I Tamed the Monstrous Prince - Chapter 98

Schedule: Wed and Sun

Giovinetta spoke in a firm voice.

“I will give my sister a stern warning.”

At that moment, the Empress beamed. Perhaps it was just her imagination, but her eyes seemed to glisten with moisture. Seeing this, Giovinetta knew at once that the Empress was a kindred spirit. The Empress reached out and took Giovinetta’s hand, and Giovinetta squeezed it back with purpose.

“Will you help me?”

“I am already your person, Your Majesty.”

Giovinetta offered her signature, sorrowful smile.

They continued their conversation for some time. By the time Giovinetta left the Moonstone Palace, the sun was high in the sky.

I must go see that girl, Irenea.

Recalling yesterday’s humiliation, and considering Irenea’s insolence toward the Empress of the entire nation, she was delighted by the opportunity to give her a sharp lecture as her older sister.

Just then, she spotted it in the distance—Irenea. Curious as to where she was going all alone in her sorry state, Giovinetta began to follow her discreetly.

Irenea ended up at an unexpected location: the imperial palace pond.

“Why would she come to a place like this by herself?”

It was suspicious. Irenea’s aura, in particular, was different from usual. There was a desperate quality to her as she stared into the void, her staggering steps bizarrely unsettling. Her unsteady gait made even the person watching her feel on edge.

“Did she eat something bad…?”

Giovinetta intended to watch from a safe distance to see what she was up to.

But then, something astonishing happened. A maid in shabby clothing appeared from nowhere, approached Irenea, and shoved her from behind. In an instant, Irenea was in the pond.

“My word.”

Giovinetta watched the entire scene unfold from behind a thicket some distance away.

The maid seemed fully intent on murder, for each time that thing Irenea’s head broke the surface, she would brutally force it back down again.

The struggle continued for some time. Eventually, Irenea’s flailing ceased.

Cold sweat soaked Giovinetta’s palms at the unexpected sight. Wiping her hands on her skirt, she muttered to herself.

“Well now, things are getting interesting, aren’t they?”

In that moment, only one thing came to Giovinetta’s mind: the dress, the hat ornament, and even the flowers she had chosen to wear at the funeral. It hadn’t been for naught, after all.

Then, she heard the noise of a crowd gathering in the distance. Staying here any longer might arouse suspicion. Giovinetta slowly concealed herself behind the bushes.

***

—Ren!

A voice called out, desperately crying my name. Whose was it? Who was calling me?

—Wake up.

I wanted to rest, but the pleading voice soon became a silken thread, winding around my body and pulling me up from where I had sunk. Through my blurry vision, I saw the face of a beloved person.

But I was not yet conscious. An inhale, an exhale, passed through my lungs. I felt a breath. It entered through my lips—impossibly soft and warm.

Vitality returned to my chest. My heart began to pound as if I had been granted a new life.

My compressed lungs expanded fully, forcing out a breath.

“Ughk, hack!”

With a violent cough, the water I had swallowed came rushing out. I vomited and went limp, my mind a muddle as I drifted between consciousness and fainting.

Each time, there was a breath that awakened me again. Sweet and irresistible, it mixed and fused with my own breath, time and again.

I slowly tried to open my eyes, but my eyelids were as heavy as lead.

“Ren, open your eyes.”

I heard the voice again, endlessly whispering for me to wake up.

But I simply couldn’t. I tried to stretch out my fingertips, but my body was as heavy as waterlogged cotton, and I lacked the strength to even stir.

Just then, something warm and soft touched my hand. The warmth seeped between my fingers.

It was as hot as embracing the blazing sun. Had I ever been held in such a warm embrace? It was a feeling I had never once experienced in my entire life.

So many things came to mind. It felt as if a warm, tender knot had formed in my chest. Something surged up inside me, warming my face. My eyes suddenly grew hot.

As I slowly opened them, a stream of tears flowed down my cheeks. Through my blurred vision, I saw eyes as red as a roaring flame. An absolute red, like the blood that flowed through my veins. Was it because this was the color of life itself that it felt so warm?