Chapter 14: Under A Blanket
While Rayleigh was away to grab the bow, Chloe picked up a pen to write a letter to the baron.
‘Baron Dayburn, I know it’s rude to cancel the appointment on the day of, but I’m writing this letter because of an emergency.’
Her hand was unstoppable. Writing this kind of letter was nothing for Chloe. In fact, it was easier to write a letter like this, then when she is attending to her duties as a princess. Starting with today’s weather, she had to use all kinds of rhetoric, and had to squeeze her brain for ideas. However, Lady’s letter is almost like a memo, so it’s rather comfortable.
Chloe slowly twirled the pen with her chin up. With a crunch, the sound of the pen’s touch scratching the paper is rather soothing. Everything was perfect from the fireplace to the sound of firewood burning. The air was warm, and it was calm and peaceful everywhere.
Sigh.
Chloe’s posture while writing the letter gradually slumped, and her eyelids started to blink slowly.
‘…so I’d like to postpone my visit for ten days. Until the day we meet…’
Her hand was slowing down. The pen rolled down between her loose fingers. Her eyes were no longer open.
* * *
“Roy, I brought you a short bow…”
Rayleigh’s eyes opened wide once he exited the secret passage. Roy, who was chattering just a while ago, was lying on the table. Lean arms stretched out weakly, head bent down. Rayleigh felt like his heart was falling.
“Roy…?”
He threw the bow, and ran to Roy at once.
“What is this? Roy? Roy!”
Rayleigh, who rushed to raise the fallen Roy, was stunned. The body that moved so fiercely, was so light that it didn’t seem to belong to an adult woman. Roy, whose head was laying in her arms, looked very thin and very defenseless. To Rayleigh, who only knew a Roy that smiled with eyes shining, this Roy was very strange.
“…Roy?”
Tapping lightly on her cheek, but Roy still didn’t respond. Rayleigh quickly checked Roy’s breathing and pulse. Her breathing was constant and her pulse and body temperature were normal. What the hell is going on here? It was when he was slowly looking over Roy again to see if he missed anything… A new fluid. A faint but long stretch of breath caught his ear.
“…Roy?”
The sound of a long drawn breath rang once again as if it were an answer. It’s a very peaceful, and sweet sound.
“How could you fall asleep?”
Rayleigh lowered his head slowly and looked at Roy once again. He could see one by one, the things he was distressed about just a little while ago. Her skin looks dryer than the first day they met. Her jawline is very prominent. A deep blue shadows under the closed eyes.
‘Cause I’m busy with my main job.’
“Oh.”
Not long ago, Roy’s words, which were murmured with a pale face, came to mind. Come to think of it, she always came here hurt and tired. What the hell are you doing during the day? As he looked at the sleeping Roy, a playful “threat” slipped through his lips.
“Roy!”
As expected, there is no movement. What you do, where you live, what your real name is? I know you won’t tell me anything. He also promised not to find out, however, he kept wondering.
“Roy…”
If you don’t tell me anything… just your face would be enough. It was like the devil whispering in his ear. Just a little bit…
Wait a minute. It was at that moment when he reached out as if he were possessed…
‘I will do my best to win your trust.’
When he remembered the oath he made to Roy, Rayleigh hurriedly withdrew his hand. With a grain of curiosity, Rayleigh almost became another despicable Theodore. Oh, my God! What a crap thing to do. While struggling in shock, he came to his senses thanks to the clock that signaled midnight.
“Oh, my God!”
It wasn’t the right time to be doing this.
“Roy, Roy?”
Rayleigh began to gently shake Roy, who had fallen asleep. However, Roy did not budge no matter how much he called her. I can’t believe this…! After a long time, Rayleigh sighed while brushing back his hair.
“Illuminem!”
It would be impossible to wake her up because Roy wouldn’t feel anything even if he slapped her face and shook her. It was a disaster.
***
Already past midnight, an arrow was struck the wall of Baron Dayburn’s office with a sharp cracking sound.
“La, La, Lady!”
When the baron pointed at the arrow and screamed, the guards gathered tightly around him.
“Where are you? Where are you coming in?”
Lady announced she would take the blue diamond ring that Baron Dayburn won at the auction house half a year ago. Now its value is exactly five times higher than what he bought it for. This precious thing, which has become priceless, cannot be taken away! Baron Dayburn huffed while holding the ring. Over his dead body, it’ll never be taken away!
“Hurry up and find her! Where are you!?”
The knight brought a letter to him, who was so nervous that he shouted everywhere.
“Lord, there’s a letter for you.”
“What? What kind of letter is it all of a sudden?”
“I was hanging from an arrow.”
