Hayer had the tent spread out on the spot, and immediately entrusted Iris’s treatment to the doctor.
Although Iris told him not to kill, he immediately approached the Qahif who confronted her with a blade. And when he was about to cut his throat without hesitation, Sichtis said.
“You didn’t listen to the princess telling you not to kill him.”
“I don’t listen to other people’s orders in battle.”
“You said not to turn it into a battle.”
“…”
“I apologize for my subordinate’s actions.”
Hayer listened to Sichtis’s words and looked down at the trembling Qahif before his eyes. Then he put his sword back into his scabbard and quickly turned around.
He was walking slowly with his back turned. It was an act that showed that there would be no difficulty in beating the opponent.
A few moments later, Hencke, vice-captain of the Knights of Tejas, approached Sichtis on behalf of Hayer.
“Talk to me, the vice-captain.”
Sichtis agreed, and after a moment, the two moved away from the party and began negotiating.
Meanwhile, Hayer went into the tent and checked Iris’s condition. He asked the doctor.
“How is she?”
“It’s not serious.”
“To a certain extent, it’s not serious.”
“The princess is weak, but fortunately, she seems to be resistant to poison.”
Hayer asked back at the doctor’s answer.
“Is it because Her Highness Celios kept consuming poison?”
“Not only when she was in the womb…”
“…Not only?”
“Even while she was at the palace, someone…”
“Poisoned Iris?”
“Yes.”
Hayer’s expression froze coldly.
The royal palace, too, was full of enemies for Iris. It seemed that it was not enough to put a guard right next to her. Hayer looked at Iris. His heart sank at her pale lips.
After the doctor left, Hayer stroked Iris’s hair.
“You managed to make a fuss. Others are doing rather well.”
He murmured, lifting Iris’s hand and bringing it to his cheek.
The palace was dangerous. Too many people suspected of poisoning her. The king, his eldest son Sid Lepos whom Iris refused to marry, Kernin. And…
Hayer looked at Iris and left the tent to call the messenger.
He ordered as the messenger came running.
“Contact the royal palace. Keep an eye on Kernin’s daughter.”
“Do you mean Miss Madeleine?”
“Yes.”
“That person… yes, understood.”
The messenger nodded.
After that, Hayer returned to the tent and said to Iris, who was still unconscious.
“Don’t be disappointed if your lady-in-waiting is involved in poisoning.”
He continued, resting his head against her hand.
“Violence changes people. Usually, in a lot of cases… it makes a person put obedience before revenge, and their own safety before goodwill.”
Hayer closed his eyes and murmured as he listened to her breathing.
“I, too, probably have changed. I don’t understand a strong person like you.”
─── ⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅ ───
Madeleine, a lady-in-waiting staying in the palace, stared blankly at Iris’s bed, which had been empty for several days. Then she collapsed on it and buried her face.
“Princess…”
She felt strange when she thought about Iris.
Madeleine had never seen anything so pretty in her life. Especially the eyes. Madeleine thought that the clear blue eyes were the most beautiful part of Iris’s face.
Bright and clear eyes.
The thing that contradicted Hayer the most was those eyes.
The man seemed to have laid bare his heart, but his eyes felt distant because she could not tell what he really wanted, and on the contrary, Iris felt difficult because everything she wanted to do was contained in her eyes.
She was perfect. It seemed so to Madeleine.
Madeleine recalled her face looking at her and her voice calling her name. Madeleine, who had been lying there for a while, heard a sound outside the window. People were talking until late.
Hayer left, and the royal palace was in a mess all day. Not long after the two left, news broke that they were heading to the Siere border.
“Perhaps, exile in Siere…”
“That can’t be true. Sir Hayer is not a person to do that, but even if he wants to join Siere, why would Siere accept a knight of Luwan?”
“Sir Hayer is the greatest knight who defeated Lord Meppo. If a war starts, no one will be treated better than him.”
“If His Majesty had treated Sir Hayer in the past…”
Many aristocrats were raising speculation that Hayer might have defected to Siere. It was highly questionable.
In the meantime, Madeleine’s role was important. It was a secret that Iris left with him, so Madeleine would pace in front of the window pretending to be Iris at night.
If Iris also defected to Siere… What should she do?
As Madeleine was thinking, she heard a knock. It was her biological father, Kernin.
