Chapter 18
“…? I’m taking off my clothes?”
“Who’s asking because they don’t know that? I mean, why are you suddenly stripping?!”
It wasn’t like she hadn’t seen shirtless men before, but for some reason, Sian’s face turned bright red, and she unconsciously raised her voice.
What, what’s going on…
She couldn’t understand why her face was turning red so uncharacteristically quickly. Moreover, even though he had unbuttoned most of his shirt, not much skin was visible due to the bundle of cloth stuffed in to create fake breasts.
All that was visible through the open collar of the shirt was his long neck, part of his straight collarbone, and just a small portion of his well-defined abs.
It wasn’t like she hadn’t seen men’s bodies before, so why did… he look so different?
Sian thought to herself, extremely flustered. Meanwhile, she couldn’t help but keep glancing in that direction. She felt like breaking out in a cold sweat.
Carl looked rather bewildered at Sian’s embarrassed reaction.
“It’s because of the fake breasts, it’s stuffy. I’m not even fully undressing, just unbuttoning a few buttons. Why are you treating me like some kind of exhibitionist?”
“T-that’s not it…”
“I saw the other mercenaries walking around shirtless the other day, am I not allowed to do the same?”
Ugh, Sian let out a small groan. She had no words. As Carl said, she hadn’t paid any attention to other mercenaries whether they were shirtless or showing their thighs.
“Besides, we don’t have a choice, right? I can’t go outside to undress. If you don’t want to see, you should avert your eyes, Lady.”
Carl said with a smile, his mouth corners stretching long. Sian couldn’t say anything and just stammered with a red face.
By the time Sian followed Carl’s words and turned her body to avert her gaze from his body, the image of the line from his neck to his collarbone and the shape of his abs was already imprinted in her mind.
Filled with self-loathing, Sian turned around and grabbed her own hair with both hands, hiding from Carl’s view.
…I stared… I stared at him.
Her self-hatred was even more intense because she had just realized anew that the prince was younger than her.
As he said, she should have averted her eyes first, but instead, she stared with wide eyes while only saying “What are you doing?” with her mouth.
What kind of dishonest, perverted behavior is this? And towards a young man, even if he is a prince.
“Ahem, hem. Anyway, if you’re going to undress in the future, I’d appreciate it if you gave a warning beforehand. Even if you’re His Highness the Prince, are you going to act the same as the mercenaries?”
“You’re being inconsistent, quite unladylike. Didn’t you just say to remember that I’m a mercenary now?”
“It’s different when we’re alone!”
Sian, who had turned her head back irritably to look at Carl again, realized that he was now closer than before.
With that small, piece-like face that Sian was already weak to right in front of her, Carl was wearing a boyish expression as if he had found something interesting to tease about.
“W-what, why are you so close…”
Despite the makeup that suited him ridiculously well and the long-haired wig, the bone structure of his face seen up close was undeniably male. Suddenly feeling her heart race, Sian clutched her chest and stammered. She felt like the thumping sound of her heart could be heard outside.
This, if this continues, won’t it be obvious that I’ve fallen for him?
It was at this moment that Sian felt a very belated sympathy for Carl’s opinion, who had been furiously angry that they hadn’t more strongly insisted on single rooms.
“…The luggage is over there?”
Carl spoke softly, with his beautifully shaped lips, particularly pretty perhaps due to the lipstick, curved mischievously. The beautiful lips and low voice were discordant, but Sian felt goosebumps all over.
Carl, meeting her gaze, reached his arm past Sian’s stiffened shoulder. Behind it was a small bundle of luggage placed on the table.
“I, I! I’m going out for a bit of reconnaissance!”
Sian shouted. Carl, having safely retrieved the luggage bundle, raised both hands high as if to emphasize that he had no intention of teasing, his lips stretched into a long smile.
“Have a safe trip.”
“The door! If you’re going to be like that, make sure to lock the door! Someone might see!”
“Alright.”
Unlike Sian, whose face was flushed red and heated, Carl, who had become relaxed in contrast, laughed softly.
Sian rushed out of the room in a manner that anyone could see was clearly fleeing. The heat that had rushed to her face didn’t cool down easily.
…It’s ruined, it’s ruined on a much larger scale than I expected…
Sian muttered, leaning against the door with her reddened face in her hands.
He’s quite cute in unexpected ways, isn’t he?
Meanwhile, Carl looked at the door Sian had left through with interested eyes.
The sight of the woman who had acted so shamelessly and glibly in response to his casually thrown compliment now fleeing with her cheeks burning red was surprisingly fascinating.
He should have anticipated this kind of situation from the moment he heard they would be sharing a room. He had thought her reaction was strangely calm, but it seemed she hadn’t considered any of these embarrassing situations at all.
