Chapter 68
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 68
Perhaps because it was Christmas Day, the traffic was heavier than usual. A trip that would normally take thirty minutes took an extra twenty.
Dokyun had worried Eun-ji might throw a fit, but she put his fears to rest, completely captivated by the cars whizzing past and the buildings lining the road.
After they parked and stepped out onto the street, she let out a gasp and kept whipping her head around, as if the outside world was the most fascinating thing she’d ever seen.
A smile crept onto his face again at the sight. But realizing they’d never get through their schedule at this rate, Dokyun snapped her out of it, a grin still on his face as he spoke.
“Alright, let’s go.”
“Huh? Oh.”
After a rather distracted reply, Eun-ji cleared her throat with a ‘Ahem,’ looked up at Dokyun, and continued.
“So? What is the princess’s schedule for today?”
She asked, crossing her arms and putting on a prim expression. Dokyun had to suppress another laugh as he answered.
“We’re going to the ice rink.”
“An ice rink?”
“You don’t want to go?”
She remained silent for a moment at his question, then curled her lips into a smug smirk and declared.
“Well, since it seems you want to go, the princess will graciously accompany you.”
Her eyes, peeking at him coyly, were sparkling with anticipation.
Seriously, it was a special talent of hers to be so bratty about something when she could have just said she was happy. Feeling a dry laugh escape him at her attitude, Dokyun took her hand and continued.
“It’s crowded, so hold on tight and don’t get separated.”
No answer came. He glanced at her and saw her staring blankly at their clasped hands.
“Hey.”
“Ah.”
Only when he called her a second time did she respond. Then, her previous haughty expression restored, Eun-ji squeezed his hand and spat out her words.
“Now, lead the way.”
“Good grief. Yes, Your Highness.”
She was the very picture of a queen.
*
It went without saying, but Dokyun was not a man who went out much.
In the first place, he was the type of person who poured all his leisure time into novels. And in an age where you could get almost anything you needed delivered to your doorstep, he had gone out even less in recent years.
It was telling that the most active period of his entire year was the time after his confinement had begun.
That’s why he hadn’t expected this.
‘It’s swarming with people.’
Dokyun’s jaw dropped at the scene before him.
Christmas was Christmas, after all. The ice rink he’d gone to the trouble of entering was so packed there was hardly room to stand.
Does everyone think alike, or did I just lose the game of wits?
He’d come here because a quick search for “Christmas outing spots” had brought up ice rinks, but it seemed to have been a miscalculation.
“Hey, hey…!”
Eun-ji’s voice called out. Dokyun looked down at her and saw her wobbling precariously in her skates.
She was leaning on his arm, barely managing to take one step at a time. A small smile touched Dokyun’s lips before a memory suddenly surfaced.
He remembered when he first met this little brat, how she’d tried to kick him only to lose her own balance and fall flat on her back.
She seemed to have terrible coordination.
A question formed in his mind, and he let the thought expand.
Was the bad coordination limited to just this brat, or was it a reflection of the main body’s physical abilities?
‘I have to be able to restrain Go Eun-chae somehow.’
Assuming the body’s athletic ability was consistent across all personalities, he needed to get a better sense of this body’s specs to prevent Go Eun-chae from popping out and attacking him or hurting herself again.
He hadn’t been able to gauge it properly since they were always indoors, but today seemed like a good opportunity. With that thought, Dokyun gave a small nod, his mind made up, and began to move.
He took her hands, which were clinging to his arm, and led her toward the ice.
“Alright, let’s go. It’s your first time, so hold my hand tight.”
“Ugh…”
Shuffle, shuffle.
She started forward at a pace that would make a crawling turtle look fast, and finally stepped onto the ice.
He could feel her movements, stiff with tension, through their clasped hands. A playful urge took hold of Dokyun, and he loosened his grip ever so slightly.
“Heek!”
Eun-ji shrieked and threw herself into his arms.
Clinging to his waist, she glared up at him with bloodshot eyes, gritting her teeth as she spat out words full of resentment.
“You… D-Do you think the princess is a pushover?!”
Honestly, she was.
She was annoying, sure, but compared to the other personalities, she was overwhelmingly number one in the pushover department. Still, he knew a disaster would unfold if he said that out loud, so he changed the subject.
“Sorry, my arm just gave out.”
“H-Hold on tight! If the princess falls, you’re finished!”
‘The only thing that’ll be finished is your ass,’ he thought. But then he remembered that her ass was Eun-ah’s ass, and he carefully helped her upright, supporting her more cautiously than before.
Once she found her balance on the ice again, standing on trembling legs, Eun-ji shot Dokyun a sulky glare and continued.
“Be careful…! The princess is l-letting you off the hook just this once!”
“Oh, thank you so much.”
“Ugh…!”
Her face was a mask of indignation. Dokyun felt a surge of amusement, but he schooled his expression to hide it and began to move slowly.
The skate blades glided over the ice, their bodies beginning to move. How long had it been since he’d last skated? The last time was in elementary school, so it must have been almost twenty years.
He was realizing just how fast time flies, and a wave of melancholy was about to wash over him when…
“Hey, slower! Sloooweeer!!!”
Eun-ji’s scream pierced his ears.
Startled, Dokyun turned to look at her. She was clinging to him for dear life, her expression on the verge of tears.
“Ah, sorry.”
“I-I told you to be careful! And you call yourself the princess’s attendant?!”
Her nagging tone.
Dokyun let out a snort of laughter.
“Don’t laugh!”
She didn’t give him a moment to get sentimental. How was he supposed to teach her to skate? Dokyun searched his memory, recalling the first time he’d learned.
