I Just Wanted to Avoid Death - Chapter 30
“You?”
Adelio looked as though he were about to say a guest room, but he stopped and stared intently at Yeshion.
Yeshion’s face was beautiful. Even to Adelio, who had grown up surrounded by beauty, Yeshion’s features were striking.
If someone with a face like his were to walk around the palace wearing a priest’s uniform, rumors would spread in no time. Everyone would soon be talking about the pretty little priest staying at the imperial palace.
And once that gossip reached Eldis, he would rush over immediately. That snake-like Eldis would then snatch Yeshion away before Adelio even had a chance.
“I can’t risk being found out after all the trouble I went through sneaking you in. You’ll stay in my room.”
“…What?”
Yeshion hadn’t expected such a response, so he reflexively asked again,
“Wait, where… did you say I’m staying?”
“My room. The bed is quite big. There’s plenty of space for two.”
At the firm answer, Yeshion immediately took several steps back and replied,
“…I-I’ll just go back.”
“What?”
“Whether I stay at the temple or share a room with Your Highness, it’s pretty much the same… No, it seems even more dangerous here in the palace.”
The person in question was none other than Adelio.
From their very first meeting, Adelio had bitten his neck, drawing blood. That wasn’t enough, so during their second encounter, he had tried to overpower him. Who knew what Adelio would do next if they shared the same room?
“You want to go back? Are you serious?”
“Have I ever lied to you?”
“You’ve done it plenty.”
“…..”
“You even pretended not to recognize me.”
Adelio grinned, his eyes narrowing. But just as quickly, he grabbed Yeshion’s wrist and began walking.
Whether Yeshion liked it or not was irrelevant to Adelio. Yeshion, a mere priest, couldn’t possibly stop the crown prince’s actions.
“W-where are you going?”
“To my room, where you’ll be staying. It’s not like you’d know where it is, even if I explained.”
“You could let go of my hand, though.”
“No. I want to hold it.”
Adelio’s grip loosened slightly as his hand slid down Yeshion’s arm, his fingers intertwining with Yeshion’s before gripping tightly again.
“Ow! That hurts!”
In the end, Yeshion had no choice but to follow him, wincing with every step. No matter how much he tried to pull his hand away, Adelio wouldn’t let go.
The most lavish palace in the empire lay ahead.
Beyond the heavy security stood the main palace, where the royal family resided. On the third floor, at the very end, was Adelio’s room—the crown prince’s chamber.
As they arrived, Yeshion scanned the area and realized something. Perhaps following Adelio here had been his biggest mistake since his reincarnation.
“The security here… it’s pretty tight.”
“Well, of course. It’s the imperial palace. Security is at least twice as strict as at the temple.”
Yeshion’s mind swirled. If he hadn’t been able to escape from the temple, how would he manage to leave here?
“By the way…”
Adelio began as they reached a door. He turned the doorknob and opened it, pushing Yeshion inside.
At first glance, the room was far too luxurious to be a guest room. As Yeshion turned around, Adelio, who had followed him in, shut the door and said,
“I hear you tried to run away from the temple too.”
Thud.
Yeshion’s heart sank.
Did Adelio… know? But it only happened last night. How could he have found out?
“I don’t think I mentioned that to Your Highness.”
“In a place like this, you end up hearing a lot of things, whether you want to or not.”
“…..”
“Of course, I looked into it because I was curious about you.”
Leaning against the door with his arms crossed, Adelio looked amused, as if showing off Yeshion’s new ‘cage.’
‘Is there a way out of here?’
While biting the inside of his lip and scanning the room, Yeshion’s gaze landed on a shelf filled with various shiny objects.
‘There it is.’
On the nearby shelf were several sparkling items. Ignoring Adelio’s presence, Yeshion slowly approached the shelf.
“Why? Did you spot something pretty while thinking of escape?”
Adelio remained leaning against the door, his expression saying he wouldn’t let Yeshion leave no matter what scheme he tried.
But Yeshion paid no mind to Adelio’s words and started fiddling with a crystal bottle.
“Can I have this?”
Adelio narrowed his eyes. He had expected Yeshion to beg to be let go and make a scene, but here he was, asking for something shiny.
‘Well, I suppose he could be greedy.’
Remembering Yeshion’s reputation, Adelio nodded and replied,
“Take it. Not like you can leave with it anyway.”
Ignoring Adelio’s remark, Yeshion carefully inspected the crystal bottle.
The problem was that there were two identical bottles.
Without knowing what was inside, Yeshion grabbed both.
“But, Your Highness.”
“What?”
Casually calling Adelio, Yeshion turned his head to scan the room, slowly strolling as if taking a tour. Then, with a smile, he said,
“I don’t think I ever said I’d stay quietly, did I?”
