/
“Where did she go?” As time passed by, the festive mood grew livelier and an enormous number of people filled the streets, leaving no room to move. The numerous alleyways branching off the main street made it impossible to determine which direction she’d turned to.
“Damn it!” He frantically searched for her but abruptly stopped in his tracks. ‘Why am I looking for her? We should just go our separate ways.’ It had already been ridiculous enough to have followed her that far. She wasn’t the only woman walking alone on the street, and surely she could make her way back to the palace on her own after enjoying the festival. ‘I guess I should stop following her now.’
With that thought in mind, he began to walk in an opposite direction. Well, he tried.
‘She’s not a child, so there shouldn’t be any problem, right?’
The public safety in the capital was remarkably good compared to other countries, all thanks to his efforts in maintaining law and order. ‘She’ll be fine.’ But why on earth did he keep feeling restless?
‘Damn it. Let’s just confirm her whereabouts once and then go.’
She did look cute, after all. There may or may not be someone with ill intentions. So, decided to make sure everything’s okay one last time before leaving. With that in mind, he began searching for Marie. But no matter where he looked, there were no signs of her.
“Damn it, where could she be? I hope nothing serious has happened.” His footsteps quickened as soon as a sense of foreboding crept in. Despite thoroughly scouring the main road, she was nowhere to be found. Desperate, he began asking people, “Have you seen a brown-haired girl? No?”
“I Haven’t seen her…”
‘Damn it!’ He groaned inwardly. Of course, he didn’t know what had happened to her. There was a high chance that she’d gone somewhere else and was enjoying the festival. But why did he feel so uneasy? It felt like his heart was about to explode.
It seemed that his anxiety would only subside once he saw her bright face. And then, in that moment, it happened. He heard a faint voice from a dark alleyway!
“If you want to live, stay quiet!”
“…!”
It came from a dilapidated building to his right. Without hesitation, Rael kicked the door open and entered. And there, he finally found the person he had been searching for so desperately.
“Who is he?”
“Who the hell is that guy?!”
Three men who appeared to be bandits surrounded her. “Who are you?”
Marie, whose cheek had turned red as if she’d been slapped for resisting, widened her eyes in surprise. When Rael noticed the red mark on her face, all of his rationality flew out the window.
An icy voice came out of his mouth. “Is it you?”
“What?”
“I’m asking if you’re the one who hurt her.”
His cold and piercing gaze made the three bandits swallow nervously.
The beautiful man’s eyes contained an eerily cold gleam.
“W-What? Who do you think you are? Get lost!”
“If you leave, I’ll let her go unharmed!” The bandits yelled louder, attempting to hide their fear.
Rael smirked. He was so angry that his heart chilled. “You have two choices.”
“What?”
Rael reached into his pocket and pulled out a dagger, tossing it in front of them.
Clang!
The bandits shuddered as the dagger hit the ground, emitting a chilling metallic sound.
The Crown Prince of Blood said, “Either take your own lives or die by my hand. The choice is yours.”
After some time had passed, Marie and Rael emerged from a nearby building.
“Thank you. Thank you so much,” Marie said, bowing her head in gratitude.
Rael sighed deeply. “…Don’t mention it. Just be more careful from now on.”
They went to the building of the capital’s security forces responsible for maintaining public order. Rael, who had subdued the bandits, handed them over to the latter.
“I should’ve just killed those worthless creatures,” Rael muttered coldly to himself.
He remembered the feeling when he saw her surrounded by those bandits, her cheek turning red from being slapped. He was so angry that his heart grew cold.
‘Originally, I intended to slit their throats.’
He stopped himself because she’d been watching from the side. He worried that she might get shock by the sight of blood splattering. Thus, he desperately suppressed his anger and simply handed them over to the security forces.
‘They’re a bunch of scums anyway.’
After capturing them, it was discovered that they had a record of crimes such as sexual assault, robbery, and even murder. According to the law, they would’ve faced execution. No, even without the law, they would’ve met the same fate.
‘If I hadn’t come, would she have ended up like them?’ Suddenly, the thought crossed Rael’s mind, igniting his anger once again.
It was anger mixed with concern.
“…Be careful, no matter what.” Perhaps because his heart hadn’t calmed down yet, his voice came out cold.
Marie, who’d been silently following behind him, was startled and bowed her head. “Yes, I’m sorry. And thank you so much for saving my life.”
Marie was fully aware of how dangerous the situation had been. ‘I was careful and mostly walked on crowded roads to avoid situations like that.’ It’s not like Marie had been careless, wandering around without any sense of danger. She was well aware of the risks of walking alone as a woman.
