Ch. 37

“It’s delicious. By the way, when does the hunting tournament end?”

“Probably around sunset.” I looked up at the sky. Dark clouds were hanging low, and it looked like it was going to rain soon. “But since it looks like it’ll rain soon, it probably won’t last much longer.”

In the original story, the hunting tournament ended when the sun set. I think Ardion won it. That was probably why Rowell became even angrier and poisoned Ardion. Life didn’t seem easy for Ardion, given the original story’s dark themes.

Anyway, Rowell is the problem. I sighed and turned my gaze towards the bushes. The trees were dense, making the forest feel dark, as though no sunlight could penetrate.

I could see the grass shaking at the edge of the forest. Upon closer inspection, I realized it was the result of someone walking by. A glimpse of a black cloak fluttered by.

I sprang to my feet. Pushing through the branches, I saw a figure wearing a black cloak. The person was walking quickly but limping on one leg.

I quickly reached into my pocket and motioned for Dero to get on my hand. “Derol, do you remember the person I asked about near the mana vault?”

“Yes, I remember.”

I raised my hand to let Derol see through the branches.

“Master, is that the person from back then?”

“Do they look similar to you?”

As soon as Derol agreed, I hurriedly hid him in my pocket and followed the figure. Our distance was a bit far, but it wasn’t hard to catch up since the person was limping and unable to run.

As I walked the path alone, the forest grew darker. The trees became denser, but I didn’t care. Suddenly, the figure disappeared between the trees. I looked around but couldn’t find them.

“Master, are you okay?” Derol was worried.

I assured him, showing no signs of worry. “We’ve already ventured this far into the forest. We can’t just stop.”

But in fact, I was uneasy. I didn’t want to make Derol worry, so I continued trudging along the path.

“If a bad person shows up, I’ll protect you, Master.” Derol tightened his grip on my pocket.

I patted his head before raising my gaze.

At that moment, I heard a dull sound, and my head suddenly spun. For a moment, I lost my balance, but I managed to twist my body and grab onto the corner of the person’s cloak.

As the cloak slipped away, her face was revealed.

Serina.

I was astonished, incapable of speaking. She looked at me and quickly raised her hand to grab the necklace around my neck. I tried to avoid it, but it was useless. My body had lost its balance, and I toppled forward in an instant. Before I could feel any pain, the world around me flickered away.

❋ ❋ ❋

Laila.

I heard a familiar voice calling my name. It felt strangely comforting, but I wasn’t sure who it was.

Laila.

I heard it again, causing me to feel suffocated. Was someone trying to kill me?

Laila, please don’t die.

Don’t die? Who was trying to kill me right now? The pressure on me grew stronger. I didn’t want to die. I twisted my body and tried to scream, but it felt like there was a wall preventing me from moving.

In desperation, I bit my tongue. I wanted to escape this dreamlike place, no matter what.

It hurts.

The thought crossed my mind, and suddenly, I opened my eyes. The air that had been blocked from my lungs rushed in, and I exhaled, feeling as if I had just emerged from underwater.

“Laila?”

I heard a familiar voice as I tasted blood on my tongue. The pressure surrounding me began to ease.

Then his face appeared before me.

“… Your Highness?”

Ardion stared at me for a moment, then swiftly pulled me into his arms again. “I thought you were going to die.”

“Your Highness, please just a moment…”

“Don’t ever go into the forest again. I told you not to go because I was worried about you—”

“Your Highness!”

Ardion paused, then slowly pulled away. “What is it, Laila?”

“Your Highness, you’re holding me too tight. I can’t breathe,” I said, my head spinning. I must have sounded too flustered. I touched my forehead, and he followed along.

“You don’t have a fever.”

“… I just checked with my hand.”

“It’s your body.” Ardion stood up and picked up a few herbs scattered nearby. He walked over and handed them to me. “You collapsed because of magic. That person used magic directly on you.”

“I guess that's why the back of my head hurts.” I rubbed the back of my head.

Ardion’s serious expression turned even more intense, and he gently cupped the back of my head with his hand.

“Your Highness?” I called out in disbelief.

He shook his head. “Looks like you need more of my mana.”

“Mana?”

“You’ve been unwell so often.”

“That’s true, but right now…”

I was about to say I was fine, but before I could, Ardion pressed his lips to my cheek.

