16 – It was there, and then it wasn’t.
Eline was utterly confused.
What on earth was this sudden bolt from the blue?
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There was no mistaking it.
It felt like a thick log was placed on the blanket.
Watching it slightly inflate and deflate, it almost seemed like someone was breathing.
Judging by the weight, it was definitely a man.
She was afraid.
If this man had ill intentions, something terrifying would happen.
But somehow, she had an inexplicable certainty that she shouldn’t scream.
It was a strange occurrence.
And no matter how much time passed,
The intruder did not move. As if he were unconscious.
He couldn’t stay like this forever.
In the end, Elaine summoned her courage.
After struggling for a while, she managed to free her suppressed body.
And she saw.
The silver hair peeking out from under the slightly removed black hood.
Under the moonlight, it shone brilliantly.
And among the people she knew, there was only one person with such silver hair.
“Your Highness Huang…!”
Elaine quickly looked around and covered her mouth with both hands.
It was clear when she saw his face.
This man lying as if dead.
He unmistakably looked like Prince Eos of the Mercer Empire.
The dark red liquid that had spread across the pure white blanket was undoubtedly blood.
She couldn’t help but notice it when she saw him.
The prince had suffered a fatal injury.
Elaine quickly turned him over and laid him down.
Since he was lying horizontally, his head and feet were hanging down from the bed.
“……”
Elaine whimpered for a long time, soaking her whole body in sweat.
She struggled to rotate her heavy body and managed to lie down on the bed, propping up a pillow.
Then she lit a candle.
The faint night breeze seeped through the still-open window, swaying the small flame as if it were about to extinguish.
Ssueug-
Elaine cautiously closed the window and drew the curtains.
She hurriedly took off the prince’s cloak and shirt.
Blood oozed from the wound, as if she had been stabbed with a knife.
The prince was dying.
Thump, thump, thump!
Her heart raced, and her breath became shallow.
It was because of the intense anxiety that overwhelmed her.
Perhaps she feared that she wouldn’t be able to do anything.
She couldn’t bear the thought of just watching the prince die.
If she had known, she should have gathered the courage to ask the prince about that absurd healing ability she had witnessed a few days ago.
But she couldn’t do it.
She lacked the courage.
The world outside of Didi’s world was so different.
Even in the carriage that the Emperor had sent, they couldn’t meet eyes.
After returning to the Marquis’s house, they couldn’t even muster the courage to contact each other.
They would just lock themselves in their room, alone in a time when no one else was around.
They would reach their hands out into the empty air, clumsily trying to recreate that moment from that day.
Of course, nothing would happen.
As if such a miracle would never happen again.
No matter how many times they tried, it was the same.
The miracle they had performed disappeared suddenly, like a dream on a summer night.
They felt like they were going crazy.
Could they do it?
The Emperor had surely believed that they could revive if they came to them.
But.
They were not there.
Yet, they couldn’t just stand still while someone was dying right in front of them.
“Sob….”
The unconscious Emperor’s face was deeply furrowed. Their irregular breathing was getting faster and faster.
Elaine placed their hands on the Emperor’s wounds.
Blood stained them.
The warm liquid, still filled with the essence of life, emitted a bitter scent of death.
However, that was not a problem at all.
In Elaine’s mind, there was only one thought.
To save him.
She wanted to prevent the prince’s death by any means necessary.
There was no other desire.
No price was too high.
Like the sunlight that pierces through the dense clouds after a fierce typhoon has passed.
She didn’t want to just watch the death of the benefactor who had come into her life and changed so much by chance.
So she silently prayed.
Please, save this man.
You can take everything she has.
Please, just spare this poor man’s life, she pleaded desperately to the gods.
“……!”
It was at that moment when a bright light burst forth, filling the room.
From the palm of her hand touching her stomach.
A powerful flash that swallowed everything lasted for a few seconds.
It was an overwhelming light that seemed to blind even her eyes.
She felt her strength rapidly leaving her.
Thud-
As the light faded, Elaine collapsed right onto the prince.
As Elaine’s eyes closed shut, she thought to herself.
“I can’t collapse like this… If anyone were to see…”
But.
The overwhelming fatigue washed over her, even putting her anxiety to rest, and she eventually fell asleep.
***
When Elaine regained consciousness again.
