188 - Pieces of the Broken Glass Slipper
Shattered Glass Slipper Shards 188
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The Crown Prince seems to be thinking the same thing as me, as he stops talking and falls silent for a moment. But judging by the tingling in my cheeks, he must be staring intently at me even in the midst of all this.
If I turn my head to the side, I'll meet the Crown Prince's gaze, and then my wavering eyes will be exposed for sure, so I deliberately tilt my face upwards and just breathe in. At the same time, I desperately try to figure out what's going on, racking my brain.
But there weren't many things I could infer. All I did was drink a glass of wine and collapse. I remember feeling a pain as if my heart was being torn out and staggering greatly, but I have no idea what happened between the time I closed my eyes for a moment and when I opened them. It was frustrating.
It was even more so because I couldn't understand why the people around me were saying that I had died and come back to life.
What was the problem? Was it really the wine? Surely not, I've been drinking it just fine before, so there's no way it would suddenly do this. Then the only thing left is that someone tampered with the wine, but I have no idea how they knew which glass I would pick. Unless they guided me to pick the predetermined glass.
Wait a minute, come to think of it, I picked the only wine glass filled among the many empty glasses.
A chill ran down my spine in an instant, and it felt like I could hear something clicking into place.
Why, why?
The answer to this was sufficiently explained by the Crown Prince's eyes shining as he looked at me.
The Witch's prophecy, that's why. Could it be that we weren't the only ones who heard her prophecy back then?
The moment I, who was chilled to the bone, couldn't overcome the ominous feeling and slightly twisted my body, my waist didn't move as I thought it would, as if it were caught on something solid. Feeling puzzled, I lowered my head slightly and realized the reason.
When my vision went dark—I thought I had fainted then—the Crown Prince's hand was still wrapped around my waist, as if he had supported me until the end when I collapsed. And his other hand was holding my wrist.
The other hand was held by the doctor, who was looking at my complexion and talking to each other with someone who appeared to be a priest.
Eventually unable to move, I slowly breathed in and out, barely swallowing the rising sigh. The heart that had been aching as if it were being squeezed was still causing a faint pain.
After a while, the doctor moved the people who had gathered around me back a step each and said in a solemn voice.
"The young lady needs to lie down and rest in a comfortable place for a while. So please step aside."
And he muttered that he needed someone to support me and take me away. He was looking to one side with his neck stretched out, as if he was going to call a knight. That was until the Crown Prince suddenly reached his hand down from my waist and picked me up.
The commotion subsides in an instant. Most of the people in the hall were staring at the Crown Prince with their mouths wide open. I, who was suddenly held in his arms, also didn't understand what was happening and just gaped stupidly.
So this is, the Crown Prince is, well, like this…….
"Where should I go?"
"Oh, oh my, this way……."
"Guide me."
Is he going to carry me in his arms?
Every time Crown Prince Iovalde took a step, fans fell from the hands of the women standing next to him with a thud. The men were busy moving out of the way in a hurry.
Before I knew it, the music had stopped. The hall, filled with silence, was filled only with the sound of the Crown Prince's footsteps and the doctor's voice, which preceded him and made a bizarre sound that was either a groan or an exclamation.
Other than that, everything was frozen as if suppressed by a heavy silence.
So this is what they call…….
I slowly blinked my eyes as if trying to deny the unbelievable reality. But what I saw in front of me was the Crown Prince's terribly beautiful profile. The sleek nose, boasting a smooth line as if carved, and the firm and strong jawline full of masculinity came into view at a glance.
Moreover, my back was on his arm, my waist was in his hand, and my thighs and calves hidden in the folds of my skirt were being shaken slightly in the man's other hand.
……He's carrying me like a princess.
"Your Highness."
Unable to bear it, I quietly called him. Perhaps because my voice was small, the Crown Prince didn't even respond and silently followed the doctor. So I raised my voice a little more.
"Your Highness, please put me down."
Only then did he open his mouth to answer. But his gaze was still directed at the doctor's back, and the voice that came out was so firm that it felt stiff.
"I refuse."
"I'll walk on my own. I can do it."
"It seems that the young lady doesn't know how dangerous she was in just now. Don't make me a ruffian any more."
"Dangerous situation?"
"You stopped breathing for a very short time. You gasped a few times while clutching your chest, and then you became still. It was truly a peaceful death itself."
The Crown Prince's voice was very low. It wasn't angry or sarcastic, but rather calm, which was frightening.
Just a moment ago, he was elated to have found the protagonist of the prophecy, but now he was calm again and speaking calmly, which was quite chilling. What on earth made him return to his original state?
The Crown Prince advised me, who was blankly listening to his words, to think of Sir Ayres. And he added that I shouldn't do that for his sake either.
"For Your Highness's sake?"
I was so dumbfounded by the last words that I forgot that I was trying to get out of his arms and asked back. The Crown Prince answered casually as if wondering why I was so surprised.
"It seems that the time we've spent together has meant nothing to you."
