Chapter 7.1
Feeling that her throat was sore, Ariel wanted to moisten it with cold water to feel better. As she fumbled around and reached out, something touched her fingertips. Unfortunately, it wasn’t cold, instead, it felt soft and warm.
Drawn to its pleasant texture, Ariel wrapped her hand around it and the warmth slid across her palm.
Its warmth seemed to even make her smile.
“Looks like it must feel good to hold.”
A cold voice harshly jolted her out of her daze.
Ariel flinched as if she was having a convulsion as she opened her eyes. In her field of vision, after waking up, there was a blond boy with a bad temper impression, set against the backdrop of a familiar bedroom.
…The imperial scoundrel who gave her hardship on the rainy night
“What, do you think you saw a ghost?”
“Your Highness…?”
“It seems like at least you know who I am.”
His unpleasant tone reminded her of last night, which made Ariel even more puzzled as to why he seemed to be standing by her side… as if he was worried about her.
“…Why is Your Highness here?”
“I’ve been waiting to bring you. If you’re awake, get ready and come out.”
“Taking me? Where?”
“Listen to the Countess for details.”
The short conversation ended unilaterally.
As she stood there dumbfounded, the warmth under her hand soon slipped away, and all that remained was the feel of the sheet against her empty palm.
“….!”
It was only then did she realize that what she was holding was none other than the Imperial Prince’s hand that Ariel quivered once more.
“Stop being surprised and come to your senses.”
The Prince spoke in a harsh tone.
With a click, the silver doorknob turned, followed by the sound of the door closing before he was gone from the room in an instant.
As she was left alone, the empty feeling on her hand was palpable. Ariel’s pale face flushed with embarrassment. She didn’t know why he was giving her his hand when he was being so cold. He truly had a tough, self-righteous, and hard-to-follow personality.
‘That aside… my cellphone!’
Jumping out of bed, she busily opened the mahogany chest of drawers she had locked. The phone was still in the upright position as she had placed it.
‘Please, have any information!’
Ariel begged and quickly pressed the power button to turn on the screen.
A system window popped up, showing a new notification. She let out a sigh of relief before she was happy.
‘…Finally, the information that will be the first step to return is given.’
Calming her nerves, Ariel first checked the information on the target.
There were four squares.
Ariel tapped the one with the name on it.
As she had wished, the Prince was her target. Even looking at his name, which she didn’t know, her heart was pounding as if she was facing top-secret information.
At the same time, she was about to shed tears over the pink heart she must have obtained through the formidable work of the night before. She also felt grateful for the additional explanation that there was a high probability of being accepted if she spoke to them.
‘At least I can talk to him.’
Her eyes, which scanned the profile with glee, soon paused at the very last line. The word ‘current location’ felt odd.
‘Does that mean I can see his location…?’
Her finger naturally touched a space that said disabled.
Without hesitation, she tapped the ‘Yes’ button, and a new system window popped up.
Along with a simplified profile, his location was revealed starkly, and his face, in the form of a small portrait, was imprinted on a building drawing.
The small portrait of the Prince floated from place to place and headed for the drawing room on the first floor.
‘I can’t believe it’s this detailed…’
Ariel was amazed by the usefulness of this new feature. Depending on how she used it, this could significantly reduce the difficulty of attacking.
While her attention was focused on the screen in excitement, there was a knock at the door.
Knock, knock, knock.
“Young Lady, are you awake? May I come in?”
It was Canon’s voice.
Ariel hurriedly hid her phone under the covers.
“Ung. Come in.”
After giving permission, Canon soon entered with a leather travel bag in her hand. Puzzled, Ariel caught her gaze for a moment, but she averted her eyes.
“How are you feeling?”
When Canon asked worriedly, Ariel suddenly remembered what had happened the night before. The rainy garden, the sapphire she found only after the sun rose up to the sky, her exhausted body from the accumulated fatigue, until the moment she fainted in front of the Prince…
Even then, her body didn’t hurt too much. Should she say she was lucky to wake up without any pain?
“It’s okay.”
“I’m glad you’re okay. After all, the power of the imperial family is different. The speed is very fast, and the effect is amazing.”
“…Imperial power?”
“The Prince treated you when the Young Lady fainted. I’m not familiar with that, so I don’t know, but he must have used a magic spell.”
Once again, another unfamiliar story floated through her mind as Ariel’s head went blank. She didn’t know anything about the immediate situation.
Flustered, several questions flowed out of her mouth.
“What happened while I was sleeping? What’s with that bag? Where am I going?”
“I don’t know all the details either… I’m sure the Countess will tell the Young Lady the important information, but let’s get dressed first. I’ll prepare it quickly.”
Canon also said something similar to the Prince.
The Countess would tell her…
Even though she was confused as to what had happened between the Countess and the Prince, she didn’t have time to ask the question.
As she rolled her eyes in panic, Canon was already pulling out her outfit. Ariel was forced to get dressed before she knew what was going on as she fumbled out of her pajamas. She’d barely gotten out of bed before she was bombarded with demands.
When a thick cape coat, never worn before, was draped over her suit dress in the end, she became even more suspicious as she was dressed in the outfit suited for traveling far away.
‘…Was there anything else that was promised to the Prince?’
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