Chapter 25
“It’s clearly not something dragon masters would use, so I wonder if His Highness the Crown Prince knew that the Dragon Knight Antonio was using such a weapon?”
Carl shook his head, still gripping his arm tightly.
“That’s impossible. My brother is very different from me. He despises dragon hunters… There’s no way he would have allowed such a weapon.”
Sian nodded at Carl’s answer.
“So it was Antonio’s independent action.”
As she spoke, Sian closed the lid of the box. As if the box had been cursed, the chill tormenting Carl immediately subsided.
Finally able to breathe properly, Carl, still pale, took deep breaths. Only then did he realize that he had barely been able to breathe until now.
“If I hadn’t found you, you would surely have died. Not from the wound, but from the poison emitted by this weapon.”
“…So that’s why you asked before who had attacked me.”
“That’s right. I roughly know the situation that any imperial citizen would know, but I don’t know what kind of people the Crown Prince or the Dragon Knight Antonio are. I needed to confirm.”
Carl shook his head slightly at Sian’s words, as if trying to shake off the remaining chill. It took a while after the chill had dissipated for calmness to slowly, gradually return.
“Between what Daram said and what you’re saying, the story seems to be flowing quite clearly in one direction.”
Finally feeling the tension that had stiffened his shoulders ease a bit, Carl let out another long, deep sigh.
“…It’s quite an important piece of evidence. But I absolutely don’t have the confidence to take it…”
Carl narrowed his eyes, looking at the box Sian was holding.
“…Are you alright, Lady?”
Isn’t she a dragon’s master?
Given Idelin’s reaction and the chill affecting him even though he wasn’t directly holding it, if Sian were a dragon’s master, she should normally be experiencing the same sensations as him.
Even if she were pretending not to know, the bone-deep chill was absolutely not something that could be hidden or endured.
Carl swallowed another question. In many ways, he suspected that Sian might also be a dragon’s master, but if she were, she couldn’t handle that terrible object with such a calm expression and attitude.
“I’m fine. I’m not a dragon’s master, after all.”
Sian smiled casually at Carl’s question.
“Actually, I couldn’t speak rashly about this earlier because I was worried about this kind of reaction. I’m sorry to have to say this after having the honor of greeting the glorious Idelin.”
“No. It was perfect timing.”
Carl exhaled heavily as he spoke.
“Thanks to you, I’ve learned more vividly than any explanation could convey just how terrible an object it is.”
“I’m grateful if you can accept it that way.”
Unlike Carl, who was still struggling to escape the poisonous energy emitted by the living dragon bone, Sian smiled brightly.
But Carl was in no mood to smile.
Not a dragon’s master, she says. Then what on earth is the true identity of the woman before him?
“Then I’ll continue to keep this. Even in the box, it’s like a living poison to you.”
“Please do…”
As he answered, Carl furrowed his brow, feeling like his head was becoming tangled like a complex skein of thread.
“Our castle wall patrol duty was supposed to be tomorrow afternoon, right? Well, since the night has grown too deep, let’s get some sleep now. Then after we finish our work tomorrow, we’ll wait for night again and move quickly.”
Sian put the box back deep into her travel bundle. Carl had no choice but to follow Sian’s lead as she efficiently organized the situation.
* * *
As Sian had said, despite Carl’s complex and bewildered state of mind, the morning sun rose without fail.
It seemed highly likely that the attempt on his life was Dragon Knight Antonio’s independent action. If so, why had the Crown Prince attacked Ivarid as if to kill him, bringing along the Marquis and Antonio?
And then there was Sian, deducing everything so naturally about it. Seeing her handle the living dragon bone so casually, it seemed almost certain that she wasn’t a dragon’s master. If so, what was the true identity of this woman who knew more about dragon ecology than the average person?
Unable to make sense of everything that had befallen him, Carl found it difficult to fall asleep, his mind filled with endless questions.
Only Sian seemed composed.
Looking at the castle plans Carl had drawn, Sian had moved silently alone late at night. Apparently tired from sneaking in to avoid people’s eyes, she quickly fell asleep.
Carl, watching Sian sleep in the cramped shared quarters of the maids, was lost in thoughts that yielded no answers.
To be precise, he had been lost in thought.
It seemed that materializing Idelin’s form with his not-yet-fully-recovered body had been too much for him as well.
He thought he had been deep in thought, but when he opened his eyes, morning sunlight was pouring in through the window. The candle he had lit all night had already melted, leaving only a puddle of wax and a burnt wick.
…When did I fall asleep?
