The Princess’s Final Wish Before Her Time Runs Out - Chapter 89

“Tericia.”

As expected, Rashid came to see her as soon as he returned home. When she opened her door, the first thing that greeted him was the cold air filling the room.

Feeling a strange sense of déjà vu, Rashid paused in the doorway.

There had been a time like this before, when worry drove him into her room, only to be met with a chill so sharp it made his heart stop. That time, yes.

“Over here.”

Right. You called me from that balcony, just like this.

As if drawn by something unseen, Rashid stepped out onto the balcony. Tericia stood by the railing, wearing only a light shawl, gazing into the dark. When he approached, she turned and gave him a gentle smile.

“Why are you here? Aren’t you busy?”

“Did you really think I wouldn’t come after hearing you collapsed?”

Rashid frowned slightly at her words, then took off his coat and placed it over her shoulders. Tericia’s eyes followed his hands as he adjusted it around her.

“You even told the staff not to contact me.”

His voice hinted at disapproval as he tightened the coat a little more. The way he wrapped it around her felt almost like an embrace, and Tericia’s face turned red.

Whenever he got this close, she couldn’t stop her heart from racing. His slightly disheveled clothes, the tired look in his eyes—it all stirred something inside her.

She turned away, pretending to look elsewhere, and cleared her throat softly.

“…Sorry.”

Rashid didn’t like that she avoided his gaze, but he didn’t show it.

Instead, he gently wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her a little closer. They weren’t pressed together, but it was still close—yet Tericia seemed completely calm.

“Don’t push yourself too hard.”

“I’m not.”

“…”

“Well… maybe a little.”

Tericia mumbled, avoiding his eyes.

Rashid let out a quiet sigh and gently tilted her chin to meet his gaze. His long fingers brushed along her jaw before moving back to her slender waist.

“You really are pushing yourself. Your face looks pale.”

He pressed his forehead gently against hers. The distance was close enough to feel like a kiss.

“You look worse than me… but aren’t we a little too close?”

Tericia blushed, seeming to realize it only just now. She tried to push away from his chest, but Rashid didn’t move.

When she shifted slightly, the faint rustle of fabric made him laugh—and that laughter traveled through his arm, wrapped around her waist, and into her.

“I thought you were just pretending not to notice. Did you really not know?”

“I-I mean…”

Her face turned even redder. Even when she turned away or squirmed to escape his gaze, she couldn’t get out of his arms.

Seeing her like that, Rashid laughed again. His low chuckle drifted out into the night with the breeze.

“I thought you were staying quiet because you felt guilty for not telling me.”

“That’s not it.”

“Let’s say it is.”

With a soft, amused tone, Rashid gave her one more gentle squeeze before letting go. It was a lingering, almost reluctant gesture.

“You didn’t take it out on anyone else, did you?”

“…There’s no one else awake at this hour.”

“Harris must’ve greeted you.”

“I held it in.”

“Good job.”

At his words, Tericia smiled faintly and reached up to pat his hair. Rashid blinked, surprised by her unexpected gesture, then smiled warmly.

It was the kind of moment no one else would believe—her doing that, and him allowing it.

If the Crown Prince saw it, he’d be shocked and call it ridiculous. If Heinz saw it, he’d be speechless, thinking Rashid had completely changed. And Adler would probably just sigh and shake his head.

This isn’t so bad, Rashid thought, a small smile tugging at his lips.

“I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again—I only want you to be well. Please, don’t make me worry more than I already do.”

“…Okay.”

Tericia looked away, maybe embarrassed by the concern in his eyes. Her gaze wandered, then settled once again on the dark garden below.

Thanks to the coat he’d wrapped around her, the cold railing no longer felt as chilly as before.

“There was another time like this.”

It was Tericia who brought it up first. It had been shortly after Rashid returned to the duke’s estate—on the day she’d been slapped by her mother for defending him. That day, her heart had burned, her face flushed.

“That night, I gave you my coat too. You were dressed so lightly.”

“Did you?”

“Yes. Right here, in this spot.”

“…I think I remember. It doesn’t feel like that long ago.”

The view before them hadn’t changed—but their relationship, and everything around them, had.

Back then, he used to call her “sister,” always so tense, waiting for her answer. Now, even when he called her name, she responded. The gaze he once cast alone was now returned.

“Tericia.”

“…Yes?”

Her deep purple eyes, dimmed by the night, turned to him.

“Do you… regret this?”

His voice dropped slightly.

Letting him in. Choosing to stay by his side.

He pretended not to care, but deep down, Rashid couldn’t ignore the fear.

Was she with him only because of how things had unfolded? Was it just because he had pushed so hard?

Even though he tried to brush those thoughts away, they still rose up now and then—gnawing at him, turning him into something more desperate, more restless.

“Regret?”

Her expression shifted. She looked at him blankly for a moment, then her face softened. Her lips trembled as if she were holding back tears, trying to steady herself.

“What I regret is…”

Tericia stepped forward and gently wrapped her arms around Rashid. Her unexpected action left him momentarily stunned.

“The only thing I regret… is not realizing how I felt about you sooner.”

