WHPR 04

Chapter :04

As dinnertime approached, a maid came to visit Zenaida. Having already prepared after receiving word from the maid, Zenaida was seated at her vanity, still dressed in her knight’s uniform.

The maid gasped in shock and pulled her in front of the full-length mirror.

Zenaida, who preferred practicality and disliked dressing up, awkwardly twisted her body. Even after regressing, she still couldn’t get used to adorning herself.

“Since this is your first meal with the man who will become your husband, wouldn’t it be better to look like a proper lady?”

At the maid’s gentle, soft-spoken voice, Zenaida did as she was told.

The maid dressed her in a water-colored gown, then seated her at the vanity again to apply light makeup and arrange her hair.

When preparations were nearly complete, the maid offered an exaggerated compliment.

“Your eyes are beautiful. I’ve never seen such clear blue eyes before.”

At the pleasant praise, Zenaida bit down on the corner of her rising lips.

“His Highness will fall for you at first sight.”

But at those last words, her expression stiffened. Fall in love at first sight?

She raised her slightly lowered head and stared into the mirror. Though praised as clear, to her own eyes they looked nothing but dull.

Zenaida lowered her gaze again.

‘Maybe he really did, the first time.’

A distant childhood she could barely remember.

Kaiden and Zenaida had met once before.

And he had confessed to her then. She had thought it nothing more than childish play.

‘Maybe it’s better to be misunderstood.’

A wife who troubled her husband from their very first meeting by poisoning a sword.

No matter how much he claimed to have liked her as a child, she would not confess a second time as she had in her previous life.

While Zenaida was lost in thought, the maid finished arranging her hair.

“All done.”

At her words, Zenaida’s gaze naturally lifted.

In the mirror stood not a knight, but a noblewoman.

She looked like a completely different person.

Or rather, she looked that way.

After all, no matter how pretty the wrapping, the contents inside were the same.

Swallowing a bitter smile, Zenaida headed toward the dining room.

Zenaida hesitantly lifted the hem of her dress slightly.

As she descended the stairs, a servant bowed deeply and opened the dining room door.

Inside, Kaiden was waiting.

He approached and extended his hand to her. Zenaida accepted his escort more naturally than she had at the training grounds.

His hand was warm.

“Was it uncomfortable coming down?”

The question that followed was warm as well.

Surprised by the unexpected gentleness, Zenaida blinked for several seconds as she looked at Kaiden. He still wore an unreadable expression.

“….”

She dismissed the question as mere courtesy. Consideration he extended even to someone he disliked—very much like him.

She answered slowly.

“No, not particularly.”

Without another word, he led her to her seat.

Once they were seated, servants brought out soup as an appetizer. Warm steam rose gently.

Pretending to reach for her spoon, Zenaida glanced at Kaiden. He had already taken a spoonful of soup.

Her pupils trembled slightly.

‘He isn’t even checking for poison?’

For a high noble, conducting a poison test before eating was the bare minimum. But Kaiden seemed unconcerned.

‘Even with resistance, a lethal dose is still….’

If he were to be threatened in the mansion, poisoning would be inevitable. The spoonful of soup she had lifted slipped back into the bowl.

At that moment, Kaiden’s gaze turned toward her. Startled, she scooped the soup again and took a bite. As a holy knight, she could perform purification and wouldn’t die easily from poison.

While she ate little by little so as not to draw suspicion, the main dish—steak—was served.

Zenaida held the knife in her left hand and the fork in her right, cutting the meat.

Just as she was about to take a small bite—

Her eyes met Kaiden’s again.

She tried to avoid his gaze, but there was a strange pressure in his eyes. Without realizing it, she set her fork down.

Clink. At the sound of cutlery being placed down, Kaiden asked quietly,

“Who taught you table manners?”

At his question, Zenaida recalled something she had read in his diary.

Imperial Calendar Year 543, May 3

I had my first meal with my wife.

When I wondered why she wouldn’t eat with me, she said it was because she didn’t know proper etiquette.

I taught her dining manners as gently as possible. The way she looked embarrassed yet grateful was lovely.

She realized her mistake, but it wasn’t a serious problem.

Since she alone had returned to the past, there was no way for him to discover a lie.

“When I was young, I learned while living at the temple.”

High-ranking priests often interacted with nobles, so knowing basic dining etiquette was common.

It was a plausible excuse.

Kaiden didn’t seem to find it strange and let it pass without comment. Even though it was a small lie, Zenaida’s heart pounded.

But recalling what happened before her regression, her heart grew surprisingly calm.

In her past life, hadn’t she deceived him the entire time she stayed by his side to kill him? Feeling guilty now was contradictory.

Regaining her composure, Zenaida picked up her knife and fork again. At the same time, Kaiden spoke.

“The wedding and reception will be held at the Imperial Palace. You don’t need to dance, so until the wedding, stay comfortably in your room.”

“Yes, I under—”

“Then I’ll take my leave first.”

As Kaiden turned to leave after delivering his words like a notice, Zenaida stopped him. Startled by the sudden contact, he jerked back his hand, leaving hers awkwardly suspended in the air.

