Like a Flower Blooming - 4
I lay sprawled on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling as I muttered to myself.
“What am I supposed to do…?”
With a flick of my wrist, I tossed the artifact in my hand upward. It floated high before plummeting straight toward my face. I snatched it at the last second, right in front of my nose. Anyone else might have flinched, but I didn’t even blink—my expression remained utterly dazed.
“Hmmmm…”
I frowned and glared pointlessly at the ceiling. Still deep in thought, I threw the artifact up again. Whenever my mind refused to settle, I’d toss something and catch it. It was a habit I’d picked up long ago, and it usually helped.
I had already mapped out exactly how to approach Lobelia from now on, right down to my perfect exit strategy.
…The problem is.
The fact that she retained some of her memories from the previous loops. If she had all of them, that would be one thing. But this created far too many variables. And of course, I’d gone and exposed Kalufen’s treason without any real preparation, so it was obvious that my previous plans had gone completely off the rails.
Just as I reached out because the artifact looked like it was about to smack me in the face again—
BANG!
The door flew open. I jolted upright with a startled yelp, and the artifact promptly bounced off my forehead. It ricocheted onto the floor and rolled away with a series of dull thuds.
‘Huh?’
I rubbed my throbbing forehead and narrowed my eyes at the artifact. It had come to a stop right in front of someone’s feet.
Feet…? No, there was only one person who wore those shoes.
My mouth fell open in disbelief. Trembling, I lifted my gaze to confirm what I already suspected.
Imperial Princess Lobelia was staring down at the artifact on the floor with ice-cold eyes. She raised her head and fixed me with a frigid look that seemed to ask, What are you doing?
“…Uh?”
“Hawin.”
The moment the stupid sound left my mouth, Lobelia called my name in a low, sunken voice. I stared at the Imperial Princess with a blank face. Only then did I realize how incredibly rude it was to be lying on the bed and looking up at Her Highness upside down.
“Ah, my apologies. To the Empire’s little sun—”
“Skip the formal greetings.”
I scrambled off the bed and dropped to one knee in a hasty bow. Lobelia waved her hand dismissively, then stepped into my room without so much as a raised eyebrow. Her face was as smooth as if she were simply strolling through a garden. She shot me a sharp sideways glance, as if telling me to get up.
…Is it really okay for her to just walk into a man’s room like this?
From what I knew, Lobelia had rather strict ideas about chastity and propriety. She would never enter a man’s quarters alone. Not that anyone would dare try to assault the Imperial Princess.
“My apologies,” she sighed deeply as she perched on a chair. “You must have your own private life.”
She gave the table—still covered in the confidential documents I hadn’t cleared away—an uncomfortable glare, then clicked her tongue.
“So you were up all night doing this. It looks like you’re planning a revolution.”
“No… that’s not…”
When I started stammering—something I rarely did—her sharp gaze turned fully on me. Now that I looked closely, Lobelia’s condition seemed off. There were dark circles under her eyes, her cheeks were more flushed than usual, and her hair was slightly disheveled. It gave her a kind of decadent beauty. Her red eyes looked even redder than normal.
After scanning me up and down with tired eyes, she let out a small, mocking laugh.
“So this is what you wear at home.”
“Of course. If I slept in a suit, when would I ever wash it? Doesn’t Your Highness wear pajamas as well?”
“It’s refreshing to hear such words come from your mouth.”
Half my mind had finally rebooted, and the words flowed out smoothly. What the hell is going on? She’s not the kind of person who should be awake at this hour… Of course, inside I was panicking like crazy.
Whether she found my words or my expression funny, Lobelia let out a soft chuckle. She glanced around the room, then spotted something and raised her eyebrows in surprise. It was the cheap rum I often drank. An intrigued smile curved her lips.
“Rum, is it?”
“Ah, rather than something pretentious like wine, I prefer rum—something honest with its own distinct flavor. It probably won’t suit Your Highness’s taste…”
“Wait. Trying it once won’t hurt.”
Pop. The sound of a cork being pulled. Before I could stop her, she poured the cheap liquor into the beer mug sitting on the table. Glug glug glug. The rather cloudy rum filled the mug.
…Lobelia?
