🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 30
The sunlight woke me.
Of course, I was still half-asleep, so my eyes stayed shut.
“Ugh…”
The soft sensation against my cheek and the plush comfort beneath my body made me snap fully awake.
Wait—this shouldn’t feel so cozy. It should be a dirt floor, not something like a bed.
Why does it feel like I’m sleeping on one?
That thought made my eyes fly open.
“Huh…?”
No matter how I looked around, it was a room I’d never seen before. Chester wasn’t beside me either. I was the only one in the room.
And… when did my clothes change? I definitely only had a shirt on before, but now I was wearing a chemise.
Did I unconsciously take a bath or something? My body smelled nice and felt fresh.
As I stepped down from the bed to leave, the door opened—before I even touched the handle.
“Chester?”
“Are you feeling all right?”
“Uh… maybe? I’m not in pain anywhere.”
“Please, sit down. I’ll have your meal brought here.”
He closed the door again, leaving me alone in the unfamiliar room.
To figure out where I was, I carefully opened the window. A gentle breeze flowed inside.
The scenery outside was just as unfamiliar.
“Seriously… where am I?”
“If you’re that curious, would you like to take a look around after breakfast?”
Chester’s voice came from right behind me before I even realized he was there.
“Let’s eat first. We can go out after that.”
When I turned, a table was already neatly set with dishes. When did he even come in? I hadn’t heard a sound.
I sat in the chair he pulled out for me and began eating mechanically—barely aware of what I was chewing or swallowing.
The faster I finished, the faster Chester would take me outside.
“I’m done!”
“Hmm… are you planning to go out just like that?”
“Why? Is something wrong?”
“Yes. As your fiancé, I can’t allow that.”
“…Huh?”
“You can’t go out in your nightclothes.”
“Ah… right!”
I’d completely forgotten I was still wearing pajamas.
“Chester, who changed my clothes?”
“…”
Why wasn’t he answering? And why was he avoiding my eyes?
“Chester?”
“…Do you really want to know?”
“Wait—don’t tell me…”
“Before being your fiancé, we already went all the way, didn’t we? Isn’t it a little late to act modest now—”
I glared and took a step back. He sighed.
“I just didn’t want to leave you in anyone else’s care, Yulia.”
“…Is that really all?”
“I couldn’t just leave you like that, could I? And you were sleeping so peacefully—it felt wrong to wake you.”
“…”
“Yulia… please stop looking at me like I’m some shameless criminal.”
As expected, Chester was dangerous—in more ways than one.
“I really only washed you and changed your clothes before putting you to bed.”
“…You’d better keep your distance from me for a while.”
“Yulia!”
“Just get me my clothes—something to wear outside.”
“…”
“If you don’t, I won’t even let you hold my hand.”
“…Please wait a moment. I’ll fetch them right away.”
Accidentally, I’d discovered a very effective way to make him listen.
Chester left the room immediately. But the fact that such threats worked only made me more suspicious.
Was he really in love with me… or just my body?
No—no, that’s a silly thought. It has to be.
The door opened again. Chester came in holding a light, sky-blue dress.
“This one?”
I snatched it from his hands and examined it closely.
I’d thought the dresses I usually wore were modest, but this one didn’t show a single inch of skin.
Since I needed something to wear outside, I started to change—but Chester didn’t seem to be leaving.
“Chester.”
“Yes?”
“Why are you still standing there?”
“Well, I thought I could help you dress—”
“Get out.”
“It’s not like we’re strangers anymore, so I figured helping you—”
“Out.”
“Yulia. Let me just—”
“Stop fooling around and get out!”
What was he even thinking! Acting so pure on the outside, but clearly scheming inside.
I pushed him out and locked the door firmly behind him.
Even though I used to live as a princess, unless the dress was especially complicated, I preferred dressing myself.
It was just easier that way.
This one wasn’t difficult to put on, so I managed fine.
“Chester!”
As soon as I finished, I opened the door. Thankfully, he was waiting patiently outside—like a large, obedient dog.
The sight made me laugh as I threw myself into his arms.
“Let’s go!”
“…Are you sure?”
“Of course! I’ve been in seclusion for twenty years—you think I wouldn’t be excited?”
“I’m glad you’re happy.”
“Come on! I don’t even know where we are, or how to get out!”
Chester chuckled softly and wrapped his hand gently around mine, pulling me close.
“Allow me to guide you.”
Moments like this—he really felt like a loving partner.
Ah, that’s right. We were lovers now. I’d almost forgotten something so important.
I looked down at our joined hands. His warmth made me smile without realizing it.
