Chapter 14 – Part 6

Evan, looking worried, spoke with a resolute voice.

“Evan, the trial is soon. What if you get sick? Trust me. This disease isn’t a big problem for people who are well-nourished.”

Anne playfully winked.

Evan rubbed his forehead with his right hand, clearly displeased.

‘Do we really need to treat him?’

Evan was actually skeptical about treating Ailon.

While Ailon’s existence threatened the empress, he didn’t wish for Ailon to recover his health.

But Evan kept silent.

He knew too well that to Anne, Ailon was just a patient, not the crown prince.

And revealing such thoughts to Anne might earn him her disdain.

Evan gently touched Anne’s shoulder.

“Can’t I stay inside with you?”

“No!”

Despite Evan’s final plea, Anne firmly shook her head. Evan, his heart aching, spoke with a pained expression.

“Anne, you are truly reckless and cruel. Do you know that?”

Anne smiled at his words. But Evan meant it sincerely.

Even before her regression, she had always taken dangerous actions, and now was no different.

She didn’t have two lives to spare….

To Evan, she was truly cruel for never taking care of herself.

“I know. But Evan, you always support my decisions. Just like always, this time too….”

D*mn it.

Evan swallowed the curses rising within him. The words he had spoken in the past to avoid Anne’s hatred had become shackles that bound him.

“If any problem arises, inform me immediately. I’ll be outside.”

“Yes, of course. A week should be sufficient. To eliminate the risk of infection.”

Evan turned away reluctantly and left.

***

“Aaron.”

“Yes.”

Aaron, with his hood pulled up, glanced around as he added more logs to the burning fire, never neglecting his surroundings.

Nearby, Ferrell was snoring loudly, leaning against a tree.

“You should get some sleep. It’s late.”

“I’m fine.”

Through the disheveled hood, a glimpse of Aaron’s pale nose was visible. He quickly pulled the hood down deeper.

“Even if it’s an order from His Majesty, you don’t need to cover your face when we’re alone.”

Ailon spoke with a sympathetic expression, but Aaron firmly refused.

“No, I prefer it this way.”

“Aaron, aren’t you scared?”

“Not at all.”

Ailon approached Aaron with a concerned look.

“You can run away now, and no one would blame you, Aaron.”

“…I’ll stay here.”

At that moment, Aaron’s cheerful face twisted in agony.

The spot where the boy sat began to burn red. Engulfed in flames, Aaron screamed in pain.

“Your Highness, you promised to protect me! Why! Why!”

His distorted face turned frightening.

Ailon rushed to save Aaron but felt as if an invisible wall blocked him, rendering him helpless.

As he floundered in despair, he felt a touch on his shoulder and woke up from the nightmare.

“Aaron?”

Ailon called out the name in a muddled voice.

Instinctively, he grabbed the hem of Anne’s skirt. Anne smiled softly and replied.

“Are you feeling more lucid now?”

Only then did Ailon take in his surroundings.

He was lying on a bed in a small, shabby room.

Despite the old and worn furniture, everything shone as if freshly cleaned, giving the room a serene atmosphere.

Anne placed her hand on Ailon’s forehead to check his temperature. Watching her, Ailon murmured.

“Have you been tending to me all this time?”

“Of course. No matter how high your status, you’re just a patient to me. You still have a fever, but ventilation is important. May I open the window?”

“Don’t you remember me?”

Anne said, using all her strength to open the creaky window.

“I remember. We met at the palace not long ago.”

“…”

That wasn’t what he meant.

A long silence ensued. Ailon, his face flushed with fever, lowered his head.

“How have you been?”

“Well, I’ve been busy. But Your Highness, are you really asking about my well-being?”

The question implied why he would be interested in her affairs.

Ailon didn’t hide his somber expression in response to Anne’s clear boundaries.

“…”

Have I gone too far? Anne also realized she might have been too harsh. Despite looking like an abandoned herbivore, he was still the crown prince.

Trying to seem nonchalant, Anne continued.

“Oh, right. Since Your Highness has been confined in this palace for so long, you must be bored. If that’s why you’re asking, I’ll gladly answer.”

Ailon wondered if the chatterbox before him could really be the same person who had accompanied him to the battlefield.

That person was always taciturn and timid.

No, they seemed like a completely different person.