As if to hide her face, Tericia buried it in his chest.

“If only I had understood my feelings back then… I would’ve stayed by your side, in a different way.”

“Tericia?”

“Why I… why I love you…”

Rashid looked down at her, eyes filled with surprise. She kept her head tucked against him, not letting him see her face. That felt unfamiliar—unlike the Tericia he knew.

Is she crying?

But his shirt wasn’t wet, so probably not.

“Tericia.”

He called her name softly.

He held her with one arm while gently lifting her face with the other. Her eyes, deep and shadowed, met his.

Her pale skin, her soft, red lips—they were all he could see. Then, suddenly, a powerful urge rose inside him.

He lowered his head and kissed her.

He met her gaze just before their lips touched—her eyes wide in surprise. The moment their lips met, a thrill ran through him.

So this is what it feels like to breathe.

The instant he felt her, it all became real. Rashid let out a soft, breathless laugh, then kissed her deeper.

His lips were warm. His kiss—deep, a little impatient—was full of emotion. The heat between them pulled Tericia in, making her heart race.

As their bodies pressed closer, she began to lean back.

To hold onto him, she clutched his collar. The tighter she held on, the more her hands trembled—but she didn’t notice.

His hand at her back, his touch at her neck—wherever he touched her, warmth spread like fire, consuming her piece by piece.

Everywhere his body met hers felt like a spark, threatening to burn her from the inside out.

Before either of them could fully process it, Rashid finally pulled away, breathing heavily. Their unsteady breaths filled the space between them.

Time passed slowly before Rashid let out a quiet laugh.

“You didn’t push me away… I never thought I’d see a day like this.”

Tericia’s face turned bright red. Her cheeks, already flushed from the kiss, burned even hotter.

Rashid chuckled again, his joy only growing.

And then, his voice turned soft.

“Why is it… that even when I’m happy, I still feel afraid? Is it because I’m so happy that it scares me? Or is it because… I have to leave you?”

“Rashid…”

Hearing his quiet, vulnerable whisper, Tericia opened her mouth without thinking.

“When you come back… should we get engaged?”

Rashid’s eyes widened in shock. His expression was dazed, but the corners of his mouth kept lifting in joy, like he couldn’t stop it.

“What in the world…”

He raised a hand to cover his mouth, trying to hide his grin, and let out a soft groan.

“What happened today, exactly?”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t think I can take all of this in right now.”

At that, Tericia tilted her head slightly, puzzled. That simple gesture was so endearing it made Rashid laugh again.

“At this rate, the world might end tomorrow. Maybe a dragon will rise from the mountains.”

“What are you saying?”

Tericia let out a bright laugh, and Rashid’s heart softened at the sound.

“Tericia.”

“Hmm?”

He spoke her name but didn’t follow it with words. Instead, he sighed and pulled her close again—holding her like he never wanted to let go. Like her small frame was too precious for this world.

Just stay like this. As long as I know you’re smiling, I can handle anything.

As if she understood without needing to hear it, Tericia quietly returned the embrace.

“…If this is a dream, I hope I never wake up.”

Her arms tightened around him in response to his quiet murmur.

She was just as startled by her earlier words as he was. Her cheeks, already pink, deepened to a glowing red.

Embarrassed, she avoided his gaze, her eyes darting around—and in doing so, she missed seeing his face.

“…Marriage might still be too soon, so… I only meant…”

“No. Engagement is fine. Anything’s fine. As long as it’s what you want.”

Afraid she might take back what she’d said, Rashid answered immediately. The overwhelming emotion in his voice brought her gaze back to him.

He looked down at her, his golden eyes glowing, bright as the stars.

“Whatever you want.”

Rashid’s voice trembled with joy. It felt like she was seeing this side of him for the first time. And that made Tericia speak again—without thinking.

“Rashid.”

“Yes?”

“You… do you…”

But the words caught in her throat, her face flushing deeper. Rashid smiled and answered without hesitation.

“Tericia, you’re my fire. My one and only. ‘Love’ doesn’t even come close to describing it. You’re my life. My heartbeat.”

He exhaled shakily and buried his face in the curve of her neck.

His warm breath—full of a vow—brushed against her skin and flowed through her like fire in her veins.

You’re my reason for existing too. You’re the life that makes me who I am.

Tears welled in her eyes at the words she couldn’t say out loud. She blinked slowly, trying to hold them back. It felt strange—being so happy, yet so close to tears.

“Forever…”

His voice, filled with heat and promise, echoed in her heart.

Forever…

You are. You always will be.

Mine.

“A life for a life, Rashid Carlo Hespelt. Whose life will you trade for yours?”

The voice echoed in her mind again. And now, she thought she finally understood what it meant—what choice she would have to make.

But the choice… it’s already been made.

Tericia swallowed the thought and held Rashid tighter. He, too, pulled her closer.

Even in this suffocating embrace, the small, aching part of her heart couldn’t be comforted. And that made her chest ache even more.

One month later, the Imperial Palace held its departure ceremony.

Rashid Carlo Hespelt, Duke of the Empire, stood at the front, receiving the Emperor’s orders.

The war with the Eastern Kingdom had begun.

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