/
Lyna simply stared at Ainar, neither pushing him away nor absentmindedly caressing her cheek.
A surge of blue light pulsed through the desolate ashen wilderness, painting it with an ethereal hue.
The relentless waves of blue light reverberated through Ainar’s heart, thump by thump.
With the sound of a bell resonating like thunder in his ears, Ainar unconsciously brought his lips down to Lyna’s cheek again.
His vision was terribly narrow, and Lyna was the only one filled in his sight.
Was it merely a figment of his imagination?
The once pallid cheek now carried a subtle hint of peachy color

“Do I have more drops of blood?”
Ainar squeezed his eyes shut, only to open them upon hearing a clear and composed voice that cut through the cacophony of bells.
In that instant, his restricted vision expanded, causing him to step back slowly.
“You might have a few.”
Even though his response was ambiguous, Lyna nodded without hesitation.
Regardless of the presence or absence of bloodstains, she understood why he had chosen to kiss her cheek in that moment.
The onlookers were more astonished now than when the black tiger had invaded their surroundings.
Was it not already astounding enough that the unexpected prince and the Bolsheik princess had called each other by name and exchanged a handkerchief, lamenting their shared fate?
The expression of “I’m surprised, yet again?” was clearly visible on people’s faces.
Lyna, who glanced at them, caught Smith with bloodshot eyes as if he was about to rush over any moment, but she calmly ignored him.
“You executed your plan remarkably well.”
Ainar faintly smiled in response and gracefully took a step back, bowing politely.
“I offer this to you.”
He performed an exaggeratedly theatrical bow, and Lyna reciprocated with equally dramatic gestures.
“With gratitude.”
With their impeccable acting and the unexpected, perhaps even anticipated, interplay of danger and salvation, the audience couldn’t tear their eyes away from the two.
In their minds, the Third Prince who used to be by the Bolsheik princess’s side had vanished without a trace.
It was only natural, as they had never witnessed such a spectacle when Lyna was with Smith.
All they had seen was an unhappy-looking Smith, unwilling to release her hand, while Lyna uncomfortably clung to him, her eyes sparkling.
“It seems sufficient.”
“Yes, it turned out much better than expected. What do they call it? It’s in the Bolsheik history books. ‘Misfortune brings fortune,’ isn’t it?”
“A blessing in disguise. But more importantly, Ainar, are you injured?”
“Yes.”
“Where?”
“Here, and there.”
As Ainar answered, his fingertip grazed Lyna’s cheek, ear, and the area near her neck.
Squinting her eyes, Lyna inquired once again, “I meant you, not me.”
“Nothing significant. I acquired a little dust while traversing the forest. And there is some blood.”
Lyna harbored doubts about his hasty response, so she took hold of Ainar’s arm and meticulously examined it until she found something.
His body was stained with the black tiger’s blood, but the crimson substance on his side had a different hue.
Could it be his own blood?
Without hesitation, she raised Ainar’s arm, leaned in closer, and scrutinized the area on his side.
Ainar glanced down at the small, rounded head that had nestled between his arms and tilted his head in curiosity.
“Lyna?”
“Just stay still for a moment.”
Her voice resonated with firmness, yet it carried a parched, desert-like dryness. However, her hands were anything but idle.
Observing her actions, Ainar tilted his head once more.
‘Why does my chest feel heavy
?’
“Ugh.”
Suddenly, a surge of pain coursed through his side, interrupting his train of thought.
Peering through his arm, Lyna poked her head out and clicked her tongue in disapproval.
“Don’t you feel any pain? There’s quite a deep gash here.”
“Oh, this
”
Only then did Ainar direct his gaze towards the side Lyna had been examining.
Observing his expression, Lyna narrowed her eyes.
“Weren’t you aware?”
“I was preoccupied with running.”
His mischievous smile was directed towards the black tiger, now concealed amidst the crowd.
Lyna instinctively followed his gaze but quickly shook her head.
“It’s evident that you have a high pain tolerance.”
“No, I feel pain just like anyone else.”
Upon saying that, Lyna unexpectedly ran her hand up to Ainar’s forehead, gently brushing through his hair.
Although it was drenched with sweat and blood, she seemed unperturbed. Carefully, she pushed it back and spoke.
“Last time it was your forehead, and now it’s your side.”
Her blue eyes met his ash-gray ones, and in that instant, they contained nothing but Ainar.
“Is it the same?”
It wasn’t a compliment, a murmured expression of love, or even a bashful confession. It felt more like a reproach.
Regardless, the corners of Ainar’s mouth curled into a smile.
He chuckled softly, his eyes crinkling with warmth.
“Should I say that I only become numb to pain when it involves you?”
“Stop talking nonsense. There might be a problem, so I need to examine it properly.”
His jest fell flat.
Nevertheless, her concern for him was unmistakable, despite her nonchalant demeanor and dry tone.
Moreover, she didn’t simply suggest that he should seek medical attention. She stated, “I need to examine it”