“Come in.”
At her words, Kernin entered the room.
Kernin opened his mouth.
“Birth date is not far.”
“Yes, Fa… Father.”
At Madeleine’s words, Kernin said.
“If the child is a boy, I will keep his father alive when I become king.”
Madeleine nodded silently.
She became anxious as the birth approached. She hated Sid Lepos terribly, but wished the father of the child to be alive. The child might change the father, Madeleine hoped.
─── ⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅ ───
It was around 3 p.m. that Iris fainted, and it was deep dawn when she came to her senses.
When she came to her senses, she gasped in surprise when she realized that a hooded man was holding her body in one arm.
Fortunately, however, she recognized him as Hayer by the lamp on the pole attached to the saddle and the orange eyes.
Because they had to travel fast, they were rather using the night time to run through the desert.
Iris lowered her blanket slightly and looked around. It was splendid to see the Knights of Tejas and the Qahif tribe running on the sand together on horses or camels with lamps.
Iris, who had been looking at it for a while, said.
“I kind of missed the desert.”
“The desert?”
“The desert stars, to be exact.”
The seemingly endless desert and stars were in perfect harmony. One couldn’t tell how far the desert was and how far the night sky was. In the end, one only knew that the whole world was a part of the universe.
The blanket flowed down and Iris’s hair scattered in the wind. Hayer smiled as he looked at her red hair.
“You look like a vixen, with the colour of your hair.”
At his words, Iris narrowed her eyes and ran her hand through her hair.
Then Hayer went on.
“Well, I’m not saying you’re not usually a vixen.”
At his words, Iris clenched her fist and punched Hayer in the chest. Hayer laughed at her behaviour. Then, as if holding something important, he held her tightly in one arm and said.
“Hold on well. Don’t fall off.”
The arm wrapped around her waist gave her a good sense of security, but the feeling of his hand pressing around her stomach made her feel a bit strange.
Iris tried to move Hayer’s hand slightly, but he wouldn’t budge. Rather, he held her body even more tightly with his fingers.
“You’re going to fall.”
“Hayer, put your arm a little more…”
It was strange to ask him to raise it, and it was strange to ask him to lower it.
Iris said with a sigh.
“I want to go back to my horse.”
“You don’t look healthy enough to ride a horse alone.”
“Still.”
Hayer sighed at her insistence. Nonetheless, he answered in a soft tone.
“Do that the next time we rest.”
“…All right.”
Iris couldn’t tell him to stop because of her in the middle, so she nodded in agreement.
“Because I won’t fall… let me go.”
Hayer replied to Iris’s words.
“I don’t think that will work.”
“…The vixen is you. You don’t listen.”
Hayer laughed merrily at her scolding. But he opened his mouth again with a bitter face.
“Someone kept feeding you a small amount of poison while you were in the royal palace.”
“What?”
“It was rather helpful this time, but it certainly wasn’t for your own good.”
“…”
“You would know, that you’re not feeling well.”
“I just felt a little down. That happens all the time.”
“Why don’t you tell me?”
“Why would I tell you that I’m not feeling well?”
“Tell me.”
Hayer continued, holding her more tightly.
“If it hurts even a little, tell me. Because I’m a very close person to you.”
His hand felt hot. Or it could have been her stomach that he touched. But she wasn’t hurt, so she couldn’t tell him.
When talking about the ‘royal palace,’ anger was boiling in Hayer’s eyes. Iris felt worried about his eyes for a moment.
She was anxious. She decided not to be influenced by what Zeniel Bronte said, but she couldn’t seem to do anything about what remained in her head.
Iris, who hesitated, leaned carefully into his arms.
“All right.”
“…”
Hayer softened a little when she leaned on him.
Iris continued.
“Instead, look at me when I say I’m hurt. Just care about me.”
“…”
“Okay? Don’t pay attention to other things. Look at me first, before revenge.”
Hayer looked into Iris’s eyes for a moment as she managed to raise her head heavy with pain. Then he smiled and hugged her back with the blanket.
“I will.”
He wrapped his arms around Iris’s back, up to her shoulders, and locked her body completely in his arms.
afterword
MY GOD I LOVE WHEN HAYER IS LIKE THIS WITH IRIS THEY HAVE ME BLUSHING AND GIGGLING SO BADDDD
Hayer had the tent spread out on the spot, and immediately entrusted Iris’s treatment to the doctor.
