“That’s right, what should I do…!”

Although it was a very anxious voice, Heidi burst out laughing.

“Well, looking at your expression, I can see exactly what’s going on. You lost track of elder brother, didn’t you?”

“H-How did you…!”

“Whenever you look upset, it’s always related to our unpredictable Emperor.”

Her tone suggested it wasn’t a big deal. As if it were a simple problem that could be solved by giving candy to a crying child.

Because of this, Dion asked with some hope.

“So… where do you think he might have run off to this time…?”

“What a strange question. I don’t know that either.”

“…Huh?”

In stark contrast to the brief moment of hope, Heidi answered bluntly. She just mumbled while chewing on a freshly peeled banana and added indifferently.

“Just leave it be. When he disappears like this, have we ever found him?”

“His Majesty has never even tried to look for him!”

“I don’t bother because I know I won’t find him. Life is short enough as it is, so live wisely, Dion.”

Despite Dion’s continued protests, Heidi remained nonchalant. She even smiled cheerfully.

Here he was feeling utterly miserable, and she found it so amusing?

Finally, Dion cried out in frustration.

“Why… why do you keep laughing? Do you find my desperate struggle so entertaining?”

“Well, it’s not that it’s not enjoyable, but I just think elder brother must have found what he was looking for. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have disappeared so frantically.”

“You mean that first love?”

“Even though he insists it’s not.”

“I agree.”

Dion forgot his frustration and nodded. Considering the recent forced march, the current situation wasn’t entirely incomprehensible.

But understanding and acceptance were clearly different domains. He just wanted to get out of this situation as soon as possible.

So he had contacted her in desperation. If Dion had overlooked one thing, it was that Ian and Heidi shared the same blood.

She was already about to end the call, despite it being such a short time since connecting.

“Anyway, I’ll assume you’re giving up and be on my way, Dion.”

“W-Wait a moment! His Majesty left even his Helios behind!”

Heidi paused at Dion’s trump card. But she soon came up with a wise solution.

“Then leave it with Sakin. Last time I saw, Helios seemed to listen to him somewhat. Besides, even a horse should be smart enough to reduce trouble. That’s really it now, right?”

“No! I still have a lot to say-”

“Sorry, I’m a bit busy right now.”

“Don’t lie! You’re just finding me annoying!”

“I like that you’re quick-witted. But that doesn’t mean I’ll let precious magic stones be wasted on your whining. You know we need to conserve magic stones since mining has decreased recently, right? The imperial family needs to set an example, so that’s it for now.”

“Ah, no! No…!”

Click.

The screen suddenly went black. The space before his eyes instantly became desolate. Silence filled the empty space.

Dion stared blankly at the void, then suddenly started laughing like a madman.

“Haha, huh… Hahaha! Haha! Hahahaha!”

The advisor’s bizarre behavior didn’t last long. Soon, only a desperate scream echoed through the room.

“I want to go home!”

The familiar wallpaper had been filling her vision for days now.

How long had it been since she dozed off again? Whether it was a few hours, a day, or two days, Helena couldn’t tell, but strangely her body felt lighter.

Refreshed, one might say, or invigorated.

It felt as if she had shed some of the weight that had been pressing heavily on her lower abdomen. The monster that had been lurking, ready to devour her, seemed to have shrunk a bit.

‘How strange.’

As she lay there, blinking in this peculiar mood, she heard a faint sound of water. It was coming from the shower room next door.

Judging by the absence of the person usually in her field of vision, he must be showering.

Helena sat up as if following a predetermined sequence. Then she remained that way for a while. The monotonous sound of water intermittently stopped and started.

It was about five minutes later when she finally lifted herself completely off the bed. Helena scanned the floor with her eyes, looking for her slippers.

At that moment, something brushed past her foot.

At first, she thought it was a black bottle that had rolled out of her bag, but upon reflection, she couldn’t remember buying such a thing.

Meanwhile, the bottle rolled forward again. Unless the ground had suddenly tilted, a bottle that had rolled backward couldn’t come back on its own.

So it wasn’t a bottle at all. It was something far more sinister than what she had mistaken for a bottle.

With about eight legs and covered in bushy hair, a spider. The sensation of it crawling up her skirt as a child was still vivid in her memory.

Helena let out an involuntary scream. Almost simultaneously, the door burst open.

“What’s the matter!”

Startled, she was in the midst of stumbling backward when Ian instinctively caught and lifted her.

Helena clung to his shoulder as if climbing a mountain. His strong arm supported her bottom, but she felt uneasy. It felt like she would die if her feet touched the ground.

Ian, having grasped the situation, moved.

“An insect appeared, I see.”

Helena groaned in protest at his words. He had merely called that thing, which was hardly bearable to look at, an insect.

Then, as if swatting away an annoying fly, he dispatched it far too easily and threw the carcass out the window.

Though she couldn’t bring herself to look, from the sound, it seemed he had pinned it to the floor with a jam knife.

It was only when she heard a low chuckle that Helena was able to regain her senses. She had been practically strangling him, clinging to his neck.

