IWAPUF 45

My heart had always raced at the sight of his face, a reflex as predictable as Pavlov’s dog. But it
was never more than that—a conditioned response. Never before had being near him stirred the
kind of feeling now coursing through me.
“I thought I’d lost you…” His voice trailed off, unable to finish. His body, wrapped around
mine, trembled faintly—a sensation so unfamiliar it felt almost surreal.
“I’m alright,” I said softly.
I waited for him to calm, his arms still encircling me. He closed his eyes and held me in silence,
unmoving, for what felt like an eternity.
“We should get up,” I said at last.
“Yes,” he murmured, but his eyes remained shut. The grip of his arms loosened slightly, though
they still held me close.
“It’s been long enough,” I pressed.
He let out a deep sigh. “Haa…”
I stirred in his embrace, and the arms that had held me like a net finally released me. I stood,
checking myself for injuries. There were small scratches here and there, but nothing serious. A
small mercy amidst the chaos.
“Aren’t you getting up?” I asked, noticing he hadn’t moved. He lay there, gazing up at me,
making no effort to rise. I frowned down at him.
“You’re beautiful even from this angle,” he said with a playful grin. “Mind if I admire you a
bit longer?”
“Your nonsense tells me you’re unharmed,” I retorted, turning away from him.
The sun had tilted further west, and the forest, nestled in the mountains, would soon welcome
night earlier than other places. We needed to find our way back to the others, but I had no sense of
where we were.
“Beonne, wait—” His voice cut off with a pained groan.
I spun around to see him clutching his chest, his body curled in agony. Alarmed, I rushed to his
side.
“Are you alright?” I asked, placing a hand on his shoulder, my voice thick with worry.
His face remained contorted, offering no answer. I opened my mouth to call to him again when
suddenly the world tilted. In the blink of an eye, my back hit the ground. The Crown Prince
loomed over me, a mischievous smile playing on his lips.
“You were worried about me,” he teased.
“Was that a trick?” I demanded, narrowing my eyes.
“If I didn’t do something, you’d have left me behind,” he said, his red lips curving into a
charming arc.
I glared at him, but despite his playful expression, his face was pale as dough, betraying his
condition. Cold sweat beaded on his brow. He’d tumbled across the ground with me in his arms
after I was thrown from a runaway horse—there was no way he was unscathed. Something was
clearly wrong, but he seemed determined to hide it.
I’d foolishly assumed that if I was fine, he would be too. In this moment, even if I knew he was
injured, there was little I could do. And I didn’t want to undermine his effort to keep it from me.
Whatever his injuries, I decided to play along and pretend I hadn’t noticed.
“You’re incorrigible,” I said, my tone light but firm.
“Incorrigible?” he replied, feigning offense. “Don’t you know by now that when it comes to
you, I’m always serious?”
His face drew closer, his breath grazing my skin as strands of silver hair brushed my cheek. “If I
kissed you right now, what would happen?”
His tone was playful, but his golden eyes darkened with intensity. His lips hovered just shy of
mine, close enough to feel their warmth.
“If you’re so eager to test my warnings, I’m more than willing to oblige,” I said coolly.
He chuckled, his eyes crinkling, and slowly pulled back. His shadow loomed over me as he stood,
offering me his hand.
“Still the merciless fiancée,” he said with a wry smile.
I stared at his outstretched hand for a moment. He let out a soft laugh. “Will you refuse even
this?”
With a sigh, I took his hand. His large, calloused palm enveloped mine completely. With a gentle
but firm tug, he pulled me to my feet, drawing me briefly into his arms.
“I’m so glad you’re safe,” he whispered, his breath warm against my ear.
I closed my eyes, letting myself sink into his embrace. Our heartbeats, once out of sync, began to
align, their rhythms gradually merging. I had already resolved not to run from fear of being hurt
again. If I was certain of my feelings, I would stake everything on them once more.
I could no longer deny it—I had to admit it. I loved him.
It wasn’t without fear. The thought of *her* reappearing, of history repeating itself, still gnawed
at me. But the man before me now wasn’t the same as before. Back then, he hadn’t treated me
with such tenderness, hadn’t risked his life for me, hadn’t held me with such warmth.
