DEDLB | Ch 06

When I came out after meeting the Emperor, my father-in-law was in complete darkness. The whole day had passed, and I hadn’t even eaten with Ricardo because of the festival. I had to go back to the greenhouse to find Lucy.

The greenhouse was dark when night fell. I had a strange feeling that something was off tonight. Carefully, I put my lunchbox on a nearby table.

“It should have been here…” I thought to myself, looking around, but there was no one on the bloody bench. Had someone left in that short time, dragging their injured body out of here?

I was still in disbelief when suddenly I felt a quick movement behind me, and in an instant, my body was pulled back.

“Ugh!”

Someone had wrapped their arm around my waist and covered my mouth with one hand. The smell of blood, dirt, and a strange animal-like scent hit my nose. I instinctively knew it was Ricardo who was holding me.

“Mm…”

As I struggled, his grip loosened, but the hand over my mouth didn’t move.

“I thought you were an intruder…” Ricardo’s lazy voice whispered in my ear.

I shuddered, trying to avoid his breath on my ear.

“So, the half-princess is here.”

“Ah, ha, ha!”

As soon as Ricardo realized who I was, he let me go. I took a deep breath, glaring at him.

“What’s the meaning of this?” I snapped at him.

Ricardo raised one eyebrow and smiled playfully, responding, “What do you mean? Wasn’t it you who tortured me with so-called ‘treatment’ when I was lying down resting? I don’t think it was me who was rude.”

“Rude? You brought a half-dead person back from the brink, helped me speak, helped me walk again, and that’s rude?”

I widened my eyes in disbelief.

Ricardo, watching me, chuckled and limped over to sit on the bench. He frowned as he sat, and I sighed, shaking my head.

“See? You can’t even sit still, and now your body won’t cooperate. Be careful.”

“It’s my body. Why can’t I do what I want with it?” Ricardo replied grumpily.

I looked at him, narrowing my eyes like I would at a spoiled child.

“I’m just saying, be careful. Don’t react sharply to everything I say like that.”

“…Huh.”

“I brought food. You can eat and listen to me,” I said, opening my lunchbox and neatly laying out the food.

Ricardo glanced at the bandages around his side, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.

“You don’t think I’d eat something that could be poisoned, do you?” he asked.

“Are you suggesting I poisoned it?” I replied.

“Exactly,” he said with a grin, but then winced as he touched his wound.

Looking at his sorry state, I shook my head, feeling both pity and frustration.

The man known as “Nahá’s Wolf” is acting so petty. I couldn’t believe it. How could the man who was supposed to be so tough be like this now? I wondered if he had somehow changed after coming back to life.

But even so, I couldn’t leave him hungry.

“There’s nothing in it that could harm you. It’s the same meal I had for dinner, made by the same chef,” I said, hoping to reassure him.

Ricardo still hesitated, not even looking at the food. He only glanced at me and the lunchbox, back and forth.

I gave up and added, “If you’re still suspicious, I’ll taste it first…”

Before I could finish, Ricardo grabbed the fork and started eating like a man starved. The juicy lamb chops and crispy bread were quickly devoured without even chewing.

I let out a quiet sigh of relief. It was a good sign that he still had his appetite.

“Drink some water too, or you’ll choke,” I said, gently pushing a water bottle towards him.

Ricardo paused, finally raising his head, breathing heavily. “Ah, now I feel like I’m alive again.”

I remembered that he’d been starving all day because of his injuries. Despite my sympathy, it was hard to look kindly on him with the way he always argued back and made sarcastic comments.

“Thinking something over, are we, Your Highness, the half-princess?” he asked with a mocking tone, still eating.

I blinked, taken aback. I hadn’t realized I was lost in thought.

“Well,” I began hesitantly, “I was just thinking about how to get you out of the palace and away from everyone’s watchful eyes.”

“Hm, sounds like good news, but it also sounds like a problem,” he said, raising an eyebrow before tapping his cheek with a finger as if trying to understand.

“But there’s one thing I’ve been wondering for a while…” he added, still looking at me with a puzzled look.

“What?” I asked, frowning.

“Why do you speak to me so formally?” he asked.

His question surprised me. I hadn’t thought about it before.

“Because you’re my superior. You pointed out how rude it was when I spoke too casually before, didn’t you?” I explained.

“…Right.”

“Then why don’t you speak casually to me? I saved your life, didn’t I? Doesn’t that make us equal?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

I blinked, unsure how to respond. I had never thought about it this way. Maybe I had started speaking so formally because it felt strange to get close to him after everything that had happened.

“…I guess it just felt too sudden,” I admitted.

Ricardo chuckled softly and shook his head. “You’re hopeless.”

“I’ll fix it slowly,” I said, my voice quieter.

“Do as you wish, but just make sure you speak casually when we’re alone. I don’t want to be arrested for disobedience,” he warned.

I nodded, agreeing, before changing the subject.

“By the way, I’ve been thinking…”

“About what?” Ricardo looked at me with curiosity.

I hesitated before speaking the difficult words I’d been holding back.

“I want you to stay in my bedroom until we can leave the palace.”

Ricardo’s eyes widened, his red eyes glowing with surprise.