Is she unexpectedly innocent, or just simple-minded?
‘Is spring coming even to the prince’s winter?’
As Carl was looking at the door with a puzzled expression, a voice that didn’t pass through his ears was heard.
‘That woman seems completely smitten.’
The ambiguous voice, neither female nor male, had a faint trace of laughter. Carl twisted the corner of his mouth.
“I know. Who fell for whom first? It’s hurting my pride to say someone else fell first…”
‘You don’t seem to dislike her either, Carl.’
The voice that cut off Carl’s words and pierced directly into his mind said teasingly. Carl’s expression hardened.
“…Well, it’s not like I could dislike her.”
She is a rare beauty, after all. Adding this, Carl cleared his throat unnecessarily.
“By the way, did you find out?”
‘The surroundings are clean. There’s not even a trace of magical power left. It seems all the dragons from the Crown Prince’s side returned to the capital a while ago.’
“They all retreated quietly after causing such a commotion?”
Carl’s languid expression subtly sharpened.
Wondering if the Crown Prince’s dragons might be waiting nearby, Carl had ordered Idelin to look around while exposing herself.
‘The fact that they launched a surprise attack without the temple’s warrant was already a very despicable act. They probably don’t want to create any more controversy.’
“…If that’s the case, it means the possibility of my close aides in the castle being bought off is low.”
‘It’s too early to be completely at ease.’
Idelin firmly injected her opinion into Carl’s mind.
‘It’s still too early to return to your true form. Even if your closest aides haven’t been bought off, we can’t ignore the possibility of spies.’
That’s true. Carl answered only inwardly as he lazily rested his chin on the table. Anyway, it meant he couldn’t comfortably retrieve the secret funds in his true form after removing his female disguise.
“Then we’ll have to push forward with the original plan.”
‘…Is the secret fund really that necessary? There’s also the option of going straight to the temple and asking for help.’
“It’s too risky alone. Given my current condition, and I need allies who can help from outside Ivarid as well.”
‘Do you think that woman can become an ally?’
Carl sank into the chair’s backrest, changing his posture at Idelin’s question. His neutral expression slightly distorted.
“What do you mean?”
‘No, I mean it literally. Isn’t it too short a time to talk about enough trust to consider her an ally?’
“That’s why we need money. What else in the world is as safe and certain as financial compensation?”
Idelin’s voice wavered. The voice that wasn’t conveying any particular meaning just sounded like it was laughing.
‘Everything is according to the providence of fate. I’ll follow your opinion, my master.’
“Don’t suddenly act all noble.”
Idelin’s laughter wavered like a heat haze at Carl’s sarcasm. And the mixed consciousness gradually separated clearly.
Carl realized that Idelin’s consciousness, which had been merged with his, had completely separated, and he let out a short sigh.
Do you think that woman can become an ally?
Idelin’s meaningful question remained in his mind.
Not everyone becomes your ally just because you’ve known them for a long time. Trust between people doesn’t always correspond to time.
If that were the case, the person who should be on his side more than anyone else should have been Crown Prince Hendrick Klaus, his blood brother whom he had known since birth.
But, isn’t this the result?
Carl slowly caressed his side, which hadn’t fully healed yet. The throbbing pain that suddenly came back was just his imagination.
He couldn’t understand why his brother had attacked the castle he had painstakingly built without even a warrant from the temple, and even attacked with the resolve to kill him.
His eldest brother, Hendrick Klaus, was the Crown Prince who had perfect conditions to inherit the right of succession to the throne, including the dragon’s choice and the fate of the firstborn.
It would have been an unshakeable foundation if Carl hadn’t been chosen by the silver Idelin, the direct descendant of the founding dragon Yggdrasil.
‘Even so, I didn’t know that brother would want to kill me.’
There was a bitter taste in his mouth. The shock of that time, which he hadn’t fully realized as he fled wounded from the dragon’s breath that had suddenly flown in and destroyed the castle walls, felt belatedly and terribly fresh.
As he leisurely examined the broken marks on the wall that he had painstakingly built over 10 years, his heart became even more complicated.
‘For now, I need to rely on the temple and gather more information.’
How his brother had changed while he was away from the imperial palace, how public opinion and sentiment had shifted.
Who the real culprit was that killed Elena, the Emperor’s dragon.
‘I will definitely uncover the truth.’
Carl clenched his fist tightly, his eyes sharply raised towards the empty air.
* * *
midori
thanks! welp, she has been too obvious. lolol ideline. also….has she still not asked him about the weapon that injured him??it’s not that i care, but plotwise, it’s important