Chapter 82

When Aymon watched out for her with a tearful expression, Belinda gestured weakly toward him.

He dropped his head like an obedient puppy. Soon, she stroked his head gently.

‘I’m fine.’

She said with her mind with a gentle gesture.

A perverted cat, or a reckless fool who couldn’t control himself. 

Aymon flinched, waiting to hear those words from her. However, when the loving touch came unexpectedly, he embraced her as if all his tension disappears. 

“Breedee!”

In fact, Aymon had barely repressed his desire to hug her tightly earlier. He was sad that he couldn’t hold her in his arms and kiss her everywhere sooner.

When Aymon’s hair tickled her cheeks, Belinda dug her fingers through his hair. His hair was soft, but felt somehow cold. The familiar feeling brought a smile to her face.

“Aymon, I’m hungry. Give me something to eat.”

As she didn’t eat anything in the last two days.

At her order, Aymon quickly got up and ran out of the door like the wind.

But when he came back with a tray, he found Belinda sleeping as if she had passed out again.

Even as she started to drift off as if she was being sucked into the darkness, she started to feel more and more distant but still present. 

Warmth touched her eyelids, cheeks, and lips. 

His tender kiss.

A loving touch that gently swept up her sweaty hair.

‘I like you so much that I don’t know what to do….’

And thus, his desperate confession soaked her heart as if it was heavily rained on.

She wanted to answer, but her fading consciousness wouldn’t allow it. A careful and desperate confession was instilled in her dream before falling back into a deeper sleep.

***

A week later, her body finally regained some energy back.

It’s all thanks to the nutritious mushroom and another bunch of medicinal herbs that Lucy had been feeding her. Even now, Lucy sat next to Belinda and forced the dried mushrooms into her mouth.

“Please, you should eat more, okay?”

“No. I’m fine.”

“No. You really should eat more! I’m going to hold it like this until you finish it!”

“….Okay.”

Belinda kindly opened her mouth despite the grumbling of the maid who was constantly threatening and coercing the princess!

Oh. How embarrassing. This is driving me crazy.

I don’t know why he makes such a big fuss about it.

Aymon did say that normally a mild fever might arise in the process of imprinting, but – was it because she’s a human? – Instead of mild fever, she suffered from an increasing fever that made everyone busy taking care of her.

Aymon was rubbing her feet while making a face like the greatest sinner in the world. Belinda was sitting on the sofa with her feet on top of Aymon’s thigh.

A glass suddenly appeared in front of her.

“Are you done eating? You have to drink this too, Princess.”

“Lucy, do I really need to drink that?”

“Yes, you really need to.”

At Lucy’s firm words, Belinda sighed before finally drinking the bitter tea.

Belinda’s face became as red as the color of the tea. 

I think I know the effect of this tea. Isn’t this tea made of Daumni berry, which is good for recuperation?

When Belinda woke up after being sick in bed for several days, she heard people arguing. As the sunlight poured in, the voice of an angry woman resounded loudly. 

“I was about to hold back, but I can’t do that anymore! I’m still going to say this even if I’m crossing the line! Aren’t you being too much? How can you make the princess fall unconscious for days….!”

“….”

“You should have been mindful of who is your partner! Look! Don’t you see how fragile the Princess is! You have to consider the physical difference between the two of you!”

Even if she again closed her eyes for a moment, she could imagine a human and an animal staring down at her. In their eyes, she must look like a saggy wet pile of clothes.

Soon after Lucy’s fiery tirade, Aymon tried to come up with an excuse in a subdued tone.

“I restrained myself a lot. I swear.”

“Is this the result of restraining yourself a lot?”

“…..”

Normally, Lucy didn’t dare to raise her voice to Aymon. It was Aymon who held his head high and talked down to Lucy. 

However, now their roles were completely reversed, like a mother-in-law who scolded her son-in-law.

Lucy had noticed why Belinda had been groaning in pain for several days, and why Aymon couldn’t stop whining and worrying about Belinda with his puppy eyes. 

Lucy scolded him not to do that again. About how, unlike the Shinsu, the Princess had a very weak constitution in comparison. She kept warning him, saying that he shouldn’t do as he pleased now.

Belinda, who listened to their conversation – or Lucy’s scream to be exact – closed her eyes even more tightly.

How embarrassing…can’t you both stop it already?…. I also have shame, you know….?

In any case, that’s how the situation came to this point. Lucy kept feeding her something, and Aymon anxiously followed her everywhere.

Anybody will think that I’m seriously ill.