Narrowing his eyes in irritation, he asked,

“…Do you have something to say?”

The silence seemed to crack.

“May I come to Your Highness’s room tonight?”

At the blunt question, Kaiden frowned.

“Is calmly eating without incident not enough?”

He spoke as if his eating without a poison test had somehow been her fault.

But Zenaida did not back down and grabbed his wrist.

Kaiden tried to shake her off again, then stopped and glared at her.

“Do not be so stubborn.”

“You brought me into the mansion. Did you not expect even this much?”

At her shameless reply, Kaiden let out a hollow laugh. Grinding his teeth, he leaned down toward the seated Zenaida.

A chill ran up her spine. Then his icy voice brushed past her ear.

“Then be honest.”

“……”

“Don’t deceive me.”

His words pierced her chest like a dagger, but Zenaida did not retreat.

Because she had to ensure that Kaiden reached the North unharmed.

After moving her lips several times, she finally spoke.

“We are to become husband and wife.”

No matter what she had to do or say—

“Isn’t that reason enough?”

She had to stay by his side.

That night, Zenaida changed back into her knight’s uniform and went to his bedroom as promised, but the door was locked.

‘There aren’t even knights guarding the door?’

She’d seen several at the training grounds.

Puzzled, she tried the doorknob, then turned away.

Of course, she wasn’t about to give up so easily. She headed toward the window she had already chosen as an alternative.

Opening the window, Zenaida faced the cold night wind head-on. Loose strands of hair fluttered. She tied her hair back, adjusted her posture with ease, and successfully climbed onto the neighboring terrace. Without hesitation, she opened the window.

At the same time, a killing blade flew at her from the side.

Ping!

Zenaida instinctively dodged.

‘An assassin?’

She had expected an assassination attempt, but not this soon.

‘Is Kaiden safe? Or has something already….’

A dark premonition flashed through her mind, but she forced herself to ignore it. Before her regression, Kaiden had survived countless assassination attempts in the capital before heading north.

There was no way he’d meet such a pointless end.

Grinding her teeth, she scanned her surroundings. Though faint moonlight illuminated the room, no suspicious movement was visible.

These weren’t amateurs. She quickly assessed the situation. She had to kill the assassins as fast as possible. Otherwise, all the damage would fall on Kaiden.

Since she was the only one revealed in the room, the best outcome would be for Kaiden to come to her.

But there was no sign of that.

She had to find Kaiden first.

Determined to protect him, Zenaida moved forward boldly.

At the same time, another dagger flew from somewhere, threatening her.

Clang!

She deflected the attack with her sword, then shifted her gaze to the shadow looming before her. Soon, she heard his voice, ragged with breath.

“Why are you here?”

Recognizing Kaiden, Zenaida immediately grabbed his arm. His arm was shaking violently. The fact that he was still holding his weapon was a miracle.

‘Poisoning symptoms… so the food too, after all.’

Her sword, the food—everything in this world was trying to kill him.

Biting her lip, Zenaida stepped in front of him.

“Please step back.”

“……”

“You’re poisoned.”

Though she clearly explained why he should retreat, Kaiden didn’t move an inch.

His expression said he didn’t trust her. Understandably so. But the situation didn’t allow for hesitation.

“I—”

As she tried to persuade him again, another gleaming blade shot out. Kaiden knocked it aside and sneered instead.

“I thought you came to confirm my death. Apparently not.”

“……”

“Get a grip.”

In the end, Zenaida stopped talking and focused on fighting. It was better to kill the assassins quickly and resolve the situation.

She surveyed her surroundings.

The darkness made it impossible to gauge how many enemies there were. Lighting the area came first.

She drew a dagger from her clothes. It couldn’t compare to a longsword, but if she poured holy power into it, it would shine like a flash of light.

‘I need to identify and kill them in that moment.’

She didn’t want to expend strength since she needed to heal Kaiden, but she had no choice.

She also possessed spirit power, but that depended on whether the spirits answered her call.

Quietly, she infused the blade with holy power. A hazy white aura burst forth from her body.

The mist resonated with the weapon, growing brighter and brighter.

She hurled the weapon toward the center of the room. As it struck the floor in a parabolic arc, the surroundings were illuminated in an instant.

The assassins were briefly revealed to her sight. There were many.

As they staggered in the sudden light, Zenaida moved. She snapped an enemy’s neck without hesitation, seized their weapon, and killed the others.

How many had she killed?

Sensing something off, Zenaida looked around.

‘There should still be many left.’

She had seen at least fifteen. She had only killed about five, yet the attacks had noticeably decreased.

She immediately understood why.

Before her stood Kaiden, drenched in blood. He looked intact, but his complexion was deathly pale.

She rushed to him and poured holy power into his body. Kaiden flinched, then loosened his grip as relief spread through him.

As his breathing softened—

“Why did you even come….”

His voice trailed off, his face twisting. Then an entirely different topic slipped from his lips.

“Treat yourself first.”

Only then did she notice the bruise on her arm. The bone throbbed painfully—it seemed broken.

After checking her arm, Kaiden muttered, almost to himself,

“We can’t treat this here. We’ll have to go to your room.”