"Isn't it a little too soon for you to be walking? The doctor told you to rest for the next few days."
Lucas spoke calmly, watching her with an expression she couldn't quite decipher.
Irene answered without looking at him.
"I'm fine."
Lucas immediately noticed that she was deliberately avoiding him.
you're fine?
A faint smile tugged at his lips.
For some reason, that strange feeling from yesterday returned the inexplicably pleasant sensation he still couldn't put into words.
He extended his hand toward her.
Irene glanced at his outstretched hand, then lifted her eyes to him.
"Really? Then let's take a walk together."
Irene couldn't believe what she was hearing.
She let out a silent, incredulous sigh.
What is wrong with him today?
She looked at him again, her voice carrying a hint of sarcasm.
"Thank you for your generous kindness… but I really don't want to trouble Your Highness."
Lucas raised an eyebrow.
"And who said you'd be troubling me? I simply want to take a walk with my wife. It would be rather improper for you not to hold my hand in front of everyone."
Irene fell silent for a moment.
Lucas had finally discovered one of her weaknesses… and he had begun using it to his advantage.
After watching her for months, he had realized that she was always determined to maintain a flawless image in front of others, even if he didn't fully understand why she clung to it so fiercely.
Irene, however, understood exactly what he was doing within seconds.
That kind of manipulation made her angrier with herself than it did with him.
I gave him a chance to understand my feelings and use them against me… That's dangerous.
If I let him see what's inside me, I'll be putting myself in danger.
His voice broke through her thoughts.
"What are you thinking about? Are you going to leave my hand hanging there?"
Irene sighed.
"Sali… You may all go now."
Sali stepped closer and placed a hand on Irene's shoulder before whispering into her ear.
"You don't have to play along with him. Pretend you're tired and go back to the tent."
Irene answered calmly.
"All right. Don't worry."
At last, Irene took Lucas's hand.
The maids bowed respectfully before stepping away.
"Don't push yourself too hard, all right?"
Irene smiled.
"All right."
But before leaving, Sali looked at Lucas for a moment.
Then she turned around and walked away without bowing to him.
Lucas's steps came to a halt.
He watched her leave, a clear trace of anger appearing on his face.
"That maid… Has serving you personally made her so arrogant that she's forgotten her place?"
Irene looked at him.
His tone had changed completely.
"She isn't merely my personal maid. She's also the woman who raised me. Please excuse her behavior. Just a few days ago, she nearly lost both her life and her position."
Lucas's voice turned cold.
"Oh, really? Then tell her that she'll lose both if she shows me such disrespect again."
A chill ran through Irene at the tone of his voice.
There was something frightening about his presence now… something that resembled a quiet desire to kill.
How can someone change so quickly?
Then another thought slipped into her mind.
Why did he suddenly insist that I hold his hand?
This side of him… feels more like him.
Trying to ease the tension, Irene spoke calmly.
"I apologize on her behalf. I'll make sure it doesn't happen again… And if I've ruined Your Highness's mood, I can return to the tent now."
Lucas sighed.
"No. Just hold my hand properly."
Irene hesitated for a moment.
Then she slipped her arm around his.
And the two of them began walking together.
The moment they moved, everyone's attention was drawn to them.
People stared openly at the unusual sight, making no attempt to hide their curiosity.
Irene immediately felt the weight of their gazes.
Ugh… I hate this feeling.
There was nothing Irene hated more than being the center of everyone's attention.
As she tried to ignore it, every step began to feel slower than the one before.
Lucas, on the other hand, glanced at her from time to time, looking far too amused by her discomfort.
Then a maid's voice suddenly reached Irene's ears.
"Oh my God… Look at him."
"He really is handsome."
Irene turned toward the source of the voices.
Three maids stood near a large brazier outside one of the tents.
But they weren't looking at her.
They were looking at him.
What are they staring at?
Lucas glanced in their direction.
The moment the maids' eyes met his, they quickly returned to their work, their faces flushed with embarrassment.
Irene looked at Lucas, then finally understood.
Oh…
The two continued walking as though nothing had happened.
A few moments later, Irene stole another glance at him.
Perhaps people really do enjoy looking at beautiful things after all.
His voice suddenly interrupted her thoughts, laced with amusement.
"What? Are you mesmerized by my handsome face?"
Irene immediately turned away, squeezing her eyes shut in embarrassment.
Ah! How does he always know when I'm looking at him?!
Lucas laughed quietly to himself.
"If you're uncomfortable here, we can go farther away from the camp."
Irene answered wearily.
"All right… But don't go too far."
A small smile appeared on his face, carrying a hidden intention.
"Of course. Don't worry."
They continued walking until they reached the river.
Irene released his arm and turned around to look behind her.
Her eyes widened.
"Wait… I can't see the camp!"
She turned toward him angrily.
"I told you not to go too far."
Lucas studied the anger on her face, looking far more entertained than he should have been.
Then he feigned innocence.
"Oh? Did you? I must not have noticed."
He gestured toward the path.
