ESMZ Episode 8

<Episode 8>

“…My lady. Are you crying?”

What is he talking about? I quickly turned my head away, focusing back on the fire.

“I’m not crying.”

“But you are.”

“I said I’m not.”

“No, I’m certain that’s a tear in your eye… Damn, it just fell onto your cheek.”

“It’s just dry, so I put some water on my face.”

“Don’t you think that’s a rather poor excuse?”

I shot a tear-filled glare at him, and he finally clamped his mouth shut.

‘Fine, I’m crying. So what?’

The more I thought about it, the more infuriating he became.

Even when I was vulnerable, turning my back on the zombies, even when I screamed for him to take my hand—he had been testing me the entire time.

‘What if my hand had slipped? What if I accidentally let go? Do you have any idea how terrified I was…?’

Even just recalling it made my heart race with anxiety.

As I started to tear up in my growing anger, the Crown Prince, who had always been composed, suddenly looked flustered, his pupils trembling.

I let a few tears fall, then began rubbing my eyes roughly with the back of my hand, trying to wipe away both the tears and the anger that accompanied them.

I took deep, shaky breaths, trying to calm myself down.

A strong breeze blew through, carrying the fresh scent of wet vegetation, clearing my clouded mind.

As the crisp air soothed my raging emotions, a wave of embarrassment washed over me. I rubbed my eyes again with the back of my hand, and the Crown Prince gently pulled my chin toward him.

He was much calmer now, a stark contrast to his earlier panic.

“They’ve turned red.”

He frowned slightly as he gently wiped the area around my eyes with his fingers.

The concerned expression on his face, as if he thought I was genuinely upset, was almost laughable.

“Wait here.”

He carefully released my face and walked over to the pond, pulling a handkerchief from his pocket.

‘So he carries a handkerchief around? Doesn’t really suit him.’

After soaking the handkerchief in the pond, he returned, wringing out the excess water before placing it gently over my eyes.

The coolness soothed the heat from my eyelids, and I tilted my head back, feeling much better as I allowed him to tend to me.

After a moment, his calm voice broke the silence.

“I apologize once more.”

“….”

“I didn’t realize you liked me enough to cry over me.”

What the hell is he talking about?

“Were you really that worried about me?”

“…Are you going to keep talking nonsense?”

I couldn’t keep my words polite, not that it mattered when we were trapped in a zombie zone with no one to see or hear us. Who cares about respecting royalty in a situation like this?

Whether the Crown Prince felt the same way or was genuinely sorry, he didn’t bother to point out my lack of decorum. Instead, I heard a faint laugh from him.

Once the handkerchief started to feel lukewarm, I pushed his hand away.

The blurry sight of the fire sharpened as my eyes cleared.

“At least it won’t swell.”

The Crown Prince glanced at me, then sat down beside me, resting the arm holding the handkerchief on his knee.

I sniffled and shot him a sideways glance. His profile flickered in the red glow of the fire.

‘As much as I hate to admit it, he really is annoyingly handsome.’

But my pride wouldn’t let me acknowledge it out loud, so I changed the subject instead.

“…Since I saved you, I win the bet.”

“Now that you mention it, we didn’t agree on what the prize would be. Tell me what you want; I’ll grant it, whatever it is.”

When I extended my pinky finger toward him, the Crown Prince’s eyebrows shot up.

“Are you asking me to cut it off? I can’t promise it’ll be a clean cut.”

“Who said anything about cutting it off?!”

I recoiled in horror, and he chuckled.

He’d always been quick to laugh, but until now, there had been a sharpness to it. Now, he seemed a little more relaxed.

I looked at him with mild irritation and explained.

“It’s a pinky promise.”

“A… promise?”

“Why do you look like you’ve never heard of it before?”

“It’s just been a while since I’ve heard that word, promise.”

“Sorry if it sounds childish, but I need this.”

The Crown Prince stared at my hand with a complicated expression.

“It’s not that it’s childish, it’s just… isn’t it strange? The concept of a promise?”

“What’s so strange about a promise?”

“It’s something based on trust, an invisible law of the heart. But how many people actually keep them?”

“But you’ll keep it, won’t you?”

He seemed momentarily at a loss for words, his bright eyes flickering with uncertainty.

That same look again.

