Chapter 20
It had been several days since the prince had been struck by a fever that seemed almost deadly, and since Craig had ordered Maeve to serve him. The prince’s fever had completely subsided the very night it began. Maeve knew this for certain, having brought meals to the carriage herself and checked on him several times.
However, since that night, the prince had not stepped outside the carriage, choosing instead to take care of everything within it. Craig seemed somewhat uneasy about that. Every time Maeve climbed in or out of the carriage, he would persistently question her, asking if His Highness had said anything about him.
“How is His Highness’s condition?”
“He’s much better than yesterday.”
Though he had recovered days ago, Maeve lied — because the prince had told her to.
The morning after that incident, when Maeve knocked on the carriage door, the prince opened it with a surprisingly refreshed face and let her in. He seemed to remember little of what had happened the previous day. However, it appeared that he had overheard the conversation Maeve and Craig had after she left.
He no longer avoided Maeve when she attended to him, but simply sat there, staring into the distance with a pensive look on his face. Then, just before she left, he told her to lie to Craig — to tell him he was still unwell.
Thus, over the past few days, Maeve had diligently kept Craig away from the prince’s carriage, maintaining the lie. Craig had earnestly misunderstood, thinking the prince was angry at him for his negligence.
However, Craig seemed to have no intention of apologizing or offering any explanation. He only rolled his eyes in irritation, as if the whole situation was nothing but a bother.
Knock, knock. Maeve tapped lightly on the carriage door.
It opened, and she saw the prince sitting inside, dressed in clean clothes. He looked as immaculate as he had on the very first day of their journey—utterly unscathed, perfectly composed.
“It’s time to step down now.”
“I understand.”
The moment Maeve heard his reply, she turned her back to leave.
“Maeve.”
The prince called out to her.
“Thank you.”
Maeve didn’t respond.
In truth, she wanted to thank him instead—for not asking her about that day.
The cabin seemed to have once belonged to a hunter who lived nearby. Everything inside was covered in a thick layer of dust, and every piece of furniture creaked with the sound of decaying wood whenever someone touched it.
Still, it was a relief to finally spend the night under a roof again.
While Colm brought the horses and donkeys into the fenced area to let them graze, Fionechta went out to patrol the surroundings. Rory, under the pretense of helping, lingered beside Maeve as she unpacked, constantly chattering away.
Declan naturally went into what appeared to be the only room in decent condition within the cabin.
“Your Highness, you called for me. Has your fever finally subsided?”
The door to the room had been shattered, so there was no need to knock. Craig entered through the broken doorway and bowed his head slightly.
Declan responded to his question not with an answer, but with a command.
“Bring me the map. I need to see where we are right now.”
At Declan’s request, Craig rolled his eyes briefly, then obediently took out the map and handed it to him. Declan accepted it and spread it open across the worn desk.
“We are about here.”
Craig pointed to a spot beneath the mountain range in the corner. If they continued along the route, they would soon reach Lutea directly.
Declan’s gaze unconsciously swept toward the direction of Lutea before he looked back at the point Craig’s finger indicated.
“Are we going to have to keep camping outdoors for a while?”
“Yes. We’ll have to keep traveling through the mountain paths.”
“Let’s pass through the villages, even if it means taking a bit of a detour.”
Craig replied as if it were only natural, and Declan gave his order just as naturally.
Craig stared at him for a moment without saying anything, then finally spoke.
“Shouldn’t we hurry before Your Highness’s condition worsens?”
“Insisting on mountain paths will only make my body suffer more. Do as I said. Besides, it must be hard for all of you too. If we keep to the mountains, I’m afraid someone else might fall ill before I do.”
Craig snorted inwardly as if to say, of course. In the end, it was always the same — the prince pretending to act for others when his own comfort came first.
Craig disliked the prince’s stubbornness. Not simply because he asserted his own opinion, but because their group needed to move through as few populated areas as possible. The prince was supposed to die somewhere out of sight.
“Craig.”
“But, Your Highness—”
“Do as I said.”
The prince was unyielding no matter what he said.
Craig pressed his lips together and swallowed his words, showing clear reluctance as he rose from his seat.
“Understood. I’ll inform the others as well.”
Clicking his tongue at the prince’s obstinacy that endlessly inconvenienced him, Craig left the room.
Declan quietly gazed at Craig’s retreating figure, who behaved as if he had completely forgotten how to show even the pretense of deference.
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