Suppressing his laughter, Ainar vigorously nodded.
“Yes, you absolutely need to examine it.”
“Why do you have that look on your face?”
As Lyna furrowed her brows, Ainar took a step back, raising his hands in surrender.
“It’s nothing.”
“Ainar.”
“No, I mean, I should listen to you
”
Amidst their seemingly trivial banter, Lyna and Ainar garnered a mix of reactions from the onlookers.
Curiosity, skepticism, and even a touch of anticipation played across their faces as they observed the exchange. Yet, none dared to intrude upon the private space shared by Lyna and Ainar.
Even the captain of the guard, anxiously circling around Lyna like an eager pup, refrained from uttering a word.
One spectator, rubbing his stiffened legs due to the tension, spoke up with a vacant expression.
“Well, it’s fortunate that it ended this way.”
“We were lucky.”
The recipient of those words nodded in agreement and replied, “Yes, someone did mention how lucky it was.”
At the moment the black tiger lunged towards Lyna, Ainar had stepped in to shield her.
It was merely a coincidence.
Initially, Ainar had no knowledge of Lyna’s encounter with the black tiger. Even after she had found safety, he remained unaware of her subsequent encounter with the beast.
He simply harbored an uneasy feeling.
Rather than a premonition, it stemmed from years of honed experience.
Around the time Lyna first faced the black tiger, Ainar commented, “It’s strange how many prey have gathered.”
The surrounding hunters nodded in agreement, acknowledging that even those who shouldn’t have crossed paths seemed dangerously close to doing so.
Ainar’s gaze shifted towards the direction in which Smith had disappeared.
Strangely, he couldn’t sense any animal presence in that area

“What was the biggest thing that came out as prey?”
Not long after posing the question, Ainar observed birds suddenly taking flight from a section of the forest—the very direction from which the black tiger had charged—and other animals fleeing.
“I’m going back!”
“Huh?”
“Your Majesty? Your Majesty!”
Without offering any explanation to the bewildered onlookers, Ainar spurred his horse forward recklessly.
The largest, most formidable, and most dangerous prey amongst them.
Once Ainar had announced his intentions to catch it, the beast should have appeared before his eyes.
His statement would have led Ainar, the beast, or perhaps both, to a specific location.
However, despite clear indications that something had occurred, Ainar couldn’t locate the beast.
And then

“Lyna.”
A prominent blue vein pulsed on the back of his hand gripping the reins.
The only person capable of disrupting his predictions to this extent was Lyna.
After all, wasn’t Lyna exceedingly unlucky—a complete contrast to Ainar?
Driven by this realization, Ainar raced as swiftly as possible, barely arriving in time to intercept the black tiger’s charge towards Lyna.
While his arrival was based on intuition derived from experience, the precise timing of his intervention could only be attributed to luck.
As for what unfolded afterward

Those who had witnessed the event with their own eyes stared back and forth between the two figures and the motionless black tiger, wearing expressions that conveyed an indescribable mix of emotions, as if they had momentarily drifted into a dream.
How much time had elapsed since then?
Lyna, who had kept her gaze fixed solely on Ainar, slowly turned her attention towards the captain of the guards.
In response to her signal, the captain approached her with a half-smile.
“Are you alright?”
Though he had witnessed Ainar’s swift and decisive intervention, halting the black tiger in its tracks, the captain needed reassurance.
In this world, possibilities of “just in case” or “what if” always lingered.
Lyna lightly waved her hand.
“I’m fine. But we should return. Becky is
”