The same unfamiliar, innocent look he had when I saved him.

It wasn’t that I trusted the Crown Prince without reason. Given his distrust of people, I figured he hated deception enough that if we made a pinky promise, he’d keep it.

‘I think he’s misunderstanding something… but there’s no need to correct him.’

Feeling a bit awkward, I wiggled my fingers.

“Are you just going to leave my finger hanging?”

With a small laugh, he hooked his pinky around mine and playfully wiggled it a couple of times.

“I promise. Whatever you wish for, I’ll grant it.”

“Do you really mean it?”

He nodded without hesitation, as if saying, Of course, I’m the Crown Prince. Why would I lie?

The ease with which he agreed felt oddly out of place.

I quickly pulled my hand away, reaching for my water bottle.

The spot where his warm skin had touched mine felt strangely empty.

It seemed he felt the same way, as he looked at his pinky finger and murmured to himself.

“I already regret this.”

“What do you regret?”

As I contemplated whether to ask for a pardon or some valuable assets as my wish, I twisted open the water bottle and took a sip, only to be interrupted by his words.

“My secretary caused your engagement to fall through. Said that Redria Arios’s temperament is as fierce as mine, so she’s absolutely unsuitable as a candidate for Crown Princess—”

Pfft!

I ended up spitting the water right in his direction.

The Crown Prince grimaced, wiping his dripping face with his hand before shaking off the water.

“…Absolutely unsuitable as Crown Princess, apparently,” he finished.

Coughing, I stared at him in shock.

‘Who in their right mind would try to pair me with this lunatic?’

Of course, he was referring to Redria, not me personally, but the thought of even being considered as a candidate made my skin crawl.

“Are you telling me I’m still a candidate?”

“If you were, I assume you’d run for the hills.”

“You said it was your secretary who gave that harsh assessment?”

“Do you want to bash his skull in? That would be perfect, actually. I’d love for someone to shut that chatterbox up.”

The Crown Prince chuckled, his words harsh, but his eyes warm.

‘He must really trust his secretary.’

The secretary had been the one running around trying to rescue the Crown Prince while he was trapped in the zombie zone. He was the only person the Crown Prince seemed to trust.

‘So even this distrustful man can place his faith in someone.’

Feeling unexpectedly unsettled, I shoved the water bottle back into my backpack.

“Since we’re on the topic, let me ask you something. Do you have someone you’re seeing?”

“No, I don’t.”

“Not surprising, given your reputation as a troublemaker.”

“…”

…This guy has the charm of a sociopath.

“Why are you asking?”

The Crown Prince smiled lazily as he turned to look at me.

“Then how about marrying me?”

What…?

A sudden gust of wind rustled the delicate leaves and tossed his hair around.

His eyes, shadowed by his brow bone, shimmered with an otherworldly glow under the moonlight as he gazed at me intently… To be honest, my heart skipped a beat.

Who wouldn’t be stirred by such a beautiful scene, as if it were a painting brought to life?

If it weren’t for the simmering anger inside me, I might have nodded without a second thought.

But let’s not forget.

This is the same lunatic who smiled at zombies and used his own life as collateral to test me.

“Don’t tell me you’ve fallen for me because I saved you earlier?”

“Hah, hardly.”

He scoffed twice, as if the idea were utterly ridiculous, which only made me angrier.

“…Then why do you want to marry me?”

“I think it’d be fun having you around in the dull palace. I’m enjoying myself right now, too.”

…Sure, it must be great fun when there are zombies swarming just outside the forest.

I used my backpack, filled with food and supplies, as a pillow and turned my back to him, lying down.

“If you’re going to keep spouting nonsense, I’m going to sleep. Do whatever you want—sleep or stay awake.”

I spoke curtly, and above me, I heard the Crown Prince chuckle.

With my eyes closed, I felt him shift positions. The cold breeze that had been chilling my back disappeared.

The Crown Prince, acting as a windbreaker… Maybe he really did feel bad for making me cry.

“Wake me up in a bit. I’ll take the next watch.”

“As you wish.”

With that, I felt his fingers gently tuck loose strands of hair behind my ear.

When I flinched, his hand trembled slightly as he laughed softly. Even after the laughter faded, his fingers continued to tremble lightly against my cheek, leaving me with a vague sense of curiosity.