***
As the sky turned pitch black, the crow only wandered around the sky.
Cardan hastened his steps.
If he can’t rely on the crow, he has no choice but to run and find her himself.
“Damn it.”
He almost blamed Erina for why she was getting caught up in this every time.
Once he gets her back, she will never let her be out of his sight again.
At that time, the crow seemed to have found a lead, so it cried loudly.
As soon as the crow cried, the barking of dogs came from afar.
Cardan started running, chewing on a curse again.
He hopes it’s not too late this time.
***
At first, I could barely float with a few branches because the lake was different from the sea.
Unlike the sea, which has stronger buoyancy thanks to its saltiness, it was easier to sink in fresh water even after a short rest.
If the rain and wind hadn’t stopped miraculously, I might have drowned.
When I swam and barely reached the shore, I immediately collapsed in exhaustion.
Until someone stepped on my belly.
“Kyaaaah!”
The terrible scream soon turned into sobbing.
“I can’t do it, I can’t do it anymore.
I’m the one who was stepped on.
“Oh, my ears are falling off.”
Janet barely recognized me as I grumbled and stood up.
“D, Duke of Baloa…?”
Janet’s face was full of tears that stood out in the dark.
“Yes.”
I answered curtly.
I didn’t know it in my previous life, but my personality seemed to deteriorate whenever I overcome the crisis of death.
I didn’t know because I’d never had a life-or-death situation in my previous life.
With such bitter thoughts, I shook my seat and stood up.
“What are you doing here?”
Even in the sudden summer, Janet only blazed her eyes.
“I followed His Majesty into the forest, but I got lost…….
The end of her voice trembled slightly and tears began to flow again.
“Don’t cry.”
I patted Janet on the back awkwardly because I thought I was being too cold.
Then Janet burst into tears as I hugged her.
“Huhuek.
“Sorry, it’s wet.”
As she hugged Janet awkwardly and patted her back for a long time, her tears gradually subsided.
“Well, we can go back……?”
“Sure.
I scoured the lake for flint, distancing myself moderately from Janet.
When I untied my belt and hit some stones with my buckle, I quickly found a stone that ignited a fire.
“Let’s camp here today.”
“Y, yes….”
It was difficult to find the right firewood because of the pouring rain.
If it weren’t for Janet, who keeps crying because she’s cold, I would have stopped everything and laid down on the floor whether I caught a cold or not.
However, in order not to hear her sniffling sounds, I collected firewood.
After a long time like that, Janet quickly calmed down when I managed to make a fire.
“I’m sorry for being rude, Duke Baloa.
As she said this, Janet moved closer to me.
“It’s okay.
I waved my hand as I stroked my still throbbing stomach.
Janet grabbed one of my arms and crossed it with hers.
I tried to pull my arm out naturally, but I failed.
“How did the Duke come to this remote place? Looks like you’re drowning….”
At the same time, her tone was aristocratic and calm.
“Because of Madam’s brother.”
Janet flinched when I replied indifferently.
“W, why…? Did he… did he try to drown the Duke?”
It was a pretty extreme conclusion.
“No, there was an accident while we were hunting.
Janet sighed.
Is it my illusion that it sounds like a sigh of relief?
But before further questioning, Janet opened her mouth.
“Thanks to the Duke, I was able to get closer to His Majesty today.”
“Really?”
“Yes.
Janet’s nodding expression made me feel proud at first glance.
Her expression didn’t show whether she felt happy that their relationship had progressed or whether she was happy to be one step closer to carrying out the Empress Dowager’s mission.
“What do you think of His Majesty?”
I had no choice but to ask.
“He’s a wonderful person.”
A red flush came to Janet’s face, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
At first glance, she looked like a girl in love.
Yet I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was a subtle disconnect from her true heart.
“I’ve never seen anyone as handsome as His Majesty.”
As soon as I saw Janet’s eyes twinkling like a star, I noticed it.
It wasn’t love, it wasn’t excitement, it wasn’t infatuation.
It was just pure admiration for beauty.
Before I could think more about this, Janet asked the opposite question.
“What about the Duke? What do you think of His Majesty?”
“What?”
Janet glanced at me.
“His Majesty seems to care about the Duke a lot.”
“Ah…”
Even though I was being poorly interrogated, I felt like I had been stabbed.
I immediately shrugged my shoulders deftly.
“There is no servant in the Hithronian Empire who is better off than I am.”
However, this pun was useless in the face of Janet’s innocence.
“No, not like that.
It’s not like they are girls sharing secrets at a retreat.
I laughed vainly
“It’s not like that.”
Why wouldn’t I not know?
His habit of continuing to hover beside me, his gaze that looks at me with affection when I suddenly turn my head, and his sarcastic but unknowingly loose mouth.
However, I was able to affirm this without a single lie.
“His Majesty has no heart for me.”
Because I knew.
That the affection was not directed at me, but toward Erina from his childhood in his memory.
