The Sand Bride - Side Story 2.3

He could see Esther, who was sitting next to him, rubbing her eyes as if she were sleepy, trying to stay awake. Karzhen stared at her profile and felt an intense curiosity about another person. It was strange that Esther was worried about him. That was something that hadn’t existed in his life at the top, something that shouldn’t exist.

Yet Esther was worried and didn’t know what to do, as if he would die from such a wound… yes, literally such a wound. And she was none other than the weakest person Karzhen had ever seen.

It would never happen, but if someone other than Esther had done this, Karzhen would have been filled with unpleasantness and anger and would have killed them. For example, if a slave or other trivial and weak beings looked at him with worried eyes and meddled in things like Esther was doing now, he surely would have.

But it was a very strange thing. When Esther found out that he was injured, Karzhen felt a deep sense of shame, and his pride was greatly wounded. He hated showing a weak side to her. So, at first, he intentionally didn’t let it show.

That I am a strong person for whom this much of an injury is nothing. Even when he was being recognized as the King’s child, he hadn’t felt this way, but he stood before Esther with a feeling of wanting to be recognized for the first time.

However, contrary to his wishes, every time he saw Esther worrying about him being injured by just this much, he felt shame and, within it, an emotion curled up so tightly it couldn’t be hidden, a joy that made his heart feel as if it were being tickled by a feather, which left him bewildered.

His birth and life whispered shame about showing weakness, but the emotion that had bloomed without him knowing felt joy and fluttering excitement at Esther’s worry, which looked like affection.

That emotion made Karzhen so confused. There were times he wanted to brush her away so she couldn’t see him injured, but then he also wanted to pretend to be in pain on purpose to keep her stuck right by his side.

Even though she’s weak.

When he watched Esther meticulously applying medicine even to light wounds, which were nothing in the life he had lived, Karzhen repeatedly murmured to himself.

Even though she’s the type to get scared just by looking at a blade and to shrink back just because I reach out my hand.

“Lord Karzhen. Does it hurt a lot?”

Even though she’s like that……. She asks such questions every time and looks at his face with a gaze trembling with fear.

Karzhen would snap at her, asking if she thought he’d die from a measly wound like this, yet he repeatedly made fake groans like a fool. The wound had already healed, and given his usual personality, he would have quickly taken off the cumbersome bandage, but the reason he was still wearing it was the same.

“Lord Karzhen.”

Esther let out a small yawn and then turned her head upon sensing his gaze. Her clear blue-green eyes were staring blankly at Karzhen under the moonlight.

There was a hint of wonder in her eyes as to why he was staring so intently at her, but she didn’t avoid him. Seeing those clear eyes, Karzhen felt as if he had seen that unfamiliar color somewhere before, and before long, he realized when that was.

“I…… you…….”

The moon was very bright. The moonlight, which had emerged from the clouds just like on that day, became a guide that made Karzhen recall that moment. The moonlight that had emerged from the blurry clouds was like a faint mist, but it captivated his mind so much that he could never catch it to brush it away or escape from it.

“I think… I love you…….”

Buried in the warmth that felt like being inside warm sand, Karzhen finally realized where he had seen the same color as Esther’s eyes.

Her eyes were the color of that greenhouse where Hemor had died, where the blue greenery of the Southeast had been lush. It was the point where an emotion that the kings of Gharyam, the numerous Sha Gamore, hadn’t known had sprouted and died. That blue greenery—the color that cannot bloom in Gharyam, but can be kept at least inside a greenhouse.

Karzhen quietly closed his eyes. In his dream, he saw Esther inside that greenhouse, and she was closing her eyes with a peaceful face amidst that greenery, but soon opened them as he approached. It was a vivid greenery. There was a fresh scent. No, perhaps an emotion would be more accurate than a scent.

Karzhen took one more step forward. As he moved closer to Esther, the surrounding grass and trees grew lush and began to grow their leaves.

Finally standing right in front of Esther, he woke up from his sleep with the thought that he should put the largest and sturdiest lock on the greenhouse. So that she wouldn’t wither and die in the heat of Gharyam, so that she would never fade.