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Chapter 121

"It means that you are more important to me than duties."

Hunter covered me up to my chest with a blanket and looked at me hesitantly for a moment before leaving.

I drifted off to sleep feeling good. Throughout the day, Cain would sneak in and wake me up with remarks like, "Mana vessel, are you asleep yet?" or "Still sleeping?" or "You look like an angel when you sleep. "I understand why those guys believed you were an angel." But I didn't feel like opening my eyes.

One day of a short week went by just like that and Hunter didn't complain once (Cain complained a lot). He only woke me up during meal times. He even told me to eat on the bed.

I ate easy-to-digest foods like soup, steamed fish, and roasted vegetables. After eating, I would lie down and sleep again. Sometimes, Hunter, who visited my room, would take Cain, who was wandering around me. That day, I slept for about 19 hours.

***

Andrea cleared two pending requests. Both targets escaped like roaches. One was captured in the secret space of his house, and the other was caught in the distant Studdle Mountains.

He skipped meals and sleep to pursue the targets. Now, there was only one pending request left. He wanted to resolve everything today if possible but decided to be patient since there would be nothing to do tomorrow if he finished everything today.

Andrea cracked his neck as he handed over the cut hair and fingers of the target to his guild members as proof that the request had been resolved. Blood, which had not been removed, stained his neck and clothes. He felt a bit dizzy and upset.

***

Day 3.

After sleeping all day yesterday, my body felt much better. Hunter suggested a stroll in the garden, and I went outside with him. Cain followed us and came out.

"How's your body?"

"Great. I'm not tired at all."

"That's good."

And we walked for a while. An awkward silence filled the garden.

The awkwardness between us was somewhat natural. Hunter was generally a quiet person, and his attitude towards me was extremely cautious. He often remained silent without saying anything.

I didn't know anything about Hunter. It was awkward trying to decide what to say or bring up since I didn't have any information about him, So I was at a loss.

If you brought back the companion tiger I saw yesterday, at least, we could break the silence talking about the Tiger.

Eventually, unable to bear the silence, Cain began to grumble.

"Ugh, it's boring. Hey, Mana vessel, are you really planning to marry such a boring guy? I don't get it. In the Magic Tower, there's always something to talk about. Whether it's ongoing research, newly developed magical tools, or discussions about unsolvable magical formulas, everything from a conversation to fights."

"Noisy, Magic Lord. Del and I are enjoying a peaceful stroll, so keep your mouth shut."

"Is that so? Mana vessel, are you enjoying it too?"

"Well, um..."

"You look a bit uncomfortable. Shall I show you some magic?"

Cain, teasing me like a child with a toy, Cain tempted me to go to the palace with him to show magic. To be honest, it was a bit awkward. Walking with Hunter was not fun. Maybe if we became closer, things might be different, but for now, we have nothing in common and I'm not particularly curious about anything,

At that moment, Hunter called the guard standing at the entrance of the garden. The guard ran over with just a glance from Hunter.

"Yes, Your Highness is the Crown Prince."

"Take that servant away. He's disturbing our walk."

"Yes."

"Hey! What...!"

Cain, about to lose his temper to Hunter, bit his lips as he met the gaze of the guard looking at him as if he lost his mind. Among the people in the palace, only Hunter's aide knew that Cain was disguised as the attendant to the future Crown Princess. Therefore, it was impossible for Cain, a mere servant, to raise his voice towards the Crown Prince.

Knowing that revealing his identity would complicate things, Cain followed the guard silently. He didn't forget to glare at Hunter as he went.

Anyway, with Cain gone, only Hunter and Andrea remained in the garden. The awkwardness became even more painful after Cain left.

I was thinking about whether I should ask about his favorite color or something, but Hunter asked a question first.

"Did I push you too hard?"

"yes?"

"Yesterday, you seemed unwell, and it might have been because of me."

"No, I've been through a lot in the past few days. So, it's not because of you, Your Highness."

Concerned about what kind of hardship I went through, I briefly told Hunter about what happened in Sablum.

"Honestly, Otakia did rescue me, but if Andrea hadn't stopped the tribal Chief before that, it would have been a big problem."

"It's a shame that the tribal Chief is not a citizen of the Empire."

"Why?"

"If he were from the Empire, I could have punished him separately."

Hunter's expression was fierce, and even his clenched fist looked quite threatening.

"I could have seen the privileges of the Crown Prince."

I joked playfully, and Hunter paused, looking at me. Finally, he smiled. The warmth in his eyes and the smile were so warmed that my face turned red.

I deliberately turned my head calmly and pretended to complain.

"What's this? Now that I see it, you laugh really well. When I first saw you, you looked dignified and scary."

"....Was I scary?"

Why does he become sullen so quickly?

I was concerned about Hunter, who seemed a bit downcast with his shoulders slightly drooped, so I spoke brightly.

"You were! You were wearing flashy clothes, and your face seemed stern, but in our first meeting, it also felt like you were too fond of me."

"How about now? Am I still scary?"

Hunter asked. I turned to look at him. His face, made up of strong and bold lines, looked fragile with traces of impatience and fear. I quickly shook my head.

"Not scary at all now."

Then Hunter laughed. With that smile and laughter, I had a feeling that counting how many times this man laughed in the future would become meaningless. As long as he's in front of me, he can easily laugh whenever he wants.