Chapter 260
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 260
“……Tulia Frezier.”
A faint heat radiated from his body, along with the lingering, indelible scent of blood. And beneath it all, I felt a profound sense of dread.
It was utterly strange. This was the Crown Prince who, even when the Empress slapped him or the Emperor drove him toward certain death, would only return a cold smile and a frigid gaze.
Ferdinand had crushed every crack and every ruin in his path without so much as blinking.
Why was this man, who had always stood as massive and immovable as a great mountain, trembling with such vivid fear as he held me?
“……Ferdinand.”
My voice still came out raspy. I coughed a few times before asking, “What’s wrong? Is the situation outside that bad? Are there really that many creatures…?”
“You weren’t breathing.”
“……Pardon?”
The arms wrapped around me tightened.
“I said, you weren’t breathing.”
His face was buried in my shoulder, and I could feel a slight dampness seeping into my skin. The traces of his overflowing emotions were being left behind on me.
“How long was I not breathing? What about the Imperial Physician?”
The Imperial Physician always accompanied the Crown Prince wherever he went. I wondered just how long I had been in that state.
Ferdinand slowly lifted his face from my shoulder.
“The physician said you were dead.”
“What? Dead?”
I was beyond bewildered; I was flabbergasted. My voice rose in a sharp pitch.
“You don’t realize how long you’ve been unable to open your eyes, do you?”
Sensing an ominous undertone, I simply nodded without a word. I had vaguely assumed that not much time had passed in reality, but…
Ferdinand pressed his lips to my forehead and murmured, “It’s been a day.”
“……A day? You’re saying I didn’t breathe for an entire day?”
“Yes. Your pulse stopped completely. No matter how many times I called your name, you wouldn’t wake up.”
“I really was a corpse, then.”
It made sense that the physician would pronounce me dead.
I still couldn’t quite wrap my head around it, so I wiggled my fingers for no reason. To me, I felt exactly the same as usual.
I glanced at the piles of creature corpses and asked, “Have you been here this whole time, guarding my body?”
“Yes.”
“Were you planning to bury me somewhere nice once this mess was cleaned up? I appreciate that.”
“No. I wasn’t going to bury you anywhere.”
“Pardon?”
Ferdinand’s sunset-colored eyes stared at me intently. Those eyes, which were always so sharp and clear, were now wavering with an inexplicable fragility.
“I need you to be whole so I can seat you on the throne as Empress.”
“……But you said I was a corpse.”
“What does it matter if you were a corpse?”
Ferdinand grit his teeth.
“I don’t care if you’re a corpse. Even if you were dead and rotting, I intended to crown you as my Empress.”
“……Don’t you think people would call you mad if they heard that?”
“They would. So, if you don’t want me to hear those things…”
Ferdinand buried his face in my shoulder again. The hands holding me felt like burning coals.
“Please, don’t die. Tulia.”
“…….”
“I thought I was going crazy because you weren’t breathing. Truly….”
“…….”
“I truly felt like….”
A strange lump formed in my throat, and I nodded. To this Crown Prince, who had endured countless betrayals, I wanted to make one firm promise.
I wanted to let him know about the emotions that had quietly permeated my heart.
“I won’t die, Ferdinand.”
With his support, I slowly stood up and asked, “But Ferdinand, is the reason only you are here because…?”
I swallowed hard before continuing.
“It’s not because everyone outside was… wiped out, right?”
He let out a short, dry laugh as he retrieved his sword.
“Of course not.”
“Then what about my family?”
“They’re safe. Grand Duke Frezier and the Marquis are already inside the Great Temple.”
“Grandfather and Dad?”
“And not just them.”
“Then why are you the only one here?”
Where was my dad?
Where was my grandfather?
“The number of creatures is beyond imagination. The knights who arrived late haven’t even been able to break through to the center yet.”
‘Ah.’
Ferdinand suddenly scooped me up in his arms, gave his sword a test swing, and began walking outside. The long corridors of the Great Temple were already littered with creature corpses.
“The Imperial Family, the empire’s nobility, and the various nations in the delegation have already dispatched massive forces.”
“It’s that serious?”
“Things have escalated to that point. Where on earth did that hideous monster come from? They even found a massive pile of corpses deep within the Great Temple. They were all children.”
Listening to Ferdinand’s explanation, I began to grasp the current situation.
That crazy woman—no, that absolute lunatic Corico—was now being recognized as a monster.
It seemed the heretics who appeared out of nowhere and the swarming creatures were protecting Corico while slaughtering the soldiers.
“According to the report I received earlier, the Saintess has arrived as well. All the High Priests have been taken hostage by that monster.”
“What? The High Priests?”
“Yes.”
Ha.
I was speechless. There’s a limit to how much you can rig a game.
The High Priests and Corico are on the same side. I suppose while my heart was stopped, they pretended to be taken hostage to manipulate public opinion again?
It seems Corico is still playing the role of the fragile Saintess using Han Ina’s face.
But I know for certain now that the pink-haired monster is the ‘true form.’
And Klaus, whose body was pierced by that monster while trying to protect me….
“…….”
When I fell silent for a moment, Ferdinand spoke up abruptly.
“The Crown Prince of the Summer Continent is receiving treatment in the rear.”
“Pardon?”
“So don’t look so gloomy. And don’t think about other men in front of me. Tulia Frezier.”
I looked up at him, stunned. Ferdinand’s eyes were full of irritation.
The thought that he might have learned mind-reading crossed my mind, but only for a second.
The blatant jealousy this man was showing made me feel strangely giddy.
“Ferdinand.”
“Yes.”
“Do you trust the High Priests?”
“No.”
“What?”
I thought he would.
“Why don’t you trust them? They seem so devoted to you.”
“‘Devoted’ is the word for how I act toward you.”
“……?”
“Since I was a child, the High Priests looked at me like a young head of livestock they were about to devour. I’ve never trusted them.”
Ferdinand looked down at me and said, “Why would I trust a pack that is clearly planning to slaughter me?”
“I see….”
‘……I guess the position of Crown Prince isn’t for just anyone.’
His intuition was practically animalistic.
For a moment, I thought of white wolf ears and a tail, then gave a bitter smile.
The bright red blood that had gushed from Klaus’s chest….
“Ferdinand. Do you mind if I talk a bit while we walk?”
“As much as you like. I was actually worried you might lose consciousness again.”
“Well, you see, Ferdinand.”
I looked away from the occasional corpses of knights and spoke.
“In the past, if a god had appeared and offered to grant me a wish….”
“If one appeared?”
“At first, I was going to ask to be saved from the poverty that exhausted me.”
Back when I was Han Ina, I lived in a tiny studio apartment, juggling studies and part-time jobs all day.
When I came home, my feet ached and my legs were numb. Every day was exhausting, and I hated the arrival of the next morning.
So, like most people, I wanted to be rich. I wanted to be free enough to sleep when I wanted and wake up when I wanted.
Of course, Ferdinand knew nothing of my time as Han Ina, so he likely assumed I was talking about the days when I was an unloved lady of the Grand Duchy in name only.
“But after I became rich, the wish I wanted to make changed. I wanted to wish for all the people who had tormented me to become miserable.”
Ferdinand listened to my words in silence.
“But once even that wish is settled.”
I looked down at my pale hands and asked, “What kind of wish do you think you would want to make then?”
“Why do you ask that?”
Ferdinand continued in a casual tone.
“For me, there is obviously only one. Whatever it is that you want.”