It suddenly felt real—that Chester truly was my lover.
Hand in hand, we stepped outside.
A carriage was waiting for us. Chester helped me up like a gentleman.
“Yulia, shall we go somewhere lively, or somewhere quiet?”
“Hmm… either’s fine, but if I have to choose, I want to go somewhere lively this time!”
“Very well.”
He smiled faintly—like a noble wolf giving a lazy grin.
That face of his was too beautiful for my heart to handle.
My poor heart thudded wildly, completely losing its composure.
“Was your solo trip more fun?”
“At least there weren’t any incidents. And technically, I wasn’t alone—I had plenty of guards.”
“Yes. You should always bring many guards.”
“But you know what’s weird? When I told Father I was going to travel with you, he didn’t insist on as many guards as when I said I was going alone.”
Probably because having Chester with me made an entire squad of knights unnecessary.
Though honestly, Chester was more dangerous than a hundred guards.
Guards existed to protect me.
Chester would also protect me—from outside threats.
But he himself was the internal danger.
“With me around, the guards would just get in the way.”
“…You’re that confident, huh?”
“That’s why I only brought the bare minimum. As long as I’m here, you’ll never be harmed.”
Maybe the strongest person in the whole world wasn’t the male lead—it was Chester.
The carriage soon stopped. He stepped out first and offered his hand.
Before, I would’ve refused and climbed out on my own. But now—I took his hand.
The surroundings were noisier than I expected.
After spending so long in quiet places, the bustle actually felt refreshing—until a sharp pain shot through my head.
“Ah!”
“Yulia?”
It felt like my skull was splitting open. I couldn’t breathe properly.
Why now? Why did it hurt so suddenly?
Why couldn’t I remember how to breathe?
Chester caught me in his arms, panic flashing across his face.
He must’ve been heading for a physician—our personal doctor hadn’t come with us.
I clutched at his clothes. Cold sweat ran down my face.
“Chester… my head… it feels like it’s going to… break…”
“We’ll be at the doctor’s soon. Just hold on a little—”
His voice faded.
Darkness swallowed me again.
That night, for some reason, I couldn’t sleep.
Had I really fallen so deeply that I couldn’t rest without seeing him for even a day?
Maybe some night air would help.
I threw a shawl over my nightgown and stepped out onto the terrace.
A cool breeze brushed against my skin.
“Oh… it’s snowing.”
I reached out my hand—it wasn’t quite snow, but a mix of snow and rain.
Just as I was about to go back inside (lest I catch a cold), an uneasy feeling crept over me.
The imperial palace, which should have been silent, was strangely noisy.
Screams.
The stench of blood.
The flicker of firelight.
My hand trembled as I clutched my shawl tighter.
Then the door burst open.
My old nurse, panting heavily, cried out in panic.
“Your Highness! You must run!”
“Nanny…?”
“There’s no time! Forget changing—just put on this cloak and run!”
She threw a cloak around me and pulled me along.
When we arrived, my brother was waiting.
“Brother? Where’s Father? Why only me?”
“Yulia.”
He hugged me tightly, his face grim.
“Father said to protect you—no matter what.”
“What’s going on?”
“A coup.”
My heart nearly stopped.
“Who? Who would dare—?”
“Duke Zikbert has raised his army. We’ve prepared horses outside the palace—it’s too dangerous to ride inside.”
“Brother… why are you talking like that?”
“Because we can’t be sure of anything. I’ll try to escape with you, but if something happens—”
“Brother!”
“If we get separated and you make it out… don’t wait for me. Just go.”
I wanted to argue, but his expression was too serious. I couldn’t say anything.
“Father’s buying us time. We have to get as far away as possible.”
Holding his hand tightly, I ran into the darkness, away from the light.
“Yulia, as long as you’re alive, you can always take everything back. But if Father and I both fall… don’t seek revenge. Just live.”
“Brother…”
“Live. That’s Father’s final wish.”
My legs trembled, but I forced them to move.
I ran as hard as I could.
I didn’t want to survive alone.
I wanted to live with my brother.
If we could just make it out of the palace, maybe we both could live.
So I clung to his hand and kept running.
But that fragile hope shattered almost immediately.
Heavy footsteps, shouting, the clash of swords, the dying screams of the fallen—all blended into a deafening nightmare.
And amidst it all… stood a man like death itself.
Jet-black hair.
Crimson eyes that glowed even in the dark.
A face so terrifyingly beautiful it stole the breath from my lungs.
The face I’d longed to see every day—
—was the last one I wanted to see now.
