He Who Covets the Abandoned Bride - Chapter 53

When Layla received the question, she barely stopped herself from immediately nodding her head in agreement. It was because she knew he didn’t ask that question wanting to hear that he was scary.

However, telling the Crown Prince, who was second-in-command in Heinkin, that he wasn’t scary felt like an insult, so Layla racked her brain and slowly gave an answer.

“Well, of course, Your Highness is the Crown Prince of the Great Empire. I think you are an awe-inspiring existence.”

Currently, Adrian was as infamous as he was famous. He was definitely a frightening person to have as an enemy.

Just looking at how he brought down Reynold, the 7th Prince of Filmer, and burned down the ships of the Fitzroy family, one could see how skilled he was at schemes and how bold he was.

Upon hearing Layla’s words, Adrian laughed.

“I wasn’t asking for a general answer, though.”

“…Then.”

“I was asking why you’re trembling so much even though you said you trusted me last time.”

He thought he was being gentle in his own way, but ever since the shackles were put on her hands and feet, Layla seemed to be getting more and more timid with each passing day.

Even before, he didn’t think she had such an active personality, so this change made Adrian’s heart ache even more.

Before an answer came back, Adrian pressed his temples and muttered.

“…My head hurts.”

Layla flinched and quickly pushed the teacup towards him. Adrian alternately looked at Layla and the teacup, then laughed.

“You don’t like it when I’m in pain?”

Layla obediently nodded her head.

Adrian found her reaction cute like a small animal and smiled with his eyes, then took a sip of the tea.

And although he wondered if it was okay to say this, he decided to express his honest feelings.

“Last time, after sleeping with you and waking up, my head felt refreshed and my body a bit lighter.”

“Did you… like it?”

“Yes.”

He was a bit reluctant to say it, worrying that it might seem like he was infatuated with their physical relationship, but it was actually true.

When he woke up in the morning, he felt like blood was circulating in his head, which had been crushed by extreme headaches, and the pain in his body that had come due to the rebound seemed to have subsided a little.

He briefly wondered if it was because she was born with the family bloodline, even though she didn’t have the ability to attune.

While Adrian was lost in thought, he heard Layla mumbling as she fiddled with the empty teacup.

“I was worried that I might have been bad on our first night…”

It was complete nonsense, so Adrian frowned.

“That’s not true at all. What are you saying?”

He clearly remembered constantly telling her that she was lovely even in bed, so he didn’t understand why Layla thought that way.

“But it’s already the fourth day, so I thought you didn’t like me.”

Adrian let out a short sigh, thinking that Layla’s trust in him seemed to be at rock bottom.

Perhaps approaching her as Millay had become a misaligned button from the beginning.

But it was a problem he couldn’t turn back on now. He had no choice but to stop lying in the future.

“That was to let you rest in case you were sick.”

“…I see.”

Layla, who finally understood the reason, nodded her head, still unable to shake off the uneasiness. She felt uncomfortable somehow.

“Stay and rest here until morning today. I told them that.”

As he spoke, he poured tea into the cup Layla was fiddling with. Layla took a careful sip and observed Adrian’s expression.

Even though she had just drunk tea, her throat felt dry when she tried to speak.

But gaining courage from him saying he liked it, Layla opened her mouth.

“Your Highness, there’s something I’d like to ask of you. May I?”

“What is it?”

Adrian, who was already in a good mood just from the fact that she wanted to say something to him, stared at her mouth.

“I’m curious about what happened to Cedric. And the other brothers…”

“…”

“Are they all serving as laborers? Or…”

Seeing Layla’s shoulders tremble as she spoke, Adrian’s face contorted with pity. He got up from his seat and approached her, looking like she was about to burst into tears at any moment.

“Calm down for a moment.”

Then he took Layla’s small hand. Layla looked up at him, feeling the warmth in his large hand. Adrian saw her eyes wavering and decided to share what he knew for now.

