Chapter 11

“Spit it out. Was targeting me not enough?”

Retracting his sword, Esadien glared at the masked man with an expression I’d never seen before. Even to someone clueless like me, the message was clear—“You’re next.”

“Just a little more!”

Outside, the knights sounded like they were seconds away from breaking down the door. The walls were trembling.

“Haah… What a pain.”

With a theatrical sigh, the masked man swiftly retreated toward his remaining companion.

“Esadien, you really are a pain in the ass.”

“What—?”

“…is what the client asked me to tell you.”

The finality in his voice made Esadien’s brow furrow as he raised his sword again. But the masked man was faster—he pulled out a scroll and ripped it.

“Tch!”

A flash of light burst forth, and when it faded, only a scroll with a burned-out center was left behind.

I staggered over to Esadien, barely managing to cover my bloodstained mouth with a ruined handkerchief.

“Esadien, you’re hurt again… What do we do…? I’m not sure if the knights have any more potions…”

“Is that really the issue right now?”

His voice was sharp, and it stung.

‘Even if I ask like this, I still don’t know why the fire disappeared…’

The atmosphere turned awkward in an instant—until, thankfully, the knights finally burst through the door.

“My Lady, are you all right?!”

“I’m fine. His Highness protected me. Thank you for coming…”

“Are you really all right?”

The knight who stepped forward was a familiar face. I blinked.

His eyes didn’t waver. He took in everything—the ropes dangling from the ceiling, the pool of blood on the floor, and, inevitably, my wrecked face.

A triple echo rang in my mind.

‘I’m ruined.’  

‘I’m ruined.’

‘I’m ruined!’

‘Mother… why would you assign him of all people to watch me…?’

There was no way to cover up what happened now. But maybe… I could still downplay it.

‘Esadien was the one who was hanging, and the blood, uh… I’ll just lie.’

Determined, I nodded.

“Y-yeah! I’m p-perfectly… fine—”

“The lady coughed up blood. If you have a potion, hand it over.”

…And Esadien crushed that plan instantly.

‘Aaaaaaaagh.’

I buried my face in both hands. I was definitely going straight to recovery confinement when I got back.

“This was made by Priest Ramande.”

As soon as he received the potion, Esadien popped the lid and held it out to me.

“Drink it. All of it.”

“B-but you’re hurt too… There should be enough left over for me. That’s fine.”

“I can be treated once we return.”

‘Why are you being so careless with that pretty body?!’

Annoyed and flustered, I shot back in rapid-fire.

“Maybe you don’t mind, but I do! What if the whip was laced with poison?!”

“If it were, I wouldn’t still be standing.”

“Well, maybe it’s the kind that kicks in later!”

It was the Deputy Commander—Mother’s aide—who interrupted before our voices could rise any further.

“There’s one more bottle, Milady.”

“…Ah.”

I’d forgotten the knights were still watching us. Flushing with embarrassment, I quickly cleared my throat, passed the bottle to Esadien, and asked, “Thanks, Sir… Um, would you mind lending His Highness your cloak?”

Now that the tension had eased, I was suddenly very aware of how exposed Esadien was. It had been fine for the moment, but sending him back to the palace half-naked would be… problematic.

“Eh? Ah, yes.”

The aide seemed momentarily taken aback by the abrupt request, but apparently agreed with my sentiment. He shrugged off his outer layer.

“My apologies for its condition.”

“It’s fine. I’ll be sure to repay the favor.”

Thankfully, Esadien didn’t seem the type to fuss over things like that. As he started treating his own wounds, I finally took a few cautious sips of my potion.

Cool, refreshing liquid slid down my throat, and with it came a sting that reached all the way to my stomach—a sharp burn, almost like I’d just downed an overly carbonated soda.

“Ugh…”

“Are you all right, Minuelle?”

“Ah… yes.”

“Then… would you stay and speak with me for a moment?”

I nodded eagerly. If we parted ways now, I knew I wouldn’t see him again for days. If that was the case, I wanted to be with him for just a little longer.

“Of course.”

“But my Lady, it would be best for you to return home and receive proper healing from a priest…”

The aide tried to intervene, but there was no winning against Esadien.

“It won’t take long. Just while the lady finishes the potion.”

“…Understood.”

“And keep today’s events to yourself. I won’t be reporting this to His Majesty either.”

With a Prince’s authority behind his words, Esadien turned his back.

‘Will our knights really listen to that command…?’

I was worried, but for now, all I could do was follow where Esadien led. He must’ve found my short steps frustrating, though, because suddenly, he picked me up.

“Wha—?!”

Startled, I froze with the potion bottle clutched in my hands. His explanation came a beat later, tossed out casually.

“We’re going up to the roof.”

But even after saying that, we continued through quite a bit of stairs and hallways.

‘So it really was because I’m slow.’

Still, it was the first time Esadien had picked me up like this, and… it made me happy. On top of that—this comforting, steady warmth?

‘I could fall asleep like this.’

