He Who Covets the Abandoned Bride - Chapter 64

Following his confession, Adrian hugged Layla even tighter as if he wouldn’t let her go. Layla, who was hesitating where to put her arms, finally moved them to hug him back.

As her small hands touched his waist, Adrian, who was startled, looked down at Layla’s small head. He gently rested his head there and asked.

“Now… I’m not a liar, right?”

“…”

“Layla, please answer me.”

“When I was chased out of Otillie… You wanted to come earlier, didn’t you?”

It was such a painful question for her to ask that Adrian couldn’t open his mouth for a while.

At that time, Lilburn had said that he would send two of his men, so Adrian had told him to send Brian, his closest aide.

It was because he was confident that even if the worst situation occurred, it would not take long to resolve.

If they arrived safely in Wessex, it would take two weeks.

Even if they encountered an emergency along the way, it would be no more than a week from that point.

That was Adrian’s planned schedule.

However, when Adrian unexpectedly lost consciousness at that very time, the plan he had drawn up in his head was completely distorted.

If Lilburn had not prepared everything when he woke up, Layla might have gone to Fitzroy even later.

If that had happened, he would have had to make considerable sacrifices as well.

Of course, he wouldn’t have avoided it.

“I tried to go earlier. But… since I couldn’t, there’s no room for excuses.”

“You kept your promise by coming even then.”

It was a comforting remark.

Wasn’t Layla thinking about her own situation? He couldn’t understand how she could comfort others in this situation.

Adrian smiled bitterly and led Layla to sit on the bed, checking the shackles on her hands and feet that couldn’t be undone without a key.

As he caressed the shackles on Layla’s wrists, Adrian vowed.

“I will, I will definitely release these for you. It won’t take long.”

He admitted that his original plan was wrong. On the surface, he thought that pretending not to care was a measure to protect Layla, but in reality, it wasn’t.

Since it was proven to be contrary to the purpose, it should be discarded.

From now on, he intended to let everyone know that Layla was under his protection, so that no one could ignore her even before these shackles were removed.

He would no longer hide or neglect Layla.

But Layla shook her head.

“… You don’t have to overdo it.”

“If I say it’s my natural duty.”

“What if His Majesty comes to hate you?”

Adrian brushed Layla’s thin brown hair to reveal her round forehead. Adrian, who left a short kiss there, asked.

“Is that what you’re worried about? That I’ll become less cool?”

“…”

Layla didn’t know why her words were interpreted this way, but it was embarrassing anyway. As she blushed, this time his lips landed on her cheek.

“It’s the most useless worry in the world. My father can’t abandon me anyway.”

However, since the Emperor treated Wessex as an enemy, she was worried that Adrian might be hated along with her if he protected her.

Moreover, if her current physical condition was discovered…

Even to Layla’s eyes, who had not fully grasped the situation in Harkin, it was clear that the situation would not turn out well.

“But His Majesty the Emperor can withdraw his support for you at any time.”

“It doesn’t matter. What I have built up so far is not so flimsy. And His Majesty also recognizes it. The fact that I am the only son who seems to have the possibility of achieving the unification of the continent.”

“What if your body doesn’t cooperate?”

If someone else had kept asking questions like this, he would have told them to get lost because it was annoying, but Adrian didn’t mind Layla’s continued concern. He couldn’t help but smile, creating dimples on his cheeks.

“If you’re so worried, will you solve it for me after all?”

“How?”

Adrian brought his face close enough to touch noses with Layla.

“I think I’ll get better right away if you kiss me, Layla.”

It was a total cheesy move. Layla’s face, which was already red, flushed even more.

Adrian brought his mouth to her burning ear tips and urged her with smacking sounds.

“Hmm?”

Adrian saw Layla closing her eyes tightly. Recognizing it as a signal, he straightened his body.

However, even after opening her eyes again and confirming Adrian’s upright posture waiting for a kiss, Layla somehow couldn’t move her body.

