He caught her small hand and pulled her toward him. Her frail body offered no resistance, yielding like a limp feather.
Holding her tightly against his chest, Gray kicked upward toward the surface.
Splash!
He breached the water and lifted his head, sending droplets flying in all directions.
Gray tilted the head of the lady in his arms back.
Her face was exposed, pale as a wax doll.
“My Lady!”
Bringing his face closer, he realized she was not breathing.
His features tightened in a harsh grimace and his breath caught for a second, but he swiftly regained his composure and coldly assessed the situation.
Nothing could be done here. He had to get her out of the lake immediately.
Glancing sideways, he saw Ethan swimming rapidly with the exhausted Viviana on his back, making for the shore.
Gray wrapped one arm firmly around the lady and surged forward as fast as he could.
The moment he cleared the water, he laid her limp body on the ground.
His breath caught in his throat again at the sight of her utterly bloodless face.
His vision blurred, and over her features another identical face superimposed itself.
A pale, bloodless face with closed eyes.
Gray reached out an unconsciously trembling hand, and the moment his fingertips brushed her skin, the phantom image dissolved in an instant.
“My Lady…”
His voice came out hoarse and trembling, choked with dread.
‘Is that… my voice?’
That cracked, unsteady sound was what snapped his cold reason back to life.
He quickly lowered his ear to check her breathing, but there was still none.
Placing one hand on her forehead and the other under her chin, he tilted her head back to clear her airway.
Up close, her pale face looked as though it did not belong to this world.
‘I will never let you die.’
Pinching her nose, he blew air between her bluish lips.
The warmth passing through her mouth was cold as ice.
He blew once, then pressed down swiftly on her chest.
A flare of fury ignited in his chest, aimed entirely at himself.
‘Why did I leave this woman alone? Why!’
Pressing against her lips once more, he blew another breath inside.
‘Open your eyes! There is still so much I need to know about you.’
He compressed her chest, her slender frame sinking into the ground again and again.
Then he blew deeply into her cold lips once more.
‘Open your eyes. Please…’
Just as the ache in his chest sharpened with the terrifying thought that she might die like this—
“Gasp!”
She drew a sudden, violent breath and coughed, spewing water from her mouth.
Gray quickly turned her head to the side.
“Cough, cough.”
Once all the water had been expelled, she fell unconscious once more.
A faint trace of color returned to her previously drained cheeks.
Only then did Gray release a deep breath, collapsing to sit beside her.
At that moment, Orion called out:
“Is the lady all right?”
Gray looked up and saw Orion’s back turned to him.
He parted his lips to speak, puzzled, but then glanced down.
Her thin undergarment was clinging tightly to her body from the water, revealing everything underneath.
‘Damn it.’
As Gray reached to undo the buttons of his own wet shirt, Orion extended his arm behind him, offering his dry jacket.
Gray rose and took Orion’s jacket.
“Where is Ethan?”
“Didn’t you hear? He said he was heading back first to escort Her Highness the Princess.”
Orion spoke in a tone of disbelief.
‘I didn’t hear him.’
He had been so absorbed in saving this woman that he hadn’t even registered Ethan’s words.
“And the Princess?”
“Fortunately, she is safe.”
Gray picked up his discarded coat from the ground, wrapped it around the lady, draped Orion’s jacket over her like a blanket, and scooped her up into his arms.
As the Emperor hastily departed carrying the lady, Orion turned to inspect the grounds.
If this incident was to be kept quiet, clearing the area first was of utmost importance.
He spotted the Princess’s clothes placed beside a large rock, as though someone had deliberately hidden them.
He gathered them, then meticulously scanned the surroundings until his gaze landed on a letter wedged beneath a stone.
Orion’s eyes widened in surprise, and he bent down to retrieve it.
“Lia!”
Annie rushed in, her face pale and her eyes wide with terror, followed closely by Ryan with a solemn expression, and Cole with devastated features.
On the bed lay Dalia with her eyes closed, her skin drained of all color.
A palace attendant stood beside the bed to greet the visitors.
“Welcome.”
Annie brushed right past the attendant, heading straight for the bedside.
Ryan approached the attendant first to inquire about the Princess’s condition.
“Is she all right?”
“Yes. First aid was administered properly, so she is safe.”
“But why? Why was she in the water…”
Annie tried to hold back her tears, but her voice trembled uncontrollably. She had rushed over the moment she heard the Princess had fallen into the water.
Hearing her faltering voice, the attendant explained in a calm tone:
“I haven’t heard every detail, but I was told the lady rescued a drowning child. After saving the child, she nearly came to harm herself, but fortunately, His Majesty’s retinue spotted her and intervened. The lady is currently asleep.”
“Hah…”
‘His Majesty’s retinue? Did she get tangled up with His Majesty again?’
A choked sigh slipped from Annie’s lips.
Looking down at the Princess’s peaceful, sleeping face, she understood everything the moment she heard the word “child.”
The Princess had a soft spot for children; not just her niece, Princess Rose, but even the young maids whom she constantly tried to feed and care for.
Had she not lived confined to the detached palace, she likely would have spent her days helping every child across the kingdom.
The Princess resembled the late Queen so much—both in appearance and in character.
The late Queen had loved children dearly, never hesitating to lend a helping hand to others.
And on the day she died so suddenly, she had been returning from volunteering at an orphanage.
Seeing the Princess now, lying unconscious after saving a child, made dread steadily seep into Annie’s heart.
‘Princess, please stop taking after her. I beg you.’
Tears pooled in Annie’s eyes as she offered a silent prayer.
“Annie, do not worry so much. Lia is safe.”
Ryan patted her shoulder gently.
“I will watch over her from here on. You tend to your matters.”
“I will stay here as well.”
Cole’s guilt-laden voice followed Ryan’s words.
Ryan looked between Annie and Cole and swallowed a sigh.
The regret they felt toward the Princess was plain on their faces.
“Understood.”
“I will prepare some medicine for her to take once she awakens.”
“Thank you.”
Annie gave the palace attendant a quiet bow, then turned her eyes right back to the bedside.
Behind the cracked door, Hart lurked, watching them in silence.
“Has she still not awakened?”
“…Yes, Sire.”
Orion flinched as though he were at fault before Gray’s cold interrogation.
“Didn’t the palace physician say she was fine? Then why?”
“She simply remains asleep.”
Orion answered swiftly, watching the Emperor’s eyes. Any hesitation here could invite severe reprimand.
“And what of the rest of the palace staff?”
“All five reported the same thing. The reports state she is still sleeping.”
“How can a person sleep for two whole days?”
The Emperor’s brows furrowed in displeasure.
“It is indeed strange.”
Orion shook his head in bewilderment.
“And the Princess?”
“According to Dain’s report, the Princess has stabilized and is resting now.”
“And why did she fall into the lake?”
“She was swimming… it seems.”
Orion nodded in disbelief, his brow creasing slightly as he delivered the report.
