Thanasis felt truly strange. He had just escaped from that unpleasant secret room.

It was where he had been taken after being beaten unconscious by Felix.

Even the wound on his abdomen where Felix had stabbed him still remained.

Despite such terrible memories of that place,

He thought he might somehow miss the secret room where he first saw Reniel.

In that dreadful place, he had to be bound almost every time.

His wrists still bore dark blue bruises from the restraints.

The bruises had changed color over time, merging with new ones to create a mottled pattern.

And Ianathas would often come to torture him there.

‘How boring. Was I always this weak?’

Even Felix, who came down just once to check on him after bringing him there, seemed disappointed and didn’t return.

It was a series of infuriating events that made his blood boil.

‘Hello?’

‘Please cooperate!’

It felt strange that it wasn’t all bad, perhaps because of Reniel who made him let his guard down with her friendly expression while taking care of him.

He even had the odd worry of what would happen when her kind treatment and attention ended once they left that place.

“Hey.”

“…Yes?”

“From now on, you’re forbidden from saying ‘please cooperate.'”

Reniel was chewing her food when Thanasis’s expression changed oddly, making her roll her eyes wondering if she had done something wrong.

“I don’t understand why you’re suddenly saying that…”

“Hitting my head is also forbidden.”

“Of course…!”

“Hitting me with a tray is forbidden too.”

“Naturally!”

Reniel couldn’t understand why he suddenly thought of such things while watching her eat, but looking at the tableware, she wondered if it reminded him of being hit with a tray.

“Absolutely! I’ll never lay a hand on Your Highness again!”

“What?”

Thanasis felt annoyed again.

But her words were natural. Who would dare touch a member of the royal family? Originally, only designated servants could have contact with him.

And in the case of maids, even if they encountered male royalty, most tasks were handled by male servants.

So her saying that was a very normal response.

Daring to touch a royal’s body was a serious crime punishable by having one’s wrist cut off.

“Then should I not look at you either?”

That was correct too. Even making eye contact with royalty was a serious crime for commoners, punishable by having both eyes gouged out.

And to sit and dine together.

This was unthinkable.

Everything Reniel was saying was completely normal, and he himself could count on one hand the number of times he had dined with anyone during his life in the palace.

“I don’t like that.”

Perhaps that’s why his response came out so prickly, as usual.

“I understand. Then I won’t look at you or touch you at all from now on!”

“I said I don’t like that.”

“…Pardon?”

“A maid serving by my side should naturally touch me. And you dare avert your eyes from me?”

“I didn’t mean to offend you. Then what should I do?”

Reniel wondered why he was suddenly angry. Even so, she was willing to correct anything if there was something she needed to change.

“…I’m not angry.”

Thanasis’s anger subsided when Reniel made eye contact and tried to listen to him.

He seemed to be ill. Otherwise, there was no way his emotions would fluctuate this much.

Meanwhile, seeing her unable to eat while being cautious of him made him feel even worse.

“That’s enough eating. You’ll eat again when we get to the palace anyway.”

“Yes.”

Reniel reflexively smiled and put down her fork as Thanasis said.

“Let’s get you treated when we arrive. I’m still worried about your injuries.”

Thanasis nodded quietly at her words.

And around that time,

“I’ve brought clothes.”

Terrison came near their table, waving a shopping bag containing clothes.

“You can change in Room 1 on the second floor. I got the key from the innkeeper.”

“Thank you.”

Reniel received the key from Terrison and immediately stood up. As she rose, Thanasis also stood up.

“Your Highness?”

“I’m just curious about what Room 1 looks like.”

He said that, but in reality, he was doing this in case she tried to run away. He often forgot that she was the Princess of Nuremberg.

But that was a very important fact, and a value that could be used to his advantage.

Yet every time he saw Reniel’s gentle voice and smiling eyes looking at him, it seemed to blur, and that made him feel uneasy.

This was obviously another ability and defense mechanism of a purification ability user.

The goodwill he felt was likely based on that. Thanasis knew this as well.

That’s why he wondered if his unknowing softening towards Reniel was because of that.

He quickly regained his composure and said,

“Let’s go.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Reniel headed towards Room 1 on the second floor, with Thanasis and Terrison following.

Just as Thanasis worried Reniel might run away, Terrison was very cautious in case Thanasis might run away.

“Ah, this must be it.”

