***
The Prime Minister of Belford sat in front of his son, looking terribly angry. Sitting at his desk, he put his clenched fist under his chin and looked at his son with sharp blue eyes.
Jeffrey stood neatly in his military coat, facing his father.
“Are you sure you didn’t do it? I heard that the witness saw a man with dark hair and wearing an officer’s uniform.”
“She was going to be released eventually. There was no reason for me to act in such a way when escaping would have made her look guilty and put me at a disadvantage.”
Jeffrey’s words were not wrong either. The necklace in question was testified to be the Duchess’s belongings, and since the witness who testified that Diana had entered the Admiral’s quarters had disappeared, she had to be released without further evidence.
“Is it possible that she got help from Medea?”
“Yes. There is a high possibility that the Progen colonel took her to Medea. I heard that he disobeyed an imperial order and even escaped the country.”
Duke Grenendall lifted his chin, leaning back comfortably in his chair.
“I see. Jeffrey. Despite your efforts, she has escaped from prison. You’re the only one who’s in trouble. Why did you try to help a woman named Diana?”
“As I told you then, it was for my mother.”
“She’s a lot like your mother, with a lot of secrets.”
The witnesses who testified must have been handled by him as well. Duke Grenendall sighed inwardly, convinced. He hadn’t intended to ask about the charges of helping her escape in the first place. He had to know who this Diana Claire woman was.
Why would the Duke and Colonel of Progen take her to Medea, breaking even the imperial order, and why would his son, Jeffrey, be so willing to help her to the point of damage and disadvantage?
It was clear that she was related to the Duchess, his dead wife. He thought about what he didn’t want to know due to his promise to his departed wife. Perhaps Diana’s identity was also directly connected to his wife’s death.
Jeffrey did not reply, but stood straight and looked down at his military boots. He reminded himself once again that he had made the wrong decision.
He thought it didn’t matter, as long as he could protect her and keep her safe. But what Diana really wanted was Noah Rothsilde, that man…
***
I didn’t care if Noah’s emotions and empathy were less than the others.
In a time when nations were fiercely at war and in strife, having a superior capacity for empathy and sympathy would only reduce your lifeline and make you suffer.
Such a disposition would have allowed him to survive on the front lines as an excellent field officer. In fact, I think I was the problem because this man was more aggressive and expressive than I was.
Why did he like me and what does it mean? After all this time, it didn’t matter to me.
He was like an evening shower that fell without warning. Just because it wasn’t in the weather forecast and we were soaking wet from the rain didn’t mean I wasn’t worrying about the reason.
We finished our dinner in the dining room, which was only open to certain passengers, and went up on deck again.
The dark blue sky with the aurora spreading like a silk curtain and the stars scattered about was spectacular. The fluorescent aurora was beautiful, but as night fell, the temperature dropped and the harsh sea breeze seemed to cut my skin.
I crouched my shoulders every time the wind made a sharp noise and passed my ears. The spectators were drinking high strength vodka and whiskey to drown out the cold.
I tugged on Noah’s sleeve, shivering in the cold like a country pup.
“It’s too cold.”
“Yeah, let’s go in. You get cold easily.”
“You’re not cold?”
“No. I’ve slept outside a lot in the middle of winter.”
He meant training in the bitter cold? I walked into the special room, wrapped a wool blanket and sat on the couch to keep the cold out, while Noah fired up the stove.
He filled a mug with warm tea and handed it to me. We sat side by side on the couch in front of the stove.
“Is it still cold?”
“Yes.”
Noah came in the blanket and pulled me close to him.
“I think I’m cold too.”
“All of a sudden?”
Noah leaned my head on his shoulder and nodded. My body was warm and I was completely wrapped up in his broad arms. My hand, holding a warm mug, grew more tense.
“Yeah. Suddenly.”
He seemed to have a lot of charm. I think I saw nine wagging tails. I lowered my gaze and stared at my toes to avoid being caught with a reddened face.
I feel strange because I smell like him as we used the same soap. The scent of thin sandalwood soap wafting from his neck, blended with my body scent, made me lightheaded.
I used my sideways glance to look up at Noah, and he immediately looked down at me as well. A warm color drifted into his mysterious blue eyes under his pitch black hair.
As soon as the too-handsome man made eye contact with me, he smiled with his characteristic gleeful eyes.
“Shall we go to bed now?”
“Yes.”
The last part of my reply was slightly off, but I stood up, deliberately unconcerned.
I took a shower and dried my hair in front of the fireplace. When it was dry, Noah was also coming out of the bathroom, rubbing his wet hair with a towel.
“Noah, do you have to keep your hair black?”
“No, my hair color was unique and I only dyed it when I ran away in case they found me. I’ll change it soon, do you like it this way?”
“They’re both beautiful.”
My personal preference was for the original frosty hair. But dark hair was also fashionable and seductive. He pulled the thick comforter up over my body as I lay in bed, then he laid down next to me, placed his hand on top of the comforter and began to tap it lightly.
“Good night.”
“Why do you always watch me sleep?”
“It seems to have become a habit.”
I felt my body sink into the fluffy bed sheets, tired from the trip. When my energy ran out and I sighed, I heard a low voice ask.
“Do you want an arm pillow again?”
The edge of the breath I let out choked in my throat at the sound of his drowsy voice.
***
The sun has not yet risen. I was in a troubled state, unable to breathe out loud or turned over in my sleep.
When I woke up gently in the deep dawn, my face was buried in the hollow beneath Noah’s collarbone. It was true that he had called it an arm pillow, but now he was hugging me with my head between his shoulder and his chest.
I tried to take my body out, but my body was tightly trapped in his arm, so it was impossible. If I didn’t, the sound of my heart, luminescent on its own, would knock against his body.