That’s why she’d avoided deserted places and tried to stay in crowded areas as much as possible. But this time, the bandits had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, threatening her with a knife in the middle of a crowd.
If it hadn’t been for him, she wondered what would have happened to her. Marie expressed her gratitude once more. “Thank you so much. I’m safe thanks to you.”
As she continued to express her gratitude, Rael sighed once again. In truth, what could she have done wrong? She was a victim. Technically speaking, she couldn’t be blamed for not being able to navigate the unsafe streets. It wasn’t her fault that the security was lacking.
“…It’s fine. Just be more careful next time.”
“Yes, I will.”
Suddenly, Marie became curious. She hadn’t thought about it before due to the dangerous situation, but how did he appear at that moment? Wasn’t he an attendant at the palace? Marie clearly remembered encountering the man a few times in the palace, since his incredibly beautiful appearance was impossible to forget.
“Um… How did you know I was there?”
Rael momentarily became speechless before eventually replying, “I was just passing by chance.”
“Ah… I see.”
It was quite a vague answer, but she couldn’t question her savior any further. ‘Who could he be? He doesn’t seem to be an attendant.’ Marie had never thought that the man with such a hauntingly beautiful face could be Crown Prince Rael. She never would’ve imagined that such a beautiful face could be hidden beneath that eerie iron mask. Thus, she assumed that he was an attendant.
But now that she observed him up close, it seemed unlikely. An attendant wouldn’t possess such exceptional swordsmanship skills.
‘A knight? Even the royals guards seemed to be intimidated of him.’ Marie was curious, but she hesitated to ask. Despite his striking appearance, his blue eyes were incredibly cold.
He wasn’t a bad person, but he had an intimidating presence that made it difficult to casually approach him. After deliberating for a moment, Marie spoke up. “Thank you once again. I wonder how I can repay your kindness…”
She didn’t have anything to offer, but she felt a strong desire to repay the favor she’d received today.
“What?” Rael tried to shake his head in response to her. After all, she was unharmed. What more could he need?
However, as he was about to say, ‘It’s alright,’ a thought crossed his mind. ‘Since it’s come to this, I guess it’s okay.’
“Did you say you want to repay the favor?”
“Yes, please tell me what I can do.” Marie bowed her head.
He said, “There’s something I must do today. You are to assist me with it.”
Marie looked baffled. He had something to do? What could it be? “Yes, I understand. But what exactly is it?”
The man raised the corner of his mouth, a smile that seemed painted on his beautiful face. “You just need to follow me.”
Marie wondered how she could help him, but he simply said, “You won’t do anything. You just have to follow my lead.”
“…Yes.” Marie tilted her head. What on earth could it be? “Um…”
“Call me Ran.”
“Pardon?”
“Just call me Ran.” Finally, Marie learned the man’s name.
It was actually Rael’s nickname.
Rael walked ahead, leaving Marie behind, and soon, her eyes were filled with curiosity as she saw the building that appeared before them. “Mister Ran, why are we at a clinic? What business do we have here?”
They were at a clinic, and not just any clinic, but a high-end one used by the nobles.
“Do you have an errand at the clinic? What am I supposed to do here?”
Rael shook his head. “I have no errands here.”
“Then?”
“Are you going to leave your wounds as they are?”
“Ah…”
Marie touched her right cheek, which was red and swollen from the blow she received from the bandits. “It’s okay… It’ll get better If I just leave it alone.”
“I don’t like seeing it,” Rael grew angry every time he saw her red and swollen cheek. He regretted not taking care of those bastards earlier. If he hadn’t been concerned about the shock she would’ve received, he would have dealt with them right then and there.
‘I should talk to the judge and ask for the harshest punishment possible.’
Suddenly, a physician rushed out as soon as he got the memo. Marie tilted her head in confusion, watching the latter panic and turn pale. Why was he so tense?
Rael said concisely, “Treat her.”
“Her?” The physician looked surprised as he glanced at Marie. He knew that Rael was the Crown Prince who went on an undercover excursion.
Why would the Crown Prince, known for having no interest in women, bring a woman around? She didn’t seem like a noblewoman, so who was she? Could she be the reason for his secret outings?
When he suddenly saw the Crown Prince’s eyes focused on the girl’s swollen cheek, he was taken aback. They were filled with concern and distress.
‘I don’t know what their relationship is, but I must do my best!’
With that thought in mind, the physician bowed his head. “Understood! I will do my best!” He spoke with determination, as if he were preparing for a serious surgery instead of a minor injury.
“Please come this way.” The physician then proceeded to gingerly disinfect and treat the wound. His careful approach made Marie feel uneasy, as if he were treating a princess.
“You… You don’t have to be so cautious.”
“No! If there’s any discomfort, please let me know immediately!”