Chapter 205 – Chapter 43: Storm #2 (2/2)

“It is worth checking out, Indara. It was a good story.”

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

Once it was all over, Felicia took down the anti-eavesdropping shield. The reason for opening the shield in the first place was due to the part about Enger Plains losing its greenery if the small temple disappeared. If this information spread, something big could happen in Enger Plains.

Once the shield disappeared, the people in the vicinity wondered about what was spoken, but they didn’t say anything. It was the royal family who opened the shield, so they didn’t think too deeply about what had been spoken.

They consumed dry meat and hot water from In-gong’s inventory before falling into a deep sleep against each other. Even the ogres prioritized sleep over the meal, indicating how harsh today’s march was.

Felicia, who didn’t have the stamina of an ogre, also tried to fall asleep, but it wasn’t easy. Anastasia leaned against Felicia in her thick winter clothes and asked,

“Felicia, did you explore the ruin in Curtis with Shutra?”

Felicia responded in a small voice,

“Yes, we went to the holy place of the lizardmen.”

The lizardmen hadn’t told them not to talk about visiting the temple. Anastasia laughed and leaned against Felicia even more.

“That must have been good.”

Anastasia was just thinking about how much Felicia loved ruins, but Felicia’s reaction was amusing.

“Eh? Yes. G-Good. T-That… we were also with Carack and Delia. The two of us were hardly ever alone. Oh, but the fireworks were good.”

Anastasia’s eyes lit up at the unexpected babbling. Why was Felicia responding like this? Additionally, the center of the story was In-gong, not the ruin.

“Felicia?”

“Huh?”

“Your reaction is a little… Isn’t it unusual?”

Anastasia asked, and Felicia swallowed hard. Suddenly, she regained her spirit.

“Ah, no. It’s just…”

Felicia trailed off, avoiding Anastasia’s eyes. Then Carack raised a hand to In-gong’s shoulder, who was sitting not far away and listening to their conversation.

“Prince, laughing will make her feel worse.”

“Hmm, hmm.”

In-gong tried to fix his expression, but he couldn’t help smiling. Felicia’s reaction was very cute, but something was tickling at a corner of his heart.

‘Ah, it is embarrassing.’

In-gong recalled Caitlin’s and Felicia’s reactions on the day his birth secret had been revealed, and his smile grew wider. This truly was very sweet. Carack looked at In-gong and clicked his tongue. At that time, Anastasia shifted her suspicious eyes from Felicia to In-gong.

“Shutra, what have you done to Felicia? What have you done since then?”

“Unni!”

It was almost the same question as 3rd Queen Sylvia’s. As Felicia and In-gong remained silent, Anastasia’s suspicions grew even more. Then Caitlin, who was watching the conversation, sat down beside In-gong and said in a small voice,

“I also want to watch the fireworks with Shutra.”

The way she moved her fingers while saying it was also very cute. While In-gong was suffering an attack once again, Chris laughed and raised a hand to Caitlin’s shoulder.

“Caitlin, once we return, I will prepare a big fireworks display.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

Chris smiled very gently. His smile was more like a father than a brother.

“Oppa is the best!”

Unlike Felicia and Anastasia who had used up all their stamina, Caitlin was still energetic. She smiled widely at Chris, painting a really warm scene. However, someone else was watching Caitlin and Chris with jealousy instead of warmth.

“Felicia! This Oppa as well!”

“Ah, come on!”

However, Felicia didn’t have any stamina to fend off Silvan. So, she was forced to stay in Silvan’s arms. Anastasia stared at Felician and Silvan, and then at Chris and Caitlin. A bitter smile appeared on her face. She thought it was unsightly, yet she was also filled with envy.

While everyone else was resting, the royal children were making a fuss, and it was the aides who ended up suffering. Carack, with the help of Delia, Seira, Sepira, and Chandra, managed to restrain the royal children, and the atmosphere soon quieted down.

“Everything is good, so do you have to sleep like this?”

It would be nice if he was next to Felicia and Caitlin. As In-gong spoke, Carack replied with a sour expression from next to him,

“Prince, I also want to sleep next to Seira, Delia, and Karma again.”

It wasn’t just one person… and he said ‘again’.

In-gong was just glad that Carack hadn’t mentioned Daphne or Sepira.

“Now, Prince, come this way. Prince smells really good. I will help get rid of the cold.”

Carack laughed with a really creepy expression. Despite knowing that he was joking, In-gong couldn’t help shuddering. After Carack laughed one last time, the cave fell silent.

Some time passed by, and In-gong woke up abruptly from a deep sleep. Aside from Amita’s flames, the inside of the cave was still dark, and everyone’s breathing was calm. From the entrance of the cave, the sound of wind could be heard through the small holes in the magic shield.

It was the same as before he had fallen asleep, but In-gong felt goose bumps. While everyone was sleeping, In-gong looked up at the ceiling.

He could feel a vibration, and tiny flakes of rock were falling from the ceiling. The moment In-gong took a deep breath, the vibration was amplified. Then he felt a sudden change. In-gong shot up from his spot, and Carack opened his eyes.

The vibration became bigger, and large debris began to fall. Suddenly, In-gong shouted.

Kwang!

With a loud roar, cracking sounds rang out all over the ceilings and walls.

It was at this moment that the cave collapsed with one final roar as rocks, snow, and water poured down from the sky on to top of everyone’s heads.