**Stalker Duchess Episode 14**
**Stalker Duchess Episode 14**
* * *
Nod. Nod.
I stared intently at the Crown Prince, who was sleeping with an angelically beautiful face, then poked his soft, still baby-fat cheek.
He only frowned slightly, showing no sign of waking up.
"......"
Looking at his face, peacefully asleep and breathing evenly like a child, I let out a deep sigh laced with exasperation.
I'd forgotten. Using dragon power placed an enormous burden on a human body, so in the original novel, the Crown Prince had collapsed into sleep after his rampage.
Finally able to move myself, but now the Crown Prince was the one unable to budge.
No matter how exhausted and drained he was, who falls asleep in front of a woman eyeing his chastity?
If the chance arose later, I thought I should give him a lecture on how dangerous his looks were.
Unless they were like me—with not even a speck of affection for the Crown Prince—anyone seeing his beautiful face so defenselessly asleep would feel illicit desires stirring, even if they hadn't before. That was just human nature.
Leaving the sleeping Crown Prince for a moment, I stepped out of the cave and saw the sky darkening.
I wanted to return to the Vice Commander without him, but I'd fainted midway and had no idea where we'd been dragged to.
Besides, moving at night in Ater Forest, teeming with non-humans, would be suicidal even with ten lives.
Especially, venturing out recklessly and encountering another non-human was worse than death.
Even drunk with sleep, nowhere was safer than by the Crown Prince's side in this world.
After calculating, I gathered nearby twigs and fallen leaves around the cave and returned inside.
The cave was warm, but nights could still get cold.
I'd packed matches for emergencies. Never thought I'd actually use them.
I lit the gathered twigs.
I spread the leaves on the floor for insulation. Sitting on it felt quite comfortable.
This should suffice for one night.
I placed two potatoes from my emergency rations into the blazing bonfire and waited for them to cook.
Idly zoning out, my eyes drifted to the Crown Prince, still uncomfortably leaning against the wall in the corner.
"......"
I held no particular fondness for the Crown Prince, but he had saved me from the non-human earlier.
Me sleeping comfortably alone while leaving a child on the hard floor didn't sit right with me as an adult.
In truth, Duchess Serabi and the Crown Prince were only two years apart, but my mental age was considerably older.
I resolved to move the Crown Prince onto the leaf bed I'd made.
If both arms worked, I'd have done it differently, but thanks to his damaged shoulder, I could only use my left hand.
Apologizing silently in my mind, I dragged him with one hand onto the leaf bed.
"Hoo......"
No matter how young, he was quite heavy, and even a short distance with one hand took considerable effort. My whole body was soon drenched in sweat.
Panting, I looked down at the Crown Prince, still fast asleep.
No, how is he still asleep after all that?
He was utterly oblivious, like being carried off on someone's back.
The world's strongest title rang hollow.
In this state, he'd get stabbed by an extra assassin, let alone slay a dragon.
"......Uh."
Squirming and muttering in his sleep, the Crown Prince seemed cold.
Anything to cover him with?
Rummaging through my small bag yielded nothing suitable.
Hmm. After a moment's thought, I decided to give him my outer garment, despite the chill.
Normally, I'd leave him shivering unless he froze to death, but considering the debt from him rushing to save me earlier...
Satisfied inwardly, I moved to remove my outer garment without hesitation.
"......"
Just then, my eyes met the Crown Prince's, who had woken up.
Blink. Blink.
Still groggy, he blinked, grasped the situation, and suddenly flushed bright red.
"You......"
Coincidentally, I stood right in front of him. Dragging him with one hand had left me flushed, sweating, and breathing raggedly.
My hand undoing my uniform buttons exuded a wild, feral vibe.
It looked exactly like I'd lost my reason and was about to pounce on the Crown Prince.
Meeting his eyes, I swallowed dryly in tension.
The sound echoed loudly in the quiet cave.
His eyes widened in shock. Realizing from his gaze, I understood.
If it had been the Vice Commander or someone he knew, he'd instantly recognize the misunderstanding, but if the other party was Serabi, who'd threatened his chastity endlessly?
And in this situation: her heaving ragged breaths before his sleeping form, wildly undoing her clothes.
Moreover, Duchess Serabi had snuck into his bedroom just a month ago.
If I were truly Duchess Serabi, I'd see his sleeping state as the perfect opportunity.
His thoughts seemed to flow similarly to mine.
But it was a complete misunderstanding. I had to clear it up immediately.
Thinking that far, I waved my hand and approached him.
"Misunderstanding. This is......"
"You again, eyeing my body, you, you,"
"Just hear me out......"
"Taking advantage of my brief lapse in guard......!"
Ah, so he'd let his guard down.
No wonder he slept so deeply.
But that wasn't important now.
The Crown Prince approached me with an anger-filled expression.
I hallucinated a blue aura rippling behind him.
W-what do I do? I backed away slowly and said,
"Ah. It's really a misunderstanding."
"Don't lie. Why's your breathing so ragged? Why undress?"
"No, I was just going to cover you. Worried you'd catch a cold. And my ragged breathing is from dragging you from there to here......"
"Hah, you expect me to believe that?"
Grinding his teeth, he advanced, truly furious from head to toe.
I'd only stated facts, yet the Crown Prince believed none of it.
"I even left my men to save your life, and this is the repayment? You, you've disappointed me how many times already......!"
What was that emotion on his resentful face? Betrayal? Despair?
It had to be my imagination.
He'd never placed expectations on Serabi to begin with.
But I couldn't let the misunderstanding that I'd tried to assault him stand.
Racking my brain on how to dispel it, I looked at him with eyes conveying maximum sincerity.
"I'm really wronged. To begin with, I have no ulterior motives toward Your Highness."
"......What?"
At my words, he halted abruptly.
His firm declaration made his face twist into the most incredulous expression in the world.
He stood silent for a long while.
The surroundings quieted as if doused with cold water.
His earlier murderous glare had considerably deflated.
"......"
H-have I saved my life......?
I sighed inwardly in relief.
He still stared piercingly, as if probing my heart, saying nothing.
But why did he look so shocked?
His wavering golden eyes seemed hurt, or deeply disappointed.
"Um...... are you okay?"
Unknowingly, I asked if he was alright, seeing his panic.
Startled by my question, he flinched and unconsciously stepped back from me.
"......?"
I looked at him puzzled.
For a while, we stood facing each other in silence.
Suddenly, he spoke angrily.
"You...... if it's not, just say so. Why lie like that?"
"Yes?"
Lie?
Besides, who'd refused to believe me despite my repeated denials?
As I stared demanding explanation, he looked at me like, 'As expected from you.'
Before the misunderstanding deepened, I quickly added,
"That's why I said from the start it's a misunderstanding......"
"You lie so poorly."
Finishing, he turned his head away sharply, as if refusing to speak further.
What was this reaction?
He seemed angry, but not truly furious like before—more embarrassed......
No way. My imagination.
It had been a spur-of-the-moment improvisation, but not a lie.
Yet the Crown Prince firmly believed it was.
Considering it rationally, it was absurd for him to take at face value that the woman who'd chased him for 14 years actually didn't like him.
More plausibly, he'd think I was lulling him into complacency for some scheme.
I couldn't read his mind, but some inexplicable negative circuit seemed at work.
No, positive in this case?
What on earth was he thinking......
I'd known him briefly, but sometimes, like now, I felt an urge to peek into his head.
