Please Die, Your Highness - Chapter 56

After a short period of contemplation, Prince Declan looked at Maeve with moist eyes and said.

The maidservant stared blankly at him without any reply. Then, she silently picked up the blanket crumpled in the corner of the bed.

“I will bring you washing water.”

Without any noticeable reply, she quickly left the room, carrying only the laundry.

Prince Declan stared blankly at the half-closed door for a moment. He then abruptly stood up and left the room.

It was morning, just as the sun was beginning to rise.

The village elder was already awake and sitting at the table, smoking a pipe. Prince Declan returned the elder’s morning greeting with a friendly one and trailed after Maeve.

Ah, now it felt real. He was truly alive. An overwhelming sense of relief welled up at the attitude of the people around him who were acting as if nothing had happened. Moreover, tears sprang forth.

They were truly tears of joy and relief.

Maeve was in the middle of filling a large pot with water when she heard a sniffling sound and turned around. A fully grown man, with disheveled hair and clothes, was pouring out tears, his face flushed crimson.

Maeve glanced quickly at where the elder was sitting, looking slightly flustered. Fortunately, the elder was nodding off, having set down his pipe after taking a few puffs.

Maeve threw the blanket she was carrying under her arm into the laundry basket. Then, with the basket tucked under her arm, she abruptly grabbed Prince Declan’s hand and led him out to the backyard.

“Why are you crying? Are you still hurting somewhere?”

“No. I’m just… happy. I almost died twice yesterday…”

Prince Declan spoke, letting out the rest of his tears. He followed her well without any sign of displeasure, even though Maeve was holding his hand.

Maeve, belatedly regaining her senses, released his hand. Just in case, she examined Prince Declan’s face with a cool gaze. However, Prince Declan seemed preoccupied with crying.

“I’m going to do the laundry. Please go back inside and rest.”

“I don’t want to be alone.”

“Please talk with the elder inside.”

“…I want to be with you.”

Maeve turned back with a somewhat dumbfounded feeling. Prince Declan, regardless, was wiping his face with his sleeve.

The constant rubbing of the sleeve made his already red face even redder. Maeve, who had never seen a man of his age cry like a child before, stared blankly at him with a slightly bewildered mind.

“Are you alright?”

She asked worriedly, wondering if, even if his body had recovered, he hadn’t broken down in some other way.

Prince Declan finished wiping his tears and nodded.

“Maeve.”

“Yes.”

“Can I hug you?”

Prince Declan didn’t particularly recall what Maeve had said to him previously. This was because he hadn’t listened attentively to her words before, just like he had with others.

Regardless of social status, touching a woman of marriageable age was something that required special caution. Prince Declan simply asked because he was entirely concerned about that.

“No, not a… hug in that sense, but a… humanistic one… A sort of…”

“…”

“You… you seem warm.”

Prince Declan sniffed his nose and continued speaking. He was truly just explaining his reason purely.

The problem was that it didn’t sound pure.

“You can refuse.”

“I can’t.”

The answer came back coldly, as if she had been waiting. Prince Declan opened his mouth again, his face not looking particularly hurt.

“…A hand?”

“You can’t. Did you forget what I told you before?”

“What did you… Ah.”

Prince Declan opened his mouth with a look of realization at last.

“Were you married, by any chance? Or do you have someone you plan to marry? …I’m sorry.”

“No. And it’s alright.”

Maeve replied monotonously and walked away again. This time, she didn’t hear the sound of him following. She stopped mid-walk and looked back to see the man standing stock still in that spot.

It was quite a sight in many ways. His hair, which was always neatly combed, was completely disheveled, and his face was swollen and red from crying. Yet, he looked pathetic in the midst of it all, making her wonder if that was the power of beauty.

Maeve belatedly felt that she had been too cold to him. However, even putting that aside, the man was just too much this morning…

She scanned Prince Declan’s appearance again carefully. He stared intently at her, as if seeking her permission.

His face was like that of a lost child. And Maeve was weak against such an expression. A look that naturally made her want to offer compassion and kindness without openly soliciting pity.

“Just wash up by the stream.”

Maeve said that, then turned her back and walked on again.

Prince Declan again followed closely behind her.