Chapter 231

The palace swept away by the villains and the golden dragon was literally in ruins.

Iben’s body was found, charred by the fireballs spewed by the dragon. The mirrors shattered, and Leila’s soul in the dragon disappeared. The world was finally at peace.

The restoration of the palace, in order to clean up the dragon’s body, suppress the remaining rebels and the Second Prince’s faction, has been noisy for days. Among them, only the Crown Prince’s Palace was silent as if on an isolated island. The Duke Eckhardt’s family has been relentlessly supportive of the palace, and some people say that the Eckhardt family, which has remained neutral in the world, is not returning to the Crown Prince Faction.

There were also alarming rumors about me.

Cedric occasionally told me news, and instead of being discouraged, I asked about things. Cedric shook his head each time.

There was never any discovery of Ikris’s body in all the chaos.

Time passed, and the rebels and the Second Prince’s faction sweeps were completed to some extent. The Duke arrived at the Crown Prince’s Palace. This was to collect the fangs of the golden dragon, which resembled the same as the Emperor’s seal, for temporary safekeeping.

“Penelope.”

The duke who hadn’t seen him for a long time seemed to have aged in an instant.

“Father.”

With great effort, he walked to sit down in front of the expressionless man. Although he saved the world by defeating the bad guys, the reality afterward didn’t lead directly to a happy ending.

Was it because of the trouble of killing his own daughter? An awkward silence temporarily fell between us.

“Having a good time?”

The first to speak was the Duke.

“Yes. And Dad?”

“I’m having a good time too, of course.”

“Great.”

“How is your highness …… doing?”

I couldn’t answer the next question as impassively as before. I clenched my fist with a trembling hand and slowly nodded.

Then hurriedly changed the topic.

“Ah, here it is.”

Snapped-Set the object held in my hand on the table. The case containing the sharp teeth of the golden dragon.

Because of the current situation, it couldn’t be kept in the palace. There were too many people who coveted it while the crown prince was away.

The Duke gladly accepted the chest.

“It’s that kind of relationship with your highness …… since when.”

Suddenly, the Duke took the chest and asked hesitantly.

“Uh, uh ……”

I expected him to leave immediately, but was flustered by the surprise question. The Duke didn’t know that I was with the Crown Prince when I ran away from home. The situation was absurd to him.

“It’s been a long time ……”

“A long time ……?”

The Duke grunts in shock at my words. I ducked my head in embarrassment and avoided looking away.

“…… I’m sorry I didn’t tell you in advance.”

“Why do you favor that kind of crazy …… No, no. I slipped up.”

Looking around, the Duke’s family hastily corrected their words. I smiled briefly. Because they were undeniable words.

The Duke saw my relaxed expression and loosened his stiff face. Asked.

“Will …… continue to stay here?”

I nodded briskly.

“Until your highness wakes up.”

The Duke was visibly relieved when I said I would continue to stay here.

“After that ……”

“After that, I’m leaving the capital.”

I interrupted the Duke and answered immediately. Meaning that he would not return to the Duke. He rounded his eyes.

“You actually said you’re leaving …… Where do you want to go!”

I had a resolute expression. Is it because of this, the duke shouted sharply, but gradually closed his mouth.

“…… Yeah, you would have thought so.”

Now that I saw him not stopping me from doing what I wanted to do and meekly agreeing to it, my heart suddenly thumped.

I was actually afraid of being hated by him.

“…… Daddy.”

I called him carefully.

“Are you okay?”

“What?”

I said with difficulty, taking a deep breath.

“I killed Eben.”

At my words, the Duke’s face stiffened like stone. Now he couldn’t see the body of his daughter that the villain had taken from him.

I waited for his answer, holding my breath. It was only now that I realized that people who are only a little bit close to each other are afraid of being hated. But since I chose to stay here, I have to take it on. It’s always been experienced this way, nothing new.

“That child ……”

After a long time, the Duke spoke up.

“That child, should be able to rest in peace ……”

I looked at him in surprise. Although the Duke knows everything now, the human psyche can play tricks can’t it. I didn’t expect to be able to easily separate Leila from her daughter.

“Now Iben can rest in peace too, right?”

But he accepted his daughter’s death with difficulty.

“Thank you, Penelope.”

The Duke twisted his face in pain and expressed his gratitude to me. The conversation with him ended here.

After being stabbed with a golden dragon’s fangs, the Crown Prince fell into a long slumber. The councilors and palace magicians said it was because of the poisonous gas of the light dragon. After the crown prince’s body was examined, they said he would wake up on his own, but there was no movement at all.

Sending the Duke back to his bedroom, I sat quietly on the edge of the bed and looked at the Crown Prince’s pale face. Pretending as if nothing had happened in front of the Duke and Cedric, but every second, I was consumed by anxiety.

Is it because it’s too late?

Isn’t there such a thing as golden time. Because of the paradox of facing a choice, the time to actually rescue Callisto has been missed.

Thinking of such things, breathing became difficult. My eyes went blank and I couldn’t move. I jolted to my feet and clung to the edge of the bed. Then reached out to feel his breath under his nose. That moment.

Like a lie, the man’s closed eyes moved. The eyelids opened, revealing bright red pupils.

“…… Am I still dreaming?”

It’s been a while since I’ve heard his voice, it’s husky and low. Looking at me with hazel eyes, he suddenly frowned and muttered.

“If this is a dream too, it seems to hurt a little.”

I held my breath and managed to open my mouth to ask.

