Chapter 138
Contrary to popular belief, it was Arnold’s orders that led to the death of the Crown Prince when Herix was still a prince.
But now, look at the situation. Arnold’s relentless torment had only served to feed the creation of the monster known as Herix.
‘What am I supposed to do now?’
A deep sense of fear began to fill Arnold’s green eyes. As the lid to his tightly sealed abyss lifted, his once-contained thoughts came rushing out uncontrollably, like a dam breaking. Among those thoughts, one primal instinct took hold of Arnold’s mind:
‘I don’t want to die.’
The most basic survival instinct—a desire to live. Arnold, completely consumed by it, grabbed the hilt of a knife and slammed it into the bed. The bed, with its disheveled pillows, looked as though someone were lying there, and to Arnold, that someone looked like Herix.
“Die.”
Stab
“Die.”
Stab.
But no matter how many times he stabbed, Herix didn’t die. Instead, his cold eyes seemed to glint more sharply, and he smiled in a way that sent a chilling shiver through Arnold’s spine.
You can never kill me. You can never defeat me. It was as if Herix was saying those words. Arnold trembled.
“Die!”
Stab, stab. Stab, stab, stab—!
With each stab, the bedding and pillows burst open, white feathers fluttering out like the scattered light from broken glass. To some, the sight of the feathers floating in the air might seem serene, even purifying, but for Arnold, who was trying to destroy what he feared most, it was nothing but madness.
“I’m telling you to die so that I can live!”
With each repeated thrust, Arnold stabbed the bed—or rather, Herix—over and over. But in his eyes, in his mind, nothing was reflected. It was like the mythical ‘fox of Novnie,’ cold and emotionless.
But Arnold didn’t know this. He continued to suffer from his fear of Herix, repeatedly committing a murder that wasn’t even real. Truly, it was a desperate and horrific scene.
How much time had passed? Perhaps a moon had risen. Arnold lay on the bed, torn to pieces in a mess that no mere word like ‘disaster’ could describe, exhausted and out of breath.
“Ha…”
He sighed, his mind fixated on the imagined murder of Herix, the same despair he had felt as a child flooding back into him. Arnold closed his bloodshot eyes, dry and stinging from the weight of his thoughts. He wanted to sob, hoping that the fear of death, now so close, would wash away with his tears.
Yet, it seemed God had not abandoned him just yet.
“Your Majesty. Your Majesty.”
Someone, distant and blurry, called to Arnold, pulling him out of his reverie.
It felt much like the hand of salvation that had been extended to him before. When Arnold slowly opened his eyes, he realized that the thought he had just had was not entirely false.
“The papal delegation has requested an audience with His Majesty.”
The hand of salvation.
Its true nature was none other than the temple that worshiped the God of Novnie.
⚜ ⚜ ⚜
It had already been a month since Ivonne returned from the Republic of Ortensia, and now, she thought to herself,
‘It’s not so bad.’
This voluntary retreat, in fact, wasn’t bad at all. In truth, it was hard to find any room to consider it as bad.
On the first night back at the Tens Mansion, she woke up from a nap to find Herix had prepared a wonderful dinner and was waiting for her to wake up.
— Herix did all this?
— Oh, no, I had a little help.
He truly had nothing to hide from Ivonne. All the meals he prepared had been learned from the chefs of the Imperial Palace, and the chef was now living in the same hut where Rix once resided, having rebuilt it himself.
The next day, the Tens Mansion where only she and Rix had lived started to have servants.
— Please call me Mary, Crown Princess.
Although it felt a bit awkward to be called Crown Princess, Ivonne decided not to ask Herix to change it, since she had promised to go along with his mood.
‘Titles can be changed later, if needed.’
Mary, who had been assigned to attend to Ivonne by the Crown Prince’s orders, was a high-ranking maid, far beyond the maid Ivonne herself had been, and she was extremely skilled. Her quality of life had increased dramatically.
It wasn’t just Mary who had joined the household—there was also a butler and a gardener. They all served Ivonne with the utmost care.
Of course, the one who served Ivonne most devotedly was none other than Herix himself.
“This afternoon, the winter dress I requested from Madam will be brought in. Would you like to try it on today?”
The Crown Prince Herix was gently massaging Ivonne’s arm as she lay on the luxurious couch.
⚜ ⚜ ⚜
“Ah… Has it really been that long?”
It had been a month since she returned to Tens Mansion, so it was only natural that the fitting for the winter dress would come around in three weeks. Ivonne nodded absentmindedly. Even with that small motion, Herix looked determined, as if he had received an important command, and set the afternoon’s schedule with resolve.
Thus, Ivonne spent her time in peace, receiving Herix’s devoted care.
However, there was one small problem.
“Are you thirsty? It’s been 17 minutes since you had your Earl Grey tea.”
“Hmm, not yet.”
“Really? Then should I bring some water? It’s been 49 minutes since you last drank.”
“I’m not thirsty.”
“I see. So, Ivonne typically doesn’t get thirsty until at least an hour has passed. I’ll remember that.”
It was Herix’s excessive attention to such details.
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