Chapter 16
About two steps by Daphne’s stride. If she reached out, she felt like she could touch him. Barely reaching his shoulder, Daphne had to lift her chin to meet his eyes. He was that tall.
“So, General…”
He only narrowed his eyes, neither flinching nor stepping back. He had the composure of someone who could subdue a frail woman at any moment.
“Were you waiting to capture me?”
“…Ha.”
As if perceiving it as a provocation, he let out an irritated chuckle. Of course, it was half a provocation.
“Then why did you come out?”
“……”
Johannes didn’t answer immediately. Of course, he had no obligation to answer every question from an enemy princess. Daphne hadn’t expected a proper answer when she asked.
“I am no longer the commander of the Inacos Allied Forces.”
Daphne blinked a few times at the unexpected answer. Meanwhile, he continued,
“Itium will be leaving Bellares soon.”
Daphne’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Leaving? Does that mean the war is over?”
“Only for Itium.”
“Ah…”
Daphne, momentarily buoyed by hope, was at a loss for words, caught in a mix of emotions. Silence fell between them. After a while, Johannes, who had been silently staring at her with her gaze lowered, looked away and said casually,
“It will be difficult for the Allied Forces to win the war without Itium.”
Daphne’s gaze naturally returned to him. Sensing her gaze, he added,
“It won’t be helpful to me in any way if the princess of Bellares wanders outside the castle and becomes a prisoner of the Allied Forces.”
As he said, the princess was Bellares’ most powerful asset. If the princess wandered outside the castle and became a prisoner of the Allied Forces, the tide of war could definitely turn in their favor. Daphne replied as if talking to herself,
“…You don’t want the Allied Forces to win.”
Johannes looked back at Daphne with a slightly surprised expression, as if he couldn’t understand what she meant. Their eyes met, and Daphne, the corners of her lips curving up faintly, trailed off,
“That’s why you came out…”
Johannes, after looking at her with a complex gaze, looked away again and muttered quietly,
“Surveillance. That’s the only reason I came to the forest.”
Daphne repeated in Bellares, as if confirming his meaning,
“Surveillance?”
“Yes. I’m watching you.”
Not guarding me? Daphne almost asked that back.
“…I see. Surveillance, that’s all, right?”
“That’s all.”
Daphne nodded as if she understood, slightly biting her lip to suppress the laughter that kept trying to escape.
“……”
But her opponent was ‘Johannes Tennan.’ A sharp gaze immediately shot towards her. Daphne looked up at the sky to hold back her laughter.
He must think I’m a strange woman again. But what did it matter?
The sky, as dawn approached, was beginning to show color, and the starlight was fading. The wind that ruffled her hair was warmer than yesterday. It was the beginning of summer. And probably around the end of this season, a new Equilla would come to take her as his bride.
Daphne tucked her windblown hair behind her ear and looked at Johannes again. The wind that had rustled past her seemed to have disheveled him as well, revealing his white forehead, which had been half-hidden by his black hair.
Even such trivial things felt special. Meeting him was definitely a special event in their beast-like lives. The fact that Johannes Tennan had a soft spot might be the first and last gift from God.
She had a vague feeling that something would change. Somehow, in a good way.
She didn’t want to miss Johannes Tennan, this opportunity.
“Then do what you have to do. I can’t wait long.”
Just as Johannes turned as if their business was concluded, Daphne said in an innocent voice,
“But I have to go back now.”
“……”
“I have to go back before sunrise. Otherwise, my maid will find out.”
“……”
“If I want to find ‘the dagger you threw away,’ I have no choice but to come to the forest again…”
With each word Daphne spoke, Johannes’s face progressively contorted, finally settling into a completely exasperated expression. So there would be a next time. That’s what his face seemed to say.
He didn’t bother hiding his expression, perhaps because he underestimated her. And the more he reacted, the more Daphne smiled innocently.
“When do you set sail?”
Johannes, sensing the impending doom, seemed reluctant to answer, but finally opened his mouth.
“…A month from now.”
“Ah, perfect.”
“…What?”
Daphne didn’t give him any more time to think.
“I should be able to find it by then.”
“……”
“Then, Johan.”
Johannes finally froze at the unexpectedly familiar nickname. Daphne shrugged, feeling a strange sense of victory.
“Even if you’re no longer the commander of the Allied Forces, I’m still a princess of the enemy nation, aren’t I? It would be more convenient to set aside our backgrounds here, and Johannes is too long.”
“……”
Johannes just frowned, his mouth open as if unsure where to begin his objections. And before he could collect his thoughts,
“Two days from now. Same time.”
I’ll come to the forest.
Daphne whispered and turned around abruptly, breaking into a run. The times she had run in her life could be counted on one hand. This would be the third or fourth time. It must have looked very awkward, but she didn’t care. To him, she was already a crazy woman, so what did it matter?
Just a short run left her breathless, her chest burning. Daphne stopped for a moment, clutching her knees and gasping for air. Then she suddenly turned around. He was still standing there. Of course, his expression was terrible.
Hahaha.
Daphne’s clear laughter echoed through the dim forest. She waved at his increasingly distorted face.
💎
“Two days from now. I’ll come to the forest again.”
He could have just ignored her. However, Johannes found it difficult to ignore Daphne. He pondered the reason, which he couldn’t clearly explain. And soon, he found a reason he could accept.
‘It would be troublesome if that woman fell into Henrik’s hands and the Allied Forces won while I’m gone.’
Having convinced himself, Johannes, feeling somewhat relieved, visited the forest again. Two days later, as she had said.
“……”
The sun had almost risen above the sea, and the day was beginning to brighten. But she didn’t appear. Johannes waited a little longer.
‘Could she not understand what “two days from now” means?’
Since his counterpart was the ‘half-witted’ princess, Johannes considered various possibilities.
‘…Is she too scared to come out?’
If so, that was his intention. But he didn’t feel entirely satisfied. Meanwhile, the day had fully broken. He seemed to have been stood up. Was that why he felt dumbfounded and strangely annoyed…?
Having returned to the barracks and spent the whole day thinking about the princess, Johannes ended up visiting the night forest again the next day.
I’m the crazy one. He was about to let out a self-deprecating chuckle while looking at the silver lake bathed in moonlight. Rustle, rustle. He heard the sound of footsteps on damp earth and grass, and thin branches.
‘It’s her.’
Johannes felt his nerves tense. She was a frail woman, but he felt more tense around her than any other enemy. It was difficult to understand.
‘…But she really came to the forest again? Did she even hear what I said?’
Soon, anger surged at the woman’s foolishness.
What was he supposed to do with this woman? If he found what she was looking for, would she stop coming to the forest? Then he should help her find it quickly and…
“But I have to go back now.”
Johannes felt a sense of helplessness. Having spent eight years dealing only with soldiers who froze and lost their composure in his presence, this enemy woman, who smiled mysteriously with an ambiguous expression, was too much for him.
“Then, Johan.”
…She was truly difficult.
