It had been almost a week since Yohan and Rudella left for Sanburg.
Sensing something unusual, the imperial family hurriedly dispatched civil officials and knights.
This was because no response had come from the envoy, and communication from that side had been cut off.
Thus, a reconnaissance team was formed.
Led by the new deputy director of the second civil officer, Ricard, many volunteers who had voluntarily joined to search for Yohan were part of it.
“The route should be right here, but this is troublesome.”
Ricard, who was leading the group on horseback, said as he looked around.
It seemed that the heavy rainfall from the past few days had erased any traces of movement.
“Let’s keep going. We’re getting close to the border and Sanburg. If communication was cut off, something must have happened.”
The civil officer next to him spoke, and Ricard nodded before refocusing on the search.
However, no progress was made.
Even the detection-type mages had found nothing.
Then,
Clatter, clatter!
A knight who had been scouting ahead returned.
“Deputy director, the bridge connecting the cliffs has been blown up.”
“The bridge has been blown up?”
Ricard’s expression stiffened, and a sense of foreboding crept up his spine.
“Let’s go immediately. Full speed ahead, everyone! Head for the bridge!”
As the horses galloped, the sound of armor and helmets clashing echoed.
Above them, the golden flag of the Rogino Empire fluttered in the wind.
Arriving at the bridge, Ricard stared grimly at the cliffs.
The remnants of the explosion were clear.
“The possibility of falling below is high.”
“That’s right.”
“Hmmm.”
Ricard rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
Honestly, the chances of survival were close to zero.
Who could survive after being caught in an explosion and falling from such a height?
Even though Yohan Harssen was a highly skilled mage, surviving here seemed nearly impossible.
He hoped there might be survivors, but even that hope was faint.
“Let’s investigate below.”
At that moment, a woman with a cold expression spoke.
It was Francia.
“…Alright. We still need to recover the bodies.”
Ricard didn’t think those who went to Sanburg were alive, but Francia thought differently.
“Yohan is definitely alive.”
She wasn’t sure about Rudella Bismark, but Yohan would never die here.
He had the Rubyian.
An artifact that helped him escape from death seven times.
If he had that, he would likely survive the explosion and fall, ‘luckily.’
“Spread out! Find the way down the cliff!”
“-Yes!”
The civil officials and knights quickly moved under Ricard’s orders.
By the time Yohan had made up his mind, he had come out of the cave beneath the cliff to check outside.
It had been six days since he left the palace, so the rescue team should be arriving soon.
“Should I shoot a big spell?”
Yohan murmured quietly as he stared blankly at the sky.
The best way to signal his location was to shoot magic into the sky.
If he created a strong enough wave, even detection mages would be able to find him, and visually, his location would be clear.
“Let’s shoot a rupture point.”
As Yohan raised his hand, a black sphere appeared and began to vibrate violently.
The sphere shot up into the sky.
Boom!
The black sphere exploded brightly in the sky.
The remnants of the magic scattered like sparks, coloring the heavens.
‘That should signal my location.’
Though there was a possibility that the assassins who blew up the bridge were still around, they hadn’t appeared even after the magical traces were left behind, so it was safe to assume they were gone.
Yohan returned to the cave, where Rudella was quietly curled up, hugging her knees and gently dozing.
“Lady Bismark.”
“…Hmm.”
Rudella rubbed her eyes sleepily and looked up.
Yohan pointed toward the entrance of the cave.
“It’s time to go.”
“Is it time to go back…?”
Rudella sighed lightly and stood up.
Her face seemed to show a hint of regret, but maybe it was just his imagination.
“It’s been exactly five days since we arrived at this cave. Now that we’ve signaled our location, the rescue team will arrive soon.”
“I see…”
She nodded slowly and moved closer to Yohan.
She gently took his hand, though he didn’t pay much attention to it.
Rudella’s anxiety was growing, so this small gesture was the only way to calm her.
Yohan and Rudella arrived at the spot where he had shot the rupture point.
They found a smooth rock and sat down.
“We found it!”
A civil officer who had come down the cliff met them.
With his help, Yohan and Rudella safely made it back to the top of the cliff.
When Yohan appeared before the group of civil officials, Francia’s eyes widened, and she rushed toward him.
“Yohan!”
“Francia.”
Francia, who had run toward him, embraced Yohan.
In that moment, all her suppressed tension melted away.
She buried her face in his chest and whispered in a trembling voice.
“I’m so glad. Really.”
Although there was a strange scent like that of lilies, the familiar voice and the warmth surrounding her made her realize he was alive.
She struggled to hold back tears.
Yohan awkwardly patted her head.
“I smell bad.”
“You don’t smell at all…”
Despite not having bathed for days and being soaked in rain, Francia didn’t pull away from Yohan.
“Blood…”
Francia finally noticed the bloodstains on Yohan’s body and asked with trembling eyes,
“Where are you hurt?”
“My side… a little.”
“Let me see it immediately.”
Without waiting for his answer, Francia, as if she had done this before, unbuttoned his clothes and removed the black dress she had wrapped around his waist.
“My goodness.”
A large wound was visible on Yohan’s side.
Though it wasn’t deep enough for his intestines to spill out, it had bled quite a bit.
“I’ll treat it right away.”
Francia’s hands came together, and a warm magic aura emanated.
It was a healing magic rare even in the entire world.
The wound quickly began to heal.
As expected of the heroine, she was incredibly skilled.
“Your face is pale.”
“I’ll be fine after I rest.”
“Really?”
Francia buried her face in Yohan’s chest again and gently rubbed her cheek.
