The Runaway Maid is Loved by the Archmage - Chapter 42
Roina froze.
Yes. Until recently, she had been thoroughly defiled by Roberto. And she had become so completely conditioned to it…
She had indulged in it, shamelessly. Lately, the Imperial Crown Prince had relentlessly pushed her into the depths of carnal pleasure, sneering at her, calling her a depraved woman. He wasn’t wrong. In the end, she had… enjoyed it.
Her face twisted with deep self-loathing. She wrapped her arms around herself, clamping her mouth shut, unwilling to let him see her like this. The thought that Lutan had kissed someone like her made her stomach churn. He must have found it revolting. Uneasy, she looked up at him.
The mage pulled her into another embrace, holding her lightly. Then, with gentle reassurance, he patted her shoulder. Moved by the warmth of his comforting gesture, Roina bit her lip. Her nose stung.
“It’s not your fault.”
At those quiet words, Roina felt another surge of tears well up and spill over. She wiped at them with the back of her hand, then her wrist, but the hot tears kept streaming down her cheeks. For someone as lonely as she was, those few warm words had been desperately needed.
Lutan quietly took hold of her hand as she rubbed her eyes, then pressed a kiss to her forehead and her eyes. He then lightly licked away her tears, his warm and soft tongue grazing over her eyelids in a gentle, ticklish motion.
The Archmage smacked his lips. Salty and sweet. After a slight hesitation, he spoke.
“In truth, because of this… to remove the miasma, you will likely have to share a bed with me for the time being. To properly guide your mana and expel the miasma, I must infuse my mana into you in the same manner.”
At his words, Roina felt her heart sink. Ah, so this was what Lutan had been hiding. Even that kiss just now had merely been a form of treatment. A dull ache spread through her chest.
“I have been searching through every ancient text for another method, but they either take far too long or are practically impossible to carry out at this time. I still need to look further, but… I don’t believe there is another way.”
In the middle of the old library, where moonlight rested in quiet stillness, the golden-eyed man with long black hair sat beside her, his voice both polite and tinged with a hint of suffering.
Roina pressed a hand against her chest, trying to suppress the dull, throbbing pain in her heart. The spirits continued placing books back onto the shelves, but every single one in this study had clearly passed through this man’s hands today. He had gone to such lengths just to avoid sharing a bed with her.
“I’m sorry. I should have found another way somehow…”
“I’m sorry. If you don’t mind, please…”
Both of them spoke at the same time.
Lutan’s golden eyes widened slightly in surprise at Roina’s words.
“I—I’m really sorry. But I… I’m fine. Please infuse your mana into me… in the same way.”
“…Are you certain?”
Roina squeezed her eyes shut. She felt tormented, as though she was forcing something upon him. She didn’t want him to overextend himself. She wanted to erase the traces of the Imperial Crown Prince as quickly as possible, so she longed for the fastest method.
But in truth, that felt like nothing more than an excuse—because overwhelmingly, desperately, she wanted Lutan. A deep guilt settled over her. Perhaps this was simply the influence of the dark magic. That thought only made her feel worse.
Maybe she truly was someone who deserved to be punished. Maybe the Imperial Crown Prince’s sneering words had taken root within her.
Lutan gazed at her silently, then gently caressed her cheek, wiping away the lingering traces of her tears.
“…Very well.”
“……”
“At midnight, when my magic is at its strongest, I will come to your chambers.”
He pressed a kiss to her forehead and gently pulled her into his embrace once more. She thought she heard a faint whisper—I’m sorry. Unable to hold out any longer, she rested her head against his broad chest. Moonlight streamed through the window, casting its glow upon the two figures entwined in each other’s arms.
It was a quiet and peaceful night.
***
Crash!
“Damn it!!!”
“Y-Your Highness, if you get so worked up, your wounds will worsen…! Please stay still, Your Highness!”
Inside the Imperial Crown Prince’s office, Roberto was furiously lashing out in front of his maids—an unprecedented sight. As the Crown Prince had always maintained a courteous and gentlemanly demeanor in public, his sudden outburst left his subordinates flustered and scrambling.
The office was already in complete disarray from his rampage, and the documents they had brought for approval had long been torn to shreds, scattered across the floor.
Ever since the night he had suddenly claimed to have been attacked by an assassin, the Crown Prince had been having these unpredictable fits of rage. No one knew exactly what had provoked him, and every attempt to calm him down had ended in failure.
Some of the more perceptive maids wondered if it had something to do with the disappearance of that chambermaid—the one to whom he had shown an oddly mild attitude. But no one dared voice such thoughts aloud.
It was common knowledge among those working in the Crown Prince’s palace that the girl had been nothing more than his plaything. However, everyone was equally aware that speaking carelessly about the matter would lead to their quiet and sudden demotion—if they were lucky.
One noble, hoping to secure a position for his daughter in the future harem after learning of the chambermaid’s disappearance, had sent her to the Crown Prince’s palace.
He got her corpse back. Along with a hefty sum in compensation.
The man who had once appeared, at least on the surface, to be a diligent and benevolent Crown Prince had turned into a tyrant overnight.
