He Who Covets the Abandoned Bride (10 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 8

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At first, she mistook it for the building shaking. But after the tremor stopped, Laila flinched as she still clearly felt his trembling through the spot where they touched.

She gently grasped Millay’s wrist and pulled his hand away, then looked down at it. His fingertips were visibly quivering, unmistakable even to the naked eye.

“Are you unwell somewhere?”

Millay slipped his hand free and tucked it into his trousers.

“It’s just nerves.”

He acted as if he didn’t want Laila to see, yet spoke differently aloud. Naturally, Laila couldn’t help but feel suspicious.

“Your hand is trembling far too much for just nerves…”

Her voice trailed off as she lifted her gaze. But the surroundings were too dim for her to discern Millay’s expression clearly.

Moreover, Millay seemed unwilling to continue this topic.

“More importantly, Your Highness, do you truly have no intention of following me?”

“Are you speaking of running away again?”

This was already his third suggestion.

Yet, perhaps because of what had just happened, Laila found herself unable to outright refuse as she had before. The words wouldn’t come.

As if sensing her hesitation, Millay narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth—but then, abruptly sensing something amiss, he yanked back the long curtain shielding them.

“…!”

Laila gasped at the scene revealed before her.

Aside from the room being in disarray due to the massive tremor that had struck the building, the candles they’d lit were now rolling across the floor, igniting flames.

The fire, starting near the door, had already spread into the corridor and was now creeping toward the center of the room.

Yet Millay remained composed. Calmly, he opened the window, and the crisp evening air rushed in instantly.

“We really must go—run away.”

“…Ah.”

“You won’t refuse me this time, will you?”

As he spoke, Millay abruptly pulled Laila toward him by the waist. In an instant, the distance between them vanished—her face nearly collided with his chest—before he bent down, wrapped an arm around her legs, and lifted her up.

“Wrap your arms around my neck.”

His whisper was firm despite his gentle tone. Unable to refuse, Laila obeyed.

Refusing would’ve been pointless anyway. Wearing a dress and high-heeled shoes that made walking difficult, she’d never manage to escape the room on her own.

The moment she tightly encircled his neck with her arms, Millay’s eyes softened slightly.

Simultaneously, the red flames reflected in his close-set blue eyes momentarily appeared violet.

At that instant, Laila remembered the eyes of someone she missed terribly.

‘Adrian…’

Though she’d never spoken of it to anyone, even now—over ten years since they’d parted—she still thought of him constantly.

She remembered the boy who, when they were young, had told her she was someone incredibly precious.

Though she felt guilty for thinking of him whenever she saw another man, for some reason—perhaps because of his name—Millay kept reminding her of him.

But.

“To think I’d end up eloping with another man’s fiancée… I suppose I’ve truly gone as far as I can go.”

Hearing his distinctly different voice, Laila barely managed to shake off her thoughts of Adrian.

At the same time, Millay boldly stepped onto the windowsill.

Laila’s room was on the second floor—but since this was a royal palace, the ceilings were high, making it roughly equivalent to a third-floor height in an ordinary building.

To her eyes, it looked quite dangerous, and Laila’s expression grew alarmed.

“Is… is this really alright?”

And with her clinging to him, a bad landing could be disastrous.

Wouldn’t it be safer to push through the flames instead?

She thought so, but Millay replied calmly.

“There’s nothing to worry about.”

Their bodies dropped swiftly. Though Laila wanted to scream from fear, she clenched her eyes shut and barely held it in.

Thump.

They landed softly on the grass with an almost unbelievable quietness. Cautiously, Laila opened one eye. Contrary to her fears, neither she nor Millay had tumbled to the ground.

Millay gently set her down, allowing her to stand on her own.

The damp blades of grass brushed against her bare feet, and Laila looked down in disbelief.

But there was no time to savor the wonder—Millay immediately seized her hand and pulled her along.

Trending

“My carriage awaits outside the palace grounds, Your Highness.”

