Chapter 319 - Pain

Allen had climbed over a wall from a random resident. He could still hear Princess Sada's panicked voice when they were suddenly ambushed. It quickly became clear to him that he was the target, so he immediately rushed out. Allen didn't expect that below the wall would be solid ground. He expected to see grass on the other side. Pain filled his entire body, while he was now lying in a pile of twigs. It was clear that he broke something.

All he could hear were the sounds of nature, the chirping of crickets - the voices of people in the distance. But even those sounds seemed to fade off into the distance. The sounds are replaced by the rushing noise in his head, the rushing, and the flowing of blood from the injuries he experienced.

Quite some time has passed since he has been in an actual forest. While it is nightfall already, the dark light seemed natural to him. It was difficult to make out the trees due to the heavy mist.

The pounding in his head increases, and his vision seems to blur by each passing second.

Allen closes his eyes, and even the sounds of his wounds have vanished. But he hears a frantic sound, a sudden bright light in that dark forest.

"—rince Allen! Prince Allen!"

The frantic voice belonged to Risa, who is inches away from his face shining a bright crystal light.

"Prince, stay with me. You can't die!"

"The fear of death," he murmured, "..follows from the fear of life." Did he fear death? No, even if he were to die, he would not be afraid.

"I do not need to hear your stupid quotes now."

This is the first time he has seen her snap at him. Then again, his subjects would never lecture him. No matter how unreasonable he is.

"Isn't there something you want to live for? Isn't there something you still want to do?"

…...

One of his female knights was clearly beyond upset that he had given up so quickly like that, and indeed it was completely unlike him. It's not like that was the first time he's gotten seriously wounded in a mission. For him to easily surrender his life like that, it's a first. But Allen felt it then, the feeling of death. Although it's something he has never felt before, for some reason, it felt natural to cross over to the other side.

"Princess Lyn is busy. So she won't be coming back till later. But she does send a rather long lengthy speech on how much of a moron you are," Risa held up her message crystal. "Want to take a look?"

". . I believe not."

Allen doesn't have to know that she's angry at him, easily accepting death. Despite what she may say all the time regarding death being natural and the stuff about ghosts, she reads from those books of hers. He knows that the concept of death is something that frightens his wife, but that fear is not directed towards herself. No, if it's in regards to her life. Allen has already heard more than enough details. What she's afraid of the most is death but not her life, the people who have become dear to her.

"Prince Allen?"

"Leave me. I wish to rest so I can work by nightfall."

"Very well."

Getting attacked in the middle of his talk? On the same day, the first princess saw him? 'What a foolish woman,' Allen thought.

"Prince Allen, you have a guest." He hears Carlo's voice on the other end. A guest? At this time? Allen didn't want to see anybody; he was terribly wounded after all. His entire body felt horrible.

"It's your fiance."

"Send her in."

In a few seconds, he hears dainty footsteps, and the doors opened, revealing his fiance.

"Hello there, Lyn-" Allen proceeded with a casual greeting. But it was cut off easily since he was immediately punched. Ah, ah, as expected. She's furious at him. Then again, he did do something beyond reckless.

"You, you idiot!" Lyn exclaimed, grabbing hold of his shirt collar, "What on earth were you thinking? I told you thousands of times already to remain safe. In the first place, the top two don't have the luxury to go on the rescue missions, or else do you think brother would have stayed back here? If brother could hold it in surely, you could have done the same."

"But had we waited any longer, it would have been too late," Allen reasoned. If he reacted too late, it would have been

"That doesn't mean.. ." Seeing her look down, Allen patted her hair. "Your right, it doesn't mean I should have been reckless. I should have brought someone else with me. Sorry, Lyn."

"Idiot." she murmurs before she embraced him. The second Lyn does so; he could tell right away. She's been shaking. Was she afraid that something happened to him? Come to think of it; she was the one who broke the awkwardness between them first wasn't she? The awkwardness that came from the words he said to her at the party; only because she was concerned about his well being. Since entering this society, the one who's been looking out for him the most has always been her.

Even though she's always the one who makes such cruel remarks regarding him, at the end of each mission, the first person he sees is her.

…

"I apologize, I didn't think you'd care if I got injured." He was currently sitting down, and Lyn was tending to his wounds.

Lyn sighed, "I may have said all that earlier. But that was not a sign for you to go ahead and die. Even if it isn't me, you'll find a better woman."

He doesn't want to hear her say these words.

"What happened to your business?"

"I was too worried about you," she trailed off. "Really, why did you do that? It's not like you at all."

"Indeed." Now that Allen thought about it, he didn't know what he was doing at all. "I apologize for worrying you unnecessarily."

Lyn extended her hand out, and Allen grabbed hold of it, "I know, I'm being unreasonable and selfish right now. But Allen, please don't do anything careless because of me. I've had enough of people important to me getting hurt."