Even the chrysanthemum crest on the back wasn’t unique to Aaron.

‘It was all my imagination.’

Ailon laughed bitterly.

“Have you also lost someone you loved, Your Highness?”

“Yes.”

“War seems really terrifying. I thought that nobles and royals would only have joyful times, even during war, but that’s not the case. The duke said he also lost a loved one.”

Ailon’s red eyes wavered with surprise.

He had never heard this story before. He hadn’t even heard rumors of such a woman existing.

Finding this odd, Ailon waited for Anne to continue.

Anne, curious about who Evan might have loved, sat in the chair next to the prince’s bed and asked.

“You seem unaware. But even Lady Dehart knows this story. I thought I’d ask you while I was here… I probably shouldn’t have brought it up. Forget I mentioned it.”

“Hm.”

The prince’s gaze lingered on Anne’s neck.

“What’s your relationship with Evan?”

“…It’s a question I really don’t want to answer.”

Anne bit her lip painfully.

Whenever Evan looked at her with those intense eyes, she found herself moved by the feeling called love.

She always told herself not to be greedy, but the warmth he offered was too comforting.

But Evan, the commander, was of a status she could never reach, and… he deserved a woman who matched his stature.

“If you don’t want to…”

“He’s just a one-night affair.”

Anne stretched and straightened her spine.

Admitting it out loud brought a sense of relief.

“For a one-night affair, the Duke seems to care about you a lot.”

“…Maybe it’s camaraderie?”

Anne forced a smile and began to record Ailon’s condition in her journal.

On the other hand, Ailon responded with a serious expression.

“Camaraderie? Nobles aren’t trained to form camaraderie on the battlefield.”

“…What?”

Anne was so focused on her journal that she didn’t hear Ailon clearly.

[First Night of Treatment]

Fever has slightly decreased. Persistent mild cough, but able to converse.

No hallucinations observed. Suspected pneumonia. Contagiousness unknown.

“…He cares about you.”

“…”

Anne only caught Ailon’s last words, but she already knew that.

Considering everything that had happened, Evan really did care for Anne.

But that was it.

‘No more than this.’

Ailon recalled the incident at the temple.

He had been unrecognizably violent and emotional.

Ailon glanced at Anne’s clothes.

He remembered she was said to be the daughter of a long-gone baron’s family. Hence, her clothes were of high quality and beautiful.

However, they were stained with dust and dirt in places.

Ailon looked around the room.

The filthy room he had occasionally seen during moments of lucidity was no longer there.

This cleanliness was likely due to Anne’s efforts.

Ailon gripped the pristine white blanket and muttered with his head bowed.

“I’m sorry about that day.”

‘Did I hear that right?’

At first, Anne thought she had misheard. Even if Ailon was known for speaking casually, an apology?

“…Did I just receive an apology from Your Highness?”

“Yes.”

Anne looked at Ailon anew, her eyes filled with kindness and warmth.

“I’m the one who should apologize. I misunderstood you. You’re a better person than I thought, Your Highness.”

‘Unlike the emperor.’

Even from a brief conversation, Ailon seemed like a decent person.

‘I’m sorry. Even for a moment, I debated whether to save you or not.’

Anne offered an unspoken apology.

The rumors about the prince were vastly different from reality.

‘He’s not weak; he’s considerate and delicate…’

“Better than you thought, huh…? It’s best to believe what you initially thought.”

Ailon spoke firmly and clearly.

Anne understood his need to draw a line. She was aware of the stories that everyone associated with the prince ended up dead.

Aaron was probably one of them.

She didn’t know the exact story, but his red eyes, now calm and cool, were filled with sorrow.

In contrast to the emperor, Anne erased her bad first impression of the crown prince and asked,

“Did you know the empress is pregnant?”

“Of course. It’s been known since before I came here.”

“She might have a miscarriage.”

At those words, Ailon blinked, seemingly not understanding the situation.

“A miscarriage?”

“There was poison in the tea the empress drank.”

“…The culprit?”

Anne stared at Ailon and answered.

“We don’t know yet. But it doesn’t matter who the culprit is. There have been other incidents.”

Ailon slowly nodded. It seemed there had been more turmoil while he was confined in the annex palace.

“Your Highness, if you are acquitted in the upcoming trial, what will you do after that?”

“…What do you want?”