A faint light was seeping through the curtains.
Elaine cautiously pulled back the curtains.
It was early dawn.
What she saw next was the prince’s complexion.
It had improved to the point where it could be clearly recognized even in the dim darkness.
Even the sound of his breathing had become calm.
It was as peaceful as the colors of a baby’s.
It was truly a moment of relief, as she let out a small sigh of relief.
Her eyes caught sight of torn clothes and a blanket discarded by the bedside.
The sigh that had momentarily swelled in her chest deflated all at once.
Not only was there blood, but also the stench of blood.
If someone were to see, it would undoubtedly be a problem.
It had to be dealt with before daylight.
With that in mind.
Elaine headed outside with a piece of cloth in her hands.
There was a lot of blood on the bedsheet, but it was too heavy to remove, and she didn’t want to disturb the prince’s rest.
The mansion in the early morning was quiet.
Fortunately, it was still a time when no one was awake.
However, there was one concern.
She was a lady-in-waiting who never slept in.
She was the hated Countess, who despised herself.
If she were to be caught with the bloodstained blanket.
It would immediately reach the Countess’s ears.
It was not an ordinary matter.
It was none other than the infamous wastrel prince who had secretly intruded into the Count’s residence.
And he was covered in blood.
Just that.
It was something that should never be done.
Moreover.
The moment such words spread outside.
It seemed that those who had made the prince like this would not stay quiet.
The villains might come to kill the prince. He could really die.
As she thought of an unwanted future, her pounding heart didn’t calm down.
Elaine quickened her steps.
The best she could do now was to hurry as much as possible.
Elaine had been secretly doing laundry since dawn, sweating profusely.
Of course, burning it all would be the best solution, but that would only raise unnecessary suspicion.
So for now, the best option was to get rid of the bloodstains.
Fortunately, she had been a maid before.
Thanks to Katia’s thorough instructions, she didn’t encounter any soldiers on patrol.
They just checked her face from a distance.
In the end, Elaine finished the laundry safely.
After wringing out all the moisture, she carried the clothes back to the prince’s room with quick steps.
On the way, she didn’t forget to bring the blanket to cover the prince.
Finally, a sigh of relief escaped her.
Of course, it was as small and brief as the baby’s whimper.
It was impossible to completely remove the bloodstains, but they had become quite faint now.
Even if someone found out, it wouldn’t be a big problem.
Elaine sat on the edge of the bed, looking at the sleeping face of the prince.
What could have happened?
That thought suddenly crossed her mind.
He didn’t seem like a bad person, no matter how you looked at him.
Although she had only seen him a few times, she had a strange conviction.
And then, without realizing it, I moved my hand and straightened the disheveled crown prince’s collar.
How is it possible for someone to be so good-looking? Is it because he was born with elf blood?
Suddenly, a thought crossed my mind, and my face blushed slightly as I was pricked by a thorn.
The hand that brushed my hair was now grazing my cheek.
It was an unconscious action.
In the end, I was startled and quickly stood up.
It was because I finally realized what I was doing.
If the crown prince were to find out, it would be considered an insult to the royal family.
Elaine sat in front of the dressing table with a flushed face.
It was to ensure a safe distance.
That was when we heard a knocking sound from outside the door.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
It was a perfectly measured and paced knock, devoid of any emotion.
Those three knocks.
They were undoubtedly from the prince’s private secretary.
There was no doubt. The only person who would knock like this in the mansion was the private secretary.
“Miss Elaine, it’s the private secretary. May I come in for a moment?”
As expected, she was right.
Elaine’s face turned dark at the unexpected situation.
It was a deep sense of unease that couldn’t even be hidden by the golden morning light that cast shadows over the world.
It was undoubtedly a crisis.
The moment she fell into the Marquis’s arms.
In many ways, it would not be good for the prince.
Of course, the countess’s guards were not weak, so the likelihood of the worst-case scenario was very low.
But still.
The problem of illegal intrusion would undoubtedly tarnish the already bottomed-out reputation of the prince.
And in the middle of the night.
Not to mention, sneaking into the bedroom of a low-status woman.
It could lead to vicious rumors following them.
So, it was absolutely necessary to prevent the prince’s existence from being exposed.
Elaine quickly climbed onto the bed.
She was so desperate that she didn’t even have time to worry if the prince would wake up.
