HDPE 15

Chapter 15.

So I Slept with Him…

Yurian was looking down at me.

His gaze was so quiet that it felt suffocating.

For a moment, a chill ran down my spine.

Huh…? Wait.

That line.

What I’d just said.

Wasn’t it exactly the same thing those women who had been throwing themselves at His Highness had said while trying to seduce him…?

“Let’s sleep together from now on.”

A shiver ran through me at Yurian’s low voice.

I-I’m screwed…

The corners of the man’s lips curved gently upward.

It was a perfect smile, the kind one might see in a masterpiece painting.

The problem was, that smile probably wasn’t because he was happy…

Cold sweat trickled down my back.

“I-I didn’t mean it like that!”

I instinctively waved my hands and denied it.

What had Yurian’s eyes looked like whenever he turned those women away?

Cold.

Utterly irritated.

And, honestly, like he simply wanted to kill them all.

Every time I saw that expression, I wanted to run away as fast as possible.

There was no way I could let myself become the target of that look!

“They kept knocking on your door and barging in, so I thought you weren’t able to sleep properly…!”

“And?”

Scary…

“I-I meant that I would stay by your side so you could sleep peacefully…”

So, if you happen to be thinking about killing me, please spit three times and get rid of the thought…

I swallowed those words before they could escape my mouth and gave Yurian a desperate look.

You understand what I mean, right?

You won’t misunderstand me, will you?

Please…

“……”

Yurian said nothing.

He merely tilted his head slightly.

His expression suggested he was thinking.

That brief silence felt like an eternity, and I squeezed my eyes shut.

I should’ve just pretended not to notice.

I shouldn’t have said anything.

I should have drawn the line and told myself that whether he was suffering or not had nothing to do with me!

…But watching someone suffer and pretending not to notice pricked at my conscience.

Besides, if that man remained this irritable, it would be harder for me to seduce him.

It was basically… eliminating the competition!

Something like that…

“Well, I’m not sure I’ll be able to sleep just because Vanillin is here.”

Yurian smiled as he said it.

His lips curved smoothly upward, forming a warm, gentle, elegant smile.

“I’ve grown tired of throwing those nuisances out myself, so perhaps I’ll leave it to you.”

“Oh… um.”

“Hehe…”

Our eyes met, and I reflexively smiled back.

Seriously.

His personality is completely broken…

No. His Highness is a saint.

Huff, huff…

I leaned my back against the wall, desperately gasping for breath that had risen all the way to my throat.

As I slid down and collapsed onto the floor, every part of my body ached.

He’s endured this for ten whole days…

Honestly, I hadn’t thought this would be so difficult.

I mean, come on.

There were countless knights and servants in the prince’s palace.

And the people we were dealing with were frail, delicate women.

So couldn’t we just stop them together?

…That was the naive assumption I’d made.

“Let go! I have a pass! They gave it to me when I used to work here as a maid!”

“How dare you stop me? Do you even know who I am?!”

“Oh my, how filthy. Could you please not touch me? I can’t stand dirty things.”

“Your Highness―! Please open the door! It’s me!”

It was absolute chaos.

I blankly stared up at the ceiling.

Second Prince… I’ve never even seen your face, but I really hate you.

He really seemed to be serious about this.

People of all kinds—different appearances, different social statuses—came charging at us practically every hour.

They even came up with different excuses.

They’d say the night was too cold, they’d gotten lost and happened to wander here, that fate had brought them here…

There was even one who claimed she was pregnant.

The problem was that stopping them wasn’t easy.

Commoners could more or less be physically restrained, but nobles were another matter.

They were precious noble ladies, after all.

I couldn’t just put my hands on them.

If I accidentally hurt one of them and something happened, the responsibility would obviously fall entirely on me.

Sniff… I’m exhausted.

I squeezed my eyes shut.

Why were they all going this far…?

For a moment, I even had the urge to expose Yurian’s true identity to the whole world.

Then they wouldn’t approach him so casually, thinking he was an easy target…

Of course, if I did that, I’d probably be the first person to die.

“It’s another war today…”

“Everyone, good work…”

It wasn’t until dawn that the women finally stopped coming, and everyone gradually dispersed.

Everyone looked completely exhausted.

Of course, so did I.

“Haaaam…”

A yawn escaped me involuntarily.

Hmm… Still.

After hesitating for a moment, I eventually found myself standing in front of Yurian’s door.

