She fell down, but the place where her body landed was not on the ground. The first thing she felt was the firm yet warm arms of someone, followed by a familiar scent.

“Hazel!”

Sisef’s voice reverberated loudly.

Before falling off the horse, what Hazel saw was the blue sky and the surprised yet pale face of Sisef. At the moment it felt like things were moving very slowly, unlike in most urgent situations.

She heard something approaching quickly as the ground beneath her shook.

Once her body jumped into the air and almost plummeted to the ground, the arms that extended out from somewhere quickly grabbed and lifted her body up.

Everything happened in an instant. Nevertheless, the whole incident was vivid to her.

Thump thump.

Hazel breathed out shallowly with her eyes closed tightly. A large hand wrapped behind her head pulled and hugged her even closer.

“Hah… Haah.”

Hazel opened her eyelids slowly. Her head was ringing and spinning in all directions. It took quite a while for her to realize the one holding her as she calmed her stunned mind because she had just almost fallen off the horse.

“Brother?”

Hazel swallowed her heavy breath at Sisef’s startled call to the person. Only then did she remember that the arm holding her with this much strength was too familiar for her.

“……”

She saw blue eyes looking down at her as she raised her head slowly.

“Achilleon.”

Achilleon’s eyebrows slightly curved up when Hazel unknowingly uttered his name out of her mouth. He looked like he was having a lot of fun with this situation.

“From where did you…”

Hazel didn’t even realize what she had called him with. She looked up at the Achilleon with confused stares because she couldn’t figure out the situation well.

“Of course, just now.”

The moment she slipped from the horse’s saddle and was brought by his hands, the blue eyes she once encountered came to her mind again. It was also the fact that Achilleon reached out to catch her as he leaned over with his legs extended toward the horse’s saddle.

Hazel became puzzled as all those came to her mind one after another.

At the stroke and affectionate pat of his hand on her back, it was difficult for Hazel to tell whether this was just a dream or reality. How could Achilleon be here? He obviously was with Miella earlier…

“Hazel, are you okay?”

I heard Sisef calling from behind, but she didn’t even have the remaining energy to answer him.

Hazel’s vision was blocked by Achilleon’s arm. She could only make out Sisef’s face faintly, who was frozen in surprise with his eyes barely narrowed at her.

“Please stop lifting Hazel and put her down now. I’ll be taking her.”

Sisef said in a somewhat bewildered and angry tone. The hands around her waist held her with even more strength at his remark.

“I’ll take the Princess.”

“Hey, what are you… Brother!”

Achilleon grabbed the reins without waiting for his answer. The black Tourezil horse then began to run in the direction he led.

“Brother, brother!”

Sisef’s voice could be heard rushing toward the horse from behind them. The horse’s speed which was ridden by Hazel became even faster and faster, and soon Sisef’s voice became so small until it sounded like a very distant echo.

“Ugh…”

Her head was pounding and she felt nauseous. Hazel let out a low groan as she burrowed herself into his arms.

Achilleon slowed down his horse due to Hazel’s unusual strength in his arms.

“You can let it all out.”

Hazel was about to vomit in his clothes if she could, but strangely, those symptoms disappeared when he took a deep breath in his broad arms.

“…….”

Hazel grew even more hateful at the sound of low-pitched laughter coming from above her.

“Are you alright now?”

“I don’t think I would be this bad.”

Hazel jerked her head up but ended up slamming his face down onto his chest again. It was because the dizziness and vomiting have come back again.

It took some time for such symptoms to disappear completely. Meanwhile, Achilleon just waited for her quietly.

“I’m… fine now.”

She was fine except for the slight dizziness that was still lingering in her head. When Hazel was still struggling to control her soft breath, Achilleon took the handkerchief out of his pocket and put it under Hazel’s mouth.

Hazel, who was spacing out and entrusting herself to him, removed her jaw the moment he realized whose handkerchief he had used on her.

Miella’s initials were embroidered with gold thread on the handkerchief.

“…I’m fine.”

I felt sick again when I recalled what face Miela had shown to him earlier. She didn’t even know the man’s intention when he casually gave her the handkerchief he had received from another woman.

“I can’t make others dirty.”

“I thought you were after my clothes.”

“…I’m not.”

Hazel managed to smile and spoke up.

“How dare I do such a dirty thing to His Majesty the Crown Prince of Demophos?”

“Someone who has pushed me into a trap doesn’t seem to think that way.”

It was a very long grudge.

“Just how far are we going to go?”

When I thought of the speed at which the horse was running currently, I had a hunch that it would have been quite far from where they were coming from earlier.

“Everyone will find out. I’m going to return now.”

