When Estelle next woke up, what came into her view was the ceiling of her personal bedroom in the Libra Palace.
The last thing she remembered was being carried in a wagon, but her head had hurt badly from her mana running dry, so apparently she’d lost consciousness at some point.
The headache was gone now, but Estelle’s whole body felt a little hot.
Getting hurt led to a fever. It had been that way when Estelle’s left arm had been shot, and the same had been true for Arcrayne when he’d been badly wounded.
She’d probably been taken to her personal bedroom and not the shared one because of her condition.
I wonder how long I slept... thought Estelle. It was bright around her, so clearly it was daytime. She looked around the room to try to check the clock, then opened her eyes wide when she saw Arcrayne napping in the chair placed right by her bed.
Over the two and a half months they’d spent together since Estelle had come to the palace, she’d never seen his sleeping face until now. He had trouble falling asleep and woke up early. On top of that, he would immediately wake up from the slightest sound.
The man himself had said he was a light sleeper by nature, but putting together everything Estelle had heard from the employees of the Libra Palace, he’d apparently become that way due to having been targeted by assassins from a young age.
Judging by the fact he didn’t wake up even when Estelle sat up in bed and stared at him, he must’ve been considerably tired. His face, shapely like a sculpture, looked somewhat emaciated.
When did he even get back? wondered Estelle. She couldn’t imagine one or two days would’ve been enough to take care of the aftermath of everything that had happened. A worried look appeared on Estelle’s face.
Her head felt heavy and sluggish—perhaps she’d slept too much—but her body didn’t hurt nearly as badly compared to when she’d been carried in a wagon. There was still throbbing pain in her left hand, but now her back and buttocks only hurt if she pressed on them.
Softly lifting the hem of her nightwear to check the parts that hurt, Estelle saw that quite a large area was covered in bruises. She remembered the mana pistol’s recoil sending her flying back with considerable momentum, so that must’ve been from when she’d hit something. Even she herself found those dark red areas repulsive.
She couldn’t show those to Arcrayne until they healed. Even at the best of times, she wasn’t as beautiful as him. Estelle absolutely hated the idea of him seeing her body when it was covered in such unsightly bruises.
With a light sigh, Estelle turned to look at Arcrayne again. His body would hurt later if he had a nap like this.
Suddenly, Estelle recalled how he’d told her to lie down and get some sleep when she’d looked after him. As she thought how, back then, he might’ve felt the same way she felt now, a smile appeared on her face.
“Lord Arc,” she said, extending her fingers on her less-injured right hand.
The prince’s eyes snapped open. He grabbed Estelle’s arm and pushed her down on the bed a moment later. His deep blue eyes, fiery like those of an animal, shot right through her. Immediately after, however, they opened wide in surprise.
“Es...telle...?”
“Yes.”
As Estelle gave her reply, Arcrayne hurriedly pulled away from her and returned to the chair.
“Sorry, I thought someone came for my life, so I did that on reflex... Did it hurt?”
“Worry not. I should be the one apologizing for touching you all of a sudden.”
In reality, it had hurt like her body had been creaking, but Estelle lied on the spot. She’d surely hurt him if she said the truth.
“It’s not your fault. It’s just...” Arcrayne’s face contorted in pain. “I’m glad you woke up...”
It was almost like he was crying and smiling at the same time. Estelle was taken aback by the sight.
“Did I sleep that long...?” she asked.
“For about two full days. I was worried since I heard you weren’t waking up at all.”
At Arcrayne’s words, Estelle hurriedly checked the clock on the wall and saw the hour hand point at just past ten.
“How do you feel?” asked the prince.
“Some places hurt and I feel sluggish, but it could be much worse.”
Estelle suspected it had a lot to do with the fact almost all of her mana had recovered from being depleted.
“When did you return?” she asked.
“Today. Around dawn, I guess. I’m tired since I had Azure galloping under me all night.”
“Why did you push yourself so hard...?”
“Because I was worried about what was going on here—what else? It’s not like I’ve dealt with all the aftermath already, so things will probably remain busy for a while. I’ve done all that needed doing on-site, though. I’m sorry I couldn’t come running to you right away.”
“Please, Lord Arc! I understand your position!” replied Estelle in a fluster.
Had he abandoned everything and come running to her despite being the first prince, she might’ve felt contempt for him instead.
“You’re really understanding,” said Arcrayne after a pause. Closing his eyes, he heaved a deep sigh.
“Um... Would you mind letting me know how things have been while I was asleep? For example, how badly Neville is hurt...” Estelle asked timidly.
Lifting his face, the prince turned to look at Estelle again. With a preamble that he’d stop early if Estelle felt unwell, he started telling her various things he knew at the moment.
Neville had broken bones in his waist and legs and was currently in the hospital. It was unclear if they’d return to their previous state even after fully healing, but Neville himself seemed to be motivated. If going back to being a Royal Guard proved difficult, he was apparently going to be assigned to instruct the younger generations of guards.
Neil and May, who’d been lightly injured, had already returned to their posts in the palace. Sierra too had returned to the Rogells’ town house.
Liedis had survived and was currently recuperating in his Aquarius Palace. Arcrayne’s face clouded over when he talked about his half brother.
“I think he saved you because he felt the need to protect Rosalians as a member of royalty,” said the prince.
“Does that not apply to May too...?”
“Apparently he told father that he ‘just gave her a fright.’ I don’t know what goes on inside that head of his, but maybe he thought that if it’s someone serving me, he can hurt them just a little.”
On the subject of how Liedis had tried to harm May in the garden of the Libra Palace, Arcrayne heaved a sigh.
“From what I hear about his behavior at the Royal College, he’s apparently kind to his juniors, despite everything, and they’re fond of him in return. So I don’t think he’s rotten to the core, but considering his maternal grandfather, who sticks so closely to him...”
Liedis’s maternal grandfather Duke Marwick was, for better or worse, a typical nobleman. He was the younger brother of the previous king—Arcrayne’s grandfather. He gave off the impression of an obstinate, old-fashioned old man. He was particularly famous for his nationalism and his hatred of immigrants.
So it’s not as though Lord Arc completely hates His Highness Prince Liedis... thought Estelle. He approved of some things about Liedis, and maybe that was why he wasn’t attached to the idea of taking the throne.
Estelle thought of how serious Arcrayne was when taking care of his daily public duties at the Libra Palace. To Estelle, it looked like Arcrayne had a proper sense of responsibility too, as a member of royalty. And he didn’t seem the type to cast it away lightly.
Perhaps he thought it might be best to step aside in Liedis’s favor because the latter could still grow up to be a better man.
Sitting deep in the chair, Arcrayne heaved a large sigh, then began talking about his father’s health.
“My father hadn’t fully recovered from his cold to begin with, and he forced himself to use his power. Officially, this worsened his condition, but I don’t really know the whole picture.”
Apparently the prince had been to see him first thing that morning, in order to make his report but hadn’t received a clear answer.
And as for the damage caused by the dragon, there seemed to have been deaths, unfortunately.