IMLM 07

Chapter : 07

“You want to return to the Imperial Palace as soon as possible?”

“Yes.”

As if wondering whether I had misheard, I asked again, and Enoch nodded as though it were the most natural thing in the world.

His confidence was so absurd it almost made me sigh out loud.

I take back what I said about wanting him as a little brother. How can someone say that so shamelessly? Then why even come to this festival?

‘If you say it like that, what does that make Rachel?’

He gave her a necklace, came together to a festival meant for couples—anyone could tell they were dating.

I wanted to snap at him, but held back. He was the Crown Prince, after all.

Unless I reincarnated as the Emperor again, there would never be a day when I could treat this man casually.

“Then what about Lady Morette?”

“Wouldn’t she be more comfortable without me?”

…He was smiling so brightly while saying that. Couldn’t he see how she kept glancing this way even now?

“You really have a lot to apologize to Lady Morette for.”

Right, so you do know. You really should feel sorry.

“If only the knights weren’t so exhausted from just returning to the Empire, I wouldn’t have had to impose on her like this…”

Enoch trailed off and let out a quiet sigh. And that was when I realized something was wrong.

Huh? Weren’t they on a date?

“…Weren’t the two of you on a date?”

“…Pardon?”

Startled, Enoch’s face flushed red. He really couldn’t hide his expressions.

“W-Why would you think that…? Today was the first time I met Lady Morette.”

“Then the necklace you gave her—”

“…What necklace?”

Enoch and I stared at each other with equally blank expressions. What exactly were we doing right now?

Could it be that this man didn’t even know what this festival meant?

“Then why did you come to this festival?”

“Marquis Morette said there was a place full of blooming Crucias and recommended it, so I came to see it. He said it was the most famous festival in this area…”

“You came because Marquis Morette recommended it? There was no other reason?”

“Yes…”

Overwhelmed by the barrage of questions, Enoch hesitated briefly before slowly nodding.

…Oh my god. He really knew nothing?

“Enoch, I’ll only say this once, so listen carefully.”

“…Y-Yes.”

I couldn’t just leave him in the dark. I carefully stepped closer and gestured for him to lean in.

Enoch awkwardly nodded and bent toward me.

After making sure no one was nearby, I whispered into his ear.

“This festival is famous for couples coming together.”

“……”

“The flower language of the Crucias is ‘unchanging love.’”

I didn’t miss the expression on Enoch’s face when I finished speaking.

Actually, there was nothing to miss—he looked completely out of it.

After staring blankly into space for a moment, Enoch muttered something under his breath. I thought I heard the words, “Father…”

Ah. I think I get what happened. It looked like the Marquis Morette and the Emperor had worked together on this.

“Ah…”

Enoch’s face turned deathly pale as he grasped the situation.

He glanced once at me, then at Rachel in the distance, and bowed his head deeply.

He looked like he wanted to dig a hole and disappear.

“…I think I should apologize to Lady Morette. It seems I misunderstood the meaning of my being here…”

“Yes, that seems right.”

Even in that short sentence, guilt dripped heavily from his voice. Well, it was better than feeling nothing at all—but honestly, what was a Crown Prince doing being this clueless?

“Enoch, you didn’t really do anything wrong. If you just explain the truth, I’m sure she’ll understand.”

“You think so…?”

Looking a little more at ease, Enoch gazed up at the wish tree. His expression was still complicated, though.

After silently organizing his thoughts, he let out a small laugh and turned back to me.

“Oh, I forgot to ask earlier—what did you write, Lady Amelio?”

“That I want to live a long life.”

“……”

Enoch’s eyes widened. I could tell without him saying it—he was thinking, ‘Just that?’

Most mixed-blood races lived for hundreds of years, after all.

‘This is awkward. I can’t exactly tell him the truth.’

Sure enough, after spacing out for a moment, Enoch lifted the corners of his mouth with a soft sigh.

“Ah, you were trying to cheer me up.”

No, I really do want to live a long life.

“Thank you very much, truly, my lady.”