The two of them kept blinking their eyes while facing each other. Although Adrian was calm while sending an expectant look, Layla’s eyes gradually lost focus and wandered around.

“…”

He wondered how long he would have to wait, but this time he wanted to receive her voluntary skinship, so Adrian maintained his modesty.

Although he always became a mad dog when dealing with others, he was naturally not like that to Layla.

He would wait a hundred years, a thousand years.

With that thought in mind, he stared at Layla’s face. To make her feel a little burdened.

A small gasp escaped from Layla’s mouth. As her head rose slightly and their lips touched, Adrian closed his eyes the moment he felt it.

As she tried to pull away immediately, Adrian quickly wrapped his hand around her head to prevent her from moving away.

Having taken the lead in an instant, he delved between Layla’s lips and pressed his body against hers. Their bodies, sharing breaths hungrily, fell on the bed.

However, when a thud and Layla’s small moan mixed together, Adrian flinched and hurriedly pulled back.

“Ah…”

Adrian frowned as he saw Layla suffering from her still unhealed back.

In front of Layla, his heart moved faster than his mind, causing him to make mistakes that he would never normally make.

He quickly helped Layla sit up and apologized immediately.

“… I’m sorry, does it hurt a lot?”

Layla shook her head. But judging from her slightly trembling shoulders, there was no way she was fine.

Adrian pulled her into the bed and made her lean sideways. Then, sitting next to her and looking at her with worried eyes, Adrian shouted towards the outside.

“Maeve, Maeve, are you there?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

As soon as Maeve answered and entered the room, he ordered in a somewhat hasty tone.

“Ointment, no… call a doctor.”

Maeve understood right away and left. Then, as Adrian’s gaze turned to Layla, she asked an unexpected question.

“The south is a very dangerous place, isn’t it?”

Although he thought it was an unmistakable part since their eyes met during the day, it seemed that Layla had heard the entire story from the Fourth Prince.

Just in case, Adrian warned in advance.

“Don’t you dare take that guy’s side. I have no intention of forgiving him at all. Rather, if he receives your attention, I might want to kill him with my own hands.”

Layla shook her head, saying that wasn’t it. Adrian kept silent for now, wondering what she was going to say while looking at her back.

However, the next words were not very pleasant from his point of view either.

“… While running away with Sir Brian, I could feel how great his loyalty was.”

“Why are you suddenly talking about that? Are you trying to make me jealous of Mason this time, not the Fourth Prince?”

Mason Brian was indeed a loyal knight, but in the end, he broke his oath and tried to betray Layla in Otillie.

When Adrian spoke in a stiff voice, very angry about that, Layla held his hand as if to calm him down.

“Lilburn and Maeve… they all trust and follow you that much. Not only them, but even in the heart of a low-ranking knight, there might be a determination to risk their life for you.”

Even if Adrian couldn’t even remember their face.

Layla continued to Adrian, who was still watching without answering, unable to grasp her intention.

“But there will also be enemies like the Fourth Prince, the Empress, and Isabella Fitzroy.”

So that’s how it goes.

Finally grasping the context of the conversation, Adrian coldly rejected it.

“Yes, it may sound cruel, but they are the ones I have to deal with someday, if not now.”

Even if she might get scared of him again like this, he didn’t want to hide it with nice words in front of Layla, as he would continue to do such things in the future.

Adrian did not think of himself as an absolutely good person.

Of course, that didn’t mean he was born evil or anything like that. He simply recognized the harsh reality that he couldn’t live only kindly once he was born into the Harkin imperial family.

However, Adrian, who had become bitter while speaking, had to calm his complicated feelings while stroking Layla’s hair.

‘Will it be difficult for her to accept me like this after all?’

But Layla’s next answer was enough to surprise him.

“Yes, don’t show any mercy.”

“…”

“Because they might hurt you, like my father did.”