“I’m so glad you’re safe.”
“I’m glad to see you again too, Francia.”
Yohan’s answer was curt and lacked sincerity.
Francia looked at him, and his eyes were tired and blurry.
“I’m sorry. I’ve been holding on to you for too long without realizing it.”
Just as Francia was helping Yohan to the carriage,
“Harssen, the grand mage.”
It was Rudella Bismark calling him.
Unlike Yohan, she looked fine, though a little pale.
“Oh, Lady Bismark. What is it?”
Yohan looked at her as he staggered.
Rudella seemed to have something to say, but her lips just moved without speaking.
Rudella looked away, gently stroking her wrist.
Her red ears seemed to indicate her inner feelings.
“…Can I call you like this again?”
It was a courageous question.
Though she didn’t say everything she wanted, the purpose was clear.
Rudella couldn’t hide her anxiety and pressed her wrist tightly.
“Of course. Don’t you remember what I told you about using tricks?”
At this, Rudella’s eyes widened.
She quickly answered as she looked at Yohan.
“Of course.”
“Then do as you wish. I’ll be waiting.”
At Yohan’s light smile, Rudella swallowed and placed her hand on her chest.
The small tremor she had tried to suppress passed through her fingertips, and she was startled.
An unknown desire and longing slowly began to bloom in Rudella’s heart.
Francia, realizing that something was off, narrowed her eyes and alternated her gaze between the two.
This was clearly strange.
The look in Rudella’s eyes as she gazed at Yohan was filled with sweet emotions.
It was an attraction that only another woman could understand, a rational kind of affection.
“What is this…?”
Her voice had a cold, subdued tone.
Yohan tilted his head with a relaxed expression.
“What do you mean?”
“With Lady Bismark… No, never mind.”
But Francia shook her head and swallowed her words.
Given Yohan’s condition, it wasn’t the time to discuss trivial matters.
“Let’s go to the carriage quickly.”
With Francia’s support, Yohan got into the carriage that the officials had brought.
It was different from a normal carriage, perhaps because it was one meant to carry an injured person.
“Rest comfortably.”
“Francia.” Yohan murmured, “Thank you.”
“There’s no need to thank me for this much.”
After Francia left, Yohan, lying on his back on the cushions, finally relaxed his tense body.
Sleep overwhelmed him, and his eyelids naturally closed.
Rudella, sitting next to him, glanced at Yohan’s face and stiffened.
The way his exhausted eyelids slowly closed, the soft curve of his mouth, held her gaze.
‘Are they lovers…?’
In her mind, the image of the Duchess of Ferbache, who had been held in Yohan’s arms earlier, lingered.
Honestly, she felt envious of anyone who could be in a relationship with a man like Yohan.
‘I want to take him away.’
The thought popped into her mind, and she was startled, instinctively swallowing a sigh.
A longing, almost suffocating, swelled in her chest, but she suppressed the thought with cold rationality.
‘It wouldn’t be possible.’
Her status as the Crown Princess, the weight of the Bismark family, and the fact that he was the lover of the Duchess of Ferbache were deeply engraved in her mind.
Reality had bound her tightly.
“Are you not tired?”
At that moment, Yohan turned his gaze toward her.
The loose, unguarded look in his eyes felt vulnerable, and Rudella swallowed again.
The strange, decadent charm visible in his languid expression shook her composure.
“…What could I possibly be tired from? You did everything for me.”
“Protecting the Bismark family is something I should have done.”
His indifferent words shattered her heart.
Rudella, feeling the heat rise on her face, hugged her knees tightly and hid her flushed face with her long silver hair.
Yohan added more.
“There’s likely stress-related fatigue. Now that we’re safe, rest comfortably.”
“Yes, I suppose I should…” Rudella replied, pressing her hand to her chest, trying to calm her rapidly beating heart.
Even though she tried to suppress her feelings, it was difficult to hide the desire when looking at his face.
She swallowed.
In that moment, Rudella felt an impulse that made her think her rationality was crumbling.
If she weren’t a Bismark, could she have been with him?
What if she broke off her engagement with the Crown Prince now and was cut off from her family?
Could she live her life with Yohan Harssen?
These reckless thoughts rose in her mind, and with them, a mixture of anxiety and desire stirred in her chest.
“…I can’t.”
But when Rudella judged these thoughts to be foolish, she shook her head.
It was a forbidden emotion she shouldn’t even imagine.
She was the Crown Princess.
He had a lover he loved deeply.
The image of Yohan and the Duchess of Ferbache looking at each other resurfaced in her mind.
The solid trust between them, and the unwavering affection he showed toward Francia.
Everything felt like an unreachable reality to Rudella.
A thirst-like jealousy surged up deep inside her.
She envied the Duchess of Ferbache.
She was so envious.
She was insanely envious.
This was the strongest desire she’d ever felt.
Even when the Crown Prince had rolled in bed with other women, she was shocked, but she never felt jealousy…
‘…Am I going crazy?’
After spending just a week with Yohan, it seemed like her mind had turned upside down.
Rudella hid her feelings.
She was used to swallowing and suppressing her emotions.
But.
But as Yohan had said, perhaps it wouldn’t hurt to spend some time together occasionally, even if it wasn’t crossing the line?
For the first time, Rudella allowed herself some desire.
She convinced herself that it wouldn’t be a problem if it were just for a short while, and looked at his face.
For the moment she was truly with him, Rudella acknowledged her longing and whispered:
“Rest well, Yohan.”
Rudella slowly closed her eyes, hoping that this impulse would not transform into an eternal longing.