CH 15.2

Joshua closed the ointment’s lid without a word and put it back in his jacket pocket.

Suddenly, Sohee realized something strange.

A dark color on his white shirt stood out underneath his unbuttoned dark-grey jacket.

It appeared like a long red slash on his right abdomen.

She had this ominous feeling that she should have known this.

So-hee pressed the spot without her realizing it.

“Ah.” Joshua let out a low, pained groan before snatching her right hand away from it.

“What is that, Joshua?”

“It’s nothing.”

When she felt something damp on her finger, it became clear to her that it was blood.

“What do you mean it’s nothing? Your shirt is wet with it.”

As the dark tension in the atmosphere rose, Sohee had an inkling of why it turned out like this.

“Are you worried about me, Ariad?”

“Uh… Yes.”

Her lame response made Joshua’s dark brows furrow and his head to tilt slightly.

“I’m really worried about you.” Sohee insisted strongly this time to convince him. “What happened?”

Joshua was this Empire’s crown prince.

What and whom could possibly cause such a scar?

According to the story she had created, there was only one.

It was the scene where Joshua had pierced both Ariad and Deon’s dead bodies with a sword before burying them.

The thought made So-hee’s nostrils flare anxiously.

Joshua held and shook So-hee’s small, shivering hand to bring her back to the present.

“A man had stabbed me with a knife.”

He sounded pitiful, but she didn’t want to sympathize at all.

‘Wow! You are such a scary guy. I know that you stabbed yourself, man!’ She thought as Joshua’s eyes glistened while watching So-hee.

His thick brows drooped further while assuming the puppy-eyed look.

“I feel sorry for myself that it happened, but I feel sorry because I know you are hurt too.”

“What?”

“—and this hurts me every time it bleeds.”

“Oh. Oh, I see.”

“Don’t you feel sorry for me?”

‘This shameless crown prince!’So-hee suppressed the urge  to say that and  told him instead, “You poor, poor thing. I feel sorry for you.”

Satisfied, the man’s eyes morphed into down-turned crescents when he smiled brightly.

The image of Joshua laughing as Deon’s head rolled to the ground overlapped with the current scene, sending goosebumps that made her spine shudder.

He would destroy her life without hesitation if she turned a man like this into an enemy.

“Don’t wash up today because your fever might rise again. I’ll assist you tomorrow.”

As Joshua’s big hands cupped her cheeks and gently squeezed them together, So-hee agonized.

The plot she had written for the synopsis had proceeded much earlier than expected.

Was it still possible for her to save Deon like this when her options had narrowed down to a few?

She could do nothing in particular if her body remained immobile.

“Are you listening to me?”

Joshua’s face moved closer and it brought her back to her senses.

“Oh, yes! I’m still listening. I just want to wash my face and brush my teeth.”

“Okay, let’s do it.”

Joshua took off his jacket and she carefully examined the man who lifted her up.

His black hair, which should be neatly lowered as usual, was now raised with pomade wax and his grey jacket made her think that he was even well-dressed than before.

Sohee’s anxiety struck again.

Joshua hugged So-hee with his left arm, and she caught a sparkling silver cuff button in his right wrist when he cradled her nape for a while.

“Where are you going, Joshua?”

“I’m helping you wash your face.”

“No, after washing my face. Will you be going somewhere?”

Ignoring the question, Joshua went silent and walked straight to the bathroom.

With such deliberate silence, Sohee believed that her anxiety would reach a hundred percent.

Joshua dressed up to go to Deon’s mansion and steal some documents.

Then, he would tamper with the things he collected and use those as evidence of treason.

Would he do that today?

What the hell?

She grimaced as she looked down at her current condition.

There was nothing she could do.

“Sit here for a second.”

Joshua put her down on a marble table next to the sink.

After turning the faucet on, he waited for a while before checking the temperature.

So-hee glanced at the man calmly but her mind was full of worries and concerns.

What could she do in order to stop him from escalating the flow of development?

Is there such a wonderful way?

Once again, his sinewy arms wrapped around her and lifted her up.

Then, he carefully splashed Sohee’s face with water.

“I’ll have to put some medicine on your forehead again. I’ll apply the ointment and some ice packs to your legs and arms in the evening.”  Joshua said softly as he wiped the moisture off her face with meticulous precision.

He did her best to soap her face and washed it gently with lukewarm water afterward.

Only one way could prevent Deon’s decapitated head from rolling to the ground.

She had to cling to Joshua until her legs were all better.

“You’re done. I’ll go get some towel.”

So-hee was seated at the table again, and she suddenly grabbed his hand with all her might when he turned his back on her.

The silver cuff button on his sleeve fell off and rolled onto the floor, and she felt even more desperate when the button overlapped with Deon’s head.

“What’s wrong?”

Surprised, Joshua glanced down at Sohee.

Their intense stare helped her make the final decision.

She quickly wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered, “Joshua.”

“Do it with me.”

Ariad’s words spilling from her red lips were too strange.

“What?”

He couldn’t understand what it meant even though his head wanted to translate it so bad.

“Do it with me now. I want to.”

A voice as wet as the water running down his face filled Joshua’s ears.