The Princess Imprint A Traitor - Chapter 31: Requiem of the Imperial Capital (7)

Even though she hadn’t meant to, her voice had taken on a somber weight.

Rimona felt as if, for just a brief moment, she had glimpsed the burden Eve carried. The sheer gravity of it made her inhale sharply.

Then, all at once, she made up her mind. Without hesitation, she sprang to her feet and moved to sit beside Eve.

“Rimona?”

“Lie down here.”

Ignoring Eve’s confusion, Rimona patted her own thigh. When Eve only blinked at her in surprise, Rimona sighed in exasperation and gently pulled her down.

“W-Wait, what—?”

“Close your eyes.”

“Hold on, what are you—?”

Rimona placed a warm palm over Eve’s eyelids, blocking out the light and creating a peaceful darkness. Then, clearing her hoarse throat, she began to sing.

The melody was overly simple, the lyrics embarrassingly childish—something that seemed almost unworthy of Rimona’s talent.

Eve blinked beneath her palm, startled.

“Is this… a lullaby?”

“Shh! Our good little princess needs to sleep without talking.”

Just like that, Rimona treated her like a child.

So it really is a lullaby.

No one in the palace had ever treated Eve this way. Not even when she was small had anyone sung her to sleep.

Her cheeks flushed red.

It was a little embarrassing.

But… she didn’t hate it.

To cover up her reaction, Eve muttered a small complaint.

“I’m not a princess.”

Just a little, she wanted to tell the truth. Just a little, she wanted to be seen.

She expected Rimona to tease her, maybe treat her like a child throwing a tantrum. But the response she got was different.

“I know.”

“…….”

The quiet, steady reply rang in her ears.

For some reason, it unsettled her.

She suddenly wanted to see Rimona’s expression. But her vision was still covered by Rimona’s hand, cocooned in the gentle darkness.

Then Rimona said,

“Just stop thinking and sleep.”

“…Okay.”

The lullaby continued, soothing her in a way nothing else had. The endless nights of restless sleep felt like a distant memory.

“This is nice… Just listening makes me really sleepy…”

“Then I’ll keep singing until you fall asleep, my princess.”

Not long after, the sound of steady, peaceful breathing filled the carriage.

Even when they arrived in front of Rimona’s home, the carriage door remained closed.

And so, until the first light of dawn crept over the horizon, the carriage became Eve’s cradle.

❇

Despite the uncomfortable sleeping arrangements, Eve had slept soundly. Feeling refreshed, she parted ways with Rimona in front of her house.

“I ended up staying out overnight.”

The carriage wheels rolled along the empty dawn streets. After some time, Eve called for a driver to take over and had Mikael join her inside. She felt guilty for making him spend the night outside. As she reached for his hands, casting a warmth spell to make up for it, Mikael—who showed no signs of fatigue—studied her closely and said,

“Eve.”

“Hmm?”

“I’m glad to see you’re feeling much better. Though, I must admit, I’m a little disappointed that Miss Lund stole my chance to comfort you. But… I suppose it was a method of consolation I could never provide.”

He smiled softly as he finished speaking.

Lately, Mikael had been smiling more and more—and every time he did, Eve’s heart reacted with an undeniable thump.

Flustered, she lowered her head slightly to hide the blush creeping up her face.

“Your words helped too, Mikael.”

“You were miserable just a while ago. I doubt words alone were enough.”

“No, really. They were.”

Learning how to shift blame onto others was definitely going to come in handy.

Eve insisted, but Mikael still looked unconvinced, his gaze tinged with regret.

“To be honest, I had been considering other ways to comfort you.”

“Huh?”

“Nothing.”

“…….”

His cryptic response was accompanied by an oddly intense gaze.

His deep violet eyes seemed to pull her in.

For some reason, Eve felt like she was about to misinterpret his meaning in a very suggestive way.

Ahhh! I really am a royal through and through!

Embarrassed by her own impure thoughts, her cheeks burned even hotter.

She turned toward the window, using the excuse of feeling too warm.

As luck would have it, the imperial palace came into view in the distance.

It was time to return to her battlefield.