It was an incredibly brazen statement. The time we spent together? Nothing? Is that why he shook me up so much all this time?
I let out a hollow laugh, but I held it back. And I reached out and tried to push his chest away. Even if I fell and landed on my butt, I wanted to get away from the Crown Prince.
As soon as my appearance just now roughly matched the prophecy I had heard before, I hated the man who was suddenly being kind to me so much that I felt nauseous. I felt like I was getting hives from the terrible rejection.
Is that why? I even miss the days when he was a masked libertine. The Crown Prince that day was obsessed with the primal desire to lift my skirt, but at least he wasn't hypocritical.
But like pushing against a solid rock, his body didn't budge. Rather, he grabbed my wrist and pulled me closer, growling lowly as if warning me.
"I have a lot to talk to you about. So I hope you recover enough to have a long conversation."
Perhaps because I put too much strength into it, my chest started to tighten again. I gasped for breath and barely opened my mouth to speak. I felt like my fur was standing on end like an angry cat, perhaps because I was so angry.
"What if I don't?"
"May I promise you right here and now that I will let you know the sweetness of forced rest?"
It was truly like him to threaten and force me as soon as I said I wouldn't do as he wanted, and a hollow laugh escaped me. You vile man! He wouldn't have shown such kindness if other people hadn't said that I had returned from the dead.
No, more than that, I couldn't understand why a man who was the Crown Prince of the empire was being swayed by the dirty Witch's prophecy. Is it because he accurately predicted the rebellion that he trusts the next words as well? If so, what will happen to me?
The Witch clearly said this in her last prophecy. Find the woman who defied death and keep her by your side.
At that time, I was very surprised because I knew that the woman who had returned from death was referring to me. But there was no way to prove it, and there was no reason to do so, so I was somewhat lost in thought, but I quickly brushed it off. But I never thought it would come back like this…….
Does the Crown Prince really think that a god of death is standing around him, as the Witch said? Is that why he's showing such excessive kindness?
I was already afraid of what scandals and gossip his actions would create in society. Probably, starting tomorrow, all the employees of the Bishvarts Family would be busy from morning to evening sorting out and replying to the invitations and letters sent by all the noble families in the capital.
Not only that, but people who knew me even a little would personally move their bodies and try to visit the mansion. For their own amusement.
And Sir Ayres will come to find me. He will find me.
The Crown Prince must have felt that I had suddenly become quiet, so he lowered his gaze and carefully examined my expression. His unfathomable eyes shone quietly and filled with me. As if not to miss anything.
In the meantime, we had already arrived at a small bedroom in a corner of the Imperial Palace. It was difficult to count with both hands how many maids and servants we had passed on the way here.
At this point, the social world would have been turned upside down once. Feeling gloomy, I covered my forehead with one hand and avoided the Crown Prince's gaze. I had an unwanted war of nerves, and my head was throbbing. The heart was still spreading a deep pain like a wave.
The doctor examined me again after the Crown Prince laid me down on the bed, then said he would go and get some medicine and quickly left the room. The maid who followed and lit the candle had left to call the priest at the Crown Prince's command.
The Crown Prince also chased other people out of the room with various reasons. Until it was just him and me.
But unlike how he acted like he was going to open his mouth right away, the Crown Prince didn't say anything until a long time after everyone had left. He was being very cautious.
"Do you remember last year's Founding Day?"
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Going to see the Witch too?"
"Yes."
"Then do you remember what she said?"
"No."
When I answered right away, the Crown Prince smiled coldly, almost mockingly, and said.
"If you really didn't know, you wouldn't have answered so quickly. At least you would have pretended to try to remember. Wouldn't you?"
I looked at him strongly as if not wanting to lose and retorted.
"It was Your Highness who told me that my condition was very serious just now. So isn't there any consideration that I thought and answered faster than usual in order to endure the pain? There is not a single lie in my words."
"Then I'd better recite it myself."
Did I feel some kind of destiny the first day I heard it? The Crown Prince opened his mouth and said the prophecy of that day without missing a single word. As if he had been waiting for this day.
And he smiled at me, unlike before, he was surrounded by a very gentle and kind energy. As if acting affectionate.
"The woman who returned from death, if that's what you're referring to."
His voice was also low and deep. The moistly ringing voice, like a seduction, flowed softly into my ears as if wrapped in smooth velvet. His deeply curved eyes in the shape of a crescent moon were only directed at me.
It was an obvious change and an attitude that was easy to see through, but the impact was enormous because he, a seductively beautiful man, was openly inducing emotions.
As a matter of fact, most women would collapse or fall for him at his gesture. If he went out into the hall and acted the way he's acting with me now, it was obvious that 100 out of 100 would.
The Crown Prince was trying to shake me up with actions reminiscent of a Masquerade. To me, who is known to the public as a friend's lover. As if he didn't need friendship, like that.
"My side is yours."
The words whispered as if confirming were arrogance itself.
