Nestled in his arms, we arrived at the cave quickly. Although the path connecting to the cliff was treacherous, Whitney felt as if she were walking on flat ground.

‘My breathing is calm too.’

Whitney turned her head to look at the uneven rocky path. Even just seeing the path they had traversed should have caused some unsteadiness, but he still maintained an unchanging, calm expression.

Only when they reached the cave entrance did Cheston set her down from his arms. Whitney gripped the hem of her dress tightly and headed towards the edge connected to the cliff.

‘Hmm. I can’t tell just by looking like this…’

She leaned out to look below the cave entrance. Waves surged up, splashing water into the cave entrance. Though it wet her dress and hair, she merely brushed it back with her hand, crouched down, and took in the sight of the moving waves.

“It’s dangerous. Step back.”

“It’s fine. I need to check something… You said I wouldn’t die even if I fell, right?”

“With your body, you might die if you fall.”

Whitney smiled faintly at Cheston’s words. He seemed genuinely concerned, having already moved closer to her.

Whitney turned her head to look at him briefly, then shifted her gaze back down.

As Cheston had said, the waves that had been pushed back after hitting the wall surged forcefully towards the beach. Amidst the constantly forming sea foam, the depth of the sea was immeasurable. The sound of waves crashing against the cliff was more rhythmic than expected.

Each time the waves broke and scattered water into the air, the sparkling in the sunlight looked just like stars falling.

‘Is it because of the sunset that it seems to have so many more colors?’

Whitney tried to grasp the flow of the waves, ignoring her wet hair. Even after looking several times, she couldn’t confirm just by watching.

She stared at the shoe in her hand for a moment, then stretched out her arm.

Plop-

The shoe that fell from her hand disappeared among the white foam. Needing to see where the shoe would reappear, Whitney grabbed the edge of the cliff with her hand and leaned out a bit more.

“…Be careful!”

Cheston hurriedly grabbed her body and pulled her inward.

“I need to check! That’s the only way to be sure.”

Whitney, who had been in his arms, smoothly slipped out and, lying prone, went to the edge of the cave to look at the beach.

The waves receded again, then surged forcefully towards the beach, gently caressing the sand as they scattered. Whitney’s eyes widened at the sight of her shoe revealed in between. She then turned and shouted to Cheston.

This would be enough to explain even if someone tried to frame her. Even if other witnesses appeared, she could argue that she had originally fallen from the cave, not the cliff, and was washed onto the beach.

“Just as Your Highness said, it really went to the beach…!”

Her excited voice was drowned out by the loud sound of waves. Perhaps due to the seawater clinging to her body or the shoe in one hand, her hand slipped and she lost her balance. Her brown hair fluttered in the sea breeze, tangling in her vision.

In an instant, the waves swallowed Whitney’s body.

Falling into the sea was truly something she had never imagined.

Splash-

Whitney reached out her hand, trying to rise to the surface. However, her frail body was no match for the fiercely surging waves. The waves overwhelmed her to the point where she couldn’t breathe properly.

As her body collided with the cliff, pushed by the waves, she felt pain. Her mind went blank, unable to think of anything. Would she die like this? So meaninglessly?

Her mind was filled with the desire to live, but as time passed, she felt she could no longer hold her breath. Knowing that the moment she exhaled, water would rush into her nose and mouth, she struggled not to open her mouth.

The strong urge to breathe dominated her brain. In the underwater darkness where nothing could be seen, Whitney kicked her legs, trying to rise to the surface to survive. Though she had never learned to swim, it was an instinctive action.

‘I can’t, I can’t breathe.’

Finally, her nose inhaled to take in oxygen, and her mouth naturally opened.

Cough, splutter.

The pain of her whole body burning up, the fear constricting her entire body as she couldn’t breathe, gradually drained her strength. She suddenly recalled the flow of the waves and tried to slowly surrender her body to them.

If she didn’t resist the direction of the waves, perhaps she could be washed ashore like her shoe?

Slowly, Whitney regained her composure.

“Damn it!”

Cheston threw himself into the sea that had swallowed her without a second thought. He had known it was unstable, but he never thought she would actually fall.

She was light-bodied and easily swept away by the waves. He tried to open his eyes and look around for Whitney, but the constantly moving waves made it difficult to see clearly. Though the strong urge to breathe due to lack of oxygen dominated him, Cheston looked around to find Whitney.