Although Iris told him not to kill, he immediately approached the Qahif who confronted her with a blade. And when he was about to cut his throat without hesitation, Sichtis said.
“You didn’t listen to the princess telling you not to kill him.”
“I don’t listen to other people’s orders in battle.”
“You said not to turn it into a battle.”
“…”
“I apologize for my subordinate’s actions.”
Hayer listened to Sichtis’s words and looked down at the trembling Qahif before his eyes. Then he put his sword back into his scabbard and quickly turned around.
He was walking slowly with his back turned. It was an act that showed that there would be no difficulty in beating the opponent.
A few moments later, Hencke, vice-captain of the Knights of Tejas, approached Sichtis on behalf of Hayer.
“Talk to me, the vice-captain.”
Sichtis agreed, and after a moment, the two moved away from the party and began negotiating.
Meanwhile, Hayer went into the tent and checked Iris’s condition. He asked the doctor.
“How is she?”
“It’s not serious.”
“To a certain extent, it’s not serious.”
“The princess is weak, but fortunately, she seems to be resistant to poison.”
Hayer asked back at the doctor’s answer.
“Is it because Her Highness Celios kept consuming poison?”
“Not only when she was in the womb…”
“…Not only?”
“Even while she was at the palace, someone…”
“Poisoned Iris?”
“Yes.”
Hayer’s expression froze coldly.
The royal palace, too, was full of enemies for Iris. It seemed that it was not enough to put a guard right next to her. Hayer looked at Iris. His heart sank at her pale lips.
After the doctor left, Hayer stroked Iris’s hair.
“You managed to make a fuss. Others are doing rather well.”
He murmured, lifting Iris’s hand and bringing it to his cheek.
The palace was dangerous. Too many people suspected of poisoning her. The king, his eldest son Sid Lepos whom Iris refused to marry, Kernin. And…
Hayer looked at Iris and left the tent to call the messenger.
He ordered as the messenger came running.
“Contact the royal palace. Keep an eye on Kernin’s daughter.”
“Do you mean Miss Madeleine?”
“Yes.”
“That person… yes, understood.”
The messenger nodded.
After that, Hayer returned to the tent and said to Iris, who was still unconscious.
“Don’t be disappointed if your lady-in-waiting is involved in poisoning.”
He continued, resting his head against her hand.
“Violence changes people. Usually, in a lot of cases… it makes a person put obedience before revenge, and their own safety before goodwill.”
Hayer closed his eyes and murmured as he listened to her breathing.
“I, too, probably have changed. I don’t understand a strong person like you.”
─── ⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅ ───
Madeleine, a lady-in-waiting staying in the palace, stared blankly at Iris’s bed, which had been empty for several days. Then she collapsed on it and buried her face.
“Princess…”
She felt strange when she thought about Iris.
Madeleine had never seen anything so pretty in her life. Especially the eyes. Madeleine thought that the clear blue eyes were the most beautiful part of Iris’s face.
Bright and clear eyes.
The thing that contradicted Hayer the most was those eyes.
The man seemed to have laid bare his heart, but his eyes felt distant because she could not tell what he really wanted, and on the contrary, Iris felt difficult because everything she wanted to do was contained in her eyes.
She was perfect. It seemed so to Madeleine.
Madeleine recalled her face looking at her and her voice calling her name. Madeleine, who had been lying there for a while, heard a sound outside the window. People were talking until late.
Hayer left, and the royal palace was in a mess all day. Not long after the two left, news broke that they were heading to the Siere border.
“Perhaps, exile in Siere…”
“That can’t be true. Sir Hayer is not a person to do that, but even if he wants to join Siere, why would Siere accept a knight of Luwan?”
“Sir Hayer is the greatest knight who defeated Lord Meppo. If a war starts, no one will be treated better than him.”
“If His Majesty had treated Sir Hayer in the past…”
Many aristocrats were raising speculation that Hayer might have defected to Siere. It was highly questionable.
In the meantime, Madeleine’s role was important. It was a secret that Iris left with him, so Madeleine would pace in front of the window pretending to be Iris at night.
If Iris also defected to Siere… What should she do?
As Madeleine was thinking, she heard a knock. It was her biological father, Kernin.