I was taking over her body, but I could never be her.
Erina is dead.
So there would be no more terrible deception than accepting Cardan’s heart with her face masked.
(t/n: Ah my heart is breaking)
“Don’t worry about me for nothing and get along well with His Majesty.”
Janet blinking her clear eyes made me laugh.
For a moment, I wondered if Erina from her childhood, who Cardan was looking for, had that same face.
I didn’t know.
But I think she was.
Therefore, Cardan should forget Erina as the original and connect with Janet instead.
I truly think so.
I lay down before Janet asked me anything else.
I didn’t want to talk about this any more.
“Let’s get some sleep first. r ead on ly at sal mon la tt e. com This anno ying wa te rmark is n ot th ere.I think we’ll have to walk a lot tomorrow.”r ead on ly at sal mon la tt e. com This anno ying wa te rmark is n ot th ere.
Then the cries of the dogs came faintly from afar.
I jumped to my feet at a familiar sound.
Janet recognized it right away.
“Huh…? My brother’s hounds?”
Fear flashed across her eyes.
The next moment I could see why.
Until they found me, the hounds that approached me wagging their tails changed their eyes as soon as they saw Janet.
Just like a wolf seeking food.
“Oh, no.”
The moment Janet stepped back, the dogs rushed in.
There was no time to worry.
I immediately embraced Janet.
Maybe it’s because of the weak hope that I, whom it doesn’t recognize as a prey, would make it a little better if I stepped in.
Maybe it’s just out of sympathy for Janet, but all of a sudden I blew myself away.
And the next moment, my legs became hot as if they were on fire.
Unlike one dog who stepped back as I wished, the other dog finally bit me.
Janet’s screams, dog barking, a voice like Prince Momad’s, crow’s cry, dizzyingly burning legs.
When everything came at once, not even a moan broke out.
I need to get that dog off me.
My body was only slowly crumbling down.
Sureung—
Then in an instant, the pressure that was crushing my legs disappeared.
And someone snatched my collapsing body.
“Erina.”
The voice calling for me was tense as if it was about to break, but strangely, it sounded only soft.
As my body lifted, a harsh sound of breathing crossed my ears.
“I’m an idiot.”
There were some unintelligible words buzzing around, but I let myself sit still.
Familiar body temperature, familiar body scent.
I was relieved surprisingly quickly even though I knew I shouldn’t be like this.
Then I buried my face in Cardan’s arms.
It was a long and hard day, so I thought I could lean on someone for a moment.
***
As the sky turned pitch black, the crow only wandered around the sky.
Cardan hastened his steps.
If he can’t rely on the crow, he has no choice but to run and find her himself.
“Damn it.”
He almost blamed Erina for why she was getting caught up in this every time.
Once he gets her back, she will never let her be out of his sight again.
At that time, the crow seemed to have found a lead, so it cried loudly.
As soon as the crow cried, the barking of dogs came from afar.
Cardan started running, chewing on a curse again.
He hopes it’s not too late this time.
***
At first, I could barely float with a few branches because the lake was different from the sea.
Unlike the sea, which has stronger buoyancy thanks to its saltiness, it was easier to sink in fresh water even after a short rest.
If the rain and wind hadn’t stopped miraculously, I might have drowned.
When I swam and barely reached the shore, I immediately collapsed in exhaustion.
Until someone stepped on my belly.
“Kyaaaah!”
The terrible scream soon turned into sobbing.
“I can’t do it, I can’t do it anymore.
I’m the one who was stepped on.
“Oh, my ears are falling off.”
Janet barely recognized me as I grumbled and stood up.
“D, Duke of Baloa…?”
Janet’s face was full of tears that stood out in the dark.
“Yes.”
I answered curtly.
I didn’t know it in my previous life, but my personality seemed to deteriorate whenever I overcome the crisis of death.
I didn’t know because I’d never had a life-or-death situation in my previous life.
With such bitter thoughts, I shook my seat and stood up.
“What are you doing here?”
Even in the sudden summer, Janet only blazed her eyes.
“I followed His Majesty into the forest, but I got lost…….
The end of her voice trembled slightly and tears began to flow again.
“Don’t cry.”
I patted Janet on the back awkwardly because I thought I was being too cold.
Then Janet burst into tears as I hugged her.
“Huhuek.
“Sorry, it’s wet.”
As she hugged Janet awkwardly and patted her back for a long time, her tears gradually subsided.
“Well, we can go back……?”
“Sure.
I scoured the lake for flint, distancing myself moderately from Janet.
When I untied my belt and hit some stones with my buckle, I quickly found a stone that ignited a fire.
“Let’s camp here today.”
“Y, yes….”
It was difficult to find the right firewood because of the pouring rain.
If it weren’t for Janet, who keeps crying because she’s cold, I would have stopped everything and laid down on the floor whether I caught a cold or not.
However, in order not to hear her sniffling sounds, I collected firewood.