Hazel’s eyes looked around as if she was anxious. Where in the world was this? Even when she tried to figure out where she was, she could only see fields and forests around her. Both of them were surrounded by the densely packed forest.

We’ve come too far.

Such a thought suddenly came to her mind.

Shh, anxiety filled up her mind as the wins passed by. Achilleon looked down at her when he felt her body which had been leaning against him tensed up.

Hazel looked into his eyes for a while. It seemed to her that his savage and cruel feelings were hidden beyond his sparkling blue eyes, as if he had no sort of emotion.

“What’s wrong?”

When asked by him, Hazel averted her eyes quickly when asked by him.

“How did we manage to come here?”

Did he happen to see Sisef and her, then he decided to follow them? But, why? Even though I received help in the end, this situation wasn’t very pleasant.

“I just saved you from being kidnapped, but I guess you’re not really grateful to me.”

“Because I was caught by another kidnapper.”

Hazel glared at him without losing to the blue eyes which were looking down at her.

Whether he was the Crown Prince of the Empire or anything, her present self had not sinned against him. It had nothing to do with Achilleon if she didn’t marry him, Whether she loved Sisef or not, it had nothing to do with Achilleon if she did not marry him in this life.

“Do you happen to… hear it?”

After the life-threatening moment passed by, Hazel became curious about it. She wanted to pretend not to know if it could be tolerated, but she hated to feel uncomfortable again.

“Because my ears are functioning well.”

Achilleon said while closing and opening his eyes slowly.

“I didn’t know you had such a deep relationship with my brother.”

Hazel let out a sigh in response to his indifferent reply. You’ve heard it all.

“It’s a misunderstanding. We’re just a bit…. close. The Prince has feelings for Lorette.”

“I didn’t ask about that.”

Hazel wanted to bite her tongue when he answered with an indifferent face.

“Well, you saved me… so thank you.”

“What are you talking about?”

“…….”

“Is it when I save you from falling off the horse? Or when I took you from my younger brother?”

The first one was right. If I had done something wrong at that moment, I would have fallen off the horse and died because of a broken neck. However, the latter could not be answered so easily.

Could she really say this situation was safe for herself? She wasn’t sure.

Even the fact that she was alone with Achilleon in a place far away from people was already dangerous.

“If we keep running like this, we’ll be arriving at the border area. At this speed, we’ll probably reach it in a day.”

“….are you crazy?”

Hazel had just forgotten about the situation and asked him with an aghast face.

The corners of Achilleon’s mouth curved up nicely. His lips was full of mischief, but not with the twinkle on his blue eyes.

“How if we keep running like this instead of going back?”

“What …do you mean?”

Hazel had to hold her breath several times, hoping he wouldn’t really drive the horse like this.

“We may get busted by a guard on the border before we even get to cross it and get a hole in our bodies.”

Hazel really hoped that her remark would pose a threat to him.

“There’s plenty of room for this matter to become a national dispute. There could be …a war.”

“I don’t think it’s a bad thing.”

His eyes was filled by the dangerous gleam. Hazel felt like a lightning struck her head when she looked up at him for a brief moment.

Achilleon. The war god who carried the Demophos Empire.

If we somehow stirred up a trigger for a war, then…

Regardless of which side was at fault, the winning rate would be higher on the Demophos side. No, it was already obvious.

Hazel felt his whole body completely rigid as she recalled how the peace treaty between the two countries would be passed off if such a thing ever happened.

She remembered how hard Ileos had worked for this treaty, how hard he had worked all these times to avoid war, and not to put Land under Demophos’ control.

All sides have tried to ask Land to unite with them, but Ileos rejected them. She didn’t want to give Demophos an excuse to do an invasion. She has been trying to play safe and stay alive with all her might.

“I don’t think it’s bad for the border guards to pierce a spear or a sword into my body.”

“Are you going to start a war?”

Hazel didn’t feel like joking anymore.

“…Well.”

Achilleon looked down while squinting at her. Chill ran down Hazel’s spine as the laughter unraveled from his mouth.

“We’d better go back.”

“Why?”

“For maintaining peace between the two countries.”

In response, Achilleon waited for Hazel to continue with a look of surprise on his face.

“I have to put my country first. I don’t think Your Highness will be any different from me.”

Hazel tried to answer calmly.

“I didn’t expect that the Princess would be so fond of her country.”

“…because it’s my country.”

She meant it. At Hazel’s answer, Achilleon seemed to think for a bit and suddenly pulled the reins hard.

Then the horse lifted its front paws and straightened up his body.

“Ahh!”

At that exact moment, her body balance shifted back which led Hazel to let out a short scream.