"Then let's go back."
He started walking ahead, leaving her behind.
"Wait!"
Lucas glanced back with a mischievous smile.
Irene remained where she was, panting from exhaustion.
"Where do you think you're going? Can't you see that I can't walk by myself?!"
Lucas raised an eyebrow.
"You can't? But you said you were fine earlier."
Irene lost her temper.
"I'm not in the mood for this kind of joke!"
Lucas remained perfectly calm.
"Oh? And you think I'm joking? You refused to take your medicine, and today you decided to go for a walk on your own despite the doctor's orders. You're always saying that you're fine—"
"Enough!"
Irene cut him off, anger blazing in her eyes.
"You've ignored me ever since I arrived here. And we agreed from the very first time we met that neither of us would interfere in the other's affairs. So why are you suddenly pretending to care about me?"
Lucas lifted his head slightly.
Then he answered in a calm voice, completely unfazed by her anger.
"You're right."
He turned away from her.
"So why should I care if you can't walk by yourself?"
He began walking away slowly.
Irene stared at his back in disbelief.
"Wait… What exactly do you think you're doing?"
Lucas didn't stop.
"You were the one who asked me not to interfere in your affairs. So go back to camp on your own."
Irene's face flushed with anger.
"Oh, really? I'm going to lose my mind!"
She pressed a hand to her forehead.
I should have refused him from the very beginning…
Lucas chuckled when he heard her grumbling.
Then, without turning around, he called out loudly.
"If you don't start walking now, you'll lose your way."
He paused for a moment before adding in a more serious tone,
"This forest is full of predators."
Irene's eyes widened.
"Seriously?! Why is this happening to me?!"
Lucas smiled.
He felt a genuine sense of victory.
His plan had worked.
Irene gathered up the hem of her dress and slowly started following him.
Lucas glanced back at her every now and then, watching her expressions as she continued muttering under her breath.
He raised a hand to his mouth, trying to suppress his laughter.
Irene was struggling through the snow, weighed down by her heavy clothes.
Is he laughing?
She looked at his back, which was shaking slightly.
Does he actually find this funny?
Her eyes dropped to her dress.
Ugh… This dress is so heavy.
Why did Sali insist on making me wear it? I can barely walk through all this snow because of it… It's making me sweat.
Lucas heard every word she muttered.
In fact, he was listening far more closely than she could ever imagine.
He deliberately slowed his pace enough for her to catch up.
Irene struggled through the snow, trying to think of a way to make walking less exhausting.
Then an idea occurred to her.
She looked at Lucas's footprints in the snow.
If I step where he already walked, it'll be much easier…
She began carefully placing one foot into his footprints after another.
Soon, she felt the difference.
It was much easier.
Silence settled between them.
After a while, Lucas turned around to see why she had stopped complaining.
He froze for a moment at the sight before him.
Irene was holding up part of her dress with one hand, carefully stepping into his footprints.
She looked like a little child learning how to walk for the first time.
Lucas turned back around.
Then he started laughing again.
She really is clever…
But how will she deal with this?
He clasped his hands behind his back.
Then, without warning, he began taking long, exaggerated strides.
Irene stopped dead in her tracks.
She stared in disbelief at the enormous distance between each of his footprints.
Then she looked up at his back as he continued walking away, his strides absurdly long.
She started grumbling again between heavy breaths.
"Hah… hah… I thought the devil had horns, but… hah… apparently that isn't true."
She continued after him.
"He's… walking right in front of me now… hah… and he looks completely human…"
Lucas burst into laughter again, unable to hold it back.
Irene continued complaining between breaths.
"And he's laughing… hah… at the suffering of a girl… hah… who barely survived death… hah… hah…"
Lucas finally answered.
"Isn't that a little unfair? I'm only doing what you told me to do."
He glanced back over his shoulder.
"You said you were fine, then told me not to care about you. I'm merely being an obedient angel."
Irene stopped.
She let go of her dress and clutched her stomach as the exertion began to hurt.
"All right… That's enough."
She was breathing heavily.
"I give up… I've reached my limit."
Lucas finally stopped.
Then he turned around and walked back until he was standing in front of her.
He bent slightly, bringing himself closer to her eye level.
"So… Do you admit now that you're not fine?"
Irene glared up at him.
"Was this your plan from the beginning?!"
A small smile appeared at the corner of his lips.
"Maybe."
Irene stared at him in disbelief.
"Fine, then. I'm not fine. Are you satisfied now?"
Lucas answered without hesitation.
"If that's what you believe, then yes."
Silence fell between them.
Irene glared at him, anger written plainly across her face as she finally realized that he had been manipulating her from the very beginning.
Lucas watched her expression, feeling a strange sense of satisfaction.
But somehow…
It still wasn't enough.
He slowly leaned toward her until his face was only inches from hers.
Irene instinctively took a step back.
A faint smile curved across Lucas's lips.
Then, in that calm, maddeningly provocative tone she had begun to hate, he said,
"Then… beg me to help you."
to be continued...