Chapter 160 - Stop Right There (2/2)
“I’m fine. You don’t need to worry.”
“I don’t believe you’re fine.”
As he spoke, he walked closer to Elena. She hurriedly held out her hand.
“Stop right there.”
Carlisle froze on the spot. Elena hadn’t meant to blurt it out like that. She didn’t want to be so conscious of Carlisle anymore. In this situation where her family’s life was on the line, she had no time to indulge in this new feeling.
“I’m fine, really. Don’t come any closer.”
Although it was obscured in the dark, Elena could almost sense a smirk on Carlisle’s mouth.
“No.”
Carlisle’s footsteps resumed again. And then came his voice, lower and huskier than before.
“I told you, if there’s ever a moment when you’re too conscious of me, you have to hide it…”
Before she knew it, she realized that Carlisle’s long legs had brought him close to her.
“…because I can’t stand it.”
“Caril!”
Before Elena could say anything, Carlisle’s arms came under her waist and knees and abruptly lifted her into the air. No matter how slim she was, an adult woman was a heavy load. Carlisle seemed unburdened however, and Elena looked up at him with a wide-eyed stare.
“How many times are you going to say that, when you’ve already broken two things at once?”
Carlisle walked towards the bed, carrying Elena in his arms. In the short distance, Elena felt an oddly tickling, peculiar sensation…
She was carefully deposited onto the mattress. But it didn’t end there.
Seueugeu.
Carlisle took Elena’s slender ankle from underneath her nightgown.
“Tell me if you’re hurt. I’ll call the doctor right away.”
She was startled by the heat of his skin on hers. Carlisle’s body temperature was higher than she expected.
“You don’t have to call a doctor at this late hour. I’m fine.”
“I don’t believe that.”
Looking at Carlisle’s sharp eyes, she couldn’t help but feel once more he was a man who crossed lines freely. The more she tried to avoid him, the more entangled she became. Elena pushed away her confusion before speaking.
“I’m fine, truly. I don’t want to be crowded when people come and go. If I wake up tomorrow and it still hurts, then we can call the doctor.”
Carlisle frown disapprovingly, but he relented.
“Be sure to.”
Carlisle hesitated for a moment, then pulled the blanket up to Elena’s neck. She looked at him in surprise when he brushed his hand against her forehead.
“It’s late, so sleep now.”
Finally, Carlisle turned away.
As Elena watched his dark shape walk away and then recline onto the couch, she felt her thoughts became even more confused than before.
This was a long night.
*
*
*
Zenard had been very busy lately.
He had gathered all the servants working at the Crown Prince’s palace at Elena’s order, then was later scolded for not reporting the plant to Carlisle.
‘By the time I looked for him, the prince had already gone to the Imperial Palace to visit the Emperor and Empress.’
Zenard though his treatment was unfair, but it couldn’t be helped. For now, he focused on gathering information on the plant even into this late hour. There was no deadline, but wanted to complete it as soon as possible in respect to Elena.
‘She is a good match for the prince.’
When Zenard had first met her, he was stunned by her dazzling beauty, and later, he came to admire her meticulous character and intelligence. Elena may not realize it, but Carlisle had changed immensely since he met her. Knowing how Carlisle was like at the borders of the Ruford Empire, Zenard could safely say that the prince had become more human than before.
‘If the prince is to be as gentle as he is now, he will need as much help from the princess as much as possible.’
The only thing that could put an angry beast to rest was beauty. An uncharacteristic smile spread on Zenard’s face as he thought of the crown princess.
Ttog, ttog.
There was a knock on Zenard’s door.
“Come in.”
One of Zenard’s men charged with gathering information entered the room.
“We found what you were looking for. Please look over this report.”
Zenard immediately began looking at the material the man had brought.
[Manera plant.
A rare plant that grows only in the kingdom of Sibena in the south.
If raised well, it will bloom pink flowers and is very aromatic.
Women, however, will become infertile if exposed to the fragrance over a long period of time.]
Zenard was shocked at the passage he just read. He had an ominous premonition knowing that Empress Ophelia had sent it, but he didn’t realize it would be to this extent. Elena had not mentioned a single word about this.
‘Does the Crown Princess know about this?’
Elena already knew that the plant only grew in the Sibena kingdom, so chances were that she was not ignorant. Nevertheless, she kept the plant… She was truly dauntless, and Zenard felt another wave of admiration. However, another sentence caught his eyes.
[There is another plant called the Vanera, which is the Manera’s twin.
It is said…]
A serious light glimmered in Zenard’s eyes as he read the information.