After a long time like that, Janet quickly calmed down when I managed to make a fire.
“I’m sorry for being rude, Duke Baloa.
As she said this, Janet moved closer to me.
“It’s okay.
I waved my hand as I stroked my still throbbing stomach.
Janet grabbed one of my arms and crossed it with hers.
I tried to pull my arm out naturally, but I failed.
“How did the Duke come to this remote place? Looks like you’re drowning….”
At the same time, her tone was aristocratic and calm.
“Because of Madam’s brother.”
Janet flinched when I replied indifferently.
“W, why…? Did he… did he try to drown the Duke?”
It was a pretty extreme conclusion.
“No, there was an accident while we were hunting.
Janet sighed.
Is it my illusion that it sounds like a sigh of relief?
But before further questioning, Janet opened her mouth.
“Thanks to the Duke, I was able to get closer to His Majesty today.”
“Really?”
“Yes.
Janet’s nodding expression made me feel proud at first glance.
Her expression didn’t show whether she felt happy that their relationship had progressed or whether she was happy to be one step closer to carrying out the Empress Dowager’s mission.
“What do you think of His Majesty?”
I had no choice but to ask.
“He’s a wonderful person.”
A red flush came to Janet’s face, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
At first glance, she looked like a girl in love.
Yet I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was a subtle disconnect from her true heart.
“I’ve never seen anyone as handsome as His Majesty.”
As soon as I saw Janet’s eyes twinkling like a star, I noticed it.
It wasn’t love, it wasn’t excitement, it wasn’t infatuation.
It was just pure admiration for beauty.
Before I could think more about this, Janet asked the opposite question.
“What about the Duke? What do you think of His Majesty?”
“What?”
Janet glanced at me.
“His Majesty seems to care about the Duke a lot.”
“Ah…”
Even though I was being poorly interrogated, I felt like I had been stabbed.
I immediately shrugged my shoulders deftly.
“There is no servant in the Hithronian Empire who is better off than I am.”
However, this pun was useless in the face of Janet’s innocence.
“No, not like that.
It’s not like they are girls sharing secrets at a retreat.
I laughed vainly
“It’s not like that.”
Why wouldn’t I not know?
His habit of continuing to hover beside me, his gaze that looks at me with affection when I suddenly turn my head, and his sarcastic but unknowingly loose mouth.
However, I was able to affirm this without a single lie.
“His Majesty has no heart for me.”
Because I knew.
That the affection was not directed at me, but toward Erina from his childhood in his memory.
I was taking over her body, but I could never be her.
Erina is dead.
So there would be no more terrible deception than accepting Cardan’s heart with her face masked.
(t/n: Ah my heart is breaking)
“Don’t worry about me for nothing and get along well with His Majesty.”
Janet blinking her clear eyes made me laugh.
For a moment, I wondered if Erina from her childhood, who Cardan was looking for, had that same face.
I didn’t know.
But I think she was.
Therefore, Cardan should forget Erina as the original and connect with Janet instead.
I truly think so.
I lay down before Janet asked me anything else.
I didn’t want to talk about this any more.
“Let’s get some sleep first. r ead on ly at sal mon la tt e. com This anno ying wa te rmark is n ot th ere.I think we’ll have to walk a lot tomorrow.”r ead on ly at sal mon la tt e. com This anno ying wa te rmark is n ot th ere.
Then the cries of the dogs came faintly from afar.
I jumped to my feet at a familiar sound.
Janet recognized it right away.
“Huh…? My brother’s hounds?”
Fear flashed across her eyes.
The next moment I could see why.
Until they found me, the hounds that approached me wagging their tails changed their eyes as soon as they saw Janet.
Just like a wolf seeking food.
“Oh, no.”
The moment Janet stepped back, the dogs rushed in.
There was no time to worry.
I immediately embraced Janet.
Maybe it’s because of the weak hope that I, whom it doesn’t recognize as a prey, would make it a little better if I stepped in.
Maybe it’s just out of sympathy for Janet, but all of a sudden I blew myself away.
And the next moment, my legs became hot as if they were on fire.
Unlike one dog who stepped back as I wished, the other dog finally bit me.
Janet’s screams, dog barking, a voice like Prince Momad’s, crow’s cry, dizzyingly burning legs.
When everything came at once, not even a moan broke out.
I need to get that dog off me.
My body was only slowly crumbling down.
Sureung—
Then in an instant, the pressure that was crushing my legs disappeared.
And someone snatched my collapsing body.
“Erina.”
The voice calling for me was tense as if it was about to break, but strangely, it sounded only soft.
As my body lifted, a harsh sound of breathing crossed my ears.
“I’m an idiot.”
There were some unintelligible words buzzing around, but I let myself sit still.
Familiar body temperature, familiar body scent.
I was relieved surprisingly quickly even though I knew I shouldn’t be like this.
Then I buried my face in Cardan’s arms.
It was a long and hard day, so I thought I could lean on someone for a moment.
