s actually more dangerous.”

Noah, who spoke almost silently, mimicked punching the tree trunk and shrugged his shoulders. The hand that had been around her waist had somehow moved to her shoulder.

Karina stared at him blankly before cautiously placing her hand on the branch beside her. The rough texture was unfamiliar but not unpleasant. Above all, its thickness reassured her that it wouldn’t break.

Just as she was beginning to adjust, feeling absurd for doing so, the interrupted conversation resumed.

“I’m sorry, Phyllis.”

“Why are you apologizing?”

“I should have been more attentive to Miss Karina, but I wasn’t. She must have already been uncomfortable because of me.”

It wasn’t a pleasant topic. Karina looked at the dejected Cornell and genuinely thought she was impressive.

It wasn’t a lie. If anything, Cornell was the type of woman who could fabricate sincerity as much as she wanted.

“…I’m the one who should apologize. I didn’t consider your feelings.”

After a moment of silence, Phyllis also apologized and approached Cornell.

“No, let’s keep looking. Miss Karina must be nearby.”

Cornell shook her head and clenched her fist, which elicited a faint, deflated laugh.

“Alright. Let’s do that.”

Karina pressed her hand firmly against the branch beneath it. The rough surface scraped her palm, stinging slightly.

After Phyllis’s response, the two turned their backs.

“But isn’t it alright to spend time like this?”

“It’s fine. I’ve received permission from His Highness the Crown Prince. It just so happened to be during a brief break.”

Even as the people who had made her so anxious moved farther away, she didn’t feel happy for some reason.

“Why? Did someone get hurt?”

“It’s not that, but one person suddenly disappeared in the middle.”

“Disappeared?”

“Well… actually…”

Their retreating figures were soon obscured by the leaves. At the same time, a large hand gently turned her face away. It was as if the world had gone silent. Karina found herself staring at the sky, which seemed even higher now.

Noah pretended not to notice his hand’s actions as he looked elsewhere. Setting aside how absurd this all was, the butterfly that happened to flutter before her eyes was quite beautiful.

‘…It really isn’t a dream, is it?’

The faint sound of the wind didn’t escape her ears, and her hands, warmed by his touch, slowly thawed. The breeze was chilly, the sky was high, and the butterfly was beautiful. So Karina decided to stay like that for a little while longer.

***

Phyllis returned to the hunting grounds immediately after parting ways with Cornell.

She wasn’t in a good mood, as the order to resume the hunt had been given before they could find Karina. In fact, she was in quite a bad mood. It wasn’t just because they hadn’t found her. Things had been piling up for days.

‘I think I’ll have to stay in the Imperial Palace for a few days. My research isn’t progressing at all.’

Since taking on the position of Head of the Academy last year, Cornell had often been summoned by the Imperial Family’s researchers. Though she held the title of Head of the Academy, she was more like a tool used to produce results for the professors’ research.

Ian Herwin considered even this exploitation proof of Cornell’s usefulness and told her to think of it as an honor. Thanks to her detestable father, Cornell endured an overwhelming workload that was barely distinguishable from labor, living day by day.

“If only I had a bit more power….”

It was a meaningless lament. Phyllis had already given up many things because of Ian Herwin, and she would have to continue doing so.

Phyllis entered the hunting grounds and immediately headed for Crown Prince Essis Hiel Terga.

“My apologies for being away for so long, Your Highness the Crown Prince.”

“There’s no need to apologize. It’s not like anyone would notice one person missing.”

***

Essis, who spoke indifferently, pressed his hat down, letting his golden blonde hair stick out messily. Despite his small stature and youthful face compared to the other nobles, and his casual demeanor, the dignity of the Imperial Family was evident.

“I’m not mocking you. I mean it sincerely.”

His tone carried a weight of experience that didn’t match his mid-twenties.

“Anything would seem admirable compared to a dog that’s broken its leash and run away.”

“…Has he still not returned?”

“If he had, I would’ve killed him already.”

The murderous sincerity in his words was palpable. Phyllis could neither agree nor protest, so he remained silent.

Fortunately, before the hunt ended completely, the person the Crown Prince had been searching for appeared. A man, practically bound with ropes, was dragged by soldiers and forced to kneel before Essis, who was seated in a chair.

“My apologies, Your Highness the Crown Prince. We couldn’t bring him back in one piece.”

Mathis Ketch, the Commander of the Imperial First Knight Order, reported while gasping for breath.

“Well done. This way, it’s easier to step on him.”

Essis casually offered his praise and abruptly stood up. Phyllis stared expressionlessly at the man who was now under the Crown Prince’s foot.

Noah Velcarid. It was him—the man who persistently lingered around Karina. The irritating man. Even as Noah rolled across the hunting ground floor for a while, he got up, sitting as if nothing had happened, without a single sign of injury.

“Doesn’t it occur to you to at least pretend to be in pain?”

“…….”

“I must be pathetic for expecting an answer. Get him up.”

“Yes, understood.”

Essis, who returned to his seat with his dirt-covered shoes, adjusted his crooked hat with a slightly relieved expression.

Before the soldiers could approach, Noah sprang to his feet and shook his head like a dog, scattering dirt and grass.

“I heard you were climbing trees near the Princess’s palace. Is that true?”

“Yes. That’s what we saw.”

A smile spread across Essis’s lips. It was a twisted grin, half-filled with disbelief and half with anger.

Phyllis instinctively reacted to the mention of the Princess’s palace, lifting his head, but quickly regained his composure and closed his eyes. He had somewhat anticipated this when he arrived at the hunting ground and encountered the suspicious man by the Crown Prince’s side.

‘Let’s meet again before winter comes.’

It wasn’t based on any reason—just an intuition. That man had likely been near Karina again today.

“As expected, he’s insane. Why were you at the Princess’s palace? And why were you climbing trees? Are you some kind of monkey?”

“I think I ended up that way while chasing a butterfly.”

“You sure know how to spout nonsense.”

Essis glared at Noah with a look of utter contempt, throwing his hat into the air in frustration. Phyllis, who naturally caught the hat, handed it over to a nearby soldier.

“I only called you here to test your skills, but now I’m afraid of what other insane things you might do. Let’s end it here for today.”

Essis abruptly stood and left. Phyllis, who followed him, paused at the words that came from behind him.

“You don’t need to worry too much.”

The ambiguous statement, with no clear subject or meaning, made all the soldiers present tilt their heads in confusion.

“I was just in a place where your eyes couldn’t reach. I wasn’t lost or anything.”

After adding that final remark, the soldiers, blushing with anger, rushed at Noah and began kicking him. Only Phyllis left the scene without looking back. A sense of unpleasant certainty spread through his body.

***

“What? What do you mean?”

As usual, Karina, who was reading in her room, heard news that made her doubt her ears.

“I was surprised too! Who would’ve thought something like that would suddenly appear in the backyard?”

“Wait… wild animals, all of a sudden?”

The neatly maintained backyard garden had been under construction for two days, and the reason was supposedly due to the sudden appearance of wild animals.

When Karina showed a skeptical reaction, Becky pulled her toward the window to show her proof.

“Do you see the dug-up ground and the hole under the fence over there?”

Following Becky’s confidently outstretched hand, Karina spotted a large hole in one corner of the fence.