Chapter 2.
“No, wait, this is a mistake!”
I quickly pulled my hand away from his chest. Friedrich bit his lip and straightened the open front of his robe.
Why was he dressed like that, and more importantly, why was he here instead of in the dungeon? I asked with a bewildered expression.
“Why are you here?”
Friedrich didn’t answer, just bit his lip and lowered his head.
It was innocently endearing to look at, but frustrating. I furrowed my brow and pressed him.
“Who brought you here?”
At that, Friedrich lifted his head and met my eyes straight on.
The male lead’s eyes were handsome too. But the gaze he fixed on me wasn’t kind.
“Your Highness ordered it.”
His voice was nice… like a voice actor’s. No, more than that.
“Me?”
It was news to me. I shook my head with a dumbfounded look.
“What are you talking about? I’ve been sleeping since I got here.”
“Since Your Highness commanded it, the maids must have brought me here.”
“…My maids?”
Only then did I recall what Elsa had said before I fell asleep.
“Then I’ll prepare things so you can sleep comfortably for once.”
Wait, did that mean preparing a prospective husband to attend to me at night?!
‘No wonder she was looking at me like a cat with its fur all bristled.’
Well, people thought I’d brought Friedrich here to use him like a slave for all sorts of things(?).
This guy probably thought the same.
“If you’re planning to violate me…”
It was right then. Friedrich opened his mouth with a resolute expression.
“You’d better give up. I’ll bite my tongue right here and…”
“Whoa, hold on. Calm down. I haven’t done anything yet.”
I hurriedly reached out to stop him, then belatedly remembered what I’d done earlier and added awkwardly.
“That was a mistake in my sleep. I didn’t even know someone was next to me.”
“…”
“I’m sorry for suddenly dragging you here. My maids have a knack for doing things I didn’t even ask for, with great intuition.”
Perhaps it was an unexpected apology, because Friedrich’s violet eyes wavered faintly.
“They probably thought I’d need you tonight, but I have no intention of doing anything with a kid.”
At my nonchalant words, Friedrich’s eyebrows twitched.
Was he offended? But it was the truth.
I ignored it and flicked my finger toward something over his shoulder.
He made a face like he didn’t understand what that meant, then spotted the water glass and handed it to me.
His fingers were so long and slender. They seemed prettier than mine.
I drained the cup of water and handed it back to him as I said,
“So, you can relax and sleep. This place has to be more comfortable for resting than the dungeon, right?”
“…”
“You’ll need to build up your strength since we’ll be setting off on a long journey starting tomorrow.”
With those words, I turned my back on Friedrich and lay down. But no matter how much time passed, there was no sign of movement from behind me.
I dozed off while waiting for Friedrich to lie down. And when I woke up again, there was no one behind me.
I yawned and sat up. A glance at the clock showed it was a little past midnight.
“This must be the perfect time to make a run for it.”
Should I go look for him? I quietly got out of bed and slipped outside.
‘There’s only one place he’d run to.’
Knowing Friedrich’s thought process inside out, I headed to the secluded palace garden.
After scouting the area for a few days, I’d noticed a dog hole in one wall, just big enough for a child to fit through.
I waited patiently outside the hole, and soon I heard grunting sounds, followed by a child’s head popping out.
It was a child around ten years old, with long black hair and violet eyes. Spotting what he’d been waiting for, I smiled brightly and greeted him.
“Hello!”
The child wore a look of utter horror and hurriedly tried to retreat back through the hole he’d just emerged from.
No chance. With a smile, I grabbed the child’s shoulder and helped pull him out.
He wriggled as if trying to resist, but I deftly held onto his shoulder and yanked him free.
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
I asked in a rather affectionate tone, only for the child to glare at me fiercely, his expression laced with confusion.
I gazed at him steadily for a moment before my face turned serious.
“Friedrich Kill.”
Calling the child’s name, I saw a face that registered considerable surprise, even though he must have had some inkling.
“What do you think would happen if word got out that you, the prince of a fallen kingdom, tried to escape and got caught? And before that, what if it became known that you’re under a spell that turns you into a child every midnight?”
Friedrich Kill’s face drained of color. His expression screamed “How do you know?” so I shrugged and explained.
“I’m a mage, Your Highness. You think I couldn’t recognize the magic on you?”
“…It’s a curse.”
He spat the words out as if chewing them.
“It’s not magic; it’s a curse.”
Well, from Friedrich’s perspective, it would feel that way.
In the original story, that curse was why he was called the “Monster Prince” and mistreated in the Kill Kingdom.
‘It wasn’t because he was so pretty they hid him away, unlike what everyone thought.’
It had started on his fifteenth birthday, so for five years, how much heartache must he have endured?
Before that, he’d been the beloved youngest prince of the Kill Kingdom, so the sudden cold shift in people’s attitudes must have been all the more painful.
Thinking about it made him seem so pitiable…
“What are you doing!”
At that moment, red blood trickled from the corner of Friedrich’s mouth. I quickly restrained the child and pried his mouth open.
Blood was seeping from his bitten tongue. Friedrich glared at me with eyes full of resentment.
“Just leave it.”
“Hah, you expect me to stand here with my eyes wide open and watch you die?”
“I’m going to die anyway.”
Friedrich said it calmly.
“The fact that I tried to escape, and that I’m afflicted with this wretched curse… if either gets out, I’ll be branded a demon and won’t escape the stake. So before that…”
“Who said I’d let you die?”
Interrupting him, I watched as Friedrich looked at me with a bewildered expression.
Only then did I remember what I’d said earlier, and I explained awkwardly.
“That was just to scare you.”
A bit of preemptive intimidation, you could say.
“I told you. I’ve decided to make you my husband.”
I ruffled the child’s hair with a firm hand as I spoke.
“That means I won’t tell anyone what I saw tonight.”
At those words, Friedrich’s expression grew even more confused.
“…Why?”
“Isn’t it obvious? Killing you benefits me in no way.”
“There are plenty of other people you could take as your consort.”
“But none of them are as pretty as you.”
His face went blank at my sincere reply.
Think it’s a joke? It’s the truth. In the original story, you’re the most handsome in the entire world.
I chuckled and tore a bit of my dress sleeve, rolling it into a ball.
“So open up quick. If we don’t stop the bleeding, you’ll really be in trouble.”
Fortunately, I’d caught him just after a slight bite, so his life wasn’t in danger.
Friedrich hesitated, then parted his lips a little, and I wedged the cloth in to staunch the flow.
“You thought if you bit your tongue in front of me, I’d use healing magic or something?”
I asked in a knowing tone, and Friedrich shot me an incredulous glare.
He mumbled something through his lips, but with the cloth in his mouth, it came out as muffled grunts.
“Sorry to disappoint, but that’s not my specialty. I can barely protect myself, so don’t try any funny business.”
“Mmph, mmph!”
“Alright, quiet now. Let’s go.”
I ignored whatever retort Friedrich was trying to make and held out my hand.
He met my gaze with bristling eyes and stubbornly refused to take it.
“Kiddo, you should listen to adults, you know?”
With a grin, I forcibly grabbed Friedrich’s hand. He jerked roughly to pull away, but.
No dice. Even if he’ll become a sword master later, right now he’s just a child. No match for an adult woman.
After a few futile struggles, Friedrich soon settled, letting me hold his hand. He only fidgeted occasionally, as if it tickled.
He looked every bit the sulking child, and it was quite adorable.
