Weeping Men: The Innocent Princess's Secret Delight - Chapter 2.11
“The injection doesn’t hurt much. It’s just a slight prick, that’s all.”
“That’s not it…”
Judith shook her head as if she were afraid of the injection like a child being comforted. Her fists were clenched tightly, which made Kaizen a bit flustered.
“…I don’t want to appear weak…”
Kaizen, who was guessing other reasons, felt a surge of sympathy and empathy at Judith’s continued words.
“What if rumors spread that the princess is clumsy… I’m always underestimated for being oblivious as it is…”
From what he observed, the princess was conscious of others’ views and tried not to show her weaknesses.
He understood that feeling. He too was like the princess, always wearing a mask.
“Your Highness…”
He couldn’t force her anymore. While Kaizen was searching for a response, Judith, suddenly cheerful again, clapped her hands.
“So, I was thinking! Sir Kaizen, you can handle simple treatments, right?”
“Yes.”
In wartime, there was no time to wait for a healer, so he could manage simple injuries.
“Then, you do it, treat me!”
However, upon realizing the reason Judith asked him for first aid, Kaizen was troubled.
Having someone you serve to show their vulnerable side and rely on you is a knight’s honor.
But, to do so, he would inevitably have to touch her body.
“Hng, hng…”
…He wasn’t confident. In many ways.
“…It’s difficult.”
“Sir Kaizen…”
He cut her off firmly. But Judith was persistent.
“There’s no one else but you I can ask for this kind of favor…”
“It’s not possible.”
“I doubt there’s anyone more skilled than you…”
“No matter how much first aid I’ve learned, I can’t compare to a royal physician.”
“…They are… scary.”
Kaizen’s confused gaze met Judith’s as if asking what she meant. Judith secretly felt excited under Kaizen’s gaze but tried to hide it.
“You know why I asked you to be my only escort knight, right? Actually, even the palace doctors…”
“Did you experience the same thing?!”
“No. It’s not the same, but I sometimes feel similar gazes from them…”
“…!”
In the end, he relented. The outcome was predetermined from the start. There was no way Kaizen could stop a determined Judith.
“…I’ll do it. This way.”
He was an intellectual. Not a beast. There’s no reason to be disturbed when not even a hint of bare skin is revealed.
Kaizen led Judith to a large rock, self-hypnotizing along the way.
“What should I do?”
The princess asked innocently. Kaizen prayed his words wouldn’t sound indecent as he replied.
“Lie… face down.”
The best remedy for muscle pain is a massage.
“Like this?”
The naive princess, not even imagining the suggestiveness of the situation, obediently lay down. Meanwhile, she slightly lifted her hips, perhaps disliking the cold.
“…Haa…”
A sigh escaped. A mix of emotions was embedded in it.
“Isn’t this the wrong way to lie down?”
“No, it’s correct. Excuse me.”
Thinking she had done something wrong again, Judith glanced back with a puzzled look. Kaizen decided he might as well finish quickly.
I am an intellectual.
“Hngh…”
I am an intellectual…
“It hurts… gently…”
I am…
“Ah. That’s good… more…”
…
‘Knight’s Code Article 1, Clause 1. Respect those you serve…’
Kaizen began reciting the knight’s code internally. It was a way to distract himself.
When more pressure was applied to finish quickly, the groans grew louder, and when the pressure was reduced in surprise, the body squirmed like an animal enjoying the touch. It was exceedingly troublesome.
‘Article 1, Clause 31. A knight is… A knight is… What was it…’
However, there was a limit to the long list of knightly codes. A momentary lapse quickly filled his senses with the situation at hand.
A flushed face looked back slightly as the hand stopped, while the body, pinned underneath, raised its hips and twitched. The scent of the outside air. The resilience felt in the palm. The metallic taste lingered from biting his lips too much. And,
“Kaizen…”
A voice calling his name as if in supplication.
“…”
Kaizen couldn’t even contain his agitation as he looked at her from a distance. And then…
Thud!
He moved away. He rolled on the ground in his haste to flee.
“Sir Kaizen?!”
Judith sprang up in surprise. As she approached him, Kaizen shook his head, moving further away.
“Please, do not come closer.”
“Did something suddenly go wrong? Let me see!”
If you come closer, you’ll be the one in trouble…
Holding back what he almost said, Kaizen pushed himself away from Judith to maintain distance.
It was a futile effort. Unlike Kaizen, who couldn’t even stand due to the weakness in his legs, Judith could stride over on her two feet.
“Where does it hurt?”
She was completely certain. She was more perceptive than usual. Kaizen felt a baseless resentment.
If she had even 1% awareness of how excessively seductive she was being, he wouldn’t be in such a predicament now.
Kaizen retreated again. Judith climbed on top of Kaizen, who kept trying to escape.
“I can’t even guess the reason, but…”
“…..”
“I don’t want you to suffer. Let me help you… okay?”
Her hand, stretched out to prevent his escape, pressed against the back of his hand. Their fingers lightly intertwined.
She sat between his thighs. The distance was so close that even a slight movement would make their lower bodies touch.
Her face was already close by. Even with his mind blank from agitation, he couldn’t take his eyes off Judith’s jade-colored eyes.
For the first time in his life, he tasted a bitter sense of defeat. Even in the battlefield where life and death were decided every second, he had never been subdued in such a humiliating position.
“Sir Kaizen…”
His name slipped quietly from her lips. Her head tilted slightly. The distance closed enough for their breaths to mingle. The princess was getting closer.
“Ugh…!!”
If they touched, it would be over. Whether it was desire or something else, he would be swallowed whole, crossing an irreversible river.
In a final resistance, Kaizen pulled back. It was purely by chance that he pulled on what was caught under his hand.
Rip—
And then, there was an unmistakable sound. What he thought was just a blade of grass turned out to be a piece of fabric.
Kaizen’s eyes widened as he absentmindedly checked what was caught in his hand.
“This is…!”
It was the emblem of the Northern Tribal Alliance. Though torn in half, it was unmistakable.
‘Why is something like this here?’
The fact that the enemy’s emblem was lying in the forest, soon to be filled with members of the imperial family and nobles, was never a good sign.
‘I need to report this immediately… No, I need to get out of here first!’
The situation became urgent in an instant. Driven by an obsessive protective instinct, Kaizen stood up and extended his hand to Judith.