She swiftly sat next to the prince’s head and pulled up the blanket.
Her legs were resting on the prince’s arms and chest, but there was no other choice for now.
The day hadn’t fully dawned yet.
The bulging shape of the blanket might look a little strange, but as long as she didn’t examine it closely, there would be no way to get caught.
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To prevent any possible suspicion, she lightly cleared her throat a few times.
And then.
“Please come in.”
She spoke in a calm voice while looking at the door.
I tried my best to sound as composed as Katia, but I couldn’t be sure if I did well.
The butler entered, making me nervous as if I had found a prison cell.
He had a solemn face, like a guard who had found a prisoner’s room.
The butler glanced around the room, his eyes darting back and forth.
His gaze stopped at the wet blanket spread on the table.
Finally, the butler smiled and looked at Elaine.
“I heard you took the blanket off in the morning.”
Elaine was slightly taken aback.
She hadn’t noticed any sign of being discovered.
But it didn’t really matter.
The prince’s clothes were hanging under the bed, and most of the bloodstains on the blanket had been removed.
“I accidentally spilled some water last night because I drank too much.”
It was embarrassing enough to make her face slightly red.
But for now, there was no choice but to go along with it.
“….”
“I need to get some more rest, so if you’re done talking, please leave.”
I hurriedly dismissed him with a curt tone.
Han Yojang was still looking at Elaine.
His cold gaze and the smirk of disdain on his lips were unchanged, as if he were looking down on something.
It seemed like he had no intention of letting her off easily.
“That’s strange.”
“What’s strange?”
“The thing you were washing, it was clearly a bloodstained blanket.”
As if he had discovered something remarkable, Han Yojang’s face was filled with overt superiority, his smile widening.
“What are you trying to say?”
Unable to hide her confusion, Elaine’s voice began to tremble.
“You’re talking about the mother and daughter, right? Where did you hide her?”
As someone who had always been looked down upon, Elaine couldn’t miss the meaning behind his words.
Insulting her mother.
Han Yojang’s words were about how Elaine had secretly brought a man into her bedroom at midnight.
“Not knowing the grace of Lady Katia and resorting to base instincts, how pathetic.”
Han Yojang approached her confidently.
His eyes and expression.
His face showed conviction in his words.
Elaine flinched.
It was because Han Yojang’s gaze was directed towards the swollen blanket.
“There must be a man in this blanket, right? Who is it? Is it a servant? A guard?”
Elaine maintained a dignified expression and voice as much as possible.
“Can you take responsibility for those words…?”
Under the instruction of the Countess, the butler who had been tormenting Elaine for a long time was certain.
He was sure that the trembling voice was hiding something.
“I will definitely tell Katia about today’s incident….”
Although she tried to look angry, she couldn’t hide her fear that naturally seeped out, and of course, the butler didn’t buy it for a second.
“Even if you repay the favor with enmity, how dare you tarnish the Count’s name with such a disgraceful act!”
Damn it!
In the end, the butler pushed aside Elaine’s tightly clenched hand and pulled back the blanket.
Elaine tightly closed her eyes.
Because she didn’t know what else to do or how to do it differently.
“H-How could this…”
The butler’s pupils trembled violently.
It was definitely swollen as if someone was hiding inside.
And without a doubt, the size of the body was that of a man.
….
There was no one in the blanket.
And Elaine’s pupils, which opened belatedly, were also trembling.
The prince had disappeared.
There wasn’t even a single drop of blood left.
Hanyang turned around hastily and ran towards the blanket.
“Why, why…?”
Even there, she couldn’t find any evidence to deny it.
Even when she rubbed her eyes, the bloodstains that I had clearly seen were nowhere to be found.
With her shortness of breath.
Hanyang rushed back to the bed and turned over to look underneath.
Sure enough, because she had placed Huang Zha’s clothes there, Elaine couldn’t help but be startled.
But once again, Hanyang stood up with a despairing face.
As expected.
There was nothing there.
“I-I’m sorry, Miss…”
“No need to apologize. I’m going to tell Katia about everything.”
Thud-
Hanyang remained on her knees.
It was because Anna, the girl who had harmed Elaine, was driven away by Katia’s words, vividly recalled.
“I have committed a sin worthy of death… Please, have mercy…”