Bewilderment flooded my eyes. Paying my reaction no mind, she tilted her head back and gulped the rum down in big swallows. The cheap alcohol disappeared between her soft pink lips. She glanced at me as if checking my reaction, then flashed a wicked smile.
“Hawin, you make that vacant face quite often.”
“That’s…”
“Ah, it’s fine. This drink called rum… it’s not very good. Still, I agree that it lacks pretense. There’s always something admirable about something genuine. It seems we’ll be drinking it together quite often from now on.”
Lobelia draped her arm over the back of the chair and gave me a questioning look, as if asking, What about you?
Together… often?
I nodded. Lobelia smiled softly. Her slightly unfocused eyes gleamed with a seductive light.
“It seems I’ll need a bit of alcohol to say what I want to say. And it looks like you enjoy drinking as well, Hawin. Care to have a glass with me?”
“But that cup… that’s the one Your Highness just used…”
“Hurry. Take it and drink.”
She shrugged and held the mug out to me as I stood there, completely at a loss. What is happening? In the end, I took it without thinking. When I looked up at her hesitantly, she gestured for me to drink.
“Isn’t it a man’s rule to drink when a beautiful woman offers him a glass? And if it’s from an Imperial Princess… consider it an honor.”
Lobelia tilted her head as if to say, Isn’t that right?
“You’re more shameless than I expected.”
“When the nobles of this country have already reached the pinnacle of shamelessness! Puhahaha!”
“……”
Had she completely lost her mind? In the end, I gulped down the rum. It was quite strong, and I felt my throat burn. Lobelia narrowed her eyes in amusement at the sight, as if she found it entertaining. Her intrigued gaze never left mine.
“Ugh… There. Done.”
After emptying the mug, I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. Lobelia nodded, then crossed her legs and leaned sideways in the chair.
I’m going to lose my mind.
She kept doing things she would never normally do, and it was starting to give me a headache. Whether it was the alcohol, her bizarre behavior, or the seductive appearance I’d never seen before, I couldn’t tell. When I frowned, she grinned like a little devil playing a prank.
“What’s wrong?”
“Your Highness. Suddenly coming to a man’s house and drinking with him could cause unpleasant rumors or consequences. Perhaps…”
“You mean you might do what Aran did—find my weakness and try to blackmail me? How interesting. Go ahead and try.”
Lobelia spread her arms wide with complete confidence. Because of that, the neckline of her disheveled dress dipped low, revealing a deep cleavage. I quickly lowered my eyes, pretending not to see it, and pressed hard on my temples.
In a troubled voice, I said, “If I actually did it, what would you—”
“Hawin, you’ve already cornered me several times, haven’t you? Go on. There’s prey right in front of you, yet you act like some bashful fool. It’s no fun at all.”
“Ugh.”
I let out a groan and lifted my head. My expression was probably as exhausted as a man dealing with his drunk girlfriend.
“It’s strange,” Lobelia said, rising unsteadily from the chair and walking toward me. Her head was bowed, so I couldn’t see her face. That only made it scarier.
“Hawin. I only realized it this evening.”
Her voice was slightly slurred. Excitement and ecstasy mixed with rough breathing.
“Realized what?”
“Every time I look at you, an intense emotion surges up. It feels as if I’ll be anxious if I don’t keep you by my side, as if you might vanish like a mirage someday. Ever since I heard that gunshot, my heart has felt almost constantly empty. I find myself sobbing as if in regret.”
What?
At the sudden declaration, I blinked and studied her condition. Before I knew it, she was standing right in front of me. Before I could even check her face, she grabbed my shoulders and shoved me backward onto the huge bed.
Thud.
“Whoa?”
My eyes widened in shock. I was so flustered I couldn’t even resist. This has never happened before!
With a hint of fear in my eyes, I looked up at her face. Lobelia straddled me, pressing her knee against my stomach as if to pin me down, and stared at me with an indifferent gaze.
“I thought it was merely a curse. I thought it was just a fleeting thing… but isn’t it too intense for that? So I’ve made my decision.”
“Your Highness?”
My body trembled. Lobelia smiled sweetly. Her eyes glowed with a crimson light. Her unfocused pupils swirled with obsession and madness.
“Keeping you by my side seems to be the right answer. Will you accept this unreasonable demand from Lobelia?”
What the fuck?
I was at a complete loss for words.
“Hawin.”