…It really is my genuine wish. But what was the point of saying it? He wouldn’t believe me anyway.

“Well then, I enjoyed our conversation. Let’s meet again if we get the chance.”

“Yes, goodbye.”

I waved lightly at Enoch as he walked toward Rachel with heavy steps.

At the same time, I felt someone tug at my clothes from behind.

It was Jen, who had hidden behind me the moment Enoch appeared. Did he dislike him that much? Enoch didn’t seem that unlikable to me.

But that was just my standard. It could be different for Jen.

“Jen, what did you write as your wish?”

I asked with a deliberate smile, as if nothing had happened. Caught off guard, Jen looked flustered.

After hesitating for a moment, he answered in a tiny voice.

“…It’s a secret.”

With that, Jen turned away and walked off. Looks like he really didn’t intend to tell me.

…But there was a way to find out. Sorry, Jen—but I’d already seen where he hung his wish slip.

“Found it.”

Among the slips hanging high up, one was hung unusually low. A blue slip—the same color as my eyes.

Now then, let’s see what our Jen wrote.

[I want to stay with Loreina forever.]

…My goodness. How could he write something like that?

We’d only spent a week together, yet we’d grown this close. Feeling strangely proud, I turned toward Jen—

—and suddenly, he shouted with a desperate expression.

“…Danger!”

“Huh?”

Before I could even understand what was happening, an arrow flew between Jen and me and lodged itself in place.

The pure white flower blooming there turned blue and quickly withered.

At the sight, my blood ran cold.

‘…That’s no ordinary arrow.’

Was it poisoned? I stood frozen until the knights who’d come with us surrounded me, snapping me back to my senses.

Get a grip. This isn’t the time.

“Jen, are you okay?”

I jumped up and checked on him first.

If something happened to me, fine—that was how the original story went. But not Jen.

He was an innocent kid with nothing to do with this. He couldn’t die just because he got dragged into my mess.

“You weren’t grazed by the arrow, right?”

“I’m fine. You should worry about—”

“Thank goodness…”

Relieved, I pulled Jen tightly into a hug. If anything had happened to him, the guilt would’ve crushed me.

I didn’t even want to imagine it.

“H-Hey, wait…”

Feeling awkward, Jen squirmed slightly in my arms, but I didn’t let go.

Even though I’d expected something like this, I was terrified that something else might happen at any moment.

And I was afraid this overly perceptive kid might notice the fear on my face.

But despite my efforts, it seemed Jen had already noticed. He relaxed and leaned into me instead.

As he clumsily patted my back, I felt like crying.

It was comforting—but more than that, Jen himself made my chest ache.

Despite being much younger than me, he was so composed. Just how much hardship had he endured at the baron’s estate?

“M-My lady.”

“Yes?”

At the cautious voice, I loosened my hold on Jen. It was one of the knights who had come with us to the festival.

“It would be best for you to return now.”

“We need to know what happened first. Who shot the arrow? No one was hit, right?”

“Well, that is…”

“It’s fine. Please tell me.”

The knight hesitated, then shifted his body aside.

“It’s not a pleasant sight, my lady.”

When he moved, the scene came into view. A man was being dragged away by imperial knights.

Judging by the quiver on his back, he must have shot the arrow—but that alone wasn’t enough to shock me.

‘Then what did he mean earlier…?’

As I turned my head, a sharp scent of blood hit my nose.

At the same time, someone let out a wail.

“Waaah… Your Highness…”

At that cry, I finally saw the owner of the blood.

Amid the frantic crowd, a boy lay collapsed on the ground.

“Call a physician! Quickly!”

At the shouted order, an imperial knight rushed off. Silver hair lay scattered across the dirt.

…It was horrifying. Seeing someone who’d been laughing with me just moments ago lying there, pale and unmoving.

In the original story, it was mentioned that the Crown Prince and Emperor were alive when Leonard invaded the palace.

Which meant this situation was never supposed to happen.

‘No. Why am I panicking already? Enoch isn’t dead yet.’

It could end with just an injury. Not everyone dies from a poisoned arrow.

