CH 44

“…..”

Valhayle froze.

Zelle repeated herself, her voice trembling.

“I was in the bird’s body during the war.”

Valhayle looked down at the bird.

Zelle continued.

“I know everything because I’ve seen or heard it for myself.”

Heavy silence filled the room.

“…..”

“……”

Valhayle frowned attempting to comprehend the princess’s word when he caught the princess’s shaking shoulders.

He had the sudden urge to grab them.

“Do you really expect me to believe that.”

He continued suppressing his anger.

“You could have atleast put more effort–!”

He was getting angrier at himself as he spoke.

‘You’re not going to believe me anyway!’

Since he was proving her point right now.

‘Why do you distrust me that much?’

He was infuriated by how Zelle won’t reveal her secret even to her country’s chief commander.

Why else would she hide it if she isn’t with the enemy?

But the princess said:

‘I was that bird. I am your messenger bird.’

It didn’t make sense. How could a bird be human? Valhayle wanted the princess to tell him the truth. 

Who she heard all that military information from and why she won’t tell him, the chief commander of the country, about it.

He even isolated her from everyone else to block her from having contact with military officials, even including Sir Luke.

Valhayle made sure she only had access to him and through him. It wasn’t entirely to find her crimes and hold her accountable.

He genuinely wanted to trust Zelle.

‘But why are you still so defensive to me?’

A bird is a bird and a person is a person. What she said went against the law of nature. Atleast, in the world he lived up until now, that was the truth.

The bird was definitely odd but its behaviors couldn’t be judged as human behavior. And even though the princess was suspicious, he couldn’t accept that Roymonde’s royal heir is an animal.

He used all his senses to convince himself that it’s false.

[It’s not believable.]

He decided, and turned to face the princess.

She was standing in front of him with teary eyes. 

He felt a strong emotion, something close to fury or pain.

‘What she said must be a lie.’

If so, why is she trembling and making that face?

And why am I.

Why am I so bothered by the princess’s fearful and desperate eyes.

He was aware that he was overly emotional right now since he was saying, doing, and thinking things he usually wouldn’t.

Valhayle felt a lump in his neck as he spoke.

“I will take you back to your tent. We are both not in our right minds so tomorrow I’ll–”

The princess parted her lips, supporting herself on the table.

“Don’t get obsessed.”

Valhayle widened his eyes. The princess slowly lifted her gaze and met his.

“The more you get obsessed the less effective you’ll be. That’s what you said to me.”

“!!!”

Valhayle clenched his jaw, shocked.

It was one of the illogical conversations he had with the bird. The princess added.

“You contemplated before attacking the downstream region of the Vishen River since the citizens of the capital would be massacred.You told me that.”

The princess chewed her lips.

“And that you couldn’t talk to anyone about it.”

“How do you…”

“When you won the battle and came back, you came to me the first and tied a golden ribbon. Saying you found it in the plunder storage.”

The princess’s voice grew agitated.

“And told me that perhaps the gods of Roymonde sent me to you to win and rebuild Roymonde…!”

Valhayle couldn’t stand the sight of her losing strength as she spoke and exclaimed.

“Enough! Please, stop!!”

The princess’s voice faded away.

“I remember everything. All the things you told me…”

The princess’s body faltered and Valhayle immediately held her.

“Your highness!!”

The princess held his face with both her hands and mumbled.

“You told me that you trusted me.”

And lost consciousness in Valhayle’s arms.

*･ﾟ:༻✦༺･ﾟ:*

The doctor carefully spoke.

“It seems like she lost consciousness from extreme anxiety. You see, she hasn’t fully recovered yet…”

Valhayle looked at the princess laying on the bed and asked hastily.

“Is there any other problems?”

“S-Sorry? She… She should wake with enough re–”

Not even letting him finish, Valhayle abruptly stood up.

“Alright. You’re dismissed.”

The doctor bowed and left. 

Valhayle lingered around in the tent, unable to approach the princess.

‘It’s my fault.’

I shouldn’t have pressured her that much.

He lost his temper when Sir Luke told him that information. Valhayle even said things he would never say.

‘Please don’t make me regret rescuing you.’

He roughly messed his hair.

‘I must be mad. Daring to say such things…’

Valhayle mulled over the conversation he had with the princess and recalled what she said last.

‘You told me that you trust me.’

Trust.

Valhayle pressed his throbbing temples.

No. He never said that to the princess. He recalled the time he said that to the bird. It was just before he flew it for the mission to save the princess.

It was a full moon’s night, when the moon lit up the plains.

He raced towards the bird in the Granoir camp. 

And said.

‘I trust you.’

To the bird.

But the princess, who wasn’t there, knew what he said. Valhayle paced faster and recalled the theories he came up with.

First hypothesis, the princess is a spy.

Second hypothesis, the princess dreamt of all this.

Third, the princess is the bird’s owner. 

And lastly…

It was unimaginable.

Fourth, 

[The princess is the bird.]

Valhayle sighed deeply and slouched on the chair.

*･ﾟ:༻✦༺･ﾟ:*

Zelle woke up because of the uncomfortable bedding.

“Ugh…”

She kicked the blanket away and raised her body.

The cold midnight air rushed into her lungs. She looked around.

“….?”

It wasn’t what she usually woke up to.

‘This isn’t my tent.’

Zelle could immediately recognize where this was. It was Valhayle’s tent where she spent more time in than her own.

She hurriedly studied the surroundings looking for Valhayle.

But he wasn’t there.

“Where did he go?”

Zelle tried to get off Valhayle’s tall bed but stopped from the dizziness.

“Why am I here…”

She recalled yesterday’s events to find out how she ended up here. 

And she soon started remembering things clearly.

She was suspected by Valhayle and insisted to see the messenger bird and after seeing the bird…

‘I was that bird. I am your messenger bird.’

Zelle widened her eyes.

‘Argh!’

Oh no, I really said that?! I must be mad?! 

She couldn’t even let her breath out from the shock.

Y-Yes. I thought it had to be said to earn Valhayle trust and to clear his suspicion…

Back then, she decided it’s for the best but now, she changed her mind. It was absolutely reckless.

‘There’s no way Valhayle would believe that?’

He would only look at me as the crazy princess and lock me away from the world! Zelleine, you must be really crazy.

Zelle contemplated.

But no, there must be a way to escape this. Think… Think… Is there a possibility that he would have forgotten or ignored what I said?

…No.

Zelle shook her head.

Valhale wasn’t the person to forget or simply dismiss what he heard. Most of all, what she said was unforgettable anyway…

“I should get out of here first.”

But, where do I go? My tent? No. If I go back I’ll just be locked up again.

Valhayle could not even give me a chance to explain myself and lock me away completely. 

He usually wouldn’t do that but he must have been shocked from yesterday’s events so it wasn’t totally impossible.

‘Then should I stay here until Valhayle returns and talk to him?’

The moment she thought that, she remembered what he said yesterday.

‘Please don’t make me regret rescuing you.’

“…..”

Zelle shook her head.

‘No.’

Valhayle wasn’t in the right state to converse with her, considering how he said such things.

So if she sees him again, she’ll have to pretened dead or give an acutally good excuse.

She would have to atleast think of what she would say to cover up for the things she said yesterday.

“I can’t see him now.”

If she remained here, she could meet him at any second. She didn’t want to see him without preparation. 

If he comes in now, I have to face him without anything.

‘Then what do I do? What do I do?’

She couldn’t think logically.

The shock of getting suspected as a traitor and the fear of her revealing everything to Valhayle made Zelle too upset to think properly.

Now that her logic was clouded,

“I must escape.”

Her instinct ruled over her.