How did she end up in such an embarrassing situation? She wished she could just be thrown aside.

“…Put me down.”

As Helena slowly loosened her arms that had been tightly wrapped around him, Ian adjusted his posture slightly. However, he didn’t put her down.

“You embraced me first, so I thought you liked it.”

“Who would like something like this?”

“Well… I wish you would.”

I wish you would whine, rely on me, and lean on me even when you’re just a little hurt or scared. His low voice added.

Instead of answering, Helena glared at Ian and urged him once more. Of course, he remained unmoved.

Left with no choice, as a final warning, she pinched the nape of his neck. She had to apply quite a bit of force due to how firm it was.

Eventually, Ian bent his waist to allow Helena’s feet to touch the ground. He was also thoughtful enough to find her slippers and bring them in front of her feet.

Only after slipping her feet into the soft slippers did Helena realize that her clothes were slightly damp. As she looked up, she saw the man’s exposed upper body, not yet properly dressed.

Droplets of water trickled down the contours of his well-defined muscles, as taut as finely woven fabric. His pants, hastily put on, precariously hung on his hip bones.

“You should put on your clothes properly too.”

Helena abruptly turned her back. Behind her, she heard the sound of his footsteps and the opening of a shelf.

As she went to sit on the bed, Ian spoke while drying his hair with a towel.

“I gave our clothes to the innkeeper for washing. They should bring them back soon, so I’ll have to stay like this until then. Is that alright?”

“…It doesn’t matter.”

“Then why are you turning your back like that?”

Suddenly, the edge of the bed sank deeply. Even without looking back, Helena could feel his overwhelming presence. There was also the distinctive scent of someone fresh out of the shower.

The sound of him drying his hair with the towel continued. Helena, still with her back to him, answered.

“Because it’s embarrassing. So I’d appreciate it if you’d stop acting so oblivious.”

“What’s embarrassing?”

Was he genuinely asking or just pretending not to know?

Helena suppressed her irritation and spoke in a self-deprecating tone.

“It’s just ridiculous. I tried to die by drowning myself in the sea without a second thought, yet here I am making such a fuss over a mere insect.”

At this, Ian stopped moving. He seemed to ponder for a moment before speaking with a hint of amusement.

“If we’re talking about that, there’s someone far more ridiculous. I have a subordinate who’s such a coward, he makes such a fuss even when an ant just bites his toe. I’ve lost count of how many times I thought he’d been struck by lightning out of a clear sky.”

Helena almost laughed despite herself. However, the breath she was about to release was swallowed, and she froze.

Her face was reflected in the closed window in front of her. The corners of her mouth had started to lift in a faint smile but stopped midway.

As if she were someone who shouldn’t smile, or as if all the muscles around her mouth had been severed, her expression suddenly lost all emotion.

“…”

The briefly lighthearted atmosphere, even if just a sliver, was now embarrassingly silent.

Ian waited patiently, unconcerned. It was a wait that seemed to stabilize her.

Helena stared at her corpse-like face reflected in the glass window and gradually exhaled her held breath.

“…You must not understand me. It’s okay if you think I’m crazy. But… I don’t understand myself either.”

Helena hung her head low. Wrinkles formed on the tightly stretched sheet. She was gripping it with all her might, as if strangling someone’s neck.

“One day I’m determined to live on somehow, and the next I want to disappear without a trace. Even when I’m getting along okay with you, the moment I turn away, I feel like I’m alone in the world.”

She spoke as if squeezing pus from a wound.

“Nothing goes my way. I can’t even control my own emotions. Even in my sleep, I’m at the mercy of mere dreams.”

Ian silently listened to her confession. Helena rubbed her heated eyes unnecessarily.

For whatever reason, she felt like she would always cry when near this man. That’s why she was always annoyed and angry.

As if sensing this feeling, a familiar warmth spread over her hand that was clutching the sheet.

“All living, breathing beings are like that. We’re not gods, are we? And being unswayed doesn’t make one a strong person either.”

“…Then what makes a person strong?”

Helena finally turned to face him. The gaze visible through his wet hair was as warm as the heat covering her left hand.

“I think it might be someone who gets back up as many times as they fall.”

“That’s not as easy as it sounds-”

“It’s not easy, that’s why I’m by your side. From now on, I’ll catch you every time you fall.”

He gently rubbed the knuckle of Helena’s bent finger with his thumb. As if reminding her that it was him holding her hand.

Helena watched this repetitive motion for a few seconds before speaking.

“I don’t need help without a price.”

“The same goes for me.”

“Then what do you want? Does it look like I have anything left to give you besides simply living?”

As she raised her eyes with displeasure, he softened his gaze.

“You can catch me too.”

“…Me, catch you?”

Unlike Helena who barely managed to ask, Ian nodded without hesitation.

“I’m human too, so I fall. I fall often. When that happens, you can reach out to me. Isn’t that why people live together? We live like that knowing we’ll fall.”

“…”

“It’s okay to be swayed, just live, Helena.”