Trying to calm myself, I heard a knight examining Enoch shout out.

“His condition is critical! His breathing is getting worse!”

That wasn’t the cry of someone dealing with a simple wound. Cold sweat ran down my back.

What if Enoch really dies? Am I just comforting myself?

My hands trembled. No matter how I tried to think positively, my thoughts kept spiraling downward.

‘…Is this because of me?’

Was I supposed to die here—and because I avoided it, Enoch was injured instead?

My head spun with terrible thoughts.

The worst part was realizing that what I was most concerned about right now was the guilt I would feel.

More than the fact that Enoch was hurt.

‘I just wanted to live.’

Even that seemed forbidden in this world.

What should I do? I shouldn’t have tried to survive. Because of that, Enoch—

“Get a hold of yourself.”

In that anxious moment, someone grabbed my hand.

From the size of it, I instantly knew who it was.

Jen looked at me with eyes far too steady for a child and whispered.

“It’ll be okay.”

Just like the day I’d stood in front of him. As if it were a spell, I repeated the words softly.

“…Right. You’re right. It’ll be okay.”

Enoch wasn’t dead yet. So before that happened, I had to do what I could.

I slapped my cheeks hard, snapping myself awake, and strode toward Enoch.

As the knights panicked at my sudden approach, I dropped to my knees in front of him.

“Excuse me for a moment, Your Highness.”

“…Huh?”

Enoch’s unfocused gaze landed on me through the haze of poison. I bowed my head immediately—

—to the area near his right wrist, where the arrow had struck.

A bitter taste of blood filled my mouth.

Fortunately, the knights had already removed the arrow, allowing me to act quickly. Otherwise, the poison would have spread faster.

After pulling back briefly to breathe, I leaned in again and sucked out the poison.

A burning pain spread around my lips, as if they’d been set on fire.

“…N-No… don’t…”

Realizing what I was doing, Enoch’s green eyes shook wildly. Even as he lost consciousness, he tried to push me away.

The concern in his eyes—for me—was unmistakable.

Worrying about others while dying himself.

I couldn’t let someone like that die because of me.

“It’s okay, Your Highness.”

“Please… don’t… it’s dangerous…”

As he continued to resist weakly, I smiled brightly at him, hoping to reassure him.

Though with my lips turning blue, it probably wasn’t a pretty sight.

“As you know, I’m a creature of imagination.”

“……”

“And creatures of imagination don’t die from something like this.”

That wasn’t just to persuade him—it was the truth.

Unless someone was truly determined to kill me, this half-elf body, blessed by the gods, wouldn’t die so easily.

“So please rest. You’ll be fine soon.”

After staring at my face for a long moment, Enoch slowly reached out with his uninjured hand.

“Your lips…”

Ah. So it really did look bad.

As I smiled awkwardly, his fingers brushed around my mouth, checking the blue-tinged skin.

I couldn’t feel anything, though.

“Why…?”

His urgent voice trembled with tears—but the sentence never finished.

Enoch finally lost consciousness.

The green eyes that had been watching me disappeared, and tears slipped from the corners of my eyes.

Once I confirmed it, I quickly turned away. The knights who met my gaze flinched.

“Bring me powdered blue leaves and two sunlit flowers. I’ll use them to treat Enoch’s wound.”

“…Pardon? Ah…”

“Quickly!”

At my shout, the knights rushed off. They weren’t rare ingredients—they’d return soon.

‘The herbalism book in the count’s library said these two help neutralize poison.’

A good memory is for moments like this. Waiting idly for a physician wasn’t an option.

As I waited anxiously, one knight who’d started to follow the others hesitated and turned back.

“Um… my lady, do you need anything as well?”

“Huh? I’m not injured.”

“No, but your lips—”

Oh, that. At the sight of his worried gaze, I shook my head.

“You don’t need to bring anything for me.”

I smiled reassuringly. The knight sighed in relief and moved away.

It wasn’t a lie.

‘…I really don’t need herbs.’

There’s nothing herbs can do about this.