Chapter 18

His touch was infinitely cautious, but he never called her name while hugging her. He just focused on her as if nothing had to do with it.

She picked up the clothes that fell next to her and approached him.

Along with his lively face, eyelashes that came down as long as a woman’s, and dark black hair slightly covered his eyes. His lips, which were still red, caught her eye.

Unknowingly, she reached out and touched his lips. When she thought of the place where his lips touched, her face heated up without realizing it.

“I asked you earlier.”

Arthur took off his mouth with his eyes closed. He grabbed her hand that touched his lips and pulled it into his arms, so she fell vaguely on him.

As he stood up, she could see his face in front of her. Her heart pounded with surprise. She felt like she could hear her heart.

‘Why is my heart beating?’

Sleeping with him was satisfactory. Above all else, it was intense and tenacious.

The calm eyes seemed to sway with emotion somehow, and his touch was very friendly.

It was just a confirmation, they talked for the first time and had s*x for the first time.

It was just a relationship made up of her whim, obsessed with desire and curiosity, and his unknown thoughts, with no emotions.

“I asked you if you wanted to die.”

“…okay, look at this. I’m already dying.”

She showed him an indelible bloodstain. Arthur’s gaze turned to her palm. Arthur kissed her hand and smiled brightly.

“Are you wondering why I said that?”

“Are you going to tell me if I’m curious? Aren’t you the one who told me to prove who I am?”

Of course, the proof was useless. She pulled her hand out of his grasp and raised herself.

Arthur’s hand gently swept over her hair, inhaled deeply, and stared into her eyes.

She turned her head because she felt like she was going to be sucked into him again.

“If you cooperate with me well, I’ll tell you everything.”

Arthur buried his face in her arms and hugged her by the waist. Looking at him, she lowered her eyes, grabbed his hand, and took it off her waist.

After getting out of bed, she laughed at him who still couldn’t take his eyes off her.

“…Archduke Arthur, then, shouldn’t we try?”

“It’s hard work, isn’t it the princess who wants to live?”

“You know, I’m not Mary. What’s the point of living for me?”

She wanted to live. Not as Mary, but as herself.

Even if she lived here without dying, what does she have left? She would just live here as Mary, not herself.

‘Is that meaningful? Even if I live?’

Fear poured in. It was also a burden and uncomfortable for her to have to live as someone other than herself.

Then what about her? What’s the original her, not Mary? And what does Mary become?

After being confused for a long time, she concluded.

“I don’t like living like this.”

“There’s no place to go back anyway”

“So I will not make an effort to live.”

Perhaps because of the unexpected remarks, Arthur’s face hardened coldly. Staring straight at her body after getting out of bed, he sent a deeper smile than before.

Did they say the disappointed one will lose? Then she won’t be disappointed from here on.

“If you want anything from me, follow me from now on. Otherwise.”

“Otherwise?”

Arthur sat leaning against a chair in his gown, giggling as if it were fun.

His drowsy eyes and rolled corners of his mouth felt quite sexy.

She approached him sitting in a chair and grabbed the tip of his chin with her hand and made him face her straight. She bowed down and approached his ear and whispered.

“I will stab my heart with that knife and die in front of your eyes.”

“…….”

She turned her face around and kissed Arthur’s cheek lightly, then turned around and tried to leave the room.

She will not die in anyone’s hands. And she will not bow to those who want to stand above her.

As long as she has entered Mary’s body, no matter what anyone says, she is the Princess of this country, and she is ready to let go of her life at any time.

Even if it’s scary and terrible, she’ll accept it if it’s fate.

“So, from now on, you’ll have to follow my orders. As you saw yesterday, I have no hesitation in dying.”

As if she had no regrets, she got up from her seat and headed toward the door. She heard a rattling sound, but she didn’t care

This is the one relationship she shared with him. It was just a means of giving trust made under mutual agreement by necessity, she tried to erase it from her head, dismissing it.

His breath kept lingering in her ears.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps approaching her quickly. Arthur was clear. She stopped at the door.

She didn’t take the action of looking back or being conscious. The sound of his footsteps, which seemed to come straight to her, stopped.

“Of course.”