Renart, who burst into laughter between his teeth, rubbed his forehead.

“She’s gone out again.”

Inside the temporary tent shared by Rosebelia and Vanessa, only Vanessa was present.

‘Did she go out while I was on the other side?’

Earlier, when Conrad called, there was a Wild Boar. Wild Boars were man-eating beasts known for attacking people, much larger than regular boars with red eyes.

Wild Boars were known to travel in packs, so there might be more near the camp.

‘Seems like I should stay in camp today…’

Renart sighed softly and turned around, pretending to inspect other tents. As he approached where the night guards were gathered, Tanel, one of the Guardian Knights, spoke to him.

“Vice Captain, please be honest.”

“About what?”

Renart raised an eyebrow as if to ask what he meant.

“You have feelings for Lady Rosebelia, don’t you?”

“Feelings?”

“You’ve been looking after Lady Rosebelia ever since we left the capital. Just now, you were mainly checking around her tent. In my opinion…”

“Sir Tanel.”

At the low call, Tanel straightened his back and responded.

“Yes, Vice Captain.”

“We’re here on a subjugation mission. Right now, we’re guarding the camp while others sleep. So put aside unnecessary thoughts and focus on watching the surroundings.”

“Understood.”

As Tanel bowed his head and moved away, Renart fell into thought.

Looking back, Rosebelia was always in his line of sight. At the White Knights’ headquarters, he enjoyed watching her swordsmanship at the training grounds, and during the subjugation…

‘Have I been particularly attentive to Lady Rosebelia?’

After standing blankly for a while, Renart unconsciously furrowed his brow.

“Having feelings?”

*

“I don’t think I’m enough.”

“Huh?”

As I raised my gaze, I saw his deepened eyes wavering.

“When I’m this close to you, senior…”

Ian suddenly stopped speaking and stood up. It was then that a man’s scream was heard.

“I think I need to go check for a moment.”

“I’ll come with you.”

Ian, who was walking ahead, stopped in front of an old tree. Under the tree was a Scorpion.

“It, it’s a Scorpion!”

The voice came from up in the tree. Glancing up, I saw Nathan who had climbed the tree.

“I’ll take care of it.”

“Let me try this time.”

I met his briefly wavering eyes directly. When I nodded as if to say it was okay, Ian stepped aside.

Ignoring the clattering sound, I pushed back the aura with my sword.

When I dealt with the Red Slime, I had to use quite a lot of aura, so…

Is this enough?

Just as the white light enveloping my sword became clear, the Scorpion that had approached right in front of me was about to swing its pincers. I swung my sword.

As I was looking down at the Scorpion that fell with one strike, suddenly everything spun before my eyes.

“Are you alright?”

Ian asked as he wrapped his arm around my waist in a familiar gesture.

“I’m a bit dizzy, but I think I’m fine.”

“I should have just handled it myself.”

“You saw me practicing. This is much better than before.”

“Still, I…”

“Look. I didn’t even cough up blood.”

As I showed him my clean palm, Ian frowned, then let out a small laugh.

“Um… You two haven’t forgotten about me, have you?”

Startled by the voice coming from up in the tree, I tilted my head back to look up. I had momentarily forgotten that the man named Nathan was up there.

“Can’t you just climb down?”

“I managed to climb up somehow, but I can’t get down.”

“Shall I catch you?”

As I approached the tree and was about to reach out towards Nathan, Ian suddenly blocked my way.

“I’ll do it.”

“Your Highness, if you show such dislike… Oops!”

Nathan belatedly covered his mouth and glanced nervously at Ian and me.

“Haha, I think I just said something nonsensical.”

“It’s fine. I was going to tell her today anyway.”

Ian’s words surprised me more.

You were going to reveal your identity to me today?

“…Clyne is a prince?”

I pretended to be surprised, unable to say that I had known his identity all along.

“I will explain everything.”

Nathan, who had come down in the meantime, bowed slightly to me.

“You’re Rosebelia Winters, right? My introduction is a bit late, but I’m this person’s aide, Nathan.”

“…So you were an aide.”

At Ian’s gesture, Nathan bowed his head again and quietly moved away.

