Please Die, Your Highness - Chapter 85

It was truly absurd. In the midst of it all, she was grateful that he had come looking for her, but at the same time, it was ridiculous. She could not even scream for him to run away with her voice failing her, so she urgently sent signals by only rolling her eyes, but that Prince, having no sense at all, ran straight toward this spot.

Come to think of it, that man was always like that. He had no sense.

He didn’t even seem particularly frightened by this terrifying monster. He was merely a bit awkward in the sense that it was a wild animal; he seemed to have no perception whatsoever that it wasn’t an ordinary animal to begin with.

What was even more nonsensical was the reaction of the monster. When the Prince waved his hands as if shooing a chicken, it actually lifted its head obediently and slunk backward.

It wasn’t as if that Prince had some special ability; she wondered if the monster was simply flustered because the man was so bold.

Maeve decided to think that way for now.

……No, perhaps it was because of those scales.

“Maeve! Pull yourself together! Open your eyes!”

Prince Declan suddenly scooped Maeve up, then flinched in surprise upon seeing her wide-open eyes glaring intensely at him.

“Did she die with her eyes open?”

Maeve blinked once as if to deny it.

It seemed there was no need to send a signal to run away anymore. The doe was now standing at a distance, looking at them as if observing with interest.

With its hollow eyes and its lifeless, crumbly fur that looked long-dead to anyone—it was a literal appearance that would make one scream just by looking at it without needing close observation, yet Prince Declan was still as fussily dramatic as usual.

“Thank you, deer. For protecting Maeve.”

The Prince, not satisfied with that, even offered a word of thanks to the monster before readjusting his hold on Maeve.

Maeve, unable to do anything, ended up crossing the river while being carried, dangling in the Prince’s arms. Over the Prince’s shoulder, she discovered the doe staring fixedly at them as they moved away. It stood there harmlessly once more, as if it were a normal animal. Then, it nonchalantly walked into the nearby bushes.

“Do you know how startled I was when I woke up and you weren’t there? The sun is about to set soon.”

Is he nagging me right now?

Maeve, doubting her ears, stared at the river water as it gradually grew distant within her forced field of vision.

“I saw that the luggage was still there, so……”

“…….”

Maeve stopped blinking in protest. So, it seemed the Prince thought she had run away and left him.

Her body was still rigid, and lifting and closing her eyelids was all she could manage. It was the first time she had experienced such helplessness. It was the first time she was being picked up and moved like a piece of luggage, and it felt worse than she expected. She wondered if this was why that Prince grumbled out of wounded pride at every opportunity.

Like a piece of luggage. Maeve suddenly chewed on that thought and realized the Prince was handling her more carefully than she expected. He could have just slung her over his shoulder. Once she realized it, it was quite an embarrassing posture. Maeve had never been held by someone like this before. She hadn’t even given anyone the chance to begin with.

She rolled her eyes and looked up. The Prince’s thick jaw was right there, and he was carrying her with little effort.

The man did not smell unpleasant. Don’t men of this age usually have a characteristic musty scent even if they wash every day?

“We’re here. Just a moment.”

Before she knew it, the Prince had finished climbing the hill and was entering the cave. The donkey, which had been grazing alone near the entrance, followed closely behind. The brown horse, Bebe, was resting, crouched near the mouth of the cave.

Prince Declan sat the woman down where he had been lying until moments ago, leaning her back against the wall. Her red curly hair fell forward, completely obscuring her vision. The Prince meticulously reached out, lifted the hair blocking her eyes, and carefully tucked it away.

“You seem to be conscious. Seeing how you’re staring at me with your eyes wider than usual, your mind is definitely clear. Moreover, you seem to be trying to communicate somehow by blinking, but I have no idea what it is you want to say.”

The Prince seemed more flustered by Maeve’s condition than she was. He looked at Maeve with a sideways glance, muttering in confusion.

“Maeve, tell me. How many fingers do you see? Ah, you can’t speak.”

He looked truly frantic.

“First, that… your clothes are wet. I think you’ll catch a cold.”

Prince Declan quickly brought the wool blanket he had been using and wrapped it tightly around her. Not stopping there, he brought the donkey over, just as Maeve had done for him, so she could use it like a heater.

“Shall I lay you down? Is it better to lie down? If so, blink once. If not, twice.”