Carl could only blink in confusion at the startling situation of opening his eyes to find it was morning. There was an even more bewildering situation.
The maid’s quarters, meant for six people, had three small bunk beds tightly arranged on three sides. There was a round table in the center where one could rest briefly.
The room was narrow, but there were plenty of places to sleep. Sian had claimed a bed far away and bid him good night. In Carl’s memory, that had just happened moments ago.
However, currently, he was pressed against the wall, unable to move any further into the corner. The sound of gentle breathing fluttered right in front of his nose.
Like dragon scales that emit their own light, Sian’s fine platinum blonde hair shimmered luxuriously in the morning sunlight.
…How did we end up in this position?
Sian, who had fallen asleep on the opposite bed, was now sleeping using Carl’s arm as a pillow for some reason. Carl carefully retraced his memories, hardly daring to breathe for fear of waking Sian.
So, he remembered Sian lying down on the opposite bed, saying good night and turning over, but…
Carl craned his neck to look around. This was undoubtedly the bed he had claimed from the start. Which meant that Sian, who had fallen asleep on the opposite bed, had somehow come over to his bed at some point.
My, my. What an incorrigible woman.
Carl could only shake his head internally, unable to move like a doll.
‘Even if you become Emperor, you really won’t be able to handle me.’
To boldly reject someone like that and then sneak into their arms while asleep. How adorable.
Surely Sian must be deeply infatuated with him. Satisfied with this fact, Carl rolled his eyes with a pleased smile.
Unable to use the bathhouse freely as an infiltrating mercenary, it seemed he hadn’t bathed properly in quite some time, yet Sian’s disheveled hair emitted an inexplicably fragrant scent.
It was completely different from men who reek after just one day without washing – the very air around her skin and hair was different.
Are all women like this?
Feeling as if he were observing a strange animal, Carl stared at the sleeping Sian for a long time. Her eyelashes were quite long. Her lips, gently breathing in sleep, were a lovely rose color with a healthy glow.
She seemed to change her lipstick color daily according to her mood – what color does she apply before bed?
As Carl was lost in thought, Sian furrowed her neat eyebrows and shifted her body.
Though he hadn’t done anything wrong, Carl instinctively stiffened as if guilty. Cold sweat quickly formed on his back.
What if she misunderstands when she opens her eyes? She probably will.
To wake up and find the man she had just rejected offering his arm and sleeping while embracing her. She would naturally think that he, harboring ulterior motives, had pulled her into his arms first.
What should I do?
Throwing a woman off seemed ungentlemanly, but if he stayed like this, he’d be lucky to escape with just a slap when she opened her eyes.
As Carl deliberated, Sian, who had been shifting, rubbed her eyes as if about to wake up. There wasn’t much time. She would wake up soon. So, before Sian fully regained consciousness, Carl carefully moved his fingertips, trying to at least remove his arm.
But who knows how long he had been sleeping with his arm extended like that – far from moving according to his will, his fingertips only caused a terrible shudder as if struck by magic.
Ugh, Carl barely managed to suppress a groan that almost escaped his lips. From his forearm wrapped in fragrant hair to his fingertips, there was no sensation left at all. There was only a tingling pain all over.
As Carl twisted his limbs in pain from his numb arm, biting his innocent lips, Sian, who had been rubbing her eyes, far from waking up, tightly embraced Carl and snuggled into his chest, seeking warmth.
A startled breath caught in Carl’s throat. The fragrant scent, the warm temperature, the soft body clinging defensively.
His eyes spun at these unfamiliar sensations.
Unable to push her away, yet unable to embrace her further, he was pondering what to do. Sian’s disheveled hair tickled his cheek as she moved.
He could somehow endure the pain in his numb arm, but it was impossible to bear the tickling. As Carl was having an internal struggle, unable to do this or that, Sian’s downcast eyelashes trembled, sensing something amiss.
Carl felt a chill run down his spine.
She’s waking up!
Flustered, Carl abruptly pushed away Sian, who had burrowed into his arms, with the arm that wasn’t numb.
It wasn’t an intentional act. Only after moving unconsciously, his patience worn thin by embarrassment and tickling, did Carl belatedly realize his mistake.
With perfect timing, Sian opened her eyes at that very moment. Pushed off the narrow bed, Sian’s eyes, not yet fully awake, widened. Carl’s mouth fell open.
As if time had malfunctioned, Sian’s figure, suspended in mid-air just before falling to the floor, appeared frozen to Carl’s eyes.
THUD—!
Soon, Sian’s body crashed helplessly to the floor with a loud noise.
* * *
