I Will Save The Princess - Chapter 30

The Offer (11)

 

When she glanced to the side, she saw the face of the Emperor who was sleeping with his eyes closed.

 

Blinking, and watching his face, she stood up quietly. She hugged the bed sheet to cover her mottled body and sat there for a while.

 

The moment she gave strength to straighten her back, a throbbing pain rushed in.

 

“Ughhh.”

 

She inadvertently let out a moan and covered her mouth in surprise.

 

The eyebrows of the Emperor lying next to her twitched slightly, then slowly returned to their original position. She removed her hand from her mouth and let out a long, barely audible sigh.

 

‘Ugh… It hurts.’

 

No matter how much it bothered her, the tingling in her lower legs gave her a burning dull pain every time she moved. Along with that, the arms, legs, and nape of her neck were embroidered with colorful bruises along with clear teeth marks.

 

‘Are all relationships between men and women like this?’

 

As far as she knew, there was no such thing as a woman being treated like this by a man. It scared her, as she felt like she was going to be eaten.

 

Very slowly and carefully she pushed the Emperor’s arm, covering her body, to the side. The red hair that had been tossed to the side fluttered down around his forehead and around his eyes as his body recoiled.

 

The red eyelashes fell down finely blended with him, exuding a strange color, but that handsome face now only looks jarring.

 

With a grunt, she got up and stretched her feet out on the bed. She couldn’t eat properly and she was tormented by him every night, so her already thin body seemed to be getting thinner.

 

Hannah stared down at her slender thighs that glowed blue. She felt unfamiliar with whether this was right for her body.

 

‘Ah!’

 

It’s only been two days since she was captured, but she had already started to crumble.

 

Hannah wanted to go back.

 

‘Princess… What if she waits or cries for me again?’

 

She always prided herself on having strong mental strength, but she couldn’t help but feel tears in her eyes whenever she thought of Ophelia’s face.

 

Hannah calmed down and got up from her seat. She roughly picked up the chemise that had fallen near the bed, put it on, and looked back at the Emperor.

 

After checking his sleeping face, she headed towards the balcony with a relieved heart.

 

She had been locked the whole time, but remembered that the courtier had left it unlocked to allow wind in, but didn’t lock it again. She carefully turned the doorknob to ensure no sound was made, but the door opened with a click.

 

A cool morning breeze blew through the cracks of the open door. As if bewitched by the feeling of freedom she hadn’t felt in a long time, she walked outside onto the balcony.

 

‘Ah, a bit better.’

 

It was much wider than it looked from inside.

 

A tea table and chairs were set inside the large balcony, and a view of the serene courtyard could be seen through the delicately carved balustrade.

 

No one was seen in the courtyard. Only the figures of a few guardsmen in the distance allowed her to feel any trace of people.

 

The Royal Guards must be inside the Emperor’s quarters.

 

Relieved, she carefully leaned her arm against the railing.

 

A small breeze gently brushed through her black hair. Under the flowing hair, the thin chemise fluttered, revealing the lines of the body, but she didn’t care, she fixed her eyes on the courtyard.

 

‘I have no one to see anyway, so what can I do?’

 

Passing through the courtyard, the silhouette of the detached Palace was faintly visible beyond the main Palace.

 

‘It’s dawn, so the Princess must be sleeping by now.’

 

Hannah asked Tessa, so there’s nothing special. Ailee may be a bit sullen, but Lily was probably crying. That child was too affectionate, so she had to ask Tessa. She hoped they wouldn’t cry.

 

Lenny, the kitchen maid who always gave her lemon candy because she looked tired.

 

Siena who hated insects, but caught locusts to them to Ophelia.

 

Grandpa Fello, a gardener who tied dried flowers together to make a pretty wreath.

 

The faces of the people in the detached Palace came to mind one by one, and along with them, vague emotions flooded into her head.

 

Hannah thought Ophelia was the only person who was important to her. One by one, the number of people who started to settle in her heart suddenly became too large to count with both hands.

 

Since when did she, who was busy being wary of strangers, come to live surrounded by people like this?

 

She quietly stretched her hand towards the Palace.

 

Hannah slowly squeezed the air, knowing that she would not be caught. She didn’t know when she was last by their side, but maybe it was good to miss them, after someone fell this far.

 

She dropped her hands and looked back at the courtyard. The courtyard, immersed in a cold darkness, did not feel crowded at all.

 

If she passed through the western garden and went through the back door, she could reach the detached Palace directly.

 

‘Maybe it’s possible. Just for a minute, to go and see their faces.’

 

‘Dawn is long, and it is still far from daylight.’

 

The Emperor fell asleep as if he was dead after laying his body on top of her, and he had probably been busy with government affairs. If he fell asleep that deeply it would never break.

 

The balcony on the second floor looked difficult to jump off, but it seemed like she could get down without difficulty if she crossed over to the side and climbed down the tree. She went to the corner of the balcony and glanced at the balcony next to it.

 

‘Also. No one is here. I’ll be fine if I go.’

 

The moment she put strength into her hand hanging over the railing, hesitation came again.

 

‘Is it okay? Would I really make it?’

 

If she were caught by the Emperor, he wouldn’t just let her go.

 

Even when she was imprisoned once before, she tried to escape in the same way as now but was caught by the guards and suffered many hardships. At that time, the Emperor tied her to the bed and told her not to cry.

 

‘Stop. Let’s think about this.’