Finally, he spotted her, her body completely limp and moving as if swept by the waves. Cheston immediately reached out to approach her.

‘Just a little more, just a little…!’

Cheston was on edge as she remained just out of reach. It was not as if he had let her go, but his careless thoughts and arrogance had essentially created this situation.

Cheston relaxed his strength, waiting for the waves to surge again. Finally, he grasped Whitney’s hand that touched his fingertips and pulled. Seeing her unable to open her eyes, perhaps having lost consciousness, he grabbed her chin without a second thought and opened her mouth to breathe oxygen into her.

Soon after, her eyes flickered open briefly before she lost consciousness again. Cheston wrapped his arm around her waist and quickly pulled her out of the water.

Reaching the beach, Cheston laid Whitney down and checked her breathing.

“Haa…”

At the faint breath escaping her, Cheston’s strength gave out and he collapsed onto the sand. Was this woman fearless or just thoughtless? It seemed he would need to correct her habit of rushing in without thinking of the consequences when she was curious about something.

Cheston turned his head to gaze at Whitney’s closed eyes.

“…I really didn’t die.”

“If I hadn’t jumped in, you would have died.”

“But Your Highness did jump in.”

“Did you fall thinking I would save you?”

At his words, Whitney’s eyes slowly opened. She turned her head to meet Cheston’s gaze. For someone who had nearly died, her eyes were full of life. No, her sparkling eyes even seemed joyful.

“Thanks to you, I’ve thought of a solution. A way to protect Your Highness.”

“…Is there nothing in your head but protecting me?”

“At least until that incident happens, yes.”

Even the corners of her mouth were turned up. The sunset had already spread red, covering the sea. The two gazed at the darkening sky. If they had been a little later, they might never have found her.

Even if he used aura, it wouldn’t affect others, so perhaps Cheston alone might have survived. But he didn’t say this, thinking it might be better not to know.

Watching Whitney, who was willing to risk her life to find a way to protect him, Cheston felt a tightness in his chest. It seemed her words to him had not been lies.

‘What on earth am I to her?’

He was nothing to Whitney. If asked if there was any connection other than their engagement by contract, one could say they were in similar situations. But for such reasons alone, it was not easy to risk one’s life.

“Achoo.”

A sneeze escaped her lips, probably feeling cold from her wet body and the wind. Cheston stood up and offered his hand to her.

“We should warm you up first.”

“If Your Highness catches a cold, it would be terrible… Let’s quickly return to the annex.”

“If we return in this state, there will be a lot of talk.”

“…Then what should we do?”

Cheston pulled her hand and moved to a blind spot not visible from the castle. Telling her to wait a moment, he broke branches from a tree next to the castle with his hand.

‘Aaron would be furious if he knew.’

Perhaps he was already searching for them. However, if he saw them in this state, his nagging would last not just a day but a week, so it was better not to encounter him. He looked at Whitney, who was crouching down. Shoeless and barefoot, she was grinning for some reason.

‘I really don’t understand this person.’

Cheston couldn’t help but smile. In this situation, he should be angry, but why was he smiling? He forced down the corners of his mouth that were rising and stood in front of Whitney.

He set up the branches and infused them with aura, causing them to burst into flame. Whitney cautiously stretched out her hands to warm herself in the heat.

Cheston took off his wet jacket and then his shirt. Startled, she turned her head and said,

“Y-Your Highness? Why are you suddenly taking off your clothes…”

“You’ll catch a cold if you wear wet clothes. Even in summer, the night wind by the sea is cold.”

“…I’m fine.”

Though she was shivering from the cold, she curled up as if refusing to undress and pressed her hands close to the burning wood.

“I won’t look, so take them off. If you stay like that, you’ll fall ill.”

Cheston sat with his back to her. Only then did she hesitantly remove her dress with rustling sounds. She was probably still wearing her chemise.

Trembling breaths could be heard from behind. With just one thin garment, she couldn’t overcome the cold with just the bonfire.

“I won’t look, so don’t worry. I’m doing this because it bothers me to see you shivering so pitifully.”

He turned and embraced Whitney from behind. Her body shrank in surprise, but warmth could be felt where their skin touched.

Thinking it was just an act of sharing body heat, Cheston gazed at her wet hair.