Enoch suddenly burst into laughter, as if sharing an enjoyable story. Banessa wore a smug expression and chuckled.
Then, Banessa turned his head and made eye contact with Leticia.
Banessa’s eyes widened in surprise. Then, he quickly averted his gaze as if he had been caught doing something wrong.
In the midst of all this, Leticia focused on trying to find any signs of pain on his face.
‘He doesn’t seem to be in pain. Walking seems fine.’
His walk through the desert didn’t resemble that of someone with a leg injury.
‘But I can’t let my guard down. In the past, no one knew that his injury was getting worse.’
Leticia didn’t take her eyes off Banessa, hoping to find even a small clue.
It was beyond her imagination that Banessa would be so flustered by her gaze.
—
Like the other members of the Principality’s diplomatic envoy, Banessa was a fervent supporter of Leticia.
This wasn’t just because she had saved Enoch’s life; it went much deeper than that.
To Banessa, the Holy Empire was an unbeatable enemy. They had ruthlessly taken everything from him.
Dietrian managed to hold on, but that was possible because his king had always sacrificed himself.
Even though he lived a relatively comfortable life, moments of fear would suddenly wash over him.
He feared that one day, the Empire would take even his lord away from him.
Then Leticia appeared.
And with her came Enoch, and later, Dietrian.
Despite the Empire’s determination to take everything, they remained untouched.
Hope had arrived for the first time.
To Banessa, Leticia was hope personified.
So, he felt an immense sense of joy and happiness, enough to forget about his painful leg. He was eager to help her in any way he could, especially after learning that she had been persecuted by the Empire her whole life.
Despite his fervent feelings, Banessa hadn’t uttered a single word to Leticia.
It was all due to Yulken’s “no approach” order.
“Getting frustrated to death, seriously.”
When he heard that Leticia was feeling uncomfortable with them, he thought it was entirely possible. When he saw her in the Imperial Palace, even he couldn’t help but be so enamored that his mouth was practically glued shut.
He initially believed that waiting patiently until Leticia opened her heart was the right thing to do.
But as time passed, he grew increasingly frustrated. He couldn’t even readily offer help when she needed it.
For example, when Leticia accidentally stepped on gravel and stumbled or when she struggled to open a bottle.
He had prepared himself to say, “Step on me instead of the gravel,” but he had to watch from a distance.
Everyone else would readily accept such offers, but there was an exception: Yulken.
Yulken would boldly approach Leticia despite the “no approach” order.
He would talk to her cheerfully, even making her smile.
That sight was incredibly irritating. Eventually, Banessa made up his mind. He would secretly help Leticia, even if it meant provoking Yulken.
Breaking the rules was easier with someone else than alone.
“Enoch, don’t you want to get some attention from Her Highness?”
“Of course! I definitely want some!”
As he expected, Enoch immediately came over.
“But how can we do it? We can’t talk to Her Highness.”
“That’s why I’ve been thinking about it. It doesn’t seem like Her Highness was uncomfortable with us. Honestly, if you just look at appearances, you and I are probably the best among the diplomatic envoys.”
Without imagining that he was the top contributor to Leticia’s surprise, Banessa spoke.
“It might not have been us, but the other guys who startled her.”
“Oh, that makes sense.”
Enoch, who was completely unaware of Banessa’s actions before their return, nodded vigorously.
“So, what should we do now?”
“We need to come up with a plan.”
“What’s the plan?”
“To help Her Highness while avoiding my brother’s gaze.”
Banessa said with a smirk. And at that moment, of all times, Leticia happened to look at Banessa.
Banessa, who was in the midst of planning to break through the ‘no approach’ order and gain favor, could only be startled. He reflexively turned his head and discreetly glanced in Leticia’s direction.
Their eyes met once again.
It was an intense gaze, as if trying to unearth something. Cold sweat formed on Banessa’s back.
“Why does it seem like Her Highness is looking at me?”
Enoch was also taken aback.
“She’s not just looking; it feels more like she’s glaring.”
“Wow, do you think so too?”
Enoch said with a serious expression.
“Could she have overheard our conversation just now?”
“What? No way! We’re so far away.”
Banessa was shocked and asked incredulously. The conversation they had just had was filled with too many landmines.
From baseless self-confidence about their appearance to bragging about monopolizing her favor, it was a lot to handle.
Banessa began to anxiously deny the reality.
“There’s no way she could have heard it. We’re too far away. But just in case, if she did hear…”
Meanwhile, the diplomatic envoy observing the situation was also bewildered.
