The Princess’s Final Wish Before Her Time Runs Out - Chapter 56

The quiet calm of the Hespelt estate was a stark contrast to the vibrant energy of the streets. Before long, Heinz stepped closer to resume his position by Tericia’s side.

Though he appeared relaxed, he never dropped his guard. He walked just half a step behind her, ready to protect her at any moment.

“…It’s peaceful.”

After walking in silence for a while, Tericia finally spoke.

There was no sign of war anywhere. People were simply living their lives, and no one seemed to sense any looming danger.

“Am I just being paranoid?”

She hoped so. Deep in thought, Tericia frowned.

In her previous life, Rashid had never received the Emperor’s formal recognition, and for three years, he was constantly dispatched to various battlefields.

Naturally, this left the Hespelt estate vulnerable, and many of the extended relatives grew unruly in his absence.

But now was different. Even after inheriting the title, Rashid’s position remained solid.

There had been rumors about unrest near the eastern border, but there were no signs of an actual war. Everything was flowing peacefully.

“Then why do I feel so uneasy?”

Her hand subconsciously rose to her chest.

Would war really break out? No one could answer that question.

She hoped it wouldn’t—but just in case, she knew preparations had to be made.

“Let’s head back.”

At Tericia’s words, Heinz immediately stepped ahead to clear the path. At that moment, something suddenly lunged toward her.

“My lady!”

Mandy’s scream rang out just as Tericia felt a hard impact and stumbled, losing her balance.

She braced for a painful fall—but instead, a firm arm wrapped around her waist and held her upright.

“Are you all right?”

Heinz had caught her. With one hand supporting Tericia’s waist and one foot holding down whatever had struck her, he managed to keep them both balanced.

“Sir Heinz…”

Tericia, still leaning against his arm, avoided falling completely.

She had always assumed he was strong—he was a knight commander, after all—but the speed and precision of his reaction surprised her. Clearly, not just anyone could hold that title.

“I’m okay… ah—”

As she tried to stand upright, Tericia winced. A sharp pain shot through her ankle.

She must’ve stepped wrong in the moment of impact, tightening her body instinctively.

“My lady?”

“…Sir Heinz.”

She looked up at him, her pale face even paler now.

“I think I twisted my ankle… it hurts.”

Despite her attempt to smile through it, Heinz felt his own face go cold.

“Ah…”

He closed his eyes tightly.

“I’m dead.”

In his head, he could already hear Rashid’s furious voice.

A carriage rolled smoothly up the main road of the Hespelt estate.

Rashid, having heard that Tericia had returned just before dinner, came out to greet her, feeling quite satisfied.

He planned to tell her how hard he had worked to finish his duties so they could dine together—a silly thought, but one he liked.

However—

“……”

The moment the carriage stopped, he saw Heinz dismount and drop to one knee before him.

Rashid’s expression immediately darkened. A bad feeling twisted in his gut.

“Please… kill me.”

With a chilling calm, Rashid stared down at the knight before him, then turned silently to open the carriage door.

“Rashid.”

Inside sat Tericia and her maid, Mandy. While Tericia smiled faintly, Mandy looked pale as a sheet.

Seeing her smile, Rashid’s frown deepened.

“She only smiles like that when something’s wrong.”

His gaze moved over her, then stopped at her leg. It was extended—unlike her usual poised posture. Something was clearly off.

The air around him turned cold.

“…Are you injured?”

“It’s just a twisted ankle.”

His brow furrowed deeper.

“It’s nothing serious. I was distracted while walking and stepped wrong. My fault, really.”

Despite her best efforts, the heavy air around him didn’t lift.

Knowing Rashid’s strict personality, it was obvious he wouldn’t let anyone go unpunished for failing to protect her properly.

As his gaze turned back toward Heinz with icy fury—

“Carry me.”

Tericia’s voice broke the tension.

“…What?”

His glare snapped back to her. Rashid stared at her, clearly caught off guard.

“I can’t walk. Carry me.”

…What had he just heard? Was this a dream?

He blinked in confusion, but quickly realized what she was doing.

She’s trying to protect Heinz.

Rashid let out a loud, deliberate sigh.

“You don’t have to do this. I won’t harm Heinz.”

“…Liar.”

“……”

She smiled, watching him closely, even though his frown hadn’t disappeared.

Her ankle throbbed with pain, but she knew if she showed it, he’d only become more upset.

She could already imagine how many people would suffer if he lost his temper—so she kept smiling.

“I could walk if I had to, but it hurts. It’d be nice if you carried me.”

“…You only act like this at times like these.”

Letting out another exaggerated sigh, Rashid stepped into the carriage and gently picked her up.

She was light—almost too light.

“You’re not too heavy?”

“You’re too light. You really need to eat more.”

