Chapter 72: Chapter 72

Fortunately, he could walk as he had no leg injuries, but it took him a while to get up from the spot where he lay on his back and sit down. He felt extreme pain when he raised one of his knees, and when he barely stood on two legs, he just wanted to faint as the pain was painful. ‘I’d feel more comfortable if I lost my mind instead!’ he murmured.

Although he was not much of a knight all his life, he was trained enough to protect his own body. Nevertheless, he felt like his whole body ached.

“Your Majesty, cheer up. You just have to go there. That’s it. Lean on me more. I’m stronger than you think. Come on!”

Each time, Marianne comforted him and cheered him up.

Of course, she had never held a thing which was heavier than a jewelry box.

He could see her slender arm trembling. She had sweat on her nose and her bitten lips turned white. He wouldn’t have blamed her even if she had given up in the middle. But she helped him to move as best she could. Just as he could not give her up in the water, she kept supporting him desperately.

The two crawled half way and walked half way. With all their might, they crawled into the crevice near a rock mountain. As soon as they arrived, he immediately knelt down. As he felt the warmth on the back and dizziness, he felt faint. He was more short of breath than when he sank under the water. His broken arm was extremely painful, and as he bit the inside of his mouth so often, he could even taste of blood in his nose and throat.

Marianne probably didn’t have any stamina left. Nevertheless, she threw off her cape and dress.

“Why are you taking off your clothes, Marianne?”

He had never seen a faithful lady of the noble family undressing right before his eyes.

Trying her best to calm down, she answered with an embarrassed voice, “I’m just scared. I have to dry them anyway, so let me take them off.”

As always, Marianne never listened to him seriously.

She was struggling with her heavy and sticky dress for a long time. After all, the sleeves and chest trim were ripped apart, and the tight corsets and half-broken petticoats were also thrown away. Eventually, as she wished, she was clad in a cool slip.

“Wow, I can live now! Your Majesty, give me your cloak and coat. You shouldn’t put on wet clothes for a long time.”

Although she said it in the form of a request, it was closer to an order.

She almost forcibly took away the cloak and coat from him, who was embarrassed at the moment. Of course, she did it carefully so that he could not feel hurt.

He also struggled with his wet clothes as much as she did and he finally could catch his breath… In the meantime, she took off one of her shoes and then put on his long boots instead.

“I feel like I’ve been robbed before my eyes.”

“It’s not robbery! I’m just borrowing them from you briefly. I didn’t ask for your permission because you would be fine with it anyway.”

Responding to his jolly joke, she picked up a pile of clothes. The wet fabric was so heavy that some of the clothes she didn’t hold tight dragged around her arms. She hung the wet clothes in the sun. She checked out the shallow stream on her way back. Luckily, there were floating the ruins of the wagon that had been pushed down here. Among them were pieces of wood of broken wagons, silver wine glasses, and she picked them up.

“Let me look around the nearby forest for a moment. Please wait a bit. You should never lose your mind.”

Then she hurriedly ran out of the cave again. Not suitable for her white lace apron, her black boots that were too big for her disappeared in no time.

The cave was calm in contrast to the real world.

While she was away, he just helplessly waited. There was nothing else for him to do. Soon a sense of helplessness, gentle pain, and some mysterious feelings overtook him.

At that moment, he suddenly recalled what she told him.

“Let me protect you from now on, even if I risk everything.”

Eckart was currently the owner of Aslan. When he was young, he was a well-prepared monarch. Every year he led many knights’ declaration for his protection, including those he heard at the Eluang Knights’ inauguration. Although they were customary exaggerations or false oaths, they just swore by betting anything for his protection.

But Marianne was not a knight. She was neither a maid nor a maid whose duty was to serve their master, nor a member of the royal family.

She was the daughter of a duke who was smaller and weaker than him. She was taken as a hostage for political reasons. Even the terms of the deal between them for mutual political interests was his promise to protect her and her father’s safety. Namely, he was the one who had to protect them.

In that situation, he never expected that he would hear her pledging to protect him.

But Marianne willingly promised it for him. He felt her weak voice was more true and sacred than the pledges of the strong knights. What was reflected in her green eyes was her clear will of self-sacrifice.That looked sincere to his eyes, which were accustomed to catching other people’s intentions.

After hesitating for a moment, he slowly extended his left hand. He felt pain in his back with that small movement, but he searched through the pile of stuff that she had piled up.

Soon he caught a round, small ceramic medicine casel. The medicine box with the golden herb stem was the one he had given to her in the past. It came out from her pocket when she took off her dress.

“Why do you still have it? The wound didn’t heal yet?”

“It did. I originally put it in a drawer but I took it back when I left for Roshan. I believed it would be a good charm for the engagement ceremony.”

Her gentle voice was replayed like a hallucination. He softly touched the pottery with his injured fingers. His emotions quietly subsided like the mist of a lake at dawn. Looking back, it started in spring when he turned 15. The world of the young prince, composed of light and faithfulness, collapsed so easily. Since the day he learned about the secrets of the royal family, he had to endure a life where he could not depend on anybody.

Faith betrayed him, and love hated him. He had to take into account misfortune in the offing before hope. He had to doubt somebody’s favor and get used to hostility. He regarded it as defeat and injustice to express his true heart.

“Because it’s your gift. Of course, you gave me a lot of other gifts, but I still think this is the sweetest gift.”

However, at this moment, he had to admit there was an exception to the rules that sustained his life.

Marianne. She was the only unconventional exception. She was a lovely intruder. She was a fellow in the battlefield who trusted him first when he couldn’t trust himself. Boldly enough, she was a woman who promised to protect the emperor, and she was the daughter in the enemy’s estate that he believed he should never love.

“Oh, that’s mine. Are you stealing it now?”

He was surprised by that voice and turned his head.

She came back before he knew it and sat down nearby, pouring out what she collected in her skirt.

“Are you going to steal my medicine bottle because I borrowed your boots? Oh my gosh! I’ve plucked this much grass for what!”

She pointed at the pile of grass in an exaggerated voice. He saw a pile of grass, mixed with several pebbles of different shapes.

He tried to stay calm while stroking his neck for a moment.

“Marianne, this is what I gave you in the past…”

“Yeah, that’s right! How come you want to take back what you gave to me?”

“Steal? I just looked at it. What’s the point of me stealing this?”

Then, he put the medicine bottle in front of her with a serious look on his face.

“Well, I can use it for this.”

Then, she opened the lid of the medicine container and put a lot of ointment on her fingertips. She rubbed it on the middle of his forehead and down.

“… ”

He was speechless for a moment and looked at her.

“This ointment is quite effective. If I apply it like this, the wounds will quickly heal. I wish no scars will be left on your face…”

Murmuring to herself, she squeezed the ointment again. Soon, the scent of the herb was on his cheeks, near his clavicle, and his bare forehead where the bleeding just stopped.

“Why don’t you apply it on your wounds first?” he asked.

Then he tried to grab her hand and stop it, but she pulled away her hand and turned to the grass.