“I didn’t intend to keep hiding my identity. I was going to tell you in the square…”

“So you’re saying you’re a prince of the Fonnes Empire?”

“Ian Clyne Martines, that’s my real name.”

“…Then should I call you Your Highness from now on?”

Ian shook his head firmly.

“Please treat me as before. In the White Knights, I’m still your junior, senior.”

“Is it really okay to do that?”

A faint smile appeared on Ian’s lips. Soon, a low and gentle laugh reached my ears.

“Please do so. That’s what I want.”

As I faced his kindly curved eyes, a question suddenly occurred to me.

Even with the curse manifested, you’re still the same person I knew, so why did you seem so cold-blooded in the original story?

“There’s something I want to ask you…”

“Please go ahead.”

“You called yourself a monster yesterday. Can I ask why you thought that?”

A faint tension spread across Ian’s face. He seemed to hesitate for a moment before carefully opening his mouth.

“That’s… There’s a curse that secretly runs in the imperial family.”

“A curse?”

“That curse manifested in me, and as you can see, I became a Sword Master.”

“…You wouldn’t call yourself a monster just for becoming a Sword Master.”

“I can hear other people’s hearts.”

My mind went blank at these unexpected words.

Hearing other people’s hearts…

Ian lowered his gaze as if he had expected this reaction from me. Then he continued in a strained voice.

“Inner thoughts, I should say. I can hear the inner thoughts of people within a certain radius, and when I don’t hear those voices…”

“…”

“I hear incessant hallucinations telling me to kill someone.”

What in the world…

Hallucinations telling you to kill someone?

“W-wait a minute. You said it’s a secret curse passed down in the imperial family, is it okay to just tell me all this?”

“Because it’s you, senior.”

My mind was in turmoil. Come to think of it, even in the dream where Ian came asking me to kill him, I felt a strange composure from him. As if he already knew all the cards.

But to think he could actually read other people’s inner thoughts.

“Then yesterday when you told me to speak in my mind… Did you hear all my inner thoughts too?”

“For some reason, I can’t hear your inner thoughts, senior.”

Ian’s expression was more serious than ever, but I couldn’t believe it.

Why can’t he hear my inner thoughts?

Really can’t hear them? I’m speaking in my mind right now, can you really not hear?

I concentrated on sending my inner thoughts while furrowing my brow, but Ian showed no reaction at all.

“Why aren’t you answering? Did you really not hear?”

“I didn’t hear anything.”

“Is that even possible? Can you hear everyone else’s inner thoughts?”

“I can hear them if they’re within a certain radius.”

“Then why only my inner thoughts…”

Could it be because I’m not originally from this world?

Because even though the body is Rosebelia’s, the soul is Yoo Jae-i’s?

“I’m not sure either. One thing is certain, when I’m in contact with you, everything becomes quiet.”

“What does that mean?”

“Yesterday, when you grabbed me, silence came to my noisy world.”

Ian lightly touched my arm and continued with a more relaxed expression.

“Just touching like this makes everything quiet. I can no longer hear Nathan’s inner thoughts or the hallucinations that were audible until just now.”

“…That’s impossible. So the reason you were reluctant to stand in front of me was…”

“I thought I would hear your inner thoughts when I stood in front of you, and when I couldn’t hear your inner thoughts, the hallucinations would come.”

“That’s why you avoided me?”

Seeing Ian still subtly avoiding my gaze, my fingertips twitched involuntarily.

“…Isn’t it terrible?”

I shook my head quickly. Now that I knew about the curse, I felt more sympathy than anything else.

“Not at all.”

Ian slowly raised his head. His trembling eyes seemed to ask if I was being sincere.

“Even with the curse manifested, you’re still the Ian I know.”

So don’t try to die like in the original story because of this damn curse.

I kept these words to myself, unable to voice them, when Ian spoke in a low voice.

“I have something I want to ask too.”

“What is it?”

“May I…”

Ian paused for a moment and bit his lower lip firmly.

What on earth is he trying to say, taking so long?

Ian closed his eyes for a long moment, then opened them and lowered his head to meet my gaze. His wavering eyes gradually steadied, and in that moment, Ian exhaled a short breath and said,

“May I dare to like you?”