Free Web NovelWithout even taking time to think, Edrick leapt into the carriage and scooped the woman up into his arms.
Her body was horrifyingly light.
And damp with lukewarm sweat.
Pushing the strands of golden hair clinging to her face back in panic, he lightly slapped her pale cheeks.
At that moment, the golden eyelashes casting long shadows over her face abruptly lifted upward, revealing eyes of deep, vivid blue.
Without realizing it, he stopped breathing.
Those swamp-dark blue eyes felt as though they could devour a person’s soul whole.
He stared blankly down into them—
And suddenly a burning pain exploded across his right cheek.
Edrick covered his face with one hand and blinked in a daze.
The woman had slipped from his arms in an instant and was glaring at him as though looking at some shameless degenerate.
“How dare you put your filthy hands on me?”
Still gaping stupidly, Edrick finally raised his voice in protest.
“I thought Your Highness had lost consciousness......!”
“So you figured you could do whatever you pleased if I had?”
“What kind of accusation is that?!”
Flushed with outrage, Edrick shot to his feet—
Only to slam the top of his head directly into the carriage ceiling before collapsing back down into a crouch.
Between the pain pounding through his skull and the humiliation of the Imperial Princess’s insults, tears nearly sprang to his eyes.
Clutching his head, he groaned for quite some time.
Watching him with utter disdain, the Imperial Princess rubbed her temple before jerking her chin dismissively.
“That’s enough. Stop bothering me and get out.”
“Please just come outside for a moment and get some air. We still have half a day of travel ahead of us. How long do you plan to stay locked inside this furnace?”
Still rubbing the crown of his head, Edrick muttered the words with an irritated expression.
It was blunt honesty thrown out fully expecting another slap in return.
The Imperial Princess stared at him in disbelief.
She looked utterly baffled that he continued nagging her without growing tired of it.
Edrick barely restrained himself from snapping back, Do you think I’m doing this because I enjoy interfering with you?
Whether he had chosen this duty willingly or not, this disaster of an Imperial Princess was still under his responsibility.
And if she collapsed during the journey, handling the consequences would become his problem as well.
Prepared to drag her out by force if necessary, he met her vicious gaze head-on.
The woman frowned as though thoroughly fed up with his attitude before finally rising to her feet.
Brightening immediately, Edrick climbed down from the carriage first.
Then he extended a hand to escort her—
Only for the Imperial Princess to slam the door shut directly in his face. freёwebnovel.com
Edrick stared blankly at the firmly closed door before eventually giving up and turning away.
‘......I truly have no idea what it is that displeases her so much.’
Letting out a heavy sigh, he trudged toward the lakeshore.
Even while he washed the sweat from his face in water cold as ice and rested beneath the shade of a tree, the stubborn Imperial Princess never showed so much as a glimpse of herself.
Was she afraid someone might try to harm her?
The way she kept herself so viciously on guard reminded him strangely of an animal trapped inside a snare.
Edrick stared at the carriage thoughtfully for a moment before shaking his head and dismissing the pointless train of thought.
Why should he even bother trying to understand a woman like that?
If he could simply endure until the end of this journey, he too would finally be freed from this miserable assignment.
The Second Imperial Princess changed her royal guards constantly. Before long, he would probably be replaced as well.
All he had to do was endure until then.
Encouraging himself with that thought, Edrick sat beneath the trees with the other knights.
After resting for a while and making do with a simple meal of wine and bread, he climbed back into the saddle once more.
After midday, the air gradually began to cool.
The pilgrims, their strength restored, continued their vigorous march along the Gaisa mountain range that divided the western and northeastern regions.
Thanks to their steady pace, by sunset they had finally reached the Sinai Plains, territory once belonging to the former Kingdom of Valto.
“We’ll make camp here tonight.”
Varkas surveyed the formation as he gave the order in a low voice.
Edrick stared at him with half-exhausted eyes.
Despite riding on horseback the entire day, Varkas appeared utterly unchanged from when they had first departed.
Dismounting with flawless composure, his superior scanned the surroundings sharply before speaking again.
“Set up barricades around the camp and post guards.”
The knights obeyed immediately.
Edrick also began helping construct the perimeter defenses around the camp.
For a brief moment, the measures felt somewhat excessive, but numerous monsters inhabited the Sinai Plains.
It was rare for a military force this large to be attacked, yet caution could hardly hurt.
He hauled out iron-spiked planks from the supply wagons and secured them into the ground before wrapping cords lined with tiny bells around the perimeter.
After several hours of tireless work, they finally completed the temporary defensive barrier encircling the camp.
Dusting dirt from his hands, Edrick headed toward the campfires.
While the knights had been erecting barricades, the Imperial Princess’s attendants had already finished preparing dinner.
Clutching his hungry stomach, he approached the fire where meat was roasting.
He snatched up a small slice of bacon and popped it into his mouth before addressing one of the maids.
“Has Her Highness’s meal been prepared and delivered?”
The young-faced maid stirring a large pot with a ladle looked at him nervously.
“Well...... She said she had no appetite......”
Edrick, wiping grease from his hands with a towel, frowned deeply.
So she intended to skip dinner after ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) practically starving herself all day?
Irritation surged up inside him at the childish stubbornness of the Imperial Princess.
Throwing the towel carelessly onto the ground, he grabbed an empty basket.
“Fill this with anything suitable to eat.”
The maid immediately packed it with a large slice of pie, stew with bacon, wine, preserved fruits, and various other foods.
Soon the basket was overflowing.
Tucking it beneath his arm, Edrick headed toward the Imperial Princess’s tiny fortress.
He knew perfectly well there was no reason to force food upon someone insisting they did not want to eat.
But the memory of how disturbingly light her body had felt would not leave him alone.
Cursing his meddlesome personality, he knocked on the carriage door.
“Your Highness, I’ve brought dinner.”
“I said I’m not eating.”
“You’ve barely eaten all day. How do you expect to endure a journey this difficult without proper meals? Even if you have no appetite, please try to eat something.”
“I said get lost!”
Edrick’s face twisted.
Even a hedgehog would not raise its spines this aggressively.
Gathering the last of his patience, he forced himself to speak calmly.
“Then I’ll leave it here in front. If you change your mind—”
Edrick bent down to place the basket on the ground—
Then abruptly recoiled backward.
Without warning, the door flew open, and a fiercely hardened pale face filled his vision.
Meeting those vivid blue eyes glowing clearly even beneath the crimson sunset, Edrick swallowed dryly.
