<Episode 29>

* * *

“They can’t see or hear, but they only recognize humans?”

“Yes.”

“And you have no idea how that’s possible?”

“That’s right.”

I nodded while stepping around some branches as the Crown Prince questioned me.

Sien, who had been walking while hugging a tattered blanket I had washed for him—saying it was too precious to throw away—approached us.

“As expected, Lady Ria, you’re so clever.”

His eyes, like violets, curled into half-moons as he smiled.

‘Flattery when there’s not even food to offer, huh.’

I glanced at the cut on Sien’s cheek.

“When we safely reach the western shelter, I’ll treat that for you.”

I couldn’t help but feel concerned, especially about a cut on Sien’s face. It was like seeing a beautiful, ripe apple bruised—it made you feel upset.

Sien blinked slowly, tilting his head lazily.

“Hmm, but I think I’d heal faster if Lady Ria blew on it.”

Here we go again with the sweet talk.

“Stop talking nonsense.”

Sien pouted and turned his head, looking disappointed.

“…Tch.”

Tch?

Tchii?

Tchiii?

I was baffled.

If he were a rugged muscle-bound man, I’d have found it nauseating, but since it was a graceful, beautiful Snow White doing it…

‘Why does that seem cute?’

I couldn’t make sense of my own tastes.

The Crown Prince, who had been walking ahead, glanced back at Sien with a dark expression. His gaze was filled with disgust.

“Mad bastard.”

Sien blinked wide-eyed, his face showing a mixture of confusion as if wondering, ‘Did I really just hear that?’

Well, it made sense—Sien, who had been pampered all his life, had probably never been insulted like that before. He might act a little rough sometimes, but he wasn’t someone used to hearing vulgar words.

For someone like him, words like ‘flower,’ ‘butterfly,’ ‘red apple,’ ‘elegant,’ and ‘graceful’ seemed more appropriate.

I narrowed my eyes and gave the Crown Prince a pointed look.

“Your Highness, please refrain from using such language. You’ll hurt the Tower Master’s feelings.”

“Ha.”

The Crown Prince let out a short laugh, tapping his shoulder with his sword.

“Lady, you’re being deceived. You don’t know how filthy that guy’s mouth can be.”

No way.

Sure, Sien could behave questionably sometimes, but swearing? That didn’t suit him at all.

“Don’t slander people, Your Highness.”

And besides, I already felt bad for failing to keep my promise to bring back the relic, so why was he making things worse?

“Ha!”

The Crown Prince, looking like he was about to lose his mind from frustration, ruffled his hair wildly.

At that moment, Sien quickly stepped in between us. I hesitated for a second, taken aback.

“Please don’t fight because of me, Lady Ria.”

“No, we’re not really fighting—”

“I’ll just be the mad bastard then.”

…What on earth is this now? Why is the princess taking that role?

I must’ve looked stunned because Sien calmly took my hand and placed it on his cheek. Then he tilted his face down, looking at me with lowered eyes. His thick eyelashes cast a shadow over his deep, darkened gaze, which appeared both beautiful and sensual.

“So don’t take your eyes off me. Who knows what I might do?”

The way his eyes curved smoothly sent a chill down my spine.

He looked like a lion, standing guard to keep another male away from his lioness.

‘Does he know I’m about to meet one of the other male leads?’

Caught off guard, I nodded, and Sien smiled seductively, like a blooming flower.

Instead of feeling flustered, though… I was a bit scared.

* * *

We arrived at the back gate of the western shelter.

After escaping the pre-dawn forest and traveling through the evening, we finally reached our destination.

The shelter was surrounded by fences intertwined with flowers and bushes, forming a rectangular boundary. Outside the fence, just as Jaeger had said, there was a rundown stable.

I considered pulling out some jerky to call for Apporta but instead handed it to the rabbit. I had heard the sound of a flute coming from somewhere near the fence.

Following the flute, we walked around the perimeter of the fence.

Soon, we spotted a man through the leaves of a tree right up against the back gate.

As we got closer, the clear sound of the flute grew louder.

Groooaaannn!

Oh, and of course, there was also the sound of zombies.

By the time we reached the spot, the zombies were desperately trying to climb the tree. Their horrifying strength peeled away the thick bark, and sap was dripping out.

Snap!

Thud!

I quickly dispatched the zombies with relative ease and then glanced up at the tree, letting out a small laugh.

The man up in the tree either hadn’t noticed us or wasn’t planning to stop playing his flute until the melody ended.

‘A different kind of “my pace” compared to Sien, huh?’

I wasn’t the only one astonished.

“How leisurely,” the Crown Prince remarked sarcastically.