Reniel said cheerfully in front of Room 1. Then she inserted the key she received into the lock and turned it. The door opened with a clear sound.

“I’ll change in the bathroom then.”

“Alright.”

Room 1 consisted of one room and one bathroom. She went inside with the shopping bag.

This left Thanasis and Terrison in the room, with Terrison watching him closely as if ready to catch him if he tried to escape at any moment.

“I’m not running away.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Even if I’ve said the palace is tiresome, have I ever run away?”

Terrison still couldn’t shake off his suspicion.

Thanasis had suddenly disappeared. And there were circumstances indicating he was very tired of palace life.

His disappearance was so perfect that Terrison wondered if he had left voluntarily.

“Then how did you get out of the palace?”

Terrison was aware that his subordinates were on the first floor.

Subordinates who would forcibly take Thanasis away at any signal.

By the way, Terrison’s guard unit was all wearing clothes made of fire-resistant material. To be able to subdue Thanasis at any time.

And if he jumped out the window of Room 1 on the second floor, he would encounter ten knights hiding nearby, ready to intervene.

“I was kidnapped.”

“By whom?”

Thanasis was considering whether he should talk about this matter.

Duke Felix Le Pelique was from the wealthiest and most powerful family in the empire.

He was a political rival to his mother, but his father was very fond of him.

‘You’re a monster.’

‘I tried to cover up your incompetence with your flame ability, but even that doesn’t work well.’

‘Why is elder brother alive? If it were me, I’d rather be dead.’

‘How disappointing.’

‘I never expected anything in the first place.’

‘You should hand over the crown prince position to me. I’m confident I’ll be a better crown princess than you, elder brother.’

Thanasis knew well that no one in the palace was on his side.

“I don’t know.”

Thanasis didn’t even trust Terrison.

“It was indefinitely postponed until Your Highness returned, but at this rate, I will naturally be punished. Because I failed to protect Your Highness.”

“…What?”

He was taken aback by Terrison’s words. However, Terrison’s punishment was natural. Because he had done nothing while Thanasis was kidnapped.

But Thanasis was certain. That if Felix Le Pelique set his mind to it, he could kidnap even the emperor.

“If Your Highness was truly kidnapped, I apologize. If my incompetence caused Your Highness to be hurt, then even more…”

“Stop.”

“…Yes, Your Highness.”

Thanasis did not trust others.

Yet he thought Terrison wasn’t bad.

He wasn’t his mother’s person, nor his father’s. But just because he wasn’t anyone’s person didn’t mean he could become his person.

He still hadn’t properly proven his abilities and was just someone who became crown prince through the empress’s power.

And around him were only neutral people who hadn’t yet become ‘someone’s’ person, placed to monitor him.

Like Terrison.

And unlike the guards who had been constantly replaced, Terrison had been by his side assisting him for quite a long time.

Thanasis thought it was better to do this once, since he couldn’t say who kidnapped him anyway, rather than having someone less trustworthy than Terrison come.

“No. I left on my own.”

“…Your Highness?”

“I left because the palace was boring and terrible, and now I’m going back.”

“Your Highness, but…”

“I decided to return because of her. So we must take her with us.”

He couldn’t carelessly mention Reniel’s name.

Her name alone could easily identify her, and her hair and eye colors were quite unique.

They were also very rare colors in the empire.

“If you’re hiding the truth because you’re afraid I’ll be punished…”

“Don’t make me say it twice. Didn’t I say I despise that?”

Thanasis cut off Terrison’s words with that dismissal.

“By the way, why a maid? Your Highness, you dislike all servants.”

“That’s why I found one I like. All the ones they bring to the palace have flaws.”

Thanasis didn’t trust anyone placed by his parents from the start. They all monitored and reported his every move.

While he found that suffocating life terrible.

Somehow, he felt it might not be so bad returning with Reniel.

It was like feeling suffocated underwater and then suddenly growing gills.

“Did you choose her based on looks?”

“No.”

“Then her figure?”

“No.”

“Then her personality?”

He couldn’t mention her magic purification ability. Yet her personality did seem genuinely good.

“Her personality is good. She speaks nicely too.”

He said that vaguely while folding his arms and glaring at the bathroom door.

Click.

“I’ve finished changing. But the clothes are a bit small.”

Reniel felt suffocated by the clothes that were slightly smaller than her size.

Meanwhile, surprised by her appearance in the clothes, Thanasis unknowingly set fire to the hem of her skirt.