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Chapter 70
“You left the fortress because of me?”
I couldn’t believe what I’d just heard, so I asked again.
He should know exactly what it meant to leave the fortress.
It meant he had been prepared to die.
“…Yes.”
Idorian, who had been silent for a moment, answered briefly.
“I promised you. I’d never leave you behind again.”
At his words, I stared at him with my mouth half open.
On the day the Retern territory residents raided the fortress for food, he had made that promise.
Was that… maybe his way of confessing to me?
No. That couldn’t be…
I truly hadn’t realized that those words might’ve been a confession.
“But…”
For him to come out of the fortress, prepared to die for me… that wasn’t something done lightly.
“No… since when?”
The shocking realization made my expression stiffen without me noticing, but looking too flustered seemed rude, so I forced the corners of my mouth up.
“As the Empire’s crown prince, I’ve spent my whole life learning the weight of my words.”
“When did you start liking me?”
“A promise once made must— …what?”
Idorian’s eyes widened slightly.
“I’ve never imagined Your Highness would like me.”
“……”
“The situation was complicated, and… you didn’t exactly show it. And more than that, you liked Lady Lillia.”
I’d always been confident in my ability to read people’s hearts, but I had never imagined I’d missed this—Idorian liking me.
“Ah, I’m sorry. I’m just… a little overwhelmed. It’s not that I dislike you…”
I hurried to add, afraid my shock might wound him.
But even then, my confusion wouldn’t settle.
Idorian likes me?
He left the fortress because he was worried about me…?
I was grateful for his feelings, but the weight of a decision made with his life on the line felt far too heavy for me to accept.
Idorian’s expression gradually hardened, maybe because of the growing silence.
“Your Highness…”
I opened my mouth, pressured to say something, anything—but no proper words came.
Wait—if I become Idorian’s lover, even if he finds out I’m a zombie, maybe he won’t kill me? I mean, even in this situation, this is the crown prince we’re talking about.
Only shameless thoughts flashed through my head.
“So…”
And if a cure was developed, wouldn’t I be the first to receive it?
No. No, that wasn’t right.
He had risked his life for me, and I was thinking about using him again?
Even shamelessness had limits.
Even if it did ensure survival.
“Ha… just stop there, Penelope.”
“…Since you’ve shown your sincerity, I’ll be honest too. I know You’re a good person, but right now I don’t have those feelings.”
His lips twisted faintly as he lowered his head—clearly hurt.
Seeing his wounded expression made guilt wash over me.
Suddenly, memories flashed—him grabbing my hand and running, him looking after me in the water despite being exhausted himself.
“No, Penelope, what are you thinking—”
“But I know how much you worried about me and cared for me.”
“Haa…”
Idorian let out a soft sigh and turned his head.
“Thinking about that sincerity… it makes me careful too. So, um… if it’s alright, could you wait for me a little?”
I wasn’t sure if I could return Idorian’s feelings, but I wanted time to think seriously.
Whether I felt bad seeing him sad…
Or whether I wanted to rely on him because of our dire situation…
I needed to know.
“Thanks, but I’ll decline.”
Idorian, looking down at me, shook his head wordlessly.
“…What?”
Was his pride hurt?
It was a flat rejection without a moment’s hesitation.
How could he give up so fast?
“To begin with, I—”
“But if time passes, I might develop feelings for you.”
Idorian frowned.
“Do you have absolutely no intention of listening to anything I say?”
He let out a thin sigh, then jerked his chin as if telling me to go on.
“So?”
His voice was emotionless, and it scared me.
His face seemed blank one moment, then twisted with annoyance the next.
Was asking him to wait rude?
That wasn’t what I meant… was his pride hurt?
Or maybe the problem was that instead of thanking the man who risked his life for me, I acted flustered?
Did he think my response was insulting?
The more I thought about it, the colder my stomach felt.
I had wounded the Crown Prince’s pride, and on top of that, I’d basically told the man who saved my life that I didn’t like him.
What if he got offended and refused to help me anymore?
“Let’s… try dating.”
In a rush, I said it to Idorian, who was still looking down at me.
His face twisted completely.
As if he couldn’t comprehend my sudden declaration.
“I’ll try liking you. I—I’m confident…”
“Pahahaha!”
Idorian suddenly burst into loud laughter.
I snapped my mouth shut as he laughed as if it were the funniest thing in the world.
“What’s so funny?”
He bent over, shoulders shaking, and I took a step back, offended.
“Ha, because it’s hilarious.”
He wiped the corner of his eye.
“What in the world were you thinking? Ha!”
“…Your Highness, are you alright?”
He had been laughing so loudly that Uben came over, still holding the fish he’d been eating.
I gestured to the child that it was nothing.
“Is it funny that I said I’d try liking you?”
Idorian still couldn’t stop laughing, nodding between hiccups.
“It’s unusual, sure, but I’m serious. I’ll try my best—”
“Yes, yes, effort appreciated, but I’m fine. How did you even reach the conclusion that I like you?”
His hunched shoulders continued to shake.
“So you don’t like me?”
“The idea that I like you is ridiculous. And you claim you don’t like me but then— pfft!”
Our eyes met and he snorted again. I’d never seen him laugh this hard.
“But you said you came out of the fortress because of me, that I shouldn’t ask you to leave me behind. You said it so desperately!”
“Desperately?”
Idorian shook his head as if it were nonsense.
“I did come out for you, but that doesn’t mean I like you romantically. This is… repaying a debt.”
“What debt?”
“Well, the thieves in the fortress for one.”
“No…”
His smirking lips made me frown.
“And if I liked you, I would’ve said it directly.”
“……”
“Even when I search my famously accurate and objective memory, I can’t recall ever giving you anything close to a confession.”
The way his eyes wandered as he pretended to think really got on my nerves.
“And if leaving the fortress for someone always meant romantic feelings, then you must think I like Uben instead of you?”
I couldn’t tell if he was trying to clear the misunderstanding or tease me.
“…You should’ve told me from the start.”
“I tried. Multiple times. You cut me off every single time.”
Idorian stepped back a little and bent down to study my expression.
“Really. I was just curious how far you’d go, then it got funny. I wasn’t trying to tease you.”
And then he laughed for a long while again.
“Stop teasing me.”
“But it’s funny. You said you didn’t like me, yet why were you clinging when I said it was fine?”
He raised an eyebrow, then suddenly tilted his head.
“Hmm. But hey, Penelope.”
“……”
“Are you sure you don’t like me?”
“…What?”
“Think about it. If you dislike someone, you just dislike them. If you like them, you like them. Saying you’re confident you could start liking me… that’s a first.”
He stroked his chin, head tilted.
“Isn’t that basically a confession?”
As he glanced around with a mischievous smile, I finally realized—
He’d been teasing me this entire time.