“Come in.”
At her words, Kernin entered the room.
Kernin opened his mouth.
“Birth date is not far.”
“Yes, Fa… Father.”
At Madeleine’s words, Kernin said.
“If the child is a boy, I will keep his father alive when I become king.”
Madeleine nodded silently.
She became anxious as the birth approached. She hated Sid Lepos terribly, but wished the father of the child to be alive. The child might change the father, Madeleine hoped.
─── ⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅ ───
It was around 3 p.m. that Iris fainted, and it was deep dawn when she came to her senses.
When she came to her senses, she gasped in surprise when she realized that a hooded man was holding her body in one arm.
Fortunately, however, she recognized him as Hayer by the lamp on the pole attached to the saddle and the orange eyes.
Because they had to travel fast, they were rather using the night time to run through the desert.
Iris lowered her blanket slightly and looked around. It was splendid to see the Knights of Tejas and the Qahif tribe running on the sand together on horses or camels with lamps.
Iris, who had been looking at it for a while, said.
“I kind of missed the desert.”
“The desert?”
“The desert stars, to be exact.”
The seemingly endless desert and stars were in perfect harmony. One couldn’t tell how far the desert was and how far the night sky was. In the end, one only knew that the whole world was a part of the universe.
The blanket flowed down and Iris’s hair scattered in the wind. Hayer smiled as he looked at her red hair.
“You look like a vixen, with the colour of your hair.”
At his words, Iris narrowed her eyes and ran her hand through her hair.
Then Hayer went on.
“Well, I’m not saying you’re not usually a vixen.”
At his words, Iris clenched her fist and punched Hayer in the chest. Hayer laughed at her behaviour. Then, as if holding something important, he held her tightly in one arm and said.
“Hold on well. Don’t fall off.”
The arm wrapped around her waist gave her a good sense of security, but the feeling of his hand pressing around her stomach made her feel a bit strange.
Iris tried to move Hayer’s hand slightly, but he wouldn’t budge. Rather, he held her body even more tightly with his fingers.
“You’re going to fall.”
“Hayer, put your arm a little more…”
It was strange to ask him to raise it, and it was strange to ask him to lower it.
Iris said with a sigh.
“I want to go back to my horse.”
“You don’t look healthy enough to ride a horse alone.”
“Still.”
Hayer sighed at her insistence. Nonetheless, he answered in a soft tone.
“Do that the next time we rest.”
“…All right.”
Iris couldn’t tell him to stop because of her in the middle, so she nodded in agreement.
“Because I won’t fall… let me go.”
Hayer replied to Iris’s words.
“I don’t think that will work.”
“…The vixen is you. You don’t listen.”
Hayer laughed merrily at her scolding. But he opened his mouth again with a bitter face.
“Someone kept feeding you a small amount of poison while you were in the royal palace.”
“What?”
“It was rather helpful this time, but it certainly wasn’t for your own good.”
“…”
“You would know, that you’re not feeling well.”
“I just felt a little down. That happens all the time.”
“Why don’t you tell me?”
“Why would I tell you that I’m not feeling well?”
“Tell me.”
Hayer continued, holding her more tightly.
“If it hurts even a little, tell me. Because I’m a very close person to you.”
His hand felt hot. Or it could have been her stomach that he touched. But she wasn’t hurt, so she couldn’t tell him.
When talking about the ‘royal palace,’ anger was boiling in Hayer’s eyes. Iris felt worried about his eyes for a moment.
She was anxious. She decided not to be influenced by what Zeniel Bronte said, but she couldn’t seem to do anything about what remained in her head.
Iris, who hesitated, leaned carefully into his arms.
“All right.”
“…”
Hayer softened a little when she leaned on him.
Iris continued.
“Instead, look at me when I say I’m hurt. Just care about me.”
“…”
“Okay? Don’t pay attention to other things. Look at me first, before revenge.”
Hayer looked into Iris’s eyes for a moment as she managed to raise her head heavy with pain. Then he smiled and hugged her back with the blanket.
“I will.”
He wrapped his arms around Iris’s back, up to her shoulders, and locked her body completely in his arms.
afterword
MY GOD I LOVE WHEN HAYER IS LIKE THIS WITH IRIS THEY HAVE ME BLUSHING AND GIGGLING SO BADDDD
