Chapter 9
Chapter 9
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: Never Run Away From Me Again
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My mind went blank in an instant. Daphne stared at the half-naked man standing before her, her eyes wide open. Why, why was he standing there like this?
It wasn't as if Asherad had never shown a relaxed side in front of Daphne. There had been more undone buttons than fastened ones.
This was the most languid, tension-free version of him she'd ever seen.
If she were the old Daphne, she might have thought seeing him like this was a privilege. But not now. That thought didn't even cross her mind.
Daphne lowered her trembling gaze. She felt mortified, as if she'd seen something she shouldn't have. He was practically shirtless.
"I told you to look up."
His soft voice had turned rigid in an instant. It was the tone that signaled his mood had soured. When Daphne lifted her head, Asherad was staring at her with a cold expression.
"I thought I might have walked in while Your Highness was changing."
"You arrived right on time."
"......"
"You do it."
Her eyes followed his gesture to a roll of bandages. Bandages... so that's it.
Only then did Daphne truly take in Asherad's body. His left arm looked thicker. Probably because of the bandages wrapped around it.
Why ask me to do something like this?
But contrary to her doubts, her hands moved steadily. She didn't even have the right to harbor such questions.
Daphne tried to hide her embarrassment. Asherad's green eyes captured every moment as the flustered look faded from her face.
His hawk-like sharp gaze seemed displeased, yet intrigued.
With a stiff expression and her lips pressed tight, she looked at the half-naked man before her—or more precisely, at the upper body below his neck.
The Pindus prince who had pinned her down had been thick and fleshy, but Asherad's body was sleek and defined.
This must be why his form always looked so perfectly composed—those subtle, rippling muscles unlike a woman's. Daphne swallowed unconsciously at the sight.
The moment her trembling hand grasped the collar of his shirt to pull it off, a large hand seized her wrist. Daphne flinched.
"Why?"
Surprisingly, those words hadn't come from her.
Daphne realized there was heavy breathing right above her and turned her head. Her eyes widened as she stared at the young man whose face was close enough to kiss her forehead. Her slender wrist was already caught in his large hand.
"Why dodge?"
"What."
"Why run from me?"
It wasn't the coercion or oppression she'd felt from the Pindus prince. He had simply stopped moving, gazing at her face as if trying to talk—like he was both pitiful and angry.
Daphne's eyes widened. Did he really not know why she'd avoided him?
Did he truly have no idea?
Staring into her eyes and asking why filled her with a mix of despairing bewilderment and disappointment.
Regardless of her feelings, had she been wrong to follow him and then run away?
Even if he hadn't saved her and just let the Pindus prince have her?
She didn't know where to even begin explaining. The vagueness and frustration choked her. Asherad didn't even realize she was disappointed.
To him, this was all perfectly natural.
"Daphne. Tell me."
Commanding her like this was natural to him.
"Did I abandon you to the Pindus prince?"
Daphne flinched. So he knew. Then why was he acting like he had no clue why she avoided him? Seeing her expression, Asherad let out a short laugh.
"Then what should I have done?"
"......"
"The Pindus Kingdom is supporting the beast subjugation in the southeast. We needed to stay on good terms with them."
Asherad gripped her wrist tighter with his thumb. Suddenly, he ground his teeth and spat.
"Or should I have just told that bastard?"
"......"
"'She's my weakness, so spare her'?"
Daphne was more shocked by the crude insult "that bastard" coming from Asherad's refined lips than by the word "weakness." He always spoke with aristocratic elegance. His face as he mentioned the Pindus prince betrayed unmistakable disgust.
Had he ever hated anyone that much? Asherad glared at Daphne and said.
"Did you think Keres's priests just happened to find you?"
"......"
"Did I do that wrong? Wrong enough that you'd never want to see me again?"
His voice sounded oddly subdued, like he was the one disappointed.
Thanks to the priests, Daphne had avoided disaster. Asherad hadn't cast her aside. He'd saved her from that predicament. Yet she'd ignored him, unaware of it all.
"I didn't know."
"......Why?"
"Because......"
"Daphne, I don't keep just anyone by my side. They're annoying. A hassle."
Asherad lowered her hand and released her wrist. The absence of that pressure left her feeling empty.
