Saved Him, Now I'm Obsessed (10 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 8

  1. Home
  2. Saved Him, Now I'm Obsessed (10 Chapters Left to Complete)
  3. Chapter 8
Prev
Next

“If you really do that, I’ll just go into exile in another country for sure.”

“Threatening me with such scary words is really unfair.”

Ian spoke with a dejected tone. The pitiful expression on his handsome face was more than enough to stir one’s heart. But I steeled myself.

At twenty-three, Ian had grown into such a fine young man that his youthful appearance was almost entirely gone—but in front of me, he still acted like a child.

Perhaps because he had no friends his own age, his expressions became especially varied whenever he spoke with me, often showing pouting or disappointed looks that made him seem pitiful.

It seemed likely that he behaved this way because, whenever he adopted such expressions, I’d easily give in even to things I’d previously refused.

“That look won’t work on me.”

Though I wasn’t truly planning to leave, now that Grandfather had passed away, Ian apparently believed I held no lingering attachment to the Carlobanian Empire.

It was true—I had stayed in the Carlobanian Empire far too long. When Grandfather was alive, we used to move frequently from one country to another.

But I was different from Grandfather. Repeatedly settling in new places and being treated as an outsider was hardly pleasant. I’d only just finished repaying the loan I’d taken out for my current apothecary shop—abandoning all this now would be a waste.

“Alright, alright. Stop saying scary things and come sit here.”

He gently nudged my back, guiding me to sit down. Reluctantly, I complied.

Truthfully, leaving would be easy enough. Even as a child, I’d crossed borders with my blind grandfather; now as an adult, traveling alone to another country wouldn’t be difficult at all.

In truth, even after living in the Carlobanian Empire for over seventeen years, I still sometimes felt as if I’d never truly settled in.

Yet the reason I’d stayed in one country this long was because of Ian.

How could I possibly walk away without a care when his life would be in danger if I left? No—even if Ian’s illness were fully cured and he no longer needed the medicine I prepared, I still wouldn’t be able to leave easily.

“I’ve prepared some peaches for you, too—the kind you like. It’s not peach season yet, but I still had some stored in the ice cavern.”

True to his word, the table was laden with dishes made from peaches. Unconsciously, the muscles around my lips relaxed into a smile.

‘Damn it, peaches…’

Peaches were rosy fruits covered in soft, snow-white fuzz like a baby’s skin. They were round, about the size of two clenched fists, and beneath their thin, tough skin lay flesh bursting with juice.

Some people ate them with the skin on, others peeled it off. Because their sweetness intensified with heat, they were often used in breads and desserts.

Their sweet flavor and delightful fragrance made them my favorite fruit. If I could only eat one food for the rest of my life, I’d choose peaches without a moment’s hesitation.

Seeing his confident smile—clearly certain I couldn’t resist such a strong temptation—was irritating, but I had no choice.

“That’s cheating! How can I possibly ignore such a sweet scent…? Your Royal Highness knows far too much about me—it’s infuriating.”

“What do you mean?”

He feigned innocence with a sly grin. Handsome or not, that smugness was still annoying.

“Just stop smiling already.”

Ian laughed even louder. “Tch! Never mind him—just eat the peaches.”

With reverent care, I speared a neatly sliced piece with my fork and brought it to my mouth. The flesh crunched lightly between my teeth, releasing sweet juice that flooded my mouth.

‘If I get peaches every day, commuting to the imperial palace every morning wouldn’t be so bad… Wait! What am I even thinking?’

I shook my head quickly. If Ian really offered “unlimited peaches” as part of a negotiation, I might quit my apothecary job on the spot and become nothing but a fruit-guzzling glutton in the palace. That absolutely couldn’t happen.

“Do you like it?”

“I’m only eating it because I figured Your Royal Highness would be disappointed if I didn’t.”

“Well then, I’m honored.”

Though my words claimed I was eating only out of obligation, I diligently cleared the dishes from the table.

Especially the drink made by blending peaches, ice, and honey—it tasted divine. I wanted to gulp it down in big swallows, but it was too precious, so I sipped it carefully, one mouthful at a time.

‘Ah, the imperial palace really is the imperial palace. A drink loaded with peaches, even out of season…’

Ian pulled a handkerchief from his sleeve and gently wiped the sweat from my brow. The pristine white fabric was embroidered with golden thread, displaying the imperial crest in lavish detail.