“…… wish it was a dream?”

“No.”

Snap – at that moment, he grabbed my hand that had stopped under his nose and pulled it just that hard.

Before anything else could be done, the world turned upside down.

Brush pull – when I came back to my senses again, I collapsed into Callisto’s arms.

“Your Highness, what is this ……!”

“I think I seem to be alive now.”

He swept his arms around me and buried his face in my hair, taking several deep breaths.

Alarmed at his sudden behavior and struggling for a moment, I realized he was still the patient and stopped struggling.

That’s when the hand wrapped around my spine lifted and gently stroked my hair, and he rubbed his face as if to break it.

“It’s not healed yet. So you can’t, put me down.”

“It’s okay.”

“What’s okay!”

“I said it’s okay.”

He kept sweeping my face, sniffing close. I didn’t know what the hell he was doing. I frowned, but I more or less guessed why he was doing this, deflated.

Callisto was making sure I was real or not. I felt his hand shaking as he stroked his cheek. I suddenly wrapped my arms gently around his neck.

“…… What happened?”

After a long wait, he finally let go of my face. I carefully got off of him and lay side by side next to him. Unable to look away, he mumbled something like.

“Apparently, I prepared well before opening my eyes.”

“…… What?”

“To welcome hell without you.”

His words left me speechless. Callisto frowned and continued.

“I was actually afraid that opening my eyes would be when you disappeared.”

“I’ve also had thoughts of just dying.”

Listening to his self-talking monologue, a sudden sulkiness welled up in his heart.

“How did you save your life, you bastard?”

I unknowingly raised my fist and gently slapped his chest and said.

“Didn’t you say you would come to me? Why don’t you say anything!”

“Uh-huh.”

“Fooled by that statement, it was hard to save you! What’s wrong?”

Seeing me filled with anger, he hastily lowered the corners of his eyes.

“I was wrong, don’t be angry, male female.”

The meek-like puppy dog look made my heart soften.

Just like that, he collapsed ……!

I lowered my fist that wanted to strike again and sighed inwardly. Callisto, who had peeked at my eyes, immediately smiled.

“Why don’t you go back? You want to go home.”

The cryptic look was clear that he wanted to hear some kind of answer. A sudden heartbeat.

“Just a little sad about the money.”

“What? The money?”

“Yes, money!”

Looking at the Crown Prince who was silent at the words, my heart was happy for a moment. It’s not like I’m saying it wrong, I added with a sense of equanimity.

“Your Highness, thanks to the diamond mine, I became very rich. Wouldn’t it be a shame to leave without using this more than money?”

The Crown Prince, who seemed to be going mad with anger, laughed dryly.

“I’ve thought about it before …… You’re such a snob.”

“So, you don’t like it?”

“You know what? That said, it’s nice to have a rich lover.”

I blinked at him who falsely changed his words. That kind of me, the Crown Prince liked it too. He extended his hand to me.

“…… Thank you, for staying.”

Warmth felt on my face. But for some reason, his face looked bright.

I followed him and reached out to stroke his cheek.

“What’s wrong with the expression on the thank-you’s face?”

“Too happy because you didn’t leave, leaving tears of happiness ……”

He took my hand and kissed the back of it. Then avoiding me, he lowered his eyelids and whispered.

“If you regret wanting to go back, what should you do then?”

My eyes widened at his unexpected words. I knew he simply wanted me to stay, but I didn’t expect to be so worried.

In this situation, while I appreciated that he was worried about me, it seemed like he didn’t trust me at all. A pain in my heart.

“Your Highness.”

I gently withdrew the hand he had grabbed and placed it on his cheek again. To make him lift his face and meet his eyes.

Looking into the stark red pupils again, I said word for word.

“I didn’t give up, I weighed it and chose better.”

“…… choice?”

“Yes. Which is more favorable, which is better.”

While Callisto slept, I tried to exclude emotional, rational thought.

Away from everything else, honestly, everything in my reality was mean. Dreaming and studying were both things that required money to do to the fullest. After three trips to my part-time job and stomach cancer, am I going to do that again?

And I didn’t want to become a vegetable, regretfully reconciling with humans and spending their money randomly.

‘Would regret it for the rest of my life.’

Thinking about the last place they gave me to stay, the conflict ended simpler than expected.

“No matter how I think about it, the expenses are too much. The burden seems to increase if you go there.”

“The overhead ……”

“Yes. As Your Highness said, I am a woman who calculates vulgarity.”

The answer was hard to hear. He looked at me with marvelous eyes. I looked at him, who wasn’t quite relieved, and added as if in a fit of kindness.

“And His Highness wouldn’t come to me if I went back.”

That’s when a more or less reassuring expression appeared on his face.

“That’s fine, it’s still a gem no matter how much you spend.”

Responding to me with a courteous expression, the Crown Prince mischievously accepted my words.

“Why don’t you simply take the treasury key in your hand?”

“What? The key to the treasury?”

“Yes. Kill Leila and hold the jade seal in your hand. Now you’re the emperor. Then I’ll be the evil wife who makes you dump your family?”

“All right. Don’t joke about it anyway.”

In return, his words and actions caused me to remove my hand from his face and turn around.

It was quiet for a moment, and with a rustling sound, he moved. It wasn’t long before the warmth of a hug was vaguely felt.

“…… I love you, Penelope.”

Hearing a calm whisper from behind me, I closed my eyes.

Finally, I waited for a break.