“First of all, Cedric is not in a labor camp but beside the 1st Princess. I’ll find out more about exactly what he’s doing and let you know.”

“He’s not being exploited, right? …To make him produce more Attuners.”

At Layla’s anxious question, Adrian narrowed his eyes and bluntly asked.

“Who said that?”

“His Majesty did.”

Last time, Adrian had wondered what his father talked to Layla about when he called her, and it seemed like he had unnecessarily scared her.

Suppressing his rising irritation, Adrian firmly dismissed it.

“Don’t believe what he says, it’s not even accurate.”

But if she doesn’t believe what the Emperor of the Empire says, what else can she believe?

Seeing that Layla couldn’t take her anxious eyes off him, Adrian gripped her shoulders, looked into her round eyes, and clearly told her.

“From now on, just believe what I say. Don’t be swayed by what others say.”

For some reason, Layla’s suspicious gaze didn’t waver. Adrian was confused by her reaction.

He didn’t understand why Layla, who had definitely said she trusted him last time, was reacting this way. Then he asked about something he vaguely grasped.

“Did your trust break again while I took too long to find you?”

Capricious Layla. But if that was the case, it would be cute in its own way.

Layla hesitated, struggling to find an answer to his question, and barely made a sound.

“I wish Your Highness would treat me more specially.”

At that, Adrian raised an eyebrow.

He was already thinking about conquering another country for her sake, so how much more special could he get? Would he have to unify even beyond the continent?

Making silly thoughts to himself, he asked back.

“You’re already special, but even more so?”

“The most special.”

Hearing Layla’s words, Adrian mixed a sigh into his voice.

“You’re driving me crazy, Layla…”

Then he kissed Layla’s round forehead, and looking at her eyes that he loved the most, he kissed her lips as well.

“You were cute even when you acted spoiled before, but now you’re pretty too, so…”

As he spoke, Adrian was grateful that they could meet again as adults. And he thought that chasing her to Filmer was indeed an excellent choice.

Although it wasn’t the perfect form he wanted, he didn’t know how fortunate he was to be able to keep her by his side, even if just barely.

If he hadn’t gone to Filmer, he wouldn’t have even gotten this chance.

Adrian stroked Layla’s already blushing cheeks and asked.

“Should I put out the lights?”

“Yes…”

It would be nice if she could say, “Yes.”

Reciting his still distant wish in his heart, he put out all the lights in the bedroom, came back, and led Layla to his bed.

Layla obediently moved to his touch and took a position according to his gestures. Adrian rummaged through her clothes and kissed down her smooth neckline.

The two quickly became passionate. It was thanks to Layla being more proactive than before. Adrian was about to get crazily lost in her.

Then Layla asked him a question.

She wrapped her arms around Adrian’s neck and asked.

“Can you really find out about Cedric?”

At the voice double-checking, Adrian stopped trying to kiss her and looked down at her.

He didn’t know that Layla’s heart sank the moment she saw his gaze, which had been hazy for a moment, regaining clarity.

Layla, who was watching the change in Adrian’s expression, racked her brain about what to do if he changed his mind.

Fortunately, Adrian wasn’t too fickle. He brushed Layla’s disheveled brown hair behind her ear and whispered as he lowered his lips onto it.

“Of course I have to if you want me to. How could I not when you’re this pretty?”

…At that moment, he should have at least avoided saying the latter part.

After hearing the answer, Layla actively clung to him.

‘Lovely Layla.’

Adrian felt as if he had been compensated for the past 10 years as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

He was so filled with exultation that he couldn’t help but misinterpret the meaning of that gesture.

He thought she genuinely wanted to become someone special to him. Because the gaze of the young Layla remaining in his heart told him so.

However, Adrian failed to recognize that just as he had changed, Layla had changed as well.

He knew that Layla was afraid of the Crown Prince of Heinkin, but he didn’t know that it would lead to fear of Adrian, who whispered love to her.