And I nearly did, until the outdoor breeze brought me back to my senses.

“Wow…”

The sight before me stole my breath. I hadn’t even realized it, but the sun had already dipped low in the sky. Hues of orange, blue, and violet blended together across the heavens. Beneath it, the city lights shimmered like scattered stars.

‘Huh?’

We had been trapped right in the middle of the city, in the plaza. So how had we ended up this far out?

‘Why go out of the way…?’

Esadien found a flat section of the sloped roof and gently set me down.

“This spot should be suitable for you to sit.”

“H-here?”

It probably wasn’t dangerous, but I couldn’t help feeling scared. I gripped Esadien’s hand tightly and refused to let go.

“Don’t worry. There’s a ledge just ahead.”

Even so, Esadien didn’t shake me off. He sat down beside me instead.

Looking at him sitting calmly against the backdrop of the city, he didn’t seem like someone visiting a distant place. Come to think of it, from the moment we escaped until now, he hadn’t hesitated or gotten lost even once.

He spoke just as I realized it.

“This estate… I used to live here as a child, with my mother.”

“I see…”

It wasn’t just this place.

I thought back to earlier that day. The way he knew that café—the kind of place royalty wouldn’t normally go. The familiarity he showed walking through the plaza.

I had chalked it up to meticulous preparation, but now it all made sense. He had lived in Caduren.

“My mother… No, never mind. I just wanted to thank you for protecting this place.”

He had started to say something else, but ended with a quiet word of thanks and fell silent again.

I tried to smile like always, but a darker thought brushed my mind, and all I managed was a stiff curl of my lips.

If the explosives had gone off, this mansion wouldn’t have survived either.

‘Did the assassins bring Esadien all the way here just to bury him with this place?’

It felt personal—like a grudge.

“Hey… Esadien.”

He turned toward me, and his golden hair shimmered in the breeze like liquid starlight.

“Do you… know who the client was?”

He was silent for a long while. I waited patiently, but what I received in return was a clear evasion.

“…What exactly did you do earlier?”

“Huh?”

“When you absorbed the fire.”

“O-oh… I just thought it disappeared. It didn’t even feel hot, so…”

Esadien stared at me in silence. His calm gaze felt like it could see straight through to my soul. Even though I hadn’t done anything wrong, I felt like I was shrinking under the weight of it.

“The truth is… I didn’t really see anything. I just—when I saw it flying at you…”

My voice shrank with each word, until I was nearly whispering by the end.

“…I’m actually really afraid of fire. More than anything in the world.”

“Then why did you jump in? That was reckless.”

Even after hearing what I said, all he could do was scold me for being reckless. Honestly, would your lips not pout in my situation?

“You’ve protected me more than once too!”

“Before I am a prince, I am a knight. It’s only natural for me to protect you.”

“Well, I couldn’t just sit back either! I can’t stand by and watch someone I care about get hurt!”

“Minuelle.”

My name fell from his lips with a small sigh, as if to say let’s end this here. My nose stung, and I dropped my gaze.

“I know. I remember what you said last time…”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“…What?”

“I can wield a sword, even if not perfectly. I can fight. But you, Minuelle, you can’t.”

I looked up. Esadien was still staring directly at me.

“This time, whether it was a coincidence, luck, or something else… until we understand exactly what happened, I think it’s best we keep it secret.”

I flinched slightly. Because there was something nagging at me.

‘It’s probably my inner fire… something about it feels suspicious.’

But I couldn’t say it out loud. All I had was a vague hunch—it wasn’t like I had any proof it was really my inner fire that caused it. I’d never experienced anything like this before.

Besides, I was someone who just wanted a peaceful, easy life. So a proposal to keep this quiet wasn’t exactly unwelcome.

But even so… I hesitated. Because it was him.

“We need to find out who the client is. If we don’t stop them, they’ll keep coming after you. What if you get hurt?”

“I’ll be fine.”

“Esadien, you can’t promise that. You can survive ninety-nine times, but if the hundredth time takes your life, it’s over. Are you really planning to leave me behind?”

I heard him draw in a breath. Thanks to the faint light, I could even see his eyes go wide.

“So it’s true, then.”

The words he spoke a moment later were heavy—but I snapped right back without hesitation.

“If you were about to suggest we break off our engagement because of this, don’t.”

As if I had hit the nail on the head, his grip on my hand tightened involuntarily. I kept going, deliberately making my voice sound petulant.

“I’m disappointed. You said it was natural for you to protect me, didn’t you?”

“O-of course.”

“Then why would you bring up breaking off the engagement?”

“But, Minuelle…”

“Forget it. I’m leaving.”

I pulled my hand from his like I was brushing him off and stood up abruptly.

The sun had dipped so low that I could barely see my feet anymore. Still, I walked away as confidently as I could.

‘He’ll stop me. He’s going to stop me. Come on, stop me!’

But contrary to my expectations, Esadien didn’t move—not even after my first step, or the second.

And on the third—

My foot slipped clean out from under me.

“Kyah—!”