“You’re just really strong.”

When Tericia leaned against Rashid with a soft grumble, a bit of the tension in his expression faded.

The moment he felt her in his arms, his anger began to settle. She rarely showed this kind of vulnerability, and it had a calming effect.

He even thought—just for a second—that this wasn’t so bad.

“Carlson,” Rashid called.

“I’ve already contacted the physician. He’ll be here shortly,” the butler replied without missing a beat.

Rashid gave a satisfied nod, pleased with Carlson’s quick response.

But before heading inside, his gaze shifted back to Heinz.

“Wait for me in the study.”

At the duke’s cold command, the knight commander’s shoulders sank slightly.

“You were assigned to protect her, and she came back injured? That’s not what I entrusted you with.”

“……”

“I’m asking—what exactly where you doing?”

Rashid didn’t raise his voice. He didn’t yell. But the weight of his words made sweat bead at Heinz’s forehead. He instinctively bowed his head lower.

Because of Tericia’s earlier request, Rashid held back. But he didn’t bother hiding his displeasure either.

He stayed at her side, visibly worried, until the physician arrived and finished treating her.

Only once everything was done did Rashid return to his office—where Heinz was waiting.

“I have no excuses to offer,” Heinz said quietly.

Rashid looked at him with narrowed, disapproving eyes.

“Don’t blame Sir Heinz. If it weren’t for him, I might’ve been more seriously hurt.”

He remembered her words just before he left her room. He clenched his jaw—then released it with a sigh.

If Tericia hadn’t said anything, he might have unleashed his full fury. In the end, she was always his weakness.

“Tell me everything.”

“We were walking through the streets when someone suddenly ran into her.”

“Was it an attack?”

“Not exactly, no. But since Lady Tericia was hurt, I subdued him immediately.”

“Where is he now?”

“In the basement holding cell… but…”

Heinz trailed off—a rare thing for him.

“There’s something strange. He didn’t resist at all. If anything,… he seemed pleased to be caught.”

“…What kind of person is my sister attracting these days?” Rashid muttered in disbelief.

Orzo stared at the stone walls around him and—for some reason—felt relieved.

Most people would be terrified in a place like this. But to him, it was oddly comforting.

No one was chasing him here. The walls were solid, unbreakable. And given the strength of the knight who had captured him, he doubted anyone else would try barging in.

That knight’s skill had been on another level. He’d caught the lady with one arm, tripped Orzo with his foot, and pinned him to the ground—all in a flash.

Orzo had tried to escape, but the way that knight pinned him, he couldn’t move an inch.

Eventually, he gave up, followed instructions, and ended up here.

“Well… where is this, anyway—ow…”

He winced. His back still ached where the knight had stepped on him.

“As long as they feed me, I’ll manage.”

He rolled over, mumbling to himself.

It was just a bump. I’ll probably be out soon.

As long as they gave him something to eat, he’d be fine.

It didn’t take even half a day for him to realize how wrong he was.

He could hardly breathe under the weight of the glares surrounding him.

Just as he’d begun to doze off, a group of knights dragged him into a new room.

It was far too lavish to be an interrogation chamber, but his exhausted mind couldn’t make sense of it.

The only skill he’d truly honed over years of running was knowing who not to upset—and who was the most dangerous person in the room.

And right now, every instinct told him: it was the young man sitting in the center chair.

The man didn’t say a word. He just looked at Orzo with a calm, unreadable gaze.

That alone made it hard to breathe.

Wait… did that lady die?

But… she had been fine. He’d heard her talking to the knight before being taken away.

Surely the knight would vouch for him.

That one thought kept circling in his mind until it spilled out of his mouth before he could stop it:

“I didn’t kill her!”

Every head turned toward him.

Orzo had a habit—when he got too focused, he stopped noticing anything else. It always made him seem strange.

Just like now.

“I didn’t kill her. I swear! I didn’t!”

People usually reacted in one of two ways: they either dismissed him as insane or beat him in frustration.

“I didn’t kill her,” he said again, his voice shaking. His eyes brimmed with tears.

But something about this room was different. No one moved. No one showed a single emotion.

Even the man in the center didn’t flinch. He just stared with cold, expressionless eyes—his chin resting in his hand as he leaned against the armrest.

“Name.”

A voice spoke. A knight stepped forward. His tone was quiet, but held an undeniable authority.

Orzo swallowed his tears and replied.

“O-Orzo. I don’t have a surname… I’m just a commoner.”

“Orzo?”

This time, someone else responded. It came from the opposite side of the room.

“Oh—that Orzo.”

The man repeated the name a few times, then turned to the one seated in the center.

“It’s him. The alchemist we were looking for—the one who slipped through our fingers.”

Orzo blinked and looked around.

He had absolutely no idea what was happening anymore.

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