I Pretended To Be Dead And Ran Away - Chapter 16

“Do you have a younger sister by any chance?”

I couldn’t help but smile, remembering that Felix had asked me the same question.

“Why are you laughing?”

“Many people ask me that. I must seem caring, like someone who has a younger sister.”

Reniel took it as a compliment.

Perhaps it was because he gave off the image of a caring older brother who has a younger sister.

“You don’t seem to know, but sisters and older brothers don’t get along well.”

“Why?”

“Never mind.”

Thanasis shuddered as if in horror as he recalled his own sisters.

‘How unfortunate, older brother.’

‘Why didn’t you just die instead?’

He sighed, remembering his half-sisters who didn’t hesitate to speak harshly to him.

“Stop shaking. I said I won’t do anything.”

“It’s quite cold here.”

Reniel made that excuse as she watched Thanasis grab her and move.

Soon they reached the bathroom, and a clean interior came into view.

Reniel thought, I didn’t clean this place, so who tidied it up? Maybe there’s someone else assigned here besides me. Ianathas was certainly coming and going.

It seemed Felix wasn’t the type to trust just anyone carelessly.

She thought this as she seated Thanasis in the bathtub.

Then she turned the faucet to the side and turned on the water.

“It will take a little time for the water to heat up.”

She held the shower hose and put her hand to the water coming from the shower head.

The sound of rushing water filled the quiet and luxurious bathroom.

Reniel knew she had to undress Thanasis but remained still.

She thought he would take the hint and undress himself. However, he remained seated in the tub in his disheveled state.

The bathtub he was in seemed incredibly small.

Was it because Thanasis’s body was bigger than expected?

She vaguely imagined Felix, who had pinned her down at dawn, wondering if his legs would stick out if he got into this tub.

The bathtub was very luxurious.

The white tub was curved rather than straight, so artistic and splendid that it made one forget this was an underground prison.

The bathroom lighting was also an expensive chandelier.

The walls were made of granite with a pink tint, matching well with the white marble floor.

It seemed like the kind of bathroom you might only see in a luxury hotel at a resort.

“Why don’t you start by undressing me?”

“Pardon?”

“Aren’t you going to wash me?”

Thanasis was wearing his crown prince uniform, which was torn in various places, likely due to the whip.

The water spray from the shower head created a gentle breeze, carrying Reniel’s scent towards him.

He truly found this situation strange.

It felt as if the scent emanating from Reniel was similar to that of the Duchess of Nirnberg from before.

“Ah… Your Highness?”

He suddenly reached out and brushed Reniel’s nape with his palm.

A distinct male Adam’s apple was felt on her neck.

“This is strange. Are you sure you don’t have a younger sister?”

“I’m from an orphanage, so I don’t have any family.”

Reniel said this while shivering from the strange ticklish sensation.

Then, feeling the cold water still coming from the shower head, she thought it would take quite a long time for warm water to come out.

It seemed the water from the sink had warmed up quickly, but the shower in the bathtub was taking longer.

“If I undress you, it might hurt.”

“Do as you see fit.”

“I don’t know where or how Your Highness is injured. Wouldn’t I risk touching your wounds if I undress you?”

“Just do it.”

Reniel was taken aback by how casually Thanasis spoke.

Reluctantly, she reminded herself that she was currently in a man’s body and set the shower head down on the floor for a moment.

Suddenly, she wondered if being in a man’s body made the situation more dangerous. But even if she screamed, she would be the one subdued.

So she felt she shouldn’t appear too guarded in this situation.

She put her hands on Thanasis’s clothes as he reclined languidly.

Fortunately, the coat was almost completely torn, so it came off easily with a touch.

She set the torn coat aside. Then she put her hands on his shirt.

Somehow, she felt strange that she’d been handling men’s shirts quite often lately.

Thanasis’s shirt could also be removed very easily.

It was torn in various places from the whip, and the front was already completely open without undoing the buttons.

After unfastening just a few, his bare skin was fully exposed.

“How long are you going to just undo buttons?”

Seeing Reniel’s tension, Thanasis looked at her with a strange expression.

Then, reading the nervousness in her eyes, he chuckled.

Perhaps due to the pleasant sensation he felt whenever her hands touched him, his pain had dulled quite a bit.

It was as if her exhaled breaths contained some painkiller that reduced his suffering.

“This is my first time serving someone other than my master. It’s a bit difficult.”

Thanasis frowned deeply when Felix was mentioned from her lips. So he glared at her and said:

“Move aside. I’ll undress myself.”

“Really?”

“Just bring me a towel.”

Thanasis said this as she looked surprised at his words.

Soon she nodded and placed a towel beside him. Then she pretended to pick up the shower head while turning her back.

“You might as well leave. You don’t seem to be much help.”

“Is that alright?”

“Do you think it is? Do you think I’ve never bathed alone before?”