Right.
“Here, grab my hands tight.”
“I am holding them!”
“Right. Now, just support your body as best you can. I’ll start moving slowly, so just try to follow along while standing.”
That’s how it went, he thought.
Loud pants of breath followed him. Dokyun watched her for a moment, then began to push off with his feet, moving across the ice.
Slowly, very slowly, his body began to move, and her body, holding his hands, slid along with him.
Her frozen, tense body glided forward little by little. After they had completed one lap around the rink like that, her tension began to ease, and a smile started to form on her lips.
Her stiffly held back began to straighten, and her constantly bent legs stood tall.
Dokyun smiled back at her and gradually loosened his grip until their hands separated completely, and the two of them stood facing each other.
“You’re good.”
She’d been wobbling like she’d never be able to skate, but she was a surprisingly fast learner.
As he offered the praise, her tension completely melted away, and she once again put on a boastful air and began to praise herself.
“It’s a piece of cake for the princess! Because the princess is perfect!”
Of course she is. Dokyun let out another snort at her returned swagger, patted her on the shoulder, and then spoke.
“So, want to try on your own now?”
“Huh?”
She flinched, her body trembling. After a moment of silent panic, she composed herself, squared her shoulders, and declared with a determined face.
“O-Of course! Watch closely. The princess will show you how it’s done.”
“Okay, I’ll go sit on that bench over there, then.”
Dokyun said, pointing to a bench just off the ice. Honestly, his back hurt, and he didn’t want to stand for much longer.
He’d spoken with the thought of finally getting some rest, but when he looked at Eun-ji, she scowled and rejected his proposal.
“What are you talking about! An attendant must stay by the princess’s side and protect her!”
What a pain. His stamina just couldn’t keep up with playing with kids. Already feeling tired at the thought of having to follow her around, Dokyun tried another excuse.
“That’s what a knight does. An attendant’s role is to watch from afar.”
“Then be a knight! For today, you are the princess’s knight!”
The princess’s knight. The words had an endlessly ominous ring to them.
As Dokyun’s face twisted into a grimace, she looked at him, crossed her arms, and continued.
“You should be honored! Not just anyone can be the princess’s knight.”
She said it haughtily, the corner of her mouth lifted in a smirk. Dokyun nodded.
Right. A true princess’s knight must have the mental fortitude to defeat orcs, after all.
Letting her words wash over him as his mind wandered, Dokyun saw she had no intention of backing down. He let out a deep sigh and stood by her side once more.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m honored.”
“Hmph! If you know that, then serve me well!”
Where did she get all this confidence? He wondered for a moment, then watched as she began to push off, one foot at a time. Dokyun moved to her side and followed.
She moved her feet little by little, and soon she was gliding across the ice. A wide smile spread across her face, and she looked truly happy as she gradually picked up speed.
It seemed she had completely mastered the technique. She would tilt her body slightly as she moved, shifting her center of gravity to turn at the corners.
Her athletic ability didn’t seem so bad after all. No, at this level, you’d have to say it was quite good.
He watched her and followed along for a while. One lap, two laps. As he trailed behind her while she zipped around the rink, radiating pure joy, Dokyun felt his breath growing short.
‘Ugh…'
His body really wasn’t what it used to be. He’d always been confident in his stamina, and it had been over a month since he’d last smoked, but trying to keep up with her energetic form was starting to take its toll.
Dokyun slowed down to catch his breath and watched Eun-ji skate ahead.
She was completely oblivious to him, simply darting around the ice. Watching her, Dokyun thought he could probably take a little break now and was just starting to move toward the exit when her voice rang out.
“Hey!”
His head turned automatically at her call.
As Dokyun’s gaze shifted, he saw that she had zipped right up to him. Her cheeks were flushed red as she radiated delight and opened her mouth.
“So? Isn’t the princess a great skater?”
“Yeah, you’re amazing.”
Pfft. A laugh escaped him. He ruffled her hair and praised her, which only made her smile wider. Then, she looked him over and spoke in a suspicious tone.
“What, are you tired already? You’re such a scrub.”
Scrub.
“No, I’m not.”
The defensive words flew out of his mouth before he could stop them.
“Yes, you are.”
She stopped talking and scanned him from head to toe, then let out a snort and muttered.
“This is why old geezers are…”
Tsk.
It was quiet, but he heard it clearly.
Old geezer.
A word of mockery. His fists clenched.
‘This little brat…?’
Stunned into a dumbfounded expression, Dokyun stared at her blankly. Her eyes met his, and a sly smile played on her lips as she continued.
“If not, then try and keep up.”
With that, she shot forward, zipping away.
He had to endure it. Honestly, his back was killing him. He couldn’t fall for this little brat’s ploy.
‘I’m so pissed.’
He was so fucking pissed. It was infuriating, and he gritted his teeth. He was only thirty-one, still in his prime. Anywhere else, he was considered a young man.
‘Old geezer, my ass.’
Someone like Department Head Han was an old geezer.
Strength flooded his body once more.
He leaned forward, shifted his center of gravity, and launched himself across the ice.
He could see Eun-ji speeding ahead of him.
He pushed faster, and faster, until he finally overtook her. Dokyun glanced back with a sly grin and moved his lips to form the words.
“You. Fucking. Little. Punk.”
Her eyes widened as she chased after him. The sight of her gritting her teeth was incredibly satisfying. A vicious grin spreading across his face, Dokyun began to pull away.
Her frustrated expression only fueled his delight.
It seemed he was doomed to never become an adult.