Knock, knock.

Hoping he would be asleep, I knocked on the door.

But—

“Come in.”

So it’s the same today.

I opened the door and carefully stepped inside.

“You haven’t slept?”

“I’ve always been a light sleeper.”

It was obvious at a glance that he hadn’t slept at all.

I quietly approached the bed.

He was lying perfectly straight, his face showing not the slightest trace of drowsiness.

It’s been ten days now.

Is it really okay for someone to go this long without sleeping?

Worry began to seep into me.

After hesitating, I carefully sat down on the edge of the bed.

His gaze immediately followed me.

“What is it?”

“I thought I’d sing you a lullaby.”

“…I wonder how old Vanillin thinks I am.”

There it was again.

That ambiguous way of speaking where I couldn’t tell whether he was rejecting me or not.

Normally, I’d have tried to figure out what he meant.

But perhaps because I was so sleepy, I unconsciously brought a finger to my lips.

“Shh. Just listen.”

I gently closed my eyes, and a familiar melody flowed from between my lips.

“Twinkling little star, please grant my wish…♪”

Even among my increasingly hazy memories, this song remained crystal clear.

My brother used to quietly sing to me until I fell asleep.

For a moment, it felt as though I could once again feel the warmth of those days.

…I think my brother used to do this.

I carefully reached out and gently patted Yurian’s chest.

Slowly, in rhythm…

Pat, pat.

“……”

Instead of telling me to stop, Yurian slowly exhaled.

Normally, he would have looked at me with a mocking expression.

But this time was different.

It was almost as though he were quietly accepting the sound.

“Let’s hold hands♪”

“……”

“Let’s go together to the world beyond the stars…”

His pale yellow eyes slowly disappeared beneath his long eyelashes, eventually closing completely.

His breathing became steady.

“Your Highness.”

“……”

“Are you asleep?”

He didn’t answer.

He had really fallen asleep.

“…Thank goodness.”

A tiny sigh of relief escaped me.

Now I should get up.

I should go back and get at least a little sleep myself.

Just as I thought that and moved my body—

“Uh…”

Someone grabbed my wrist.

There was no force behind it.

He wasn’t pulling me closer.

He was simply… not letting go.

“Your Highness?”

Even when I called him, there was no response.

He must have moved in his sleep.

“…What should I do?”

If I tried to pull my hand away, I felt like he might wake up…

With no other option, I remained there for a long time, unable to remove his hand.

Strangely, I didn’t dislike it.

It was warm.

Quiet.

Reassuring.

I shouldn’t fall asleep here…

I knew that.

But my body wouldn’t listen.

My vision slowly blurred, and I tilted over onto the bed.

“……”

And this time, I felt it clearly.

An arm wrapping around my waist.

The strength pulling me closer was gentle, yet firm enough to make it clear he had no intention of letting me go.

I didn’t resist.

I simply closed my eyes.

Chirp, chirp—

Soft sunlight streamed through the enormous window.

“Mmm…”

At the sound of birds chirping beside my ear, I rubbed my eyes out of habit.

It had been a long time since I’d slept so deeply without even dreaming.

I felt incredibly refreshed.

“Feels so good…”

Yesterday had been exhausting.

Chasing away the women who came swarming in as though we were fighting a war, singing Yurian a lullaby…

“Uh…”

And then I just drifted off…?

“……?!”

Wait!

My eyes flew open.

An unfamiliar ceiling.

Intricate golden patterns were carved into white marble—a luxurious design I’d never seen in my life.

The pristine bedding was so soft that I felt as though my body were sinking into it.

“Su-Surely not…”

I forced my stiff neck to turn with a creak and looked beside me.

As expected, a sculpted face filled my vision.

A beautiful man with his eyes closed like an angel.

“Yuri—”

Gasp!

I quickly covered my mouth to stop the scream that was about to escape.

I had to get out.

I had to leave this place.

It wasn’t too late yet…!

Just as I hurriedly tried to sit up—

“…Mmm.”

The man slightly furrowed his brows and tightened his arm.

Whoosh.

My body was pulled toward him.

My face collided with his broad chest.

“E-Eek…?”

A heavy yet sweet scent reached me through the thin fabric of his nightclothes.

I inhaled sharply.

Both my cheeks instantly turned bright red.

Huh?

Huh…?

Huhhhhh…?!