“Why is Her Highness suddenly acting like this?”
“She looks very serious. Doesn’t seem like she’s angry, though.”
“Did Banessa get into trouble again?”
Misunderstandings were growing like dark clouds once more.
* * *
The sun had already set, and the diplomatic envoy had arrived at the planned camping site. They began preparations for camping, setting up makeshift tents and starting a fire for cooking.
Despite the busy preparations for camping, everyone’s minds were focused on one thing. Leticia’s face had suddenly stiffened, as if she couldn’t believe it, showing signs of immense shock.
Her expression was so serious that no one dared to ask why, and they all anxiously waited for Dietrian to return.
They waited eagerly, wondering when their lord would return, and during the endless wait, Banessa, who had been singled out as the source of all the trouble, was on the verge of collapse.
‘Why does she keep staring at me?’
If only they knew what the problem was, they could solve it or ask for forgiveness. But since they had no idea, all Banessa could do was endlessly ponder whether he had done something wrong.
However, no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t find any other reason except for one.
‘Could she have really overheard our conversation earlier?’
As he self-flagellated, there was a faint sound. The sound of footsteps approaching, along with the sound of gravel being crushed.
Banessa leaned against a tent pole and muttered gloomily, “I told you. Give me a break today. I’m not in the mood to work.”
But his plea fell on deaf ears. Banessa sighed in frustration and turned away.
“Are you trying to pressure me again? Stop it! I really don’t know! Why are you doing this to me… Hng!”
Banessa swallowed his breath.
“Y…Your Highness.”
Standing before him was Leticia. Banessa, who had been so busy blaming himself, felt his mind go blank due to the tension caused by her presence.
And then, as Banessa stared silently at her, Leticia’s gaze softened. She looked at him for a moment, then raised her gaze from his pants to meet his eyes.
‘Maybe I should just ask.’
Leticia had seen Banessa briefly limp earlier. It was only for a moment, but there was definitely something wrong with his gait.
After observing him closely for a long time, Leticia had finally noticed it. It was something that could only be discerned with careful scrutiny. There was a slight furrowing of Banessa’s brow, as if he was trying to endure pain.
‘I can’t just leave it be.’
If Banessa returned to the Principality without treatment, he would eventually lose his leg. He needed to go back to the Empire for treatment before that happened.
There was only one way to persuade him, and that was to ask about his injury directly.
Banessa might dislike her, and he might hate it even more if she revealed the hidden injury, but she couldn’t let Banessa lose his leg.
So, at that very moment when she was about to inquire about his injury, Banessa suddenly bent over at a ninety-degree angle.
“I’m truly sorry, Your Highness!”
Then, he abruptly apologized.
“What I said earlier to Enoch was all a joke. I really don’t think of myself as handsome! Please don’t misunderstand!”
He said some very strange things.
“I wanted to help Her Highness, but I couldn’t do it alone, and I got frustrated that only my brother could talk to Her Highness.”
“What?”
“I admit that I coveted Her Highness’s favor, and it was genuine, but it was because I was glad that Your Highness chose our Principality!”
“…. What?”
Leticia was bewildered. She forgot her intention to ask about his leg in the midst of this confusion.
“Favor?”
Meanwhile, Banessa continued to speak.
“I am always grateful. For saving Enoch’s life and for helping Your Highness. If it weren’t for Her Highness, Your Highness would have been at the mercy of the Saint’s daughter and…”
Since it had come to this, he thought, might as well say everything he wanted to say. So he made up his mind and poured out his words. But then he suddenly paused.
Yulken, who had heard the commotion, came running, making hand gestures as if he was drawing an ‘X’, as if saying, “Stop talking like this.”
‘Shut up! Please, just shut your mouth!’
Yulken’s fervor was so intense that, out of concern, he quietly changed the subject.
“Anyway, in many ways, I received your grace. That’s why I wanted to repay that grace. So, please don’t be too angry…”
Leticia looked at Banessa with a puzzled expression. She had no idea what Banessa was talking about.
“Wait a moment, just a moment.”
Leticia pressed her trembling hand to her forehead. Her mind was in complete chaos. Why was Banessa suddenly mentioning the handsome man? What was he talking about with favor and grace? Amidst the jumbled sentences, she managed to grasp onto one thing.
The words she had heard with her own ears but found impossible to believe.
“Banessa, did I just hear you say that I… saved Enoch?”
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