"I don't ask just anyone to stay with me forever."
"......"
"But you......"
His words dripped with thick disappointment. Daphne didn't know what to do. She felt like she'd committed a grave sin.
Of course. It made perfect sense.
He was the Crown Prince. He had his position to consider. For someone lowborn like her, and for a mess she'd caused herself—how could he openly defend her?
He'd worried. He'd helped her.
Daphne's face softened. She bit her lip.
"I'm sorry."
"......"
The disconnect in how Asherad treated her didn't even register amid her guilt. Those budding suspicions vanished in an instant.
"It's fine. I made you misunderstand."
Asherad magnanimously forgave her. Daphne was genuinely relieved.
"So never run from me again."
Unaware that his gentle words were a warning, Daphne smiled faintly and murmured her response. Confirming it, Asherad moved toward the bed. He nodded at the bandages.
Ah, the bandages.
Sadly, Daphne had never properly bandaged anyone before. But it was his order.
Asherad sat on the edge of the bed, watching her work. His smile looked so genuinely pleased that Daphne felt happy too.
Pulling off his shirt revealed his bare torso. Daphne focused on unwrapping the bandages, oblivious to how exquisitely perfect his body was.
Only his wound mattered. The injury he'd sustained.
Unwinding the bandages exposed a gruesome gash. It was a tear from a lance glancing off him. Still fresh, without proper scabbing, it was red and raw. Daphne soaked a cotton swab in the salve and applied it to the wound.
The injured spot didn't align with her seated height, so she unconsciously steadied herself on his thigh.
"......"
For a moment, his breathing quickened, but Daphne assumed it was from the sting of the antiseptic. Her hands were surprisingly deft as she disinfected and rebandaged.
"Your Highness."
"......"
"There's a bruise on your back too."
To be precise, it wasn't a wound but a bruise. Daphne eyed the dark purple mark on his back.
"The lance grazed my breastplate."
"......"
"His Majesty insisted I show my face as Crown Prince, so I wore minimal armor."
What was he saying? Even isolated as she was, Daphne knew jousts required full plate armor.
Wasn't a father's son's safety the top priority?
"Ah, what do we do...... It must hurt so much."
She pitied Asherad from the bottom of her heart. Staring at her teary eyes, he froze for a moment.
"But I've always worried."
"......"
"Please don't get hurt. Please."
It was boundless affection. Absolute love. Seeing her compassion, he lowered his gaze. Was it the victor's leisurely smile? A twisted smirk began to form on his face.
Daphne placed her hand on the deeply bruised area. He flinched. His scapula twitched excessively, making her look flustered.
"I'm sorry, does it hurt a lot?"
"......"
Asherad himself seemed startled, his eyes widening as he looked at her. He appeared shocked. The leisurely smile vanished from his lips in an instant.
Daphne had no idea why.
"Does... it hurt a lot?"
"No."
"......"
"Go back now."
It was a slightly cold tone. Hadn't he forgiven her? Then why? Daphne panicked at his suddenly curt demeanor.
"My shirt......"
"Now."
"Understood."
Daphne stood. She felt anxious. What if his feelings had changed? His heart......
"Um, Your Highness."
"......"
"Am I your weakness?"
It was a question tinged with faint hope. So innocent, so pure.
Suddenly, her hand was yanked, and her body tumbled onto the bed. Her tightly bound hair came loose again, spilling messily.
Daphne's eyes went wide at the incomprehensible situation. It was exactly like with the Pindus prince.
Yet why wasn't she scared or repulsed?
"Who knows."
His whispering voice carried heat.
"Who knows, Daphne."
"......"
"Do you think you're my weakness?"
Daphne shook her head. She chuckled softly and said.
"I'm just a lowborn."
"......"
"So I couldn't be a weakness."
It was a brutally self-aware assessment. She knew her place all too well.
"Ha......"
A breath escaped Asherad's lips—like a sigh, or like expelling the hot air filling his body. He reached out and caressed her cheek.
"Go."
At Asherad's words, Daphne rose and left the room. As the door closed behind her, laughter echoed from beyond.
"Ha, haha!"
It sounded like he'd just witnessed a hilarious comedy. At nineteen, Asherad had become aroused by a woman for the first time.