“Ah…!”

Crunch, crunch.

Beneath the pouring moonlight, their hurried footsteps crossed the palace garden. Dragged along by his hand, Laila was running mindlessly when she suddenly glanced back.

Apparently, the earthquake had set more than just one room ablaze. Thick black smoke poured from several windows, rising into the sky.

Voices shouting frantically echoed from the chaotic building.

And only after escaping the palace grounds and slipping down a side alley did Laila notice something odd.

All the palace personnel seemed entirely focused on the building where she’d been staying. Surely the earthquake hadn’t affected only that one structure.

But there was no opportunity to uncover the full story. Laila tightly gripped Millay’s hand and ran with him.

Millay, seemingly mindful of her bare feet, deliberately avoided hard or obstacle-filled ground even while slipping away stealthily.

Though her heart had fluttered anxiously when they first fled, it somehow grew lighter the farther they got from the building. Though breathless from running, even the night breeze felt gentle against her skin, lifting her spirits.

She’d scolded Millay for neglecting his duties as a noble—but perhaps what she truly wanted was exactly this.

Maybe she’d never truly accepted being trapped by others’ expectations, unable to go anywhere freely.

Haa… haa…

How long had they run? When her breath finally caught in her throat, Laila was fortunate enough to safely exit the palace grounds and was half-pushed into the carriage Millay had mentioned.

She naturally expected Millay to climb in next—but he didn’t.

“Go to my residence first. I’ll return shortly once my business is finished.”

Hearing this unexpected statement, Laila’s eyes widened.

“Business? Weren’t we going together?”

Millay gave no proper answer to her question.

“My men will ensure Your Highness arrives safely.”

“You…!”

Laila tried to protest, but Millay closed the carriage door and called out to the driver.

“See to it that the princess is carried safely.”

This was outrageous.

She tried opening the door again to speak with Millay, but the carriage had already begun rolling. Though the carriage picked up speed as it crossed the palace road, Laila clung to the doorframe, staring back at Millay.

“Lord Millay!”

Millay, who had been about to turn back toward the palace, froze in place. After a moment, he turned his head and met her gaze.

But when their eyes finally locked, Laila found she had nothing to say. As she hesitated, the carriage kept moving.

Finally, a voice came from the driver’s seat.

“Leaning out like that is dangerous.”

“…”

Laila closed the door wordlessly and sat back down.

Inside the swaying carriage, she pressed both hands against her racing heart. Then, catching sight of her bare feet—covered in dirt from running without shoes—she flushed with embarrassment.

Yet for some reason, she didn’t feel bad at all.

‘Running away…’

Though it wasn’t truly a complete escape, while running hand in hand with Millay, Laila had briefly felt an extraordinary lightness in her chest.

Even now, heading not toward the palace where she belonged but toward Marquis Millay’s home, she felt uneasy—but also a strange sense of anticipation.

〈Do you still wish to remain here?〉

Laila tightly gripped the hem of her dress with both hands.

He was right.

…She didn’t want to stay here.

The useless Princess of Wessex, who seemed ready to vanish at any moment, didn’t want to marry the utterly unremarkable Prince of Pilmer, whose kingdom also appeared destined to crumble soon.

It wasn’t merely because Reynald was rude.

Nor was it only because it was an unwanted political marriage.

‘There’s no future…’

A life in which happiness seemed utterly impossible no matter what.

Wanting to avoid such a fate was perfectly ordinary.

And Laila was, after all, just an ordinary person.

Was it alright to seize the hand extended by a stranger?

ads

Though fear certainly accompanied that thought, she still wanted to trust Millay.

Neiiigh!

Soon, the carriage halted, arriving at what Millay called his temporary residence. Immediately, someone opened the carriage door.

The man looked utterly astonished to find Laila—not his master—seated inside.

Recognizing something familiar in his face, Laila accepted his escort and stepped down from the carriage.

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