As this situation continued, it reached a point where she gave up dissuading them from arguing about her wellbeing.

Both of you. Please stop protecting me as if I am a baby bird!

Fortunately, Lucy was the only one around them who knew the truth.

Lart also expressed his concern every day and asked if she had a fever due to the cold wind. As for Mazetto, he was puzzled that Belinda smelled like Aymon and was busy going around to find the reason.

It was truly a relief. If everyone knew the real reason behind her ‘serious illness’, she would have wanted to hide under the bed out of shame.

***

“Is everything going smoothly?”

In a field about one hour away from the Imperial Palace. In front of a large rock where no one would come, Adelai asked. 

Count Ottoman stood with his arms folded and smiled satisfactorily.

“Yes. He had practiced how to catch and control one more Shinsu at the same time.”

“But is it okay to let Joseph go down there alone? If he dies…”

Count Ottoman shook his head at Adelai’s worry.

“His ability has improved a lot. He can control about two Shinsu now even with his eyes closed.”

“But he’s down there alone with two Shinsu.”

Inside a very deep pit. There should have been two Shinsu in the space that lay in ruins. Joseph climbed down alone with a rope. He was training to control the Shinsu.

There was no exit. Neither the humans nor the Shinsu could escape. The only thing that could rescue Joseph now was the rope that would come back down in an hour.

Count ottoman smiled leisurely and patted his belly out of habit.

“Please rest assured, Princess. Joseph is going to get out of there alive and well.”

Adelai’s eyes were filled with anxiety, but she soon laughed it off.

Count Ottoman wasn’t someone who went around spouting nonsense. There was always some basis behind his confident attitude. With that in mind, she decided to wait patiently for Joseph with a relaxed mind.

A precious slave, who would have a dangerous existence called the Shinsu, in the palm of his hand just like a pet cat.

***

Recently, Aymon walked in and out of the Guest Palace as if it was his own house.

In the past, he pretended to be considerate by visiting once or twice a week, but now he was no different from living in the Guest Palace.

They were to be engaged in two months and get married a year later. The wedding was decided, but practically nothing had been prepared until now. Yet after the imprinting, there was never a day when he wanted to be away from her.

He endured it for so long, and he rushed at her with lightning speed as soon as he was released from restraining himself.

“Now you’re truly mine. You’re mine.”

Whenever he visited, he smelled her scent and was very happy, then proceeded to follow her everywhere.

Today was the same. He approached Belinda, who was playing with Mazetto, and as he was trying to interfere with them for no reason, he was pecked by Mazetto’s beak.

While rubbing the back of his stinging hand, Aymon asked.

“Breedee. There’s a market outside the Imperial Palace.”

“Market? Yes, there is.”

Before Belinda became a princess, the market was a place she was so sick of. Because she used to run on its dirt floor so often while doing various errands.

Aymon bowed his head towards Belinda, whose back lay on his chest. He kissed her nose bridge and laughed.

“Let’s get out and have some fun. I’m bored.”

Belinda opened her eyes wide as if it were an unexpected proposal, but she soon nodded. 

Come to think of it, I think I hardly ever go out with Aymon.

She only stayed at the Guest Palace, after all.

She thought very briefly whether she should get permission from His Majesty or ask for escorts, but soon she shook her head.

If a dangerous situation occurred even when she was with Aymon, she was as good as dead, no matter how many skilled escorts were attached to her.

She got up from her seat as if she was ready to move right away and grabbed Aymon’s hand. 

A date with just the two of them was about to begin.

There was a large cart filled with red roses. A fragrant scent gushed out from the piles of flowers.

“Two sclan for one flower! 15 sclan for 10 flowers!”

The loud voice of the florist sounded amicable. Belinda, who came to the largest market in the center of the capital, stopped in front of a cart full of roses and rummaged through it.

“Please give me one.”

“It’s only 15 sclans if you buy 10 flowers. Will you still only buy one?”

“Yes. Just one, please.”

Belinda asked the florist to cut the stalk off the rose. Then, as soon as she received the flower, she tucked it between Aymon’s brooch and cape.

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“Pretty.”

Aymon lowered his head and fiddled with the rose. He felt a bit unfamiliar with the pretty flower which adorned him, but he would never reject it because it was a gift from Belinda.

Belinda began to walk again, pulling down Aymon’s hand and holding it tight. Aymon’s embarrassed face was too cute.

When she first met him, he was a stubborn child who grumpily rejected anything he didn’t like, but since when did he become so loveable?