“Your Highness!” I stepped back in surprise but quickly stopped when my back hit the cold stone behind me. Only then did I realize where I was. We were in a cave.

“Laila, there’s no point in being stubborn. I know your condition well.” Ardion looked me straight in the eyes. His green gaze was as fresh as the forest, but the way he was looking at me was unbearably seductive.

I lowered my head. “No, I know my own body best.”

“Your hands… don’t you see they’re shaking terribly?”

I looked at my hands, and sure enough, they were trembling noticeably.

“That sorcerer drained your mana when they used magic on you. That’s why your hands are shaking.”

“It was Serina.”

“Serina?” His expression hardened.

“Yes, I’m certain the person in the cloak was Serina.” I immediately checked my neck. The necklace Ardion gave me was gone. “She took the necklace too.”

“That’s what I figured. She helped me for no reason, so there must have been an ulterior motive.”

“Will you be okay? That necklace has your mana in it.”

“Don’t worry. If Serina took it, we’ll just get it back.”

Hearing this, I realized the situation was more serious than I thought. “Do we really have to get that necklace back?”

“It contains my mana. If it’s used wrongly, I could be in danger.”

“Why would you give me something that could put you in so much danger?”

“Laila, you’re still alive. If I hadn’t given you the necklace, you wouldn’t be standing here right now. Serina probably took your mana.”

“… She took my mana?”

Ardion nodded. “You’re currently without mana. That’s why your hands are shaking.”

I was speechless. Without mana, my health would decline. Serina was certainly dangerous now, to the point she threatened my life.

“By the way, Your Highness, how did you find me? Where exactly are we…?”

Ardion’s gaze turned to me again, his eyes infinitely deep. “It’s more important that I treat you first.”

His lips came close in an instant. When I pulled back, he calmly took my hand. “First, I’ll give you my mana, then I’ll let you hit me. Otherwise, stay still.”

Ardion pressed his lips against mine. For a moment, my head cleared, and I felt the breath I had been holding escape. Without thinking, I opened my mouth, and his awaiting tongue slid in. Our breaths tangled as his body pressed closer. With one hand around the back of my head, he pulled me closer to him.

The kiss deepened. As our torsos met, I didn’t know where to place my hands. He hooked my arms around his neck and captured my lips, not leaving any space between us.

The back of my head touched the cave wall. Ardion lifted me up and sat me on his lap. His hand gradually gained strength and pulled my waist, pressing me completely against him. Our breathing became increasingly ragged.

I was out of breath.

At that moment, my hand sensed a threat to my life and pushed Ardion’s shoulder.

It was an unconscious action.

Finally, our lips completely parted. Ardion trembled and exhaled, but he didn’t take his eyes off me.

I quickly stepped back. “You can stop now, Your Highness.”

Then I immediately stood up. It was dangerous to be alone with Ardion in a closed cave like this.

And why was he so skilled?

I didn’t realize it before, but now that I thought about it, he wasn’t a young kid anymore.

I felt embarrassed and shuffled my feet. Now that my body had recovered somewhat, I thought I should leave this place.

Just as I passed by Ardion, he said, “It’s raining outside.”

“What?”

“It’s raining.” Ardion looked at me for a moment, then got up and headed to a corner of the cave. He rummaged around with his upper body bent over, looking for something.

“Are you hungry?” He finally turned around and asked. His calmness made me so embarrassed. On top of that, I was still flustered because of what had just happened.  

“Laila?” Ardion’s expression hardened as he looked at me.

I said belatedly, “I’m fine. By the way, why am I here? And I don’t see Derol either…”

“It seems Serina took Derol. I couldn’t find him.”

“Then, right now…”

As I raised my foot, Ardion quickly walked over.

“If you go out now, it’ll be more dangerous because of the rain. The animals are already sensitive because of the hunting tournament, and now, they can’t even find their way properly because of the rain.”

“Is it raining a lot?”

Ardion nodded. Now that I thought about it, I couldn’t even hear the rain here. It seemed we were deep inside the cave. All I could hear was the sound of water dripping.

“Then I’ll just check if it’s raining and come back.”

“I’ll go with you.” Ardion insisted on following me.

“I can go alone.”

“No. What if you suddenly collapse while going alone?” Ardion naturally grabbed my hand. 

When I looked at him in surprise, he held my hand even more firmly and said, “If you want to receive my special treatment again, I’ll let you go alone.”

Comments