 

Her worry was short-lived. Without hesitation, she climbed onto the railing. The railing was wide enough to lie down on, and there was no precarious feeling even when kneeling.

 

However, once she got on the railing, she felt that the distance to the balcony on the side was quite far, so her courage was waning. It was too far to jump over.

 

The wind blew and the loose hair formed waves in the air. The dark ground was reflected between her vision obscured by her hair.

 

If she fell…

 

There was only a large boxwood fence between the balconies. She felt like she had to be prepared to break a leg if she fell.

 

No, a broken leg would be a minor injury for her.

 

‘Was it this high? If she falls off onto her neck, it’s over.’

 

After she thought it over and over again, whether to go or not, she let out a breath. She didn’t have time to hesitate and think about this. Time was passing even while she was thinking about it. She had to move fast to get there.

 

She braced her legs and got up slowly.

 

She just raised her body, but the wind raged relentlessly from above. Her hair and chemise fluttered loudly, obscuring her vision. She grabbed the hem of her chemise with one hand and stared at the balcony as she was about to jump off.

 

She counted one, two, three and stomped her foot hard.

 

“Ugh-!”

 

And she immediately regretted it.

 

‘Oh dear. I should have jumped close to the wall.’

 

She instinctively realized that the distance was to far, she would not reach it.

 

Hannah struggled and stretched out her arms, but she did not reach the railing. Her fluttering black hair dyed her vision black.

 

It was at that moment she realized that she was falling down headfirst.

 

She gasped for breath as a hand grabbed her waist. A large hand with sparsely visible calluses trained in swordsmanship. His hand lightly lifted her upper body, which was hanging precariously near the railing.

 

“What did you do? Were you trying to die?”

 

A tone that was absurd. A husky voice echoed across the balcony.

 

‘Sh*t.’

 

The moment she heard the Emperor’s voice, she wondered if it would have been better to just fall off.

 

The Emperor lightly picked her up and set her down on the back of the balcony. The moment her feet, which had been floundering in the air, landed on the ground, a small sigh leaked out without her knowledge.

 

An eerie smile crept across the Emperor’s lips. He said, looking down at her, who was standing awkwardly with one hand leaning on the railing.

 

“Looking at it, there is no need to speculate. Were you trying to escape, or were you trying to die?”

 

“…”

 

“…Which answer is correct?”

 

“Yes, of course. Neither.”

 

His languid eyes moved slightly, and his expression became displeased. He wrapped his arms around her waist and sighed quietly.

 

“Haven’t you been caught trying to run away the same way before?”

 

“…”

 

“I wasn’t trying to run away. No! Um, I saw fireflies over there!”

 

“If you’re going to lie, do it right. Who will believe you when you look away like that?”

 

‘D*mn, he is uselessly quick to notice.’

 

She rolled her eyes and glanced up at him. The face that he looked down at her with the corners of his eyes twisted, full of annoyance.

 

She confessed honestly, thinking that the punishment would be the same one way or another.

 

“Wait… I was going to go to the Princess for a very short time. I’m not trying to run away. I was going to come back before His Majesty got up.”

 

“…”

 

“I just want to see the Princess. I couldn’t properly say my last goodbye.”

 

“Your last farewell? Say hello.”

 

The Emperor spat out his words with an insect-bitten face and slowly turned his gaze toward the villa. The hands that had been gripping her waist released her, and she stood upright while struggling to stand on her wobbly legs.

 

The furrowed eyebrows were still there, but the miasma that always lingered around his eyes was no longer visible. The Emperor, who was looking at the detached Palace with half-open eyes, slowly opened his mouth.

 

“Is Ophelia the only thing that moves you? What great loyalty.”

 

Thinking of what to say at the displeased look, she smiled and opened her mouth.

 

“Loyalty to Your Majesty.”

 

“If you’re trying to trick me, you’d better just shut up.”

 

She thought it was just going to happen.

 

The glancing gaze was like a field of ice. She pressed her lips together and averted her gaze.

 

Hannah shrugged her shoulders, fearing that an evil command would fall. However, the Emperor rested his chin on the railing and gazed into the distance with a languid expression.

 

The light wind blew his red hair like flower petals. Between the loose white robes, the broad chest muscles and strong abdominal muscles that were revealed at first glance. The scars of a sword embroidered on his exposed skin reminded Hannah of the fact that he was a war hero.

 

“Hannah Torrens.”

 

She raised her head reflexively at the voice calling her name. The Emperor kept his eyes in the air and continued talking, only his mouth moving.

 

“I’ve hugged you several times, but the more I hug, the thirstier I feel. I thought about replacing you with a similar woman, but… I was not at all satisfied.”

 

“…”

 

“What is hidden in that little body? If it wasn’t for that, I would have killed you immediately.”

 

There was no emotion in his gaze as he looked at her with only his eyes moving. The content was too bloody to be said in a calm tone, but she accepted the words calmly, not caring.

 

‘Because he’s such a guy.’

 

She responded with a helping hand.

 

“I bet. If I had died in the past, wouldn’t you have killed me five times already?”

“In the past?”

 

“Even though I’ve been rude to Your Majesty so many times, you keep me alive with grace, so I’m just grateful.”

 

‘Eeek… Was it too sarcastic?’

 

Worried, she slowly raised her eyes and looked at the Emperor. As expected, the Emperor was looking down at her with his eyes wide open. He strode in front of her and stabbed her in the upper chest with his finger.

 

“Yes. Be thankful that I didn’t kill you, even though you are being so foul.”