“Should I just shoot him down?” Sien muttered, starting to lose his patience.

At that moment, the man removed the flute from his lips. Tucking it into his sleeve, he slowly lowered his gaze, finally acknowledging our presence.

His large, bright green eyes, reminiscent of fresh foliage, widened as they landed on me.

With a sudden *whoosh*, the man jumped down from the tree.

He had an elegant yet mature air about him, dressed like a character straight out of a wuxia drama. His brown hair was braided to one side and tied with a white cloth.

It was Woon Danha.

He was the 13th prince of the Eastern Continent’s Eastern Kingdom and the last male lead.

Realizing who he was, I snapped out of my thoughts and noticed that Danha had been staring at me the entire time.

There was a mixture of curiosity and unfamiliarity in his gaze.

‘Why is he staring at me like that?’

No matter how handsome he was, it was rude to stare so openly.

“What are you looking at?” I asked, deliberately adopting a sharp tone to scold him.

Instead of being offended, the man’s almond-shaped eyes widened in genuine admiration.

“…I’m amazed. I’ve never seen such a beautiful woman before.”

His eyes curved charmingly as he smiled.

“Every lovely word in the world must have been created to describe you.”

Hearing that, my face grew a little hot.

‘What are you saying? Based on what?’

Of course, being the flirt that he was, he had the perfect ability to charm women.

To be honest, I had always liked Danha the most among the male leads.

He had given up his claim to the throne and distanced himself from power, devoting himself to poetry, music, and the fine arts like calligraphy and flower arranging.

A gentle man who loved peace, reciting poetry, and playing the zither—this was Woon Danha.

He was also the kind of man who never pressured the woman he liked, always waiting patiently from the sidelines, taking care of her quietly.

Despite having never fought a battle in his life, he was surprisingly the tallest among the male leads, yet he had a delicate beauty, like dew on a fresh green leaf.

What was even more surprising was that, despite his face, he only dated older women.

‘Well, with the way he sweet-talks, no wonder older women fall for him.’

At that moment, a broad back stepped in between me and Danha.

The Crown Prince, carrying his spear over his shoulder, arrogantly lifted his chin.

“Interesting. Is that how you greet women in the East? By flattering them?”

Danha’s expression didn’t waver as he offered a faint, composed smile.

“Ah, forgive me. My foolish eyes were so captivated by the beautiful lady that I failed to notice Your Highness. Please accept my apologies.”

With his hand over his chest, Danha bowed.

“Woon Danha greets the Empire’s Little Sun.”

He had executed the Empire’s etiquette perfectly.

It seemed that, while he usually spoke the Empire’s language with the cadence of his native tongue, he switched to perfect Imperial speech when it was required by decorum.

The Crown Prince, unable to find any faults to criticize, sighed in annoyance and glanced around the forest.

“Still, I’m impressed. Despite the situation, you were calmly playing your flute. It doesn’t seem like you’re in a hurry to escape, Prince.”

Danha, unruffled by the Crown Prince’s jab, gave a slight smile.

“I was simply unsure what to do, so I busied myself by counting leaves.”

Danha then took a step forward, moving closer to me.

“Perhaps I was waiting to meet such a beautiful lady as yourself.”

Wow, his lines were as smooth as ever.

“Is this how I should greet a lady of the Empire?”

Danha took my hand and kissed the back of it. His soft lips barely brushed my skin before pulling away, and he even threw in a gentle smile.

‘A perfect 100.’

Just as I mentally gave him a perfect score—

*Slap!*

Sien suddenly smacked Danha’s hand away. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and rested his chin on the top of my head.

“Don’t touch what isn’t yours.”

I couldn’t see Sien’s face, but his low voice was full of menace.

Danha gave an awkward smile, looking slightly troubled.

“Are you the Tower Master?”

“And if I am?”

“I’m already reflecting on touching the lady without permission, so could you perhaps move your gun from aiming below my belt?”

I glanced down.

Sien’s sleek revolver was pointed directly at a… rather sensitive area.

“It would be an honor to lose my chastity to someone as beautiful as the Tower Master, but I’m not quite ready to be crippled just yet.”

Feeling secondhand embarrassment, I gently pushed the gun away from its rather unfortunate position.

Danha let out a sigh of relief while Sien clicked his tongue in frustration, his eyes narrowing.

At that moment, Jaeger, who had been watching quietly from the back, stepped forward.

“I think we’ve had enough nonsense. Don’t you agree?”

Jaeger gave me a meaningful look—no, more like a hint.

He wanted to discuss our escape plans now that we’d found another survivor.

Knowing how eager he was to return to the Empire as soon as possible, I quickly cut to the point.

“Shall we talk about our next steps?”