Reniel was flustered when Thanasis spoke irritably.

He was simply in a bad mood because she kept trying not to touch him.

Her eyes looking at him now seemed similar to those of other people who found him threatening, and it felt quite hurtful.

‘You’re a monster.’

‘Elder brother is a monster.’

‘I shouldn’t have given birth to you.’

His mood soured at the sudden recollection of his family’s voices. It’s not like he wanted to absorb the fire mana stone.

If he didn’t become the crown prince, his maternal family would be in danger, and his mother would be in danger. So he risked his life to absorb the power.

But as soon as he absorbed the fire mana stone and gradually became stronger and more unstable, everyone distanced themselves from him.

And they busied themselves trying to create other substitutes that could replace him.

Somehow, Reniel’s expression seemed similar to theirs.

“Your Highness?”

“Get out.”

Reniel knew Thanasis was crying. But it still seemed difficult for a strange man to help him bathe, so she left as she was.

As she left, Thanasis sighed.

He decided to wash, not wanting to keep this unpleasant feeling any longer.

****

When Thanasis returned to the room, his gloomy mood had improved somewhat, perhaps because Reniel had cleaned the room neatly.

“Help me get dressed.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Reniel thought it was fortunate that his melancholy seemed to have lifted a bit as she moved to dress him in the clothes she had brought.

Thanasis was still uncomfortable with the shackles jingling around his neck.

He watched Reniel’s small hands brush against his body, wiping away the moisture.

When he bathed alone, the wounded areas had hurt a lot.

But now, perhaps because she was by his side, wiping the moisture from his body and meeting his eyes, he could clearly feel the pain dulling again.

“It hurts.”

“Haven’t you taken any painkillers?”

“You need to touch me more for it not to hurt. Painkillers don’t work.”

Thanasis spoke honestly. However, Reniel only smiled without responding to his words.

She didn’t believe what Thanasis said. She was sure he was trying to gain her favor before killing her.

Come to think of it, she realized she had unknowingly shown quite a bit of goodwill towards Thanasis and was taken aback.

She also felt anxious, wondering if she might end up being manipulated and killed just like in the original story.

Nevertheless, she thought this goodwill was necessary right now.

What if Thanasis’s rampage came faster than expected because he was beaten too much by Ianathas? That was what she feared more, so she had no choice.

“Why are you making that expression?”

“It’s nothing. I’m just not sure if I’m drying you properly.”

Reniel said this as she wiped Thanasis’s nape and abs.

Due to their significant height difference, it was more challenging to wipe the water dripping from the top of his head than it was to dry his body.

“Do you like working here?”

“Pardon? Of course! I love it completely. It’s the best!”

Reniel emphasized this without realizing it.

She felt she shouldn’t show any weakness, as in the original story.

Because of the big weakness she had already shown, she thought only of covering it up.

“Really? Are you satisfied living as a servant like this?”

“Well…”

As Thanasis looked down at her with narrowed eyes, she suddenly felt their difference in physique acutely.

Thanasis had enough strength to strangle her neck at any moment, and his ability to explode could manifest if he failed to control his emotions, so she naturally became tense.

“I told you I’m from an orphanage, didn’t I?”

“So what?”

“My background is unclear. For someone like me, just working in a noble household is incredibly fortunate.”

“…”

“In that sense, I’m an extremely lucky person.”

“So. You’re satisfied?”

“Yes.”

Reniel spoke firmly.

She tried to ease her tension, thinking that surely the necklace around his neck would control his ability somewhat.

She felt strange as Thanasis stared at her with a blank expression.

“Then how about becoming a royal attendant?”

Perhaps because it was the first time he experienced relief from pain since absorbing the mana, Thanasis didn’t want to let Reniel go.

It was the first time he had felt this comfortable in a life that had been nothing but pain until now.

“Ah…! Wait a moment!”

He unknowingly pressed his face against Reniel’s nape. He could no longer endure due to the clouded mana.

Male lead reborn without memories — but he still falls for her.

The person he finds displeasing in this life turns out to be his cherished wife-master in previous life…

Xie Zhi and Fang Xianxing who had known each other for less than three days through a blind date sat in the same car in front of the civil affairs bureau. They had a disagreement and failed to get married.

Xie Zhi immediately took out his phone, slid through his contacts, and randomly selected the next marriage candidate.

The woman snatched his phone and hung up. Looking at his phone wallpaper, she awkwardly changed the subject: “An ancient painting, eh? It looks pretty good, it’s just that the person in the painting looks a bit like me.”

When he heard this, he sarcastically mocked her for being so delusional, completely unaware that, the person in front of him was the reincarnation of Wen Ru, the famous prime minister of Yuan Shun whom he most admired…

The female CEO who doesn’t want to get married with a divorce agreement in hand × The male archaeological researcher who will only get married if he’s sure he can get divorced