R4STWH - Chapter 110
Chapter 110
'He may want to protect his world, but since he’s the guy who already made a crazy choice once, I can’t let my guard down.'
Whether his lengthy excuses were true or not, he was the one who had killed everything in sight, burning and breaking things to the point where he had put an end to an entire world.
I shouldn't think his way of thinking was within normal boundaries.
'Above all, he’s not even human.'
Also, there was one more thing I had to check.
'Why did he come to this timeline?'
According to Ermitar, this world had once been destroyed in the future. It seemed that they had probably failed to clear the qualification by failing to defeat the boss in the final quest.
'That must mean that the key to changing that result is here.'
Whether it would be a person, an object, or due to a certain event, I couldn't tell right now. Anyway, it seemed better to examine everything with all possibilities open.
“First, it’d be good to wash up and change your clothes while the meal is being prepared.”
As we finished climbing the stairs and reached the 1st floor hallway, Zero turned to look at me and spoke.
Anyone who saw Zero's current state would have screamed and made a fuss, but thanks to what he had said beforehand, there wasn't a single servant walking around the hallway, even at this time of day, when the sun had already risen.
“I don’t have any clothes with me?”
“That’s why, why did you come in those pajamas……!”
Zero, who was in the middle of talking, let out a long sigh and said with a tired expression.
“There were quite a few dresses in the guest rooms on the second floor, pick one that fits you.”
“I know where they are. I’ll go with you to help you pick one out.”
At Elias’s words, I recalled a fact that I had forgotten.
The body Zero had taken over was originally Elias’s friend, the owner of this palace.
'Would Elias be happy if he knew that Leonard's soul was still left?'
I couldn’t be sure because it had been revealed that Leonard had also known about the truth of the treason that his father was accused of, and yet he had been hiding it.
“……Okay, good then.”
Zero, glancing at my hand clasped with Elias's, replied curtly.
“While you’re inviting guests, why not send word to the temple too? Since the saintess is here, you can get your leg treated too.”
“You were the one who broke it, and now you’re worried?”
“Yeah.”
He was still a member of the imperial family, and if word got around that the Duchess Tenaclad had made him like this, wouldn't it put Elias in trouble?
Since we were getting treated at the imperial palace, it would be good to let the skinny saintess eat her fill as well.
“……”
Zero, who was staring at me, stood there silently for a while before running his hand through his hair with a jerky motion.
Then, he turned his body abruptly.
“I’ll do that, so go and change your clothes.”
“Okay.”
Smiling brightly as I answered, I lightly shook the hand I had with Elias. It was a way of saying, ‘I did well, right?’
He carefully brushed a stray strand of hair that was stuck to my cheek, without saying anything. My mood, which had been bad all along, suddenly improved with that gentle touch.
I had been feeling guilty about sneaking out behind his back, but it was a great relief that he didn’t seem to be angry.
Guided by Elias, we arrived at a guest room, and there were indeed dozens of dresses in the dressing room.
I couldn’t help but feel puzzled at those dresses, which looked brand-new and, at first glance, seemed to come in various sizes, as if they weren't for just one person.
“Why are there so many women’s clothes in the Imperial Prince’s palace?”
Elias, searching through the dresses to find one that would fit me, replied.
“The owner of this palace was the type of guy who wouldn't stop any women from coming or going.”
“……Huh?”
“He easily slept with any woman who was even somewhat pretty. He kept these prepared for those times.”
Since it was unlikely that they just held hands and slept in bed, that meant that Leonard was a promiscuous man who slept with this woman and that woman as he pleased.
“Why did you become friends with such a bad person…….”
“Most nobles are like that. I’m just… a bit special.”
Elias looked at me and smiled gently.
“Maybe it’s because I was destined to meet you, that’s why I didn’t notice anyone else.”
“……!”
My facial muscles relaxed uncontrollably at his very sweet words.
He was making me fall so deeply for him that it was no longer possible for me to escape, each time dragging me deeper and deeper.
So that I would be so lost in ecstasy that I could only see him.
“This one looks good. Do you want to try it on?”
I threw off the robe and pajamas, which were covered in dust from rolling on the floor and torn here and there from the battle, and put on the dress he had picked for me.
It fit me reasonably well, except for the chest area, which felt a little tight.
“Hmm…….”
Elias, looking at me with a troubled expression, found a shawl and draped it over my shoulders.
“It’d be better to ask the saintess to bring some clothes. Let’s just stay like this until then.”
“Okay.”
Since I had chosen clothes to change into, I washed up roughly in the bathroom attached to the room and tidied up my hair as well.
In the process, Elias became very angry at the sight of the wounds on my body, but I was able to calm him down well. It was now possible since he knew just how powerful my healing ability was.
Since the saintess hadn’t arrived by the time I finished preparing, I ended up wearing the chosen dress and draping the shawl over myself.
After transforming into a reasonably decent form like that, when I left the guest room with Elias, the maids who were cleaning the 2nd floor hallway stared at us with wide eyes.
Those gazes continued until we entered the 1st floor dining hall.
They seemed very surprised by the suddenly appearing Duchess Tenaclad and her husband.
“Did we come too early?”
“Well, whatever. We must be hungry, let’s eat something.”
Elias very naturally called a servant to bring out the food we would be eating first.
As expected of the imperial palace, even the basics, like bread and soup, were very delicious.
It seemed I was very hungry since I had skipped dinner while trying on over a dozen new underwear sets, and I also had a fistfight with Zero since dawn.
Even though I was being as polite as I could while eating, mindful of the gazes on me, the plates were quickly emptying.
“I’ll bring more right away.”
Still, thanks to the servants, who were elites in serving guests, bringing out new food with a warrior’s spirit, there was no break in the meal.
Then, at some point when I came to my senses, Zero and the saintess, who had regained their normal state, were sitting at the table, and soon after, Yumi, Baeksa, and Crow, who someone had called, were also sitting together, having a meal.
“Oh, you’re here?”
After swallowing the food I was chewing and saying hello, Yumi blinked her eyes a few times while pointing at my bulging cheek.
It meant to talk after eating.
Ilesha had left him behind.
When he opened his eyes, realizing the warmth that had escaped from his embrace, her presence was already gone.
Elias, who had abruptly risen from bed, quickly picked up his clothes while thinking.
'Looking at how her bag is still here, it seems like she just put on her robe over her pajamas and went out…….'
If he had known it would be like this, he shouldn't have let her wash up before going to bed.
If that was the case, she wouldn’t have just left, and he could have woken up and prepared while she washed.
'It’s okay, it’s not too late yet. Let’s stay calm.'
Wasting time on regrets would not help.
What was important to him now was to figure out her destination and get there as quickly as possible.
Fortunately, he had a guess.
'When I talked about the 1st Imperial Prince's underground prison… she seemed to have realized something.'
He had a feeling that one of the reasons Ilesha had rushed her journey to the imperial capital might be there.
Judging from how she hadn't answered when asked what the guy who had taken over Howell Ricks……’s body would do, she must have been thinking of leaving him behind since then.
'Am I still nothing more than a hindrance to her?'
He had been clenching his teeth and training, thinking that even if he wasn’t a great help to Ilesha, he should at least be able to be by her side when she needed him.
But…….
It still seemed like she thought he needed to be protected.
He wasn’t resentful towards Ilesha for leaving him behind. It was just that he felt pathetic that he was still only this much.
'If you’re lacking talent, you should have put in several times more effort.'
Ilesha, who thought that it was amazing that he had grown this much in a month, would have pinched his cheeks if she knew.
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