‘Even in something as small as a handkerchief, the difference in status is plain to see.’

I didn’t carry a handkerchief, though in urgent situations I’d use a piece of gauze.

It was boiled clean and sun-dried for use in staunching wounds—practical, certainly, but compared to his silk handkerchief stitched with golden thread, it felt pitifully plain.

Ian, the Crown Prince, and myself, a commoner—it was only natural that such differences existed. In fact, it was almost miraculous that we even knew each other as well as we did.

“You’re daydreaming again, aren’t you? What on earth are you thinking about with me right in front of you?”

Though I’d only been lost in thought for a brief moment, Ian asked with a face full of dissatisfaction. Even as he complained about my lack of attention, he kept fanning me steadily.

Despite the winter weather, the air felt muggy after the rain, and I’d worked up a sweat walking here—his fanning was a welcome relief.

His arm must’ve ached from repeating the same motion, yet his movements remained as steady and rhythmic as a pendulum.

“I wasn’t thinking about anything. It’s just… it feels amazing that we’ve known each other for seventeen years already.”

“What’s so amazing about that? Ten years will become twenty, then fifty, and eventually a lifetime.”

He said it as if it were obvious. Considering the average lifespan of Carlobanians, I wasn’t sure if we’d truly live another fifty years—but I simply nodded in agreement without comment.

“You know… when we first met…”

Trending

Before I could even finish my question, he beamed happily, his eyes crinkling in a warm smile. Whenever I showed interest in him, he couldn’t hide how pleased he was.

His obvious delight always made me a little embarrassed, so I rarely brought up such topics. Perhaps that was why, whenever I did ask something about him, Ian never bothered to conceal his happiness.

“You already knew my name back then. And your manner of speech was so familiar, as if we’d known each other for ages… Did I appear in your dreams, too?”

“You’re only asking me this now, after seventeen years? Should I be grateful you’ve finally taken an interest, or upset that Jane has been so indifferent to me all this time?”

“I just happened to remember it suddenly. Was it because you saw me—my future self—in a dream that you already knew my name?”

“Yes. It’s strange, I know—but I’ve met Jane in my dreams for a very long time. I met you at thirteen, seventeen, twenty, and even now at twenty-seven. You felt so familiar. Oh—and I’ve even seen you as a very young child. In a way, I might know Jane better than she knows herself.”

“Then… when I act exactly as I did in your dream—behaving in precisely the same way—how does that feel? Doesn’t it seem odd? If I saw something I’d already watched before, I’d find it boring… You have to keep rereading textbooks to learn, sure, but with novels, once you’ve read them, you already know the story—it just gets dull.”

At my words, he shook his head firmly.

“It’s never boring at all. Meeting Jane in dreams was wonderful, but meeting you in person like this is even better.”

“…”

He said such shamelessly sentimental things so brazenly. Strangely enough, though his words were almost cringeworthy, I found myself laughing. It was embarrassing, yet hearing him say such things made me feel special—and that felt nice.

Sometimes I wondered how Ian spoke with nobles. Because I always had to disguise myself as a perfumer to avoid drawing attention, I’d never actually seen him interact with others.

That was probably why I couldn’t easily picture it. If he already spoke to a commoner like me with such Casanova-like charm, I couldn’t help but wonder how sweetly he’d address noble ladies.

‘He’d probably be quite dashing…’

I imagined Ian, dressed splendidly in the glittering ballroom beneath a magnificent chandelier, pressing his lips to the back of a beautiful noble lady’s hand as he whispered honeyed words—and nodded in satisfied approval.

After all, his very presence already resembled a crown prince straight out of a fairy tale. Surely, in time, Ian would meet a beautiful princess and marry, just like the princes in storybooks.

It pleased me to see the boy who’d once groaned under his blankets grow into such a fine young man—but at the same time, I felt a strange, bittersweet emptiness. Perhaps it was because we’d been together for too long.

Ian’s future surely held a fairy-tale ending—a long, happy life as clear and bright as a painted scene—but I found myself wondering what kind of life awaited me.

I’d probably keep running my little apothecary, unchanged… But perhaps I’d meet someone compatible and marry? What would my husband be like? How many children might I have? Curious, I turned to ask Ian.

Most Commented This Week
Prev
Next

YOUR COMMENT

1. Please write comments in English.
2. Inline comments are now available. Tap the end of any line in a chapter to share your thoughts instantly.