I’d better pretend to be asleep. It’s better than revealing that I’m crying.

“Igraine.”

“…….'”

With my sudden silence, he didn’t speak anymore.

As the silence continued, Giovanni casually lifted his hand and stole my cheek.

Even though he couldn’t see it, he brushed his face with his big hand. In an instant, the moisture on my face disappeared into his hand.

“Well done.”

It felt like I couldn’t bear it.

I couldn’t express it in words, but it felt like my heart was going to burst. It was a sensation I couldn’t handle.

Lifting my head quickly, I wiped my face up and down with both hands.

The hands that hadn’t yet felt the warmth were as cold as ice, and thanks to that, my mind cleared up.

I turned my gaze to Giovanni.

Giovanni’s smiling face seemed to be vivid even in the darkness. As if he alone were shining in this darkness.

“Now it feels like I’ve become friends with the prince.”
Saying that, he wiped the wet corners of my eyes with the back of his hand. Despite wiping it several times, it seemed to get wet again, so I couldn’t bring myself to put my hands down. I felt his gaze.

“It keeps tearing because it hurts.”

Excusing myself like a habit, I hesitated.

“I was moved by what the prince said. No one has ever said such things to me until now. So, don’t worry about it; that’s why.”

“Excuse me.”

Giovanni didn’t even listen to the response and lifted my chin.

‘I guess he doesn’t think of the phrase “excuse me” as some kind of magical spell?’

Turning my head slightly here and there, Giovanni’s peculiar intense gaze.

When his black eyes, uncommon in the kingdom, looked at me, it felt like I would be sucked into somewhere else.

Somewhere, to a different world.

His thick and rough fingers swept across my eyes. Fortunately, tears didn’t come out.

“Does it still hurt?”

Tears flowed again, drip.

‘Why does this keep happening?’

Trying to lower my eyes in embarrassment, Giovanni calmly whispered.

“Look at that. If you force yourself to be strong, you’ll break, especially in this situation where your body isn’t well.”

“Your Highness.”

I swallowed back the sob as much as possible. Although the tears flowed again, it was meaningless.

“Have you ever experienced that?”

He smiled with a slightly wrinkled face.

“Well, I can’t remember.”

“…….'”

“I’ve never thought that I pretended to be strong.”

I focused on his gruff but consistently deep voice.

“Only those who have someone they want to protect pretend to be strong, don’t they?”

“…….'”

“I don’t seem to have anything like that.”

His words echoed in my heart.

What I want to protect.

My dedication to the Laurent family.

My life.

Leo.

Is that all?

‘Jenny too.’

Let’s include Amtaine’s colleagues.

I thought I didn’t have much compared to Aris, but still, there was something I wanted to protect.

‘I won’t kneel to anyone for that.’

Come to think of it, I had quite a few hidden assets, right?

I felt like I discovered that the warehouse, which I thought was completely empty, was actually quite abundant.

I stared at Giovanni with a newfound gaze. Although he was noble, strong, and beautiful, there was no passion in his eyes. Just a sense of responsibility and duty towards the country and the people.

Does he have nothing precious to him?

Impulsively, I spoke up.

“Shall I hug you?”

He blinked once.

“Isn’t that something I should say?”

“How about if I insist?”

Our eyes met in the air. The air seemed to fluctuate.

I couldn’t take my gaze off his indifferent face. Thick and thin lips moved. My gaze was fixed on him.

The dust smell of the empty prayer room was no longer felt.

The cold that made my bones ache also disappeared.

“Well, excuse me then.”

As if awakening from a spell, all my senses returned at once. I blinked my eyes quickly.

As I tried to move my arms, Giovanni grabbed my arm and pulled me towards him.

My heart skipped a beat. The inside of my mouth dried up.

Warm, no, hot body temperature.
Lips parted.

The lips that clashed talkatively fell as quickly as they met.

Phew.

The breath on the touched lips felt as if it had been burned.

“Why?”

My voice felt too small, as if it had sighed.

Giovanni whispered.

“Well, I wanted to do it like this.”

“…….'”

“Close your eyes.”

Unknowingly, I closed my eyes. Our lips met. It was deeper than the earlier kiss.

The bewildering and flustered confusion melted away into a strange heat I had never felt before.

I reached out and embraced his neck tightly.

The warm heat emanating from his skin seemed to pour into me.

Perhaps it was inevitable.

“Wake up. Stop sleeping and wake up.”

“Ugh…….'”

I tossed and turned.

“Hey, wake up.”

It’s noisy.

Why is this mosquito buzzing like this? I became alert.

“It seems damn hard to wake you up.”

A resigned, fading voice. As if echoing in my mind…

‘Leo?’

I opened my eyes wide.

The sunlight pierced my eyes. Reflexively, I tightly closed my eyes.

And five seconds later.

“……!”

I opened my eyes wide. Sunlight was coming in through the small window of the prayer room.

“Are you awake?”

I quickly got up.

Grasping my throbbing chest, I looked, and Giovanni, sitting like leaning on a sofa, was washing his face and looking at me.

‘Goodness.’