I placed my hands on his back, returning his embrace. His body stiffened slightly at my sudden
gesture. Slowly, I traced my fingers down his spine. He jolted, grabbing my shoulders with both
hands and gently pushing me away.
“What—what was that?” he stammered, his face flushed with surprise.
Laughter bubbled up at the sight of his reddened cheeks. I knew I loved him, but I wasn’t ready to
let him know that just yet. Though he wasn’t the same man from before, a part of me wanted to
make him yearn for me as much as I had once yearned for him. For now, I decided to keep my
feelings hidden.
“We don’t have time for this, Your Highness,” I said, glancing pointedly at the sky.
He followed my gaze. The sun was sinking, and dark clouds were gathering in the distance,
ominous and heavy.
“Indeed,” the Crown Prince said, his voice low.
Whiiistle—
He let out a long, piercing whistle, its clear, high-pitched note echoing through the forest. He
whistled again, then a couple more times in quick succession, but nothing happened. A shadow of
frustration crossed his face.
“It seems we’ve gone too far,” he muttered.
His horse, trained for military use, was conditioned to respond to its master’s signals. The fact
that it didn’t come meant we were out of earshot.
“We need to get out of this forest,” he said, turning to me. His golden eyes flickered with
concern. Leaving the forest meant walking until we found our way out, and he seemed worried
about me managing it.
“Are you alright with that?” he asked.
“I’ll be fine,” I replied. “Even if I weren’t, what choice do we have in this situation?”
He chuckled softly. “I knew you’d say that.”
“And you, Your Highness? Are you alright?” I countered.
“As you said, we don’t have much choice, do we?”
He took my hand, a faint smile playing on his lips. Though his color had improved slightly, his
face was still pale. His fingers intertwined with mine, slipping between them with gentle
insistence.
“I won’t collapse and leave you behind, so don’t worry,” he said, his tone reassuring as he
began to lead the way.
I followed his steps and asked, “Do you even know where we’re going?”
“Well…” he said vaguely.
I frowned, and he burst into laughter, the sound bright and unguarded.
—
We hurried our steps, but it seemed we’d ventured deep into the forest. No matter how far we
walked, the trees showed no sign of thinning. As I’d feared, darkness fell, and raindrops began to
patter down, one by one.
The sparse drops quickly thickened, turning into a torrential downpour. The Crown Prince pulled
me closer, his arm around my shoulder, drawing my body against his.
“We can’t keep walking in this,” he said.
He was right. Navigating a pitch-black forest in a deluge, without even a glimmer of light, was
impossible. He scanned our surroundings, but the rain and darkness obscured everything. Spotting
a large tree nearby, he guided me beneath its canopy.
The rain poured as if the sky had split open, seeping through the dense foliage in relentless
streams. He shrugged off his outer coat and draped it over my head. The scent of spearmint,
mingling with the rain and his lingering warmth, enveloped me.
“Wait here for a moment,” he said, turning to leave.
“What are you doing?” I called out urgently, my hand instinctively grabbing the hem of his shirt.
He paused, gently wrapping his hand around mine.
“I’m just looking for a place to take shelter,” he said softly.
“It’s dangerous,” I protested.
A forest at night was treacherous enough, let alone in a storm like this. I couldn’t let him—the
Crown Prince—wander alone into such perilous conditions.
“Stay here until the rain stops,” I urged.
“It doesn’t look like it’ll stop anytime soon,” he replied. “If we stay out here all night in this
downpour, it won’t be good for either of us.”
“Then I’ll go with you,” I said firmly.
I didn’t want to be left alone in the dark, waiting helplessly, consumed by worry that something
might happen to him. That was the last thing I could bear.
“Beonne,” he said, his voice soft. His large hand brushed my cheek gently, his golden eyes
gleaming vividly even in the darkness.
“Am I allowed to think you’re worried about me?” he asked.
Before I could respond, he continued, “I hope so.”
The corners of his lips lifted into a gentle smile. “Even in a situation like this, hearing your
concern makes my heart race. I must be utterly mad for you.”
“Wandering through a forest in this downpour is far crazier,” I shot back.