It’s Time to Stop Clinging to the Fake Guide - Chapter 11

“Haah…….”
Lynette let out a long sigh.

After a few days, the surveillance had grown considerably lax. Shirin no longer accompanied her to the guiding sessions with Euphen. It seemed they had fully understood that, as a fake Guide, she knew her role well and had no intention of running away.

‘It’s better if I have more room to move.’
She planned to find an opportunity to slip out of the Imperial Castle. She had to find Eshar. But the thought of how to even meet her was daunting.

Even if she was part of the Imperial Castle’s people, Lynette was in the lowest position among the maids, practically at the very bottom. There was no way she could confidently request a meeting with the merchant lord’s daughter. Unless she had a letter from Euphen, perhaps.

“Hmm.”
Lynette furrowed her brows and fell deep into thought.

She couldn’t just loiter aimlessly near the merchant company. And to pretend to meet her by coincidence, she knew nothing about where Eshar went or what she liked.

‘Ah… I should’ve talked to that woman more.’
She gave a bitter smile.

When she first appeared, Lynette had honestly been angry. Or perhaps ‘sad’ might have been a more fitting way to put it.

After all, Lynette’s body had already reached its limits, and she knew well that the day she would leave wasn’t far off. Even if Eshar hadn’t existed, Shirin would have cast her aside eventually. There was no way she would show Euphen the sight of her completely broken and dying.

If the true fated partner hadn’t appeared, Shirin would no doubt have once again procured people and fabricated another fake Guide.

‘Well. Fortunately, Eshar did show up.’
The first feeling she had when Eshar’s existence became known was fear.

Though she had known in her head that there would be an end, somewhere deep in her heart she had vaguely believed that ‘this life would not end.’ Perhaps it was a kind of escape from reality.

Lynette let out a short sigh. Just as she had been fearful, sad, and angry, Euphen had been confused as well.

Until then, the only Guide he had ever had was Lynette. He could never have imagined that, years later, someone claiming to be the true Guide would suddenly appear.

Everything had been a mess. In that situation, how could she possibly have spoken to Eshar with friendliness in her voice?

So she simply ran away. Leaving behind nothing but absurd words about suddenly meeting another man or falling in love with someone else.

‘Would it have been better if I hadn’t said such things?’
If she had just quietly disappeared as though she had never existed from the beginning, perhaps Euphen wouldn’t have looked for her.

“What are you thinking about so deeply?”
Startled by the low voice tinged with amusement, she looked up. Standing right in front of her was the very man she had just been thinking about. If she had taken one more careless step, she might have bumped her face right into his chest.

“Your Highness the Imperial Prince.”
Lynette stepped back and gave a slight bow.

“Raise your head.”
At those words, she lifted her head, but she didn’t meet his gaze.

Whenever she looked into those bright blue eyes, memories would come vividly rushing back. It left her confused over whether this was the present moment or the reality she had returned to, and made her want to draw closer to him.

She had been doing her best to avoid speaking unnecessarily, to avoid eye contact, and to avoid any contact outside of guiding. Of course, that wasn’t as easy as she’d hoped.

“You’re frowning.”
His long fingers poked between her brows. Only then did Lynette realize she had been frowning.

“My apologies.”
“You must have something on your mind.”

She closed her eyes tightly. She had grown somewhat accustomed to the pain that came through touch, but this was like a pain that seemed to pierce straight into her mind, making her head throb.

“It’s nothing.”
Lynette tilted her head slightly, steadying her momentarily dazed mind from the headache.

“I used to think becoming an Esper was nothing but terrible, but after meeting you, Lynette, it’s been better.”
Euphen held out his hand. She hesitated for a moment before lightly taking it. That throbbing sensation seeped slowly through her whole body.

‘He’s still training every morning.’
When they touched like this, she could roughly gauge how much he had been using his abilities. And also the aftereffects building up in his body.

Whenever the sharp pain seeped in, Lynette found herself pitying him more than herself. He must have been in quite a bit of pain as well.

She only regretted not being able to take it away from him sooner. That kind of suffering was originally all supposed to be hers to bear.

The man with the firm grip on her hand smiled.
“I feel at ease when you’re with me.”
“…Me too.”
She answered calmly. Of course, their meanings of ‘feeling at ease’ were different, but it didn’t matter. Euphen wouldn’t notice.

He lightly pulled her toward him.
“Isn’t it uncomfortable living at the Mage Tower?”
“It’s fine.”
“Shirin isn’t exactly the gentle type, is she?”

‘Not gentle’… what a roundabout way to put it. Lynette didn’t bother to add to that.

“How about staying here instead? You have to come here every day because of me anyway.”
“I appreciate the thought, but I’m more comfortable at the Mage Tower.”

At that, Euphen looked surprised. Lynette glanced up at him without thinking, and their eyes met. She quickly forced down the smile that was threatening to spread across her lips.

“Is it because I’m still unfamiliar to you?”
“Because you’re the Imperial Prince, Your Highness.”
“There’s no need to be so formal.”

She knew all too well how kindly this man had treated her. And though she missed all of it dearly, she had no intention whatsoever of repeating it.

‘I don’t know exactly when Euphen began to love me…’
So it was only right to guard herself against him at every moment.