But when I couldn’t help but raise my head and look at Noah’s sleeping face up close, that one was very good. The sharp chin, the straight lines of the nose, the full lips, the closed eyes and the long eyelashes were all in harmony.
The shadow of the face under the high nose looks sweet. The number of bandaids on his smooth face has been reduced slightly.
I carefully studied his face and lightly brushed my fingers across Noah’s cheek. I wondered why his skin felt like a baby’s when he was in the military.
His plump, beautiful lips were softly spread in a seductive way. It looked like the forbidden fruit I wanted so badly and it caused an unbearable thirst.
I seemed to have gone crazy.
I brought my lips there as if I was possessed, and, startled at my own impulsive behavior, I hastily tried to back away.
But then Noah’s firm arms tightened and he hugged me tighter to make sure I couldn’t escape. He opened his mouth and let out a sigh.
This guy …… he wasn’t sleeping!
“Do you secretly kiss me every time I sleep?”
He asked, smiling and whispering. A low laugh mixed with sighs was deadly.
“No! It’s my first time!”
I spat out a bizarre semi-formal speech in bewilderment.
“You don’t have to do it in secret. That’s sneaky.”
“…… From now on, you have my permission.”
“Then do it now.”
His lips curved lazily. The languid look in his eyes, just awakened from sleep, was very tempting. He wants me to do it first? I couldn’t do it even though I was a mature person with a lot of experience.
Noah, who had been waiting for me for a while, laughed when he saw that I was as stiff as a stone statue.
He covered my face with his hand and made eye contact with me.
“Your face is hot. Do you have a fever?”
He said flatly and gave me a lazy sigh as he handed me his arm and helped me lie down comfortably.
“Get some more sleep. You must be exhausted.”
I inwardly marveled.
‘Wow, this guy is really great. Self control at its best.’
It seemed that if I was going to Medea, I needed to avoid sleeping with him.
It was like he was waiting for me to put down a decoy, waiting for me to get myself together first. After he accomplished what he wanted, he smiled wickedly and spoke in a sensual voice.
“The princess is really aggressive, isn’t she? So cute.”
I will never kiss you first. I’m like this mischievous person. I had a strange urge to compete.
I dozed off for a while and then woke up with more fatigue. It was still early in the morning, six o’clock, and through the window of my cabin, the sea mist had lifted and I could see the undulating currents and small islands.
The sun was slowly rising as the golden color began to glow above the dark blue horizon. We seemed to have almost reached Medea. Wasn’t it said that this is the land of the eternal sun? The sunrise looked very big.
Noah was already up and ready. He adjusted my messy hair as we arrived safely at our destination. He said to me,
“Did you enjoy your trip?”
“Yes.”
It was fun, but I also suffered from the fact that I felt like I was sleeping with the enemy.
Noah gave me a cup of warm tea, sat down on the couch and opened the newspaper.
“Go get ready. Breakfast will be in the capital of Medea. I have also prepared a mansion for us to stay in.”
I nodded, drank my morning tea and headed for the bathroom. It was surprisingly easy for us to get here. He was a good officer with excellent strategic tactics, so he had well planned his retreat route and escape plan.
While waiting for the vehicle after getting off the passenger ship, Baron Zelda Mason, whom I had met yesterday, approached. Dressed in a pale yellow silk dress with a white fur scarf, she smiled brightly as she looked at us.
“Go to Chevant Manor today to rest, and come to Tempshire Palace tomorrow. The Queen would like to see you all.”
“Yes. Tell her I’ll go alone.”
Noah’s answer made Baron Mason’s beautiful face look suspicious.
“I think the Queen would like to see Diana as well.”
“Next time. Diana has a fever.”
I didn’t have a fever, but I was a very thoughtful person. I looked at her with a tired look on my face and she smiled at me.
“Okay, I’ll tell her. Our queen is generous.”
Baron Mason greeted me, then turned around and disappeared.
We drove out of the port city and headed for the capital where the Chevant mansion was located.
The United Kingdom of Medea, which consisted of the Kingdom of Medea, Magnolia, and Estria, was a huge colonial empire with numerous colonies, and the scale and resolving power of its attached colonies were among the highest in the world.
However, since the Betlin family, which produced many royal families including the Spencer royal family, did not recognize the legitimacy of the empire, the Queen only served as the emperor of the Cynthian Empire and was not given the official name of emperor.
Queen Grace II, who ruled over the entire United Kingdom, was the recipient of the love, loyalty, and respect of the Medean people.
It seemed to be a different form of totalitarianism and fascism that ruled with violence and fear, enforcing blind loyalty and sacrifice to the country and forcing the group not the individual. Originally, they had spread mass slaughter throughout history, and under certain circumstances, something like that might happen in this world.
While we were discussing and thinking about this and that, before we knew it, we arrived at the Chevant Mansion where we were going to stay.
It had been used by a famous Medea family, a nobleman, but it seemed to have been vacant for a long time. Fallen leaves that had naturally accumulated in the garden covered the path, making a rustling sound as we walked.
As we entered the mansion, Molly greeted us, her face still expressionless. She had a bandage wrapped around one of her arms.
“Molly? What’s wrong with your arm?”
She didn’t answer my question, but looked Noah up and down with a cold stare.
“I shot her.”
Noah answered instead, as if it was nothing.
“What?”
“Otherwise Molly would be caught and tortured. That would be more painful, wouldn’t it?”
Molly sighed in disgust and led the way to my room. Fortunately, Noah and I had separate rooms, but it was useless.
At night, he came to my room, naturally laid down on my bed, and tapped the sheets as if to tell me to come to him.