He was puzzled by the untimely letter, but the baron’s face soon hardened when he found ‘Lady’ written on the envelope.
“Lady?”
His words came out as a gasp. The baron’s expression on his face suddenly changed as he tore up the envelope. And at the end, he screamed with a twisted face.
“Are you saying that I have to be on edge for ten more days? What the hell is this!”
The baron ran wild. The baron stomped his feet, waved his arms, and screamed like a child. The Captain of the Knights dragged him to a chair.
“Calm down. What the hell is going on? What do you mean ten days?”
The baron threw the ragged letter as if he were attacking the captain’s words. The Knight Captain opened the crumpled paper in his hand and began to read it slowly. His expression was subdued.
“First of all, go to bed.”
“When do you think Lady’s coming?”
“She said she’d be back in ten days, so she will be back then. You have to rest today to prepare for that day.”
The Knight Captain used a calm voice as if he were soothing the huffing baron.
“It’s not a trick?”
“Has Lady ever broken a notice?”
The faint doubts rising in his heart, disappeared with the firm words. Although he was still full of excitement, the baron calmly went to his bedroom as recommended by the Knight Captain.
“How busy are you to cancel an appointment like this? What, and you’re sorry?”
He’s grumbled the whole way. When the baron disappeared, the Vice-Captain asked the Knight Captain.
“What the hell is going on?”
“Lady has a busy schedule, so she’s going to postpone her appointment for ten days.”
“Ah… wait, what?”
The Vice-Captain’s face was a mess.
“Now, she called to postpone it?”
“She said she notified me in case I’d wait up all night.”
“I’m not even thinking about cats and mice. What is this…?”
At the Vice-Captain’s words, the Captain didn’t react positively or negatively – just frowned slightly.
***
“…Whoa.”
Rayleigh, who entered the bedroom, could not hide his heavy breathing. After an hour’s round trip from the imperial palace to the estate of Dayburn, his lungs felt like they were going to burst.
“Whoa, whoo.”
Large droplets of sweat rolled down his arrogant raised nose. Rayleigh, who roughly rubbed his nose with his sleeves, glanced out the window. The moon was on the verge of sinking. It meant that Roy had to be woken up right now by any means possible. It is utterly hopeless. He couldn’t stop sighing. Baron Dayburn was Roy’s job, and she could have handled it by sending a letter via bow, but there was no way that was going to happen. It was all because he couldn’t wake Roy up.
“Huu…”
Rayleigh walked to the bed. Roy was exactly where he had laid her. She was relieved of her sleepiness and looked innocent when she fell asleep with her lips wide open. Rayleigh was at a loss with what to do with Roy. Soon when the sun rises, the servants will flock in the room. He thought about where to hide her, but it was impossible because of the structure. Neither the closet nor the bedroom had space for someone to hide. Maybe it was built like that in the first place to prevent assassination. It meant that Roy had to be sent out before the sun rises. He felt sick and kept pressing down on his temples.
“Uhhh…”
Roy, who had been sleeping all curled up, began to toss and turn.
“Roy!”
Rayleigh called her in a rather urgent voice.
“Roy! Roy! Get up!”
He knew she didn’t feel anything, but he kept patting Roy on the cheek and shaking her shoulder.
“Roy!”
How many times did he call her? As if Roy had fallen asleep again, the sound of her breathing became calm. But Rayleigh couldn’t give up like this. If she can’t feel anything, he would have to call her and wake her up. You must wake her up! Rayleigh wrapped the blanket around him and Chloe. It may seem strange, but there was nothing else he could do to prevent the sound from leaking out. Rayleigh began to speak in Chloe’s ear in a loud, clear voice.
“Roy! Wake up!”
“…….”
He was afraid someone would hear his voice, so he was sweating with worry, but Roy didn’t budge. Did the Illuminum paralyze your hearing? It was just because Chloe’s sleep was deep, but Rayleigh’s ignorance was serious.
“Get up!”
Rayleigh moved a little closer and screamed.
“Roy!”
The bulging blanket gradually began to sink down around his head. The distance of Rayleigh’s lips has narrowed to the point of touching her ear.
“Roy!”
Chloe’s eyes sparkled when the embattled man called her with desperation. And, of course, she woke up to see Rayleigh breathing close to her ear while both under a blanket.
“Hey, hey!”
The half-asleep voice trembled with astonishment.
“Roy!”
Rayleigh smiled bitterly at Chloe, but Chloe couldn’t. A while ago, she clearly felt his lips on her ear. Is my neck burning because I’m so tired? What’s this?
“Your Highness.”
“Yes, Roy.”
Chloe felt something snap in her head when she saw the sweet smile of Rayleigh looking at her. You pervert! Is it time for you to smile? She rolled up her fist.