# Chapter 8
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Suddenly, the strength in my arms that held my body was loosened.
I looked at him to see why he had changed his mind.
Nezar's eyes had already moved away from me and were looking inside the room, so I wandered around looking for the scene where Nezar's eyes were.
In fact, there was no need to get lost.
What he was looking at was a plaster flower in a vase.
Was it because it was the only thing full of life in the stark living room?
Nezar's eyes never left the gypsophila.
"Have you considered my offer?"
Nezar took his eyes off the flower and looked at me again.
If it was an offer, it would probably be referring to the nonsense of introducing the princess.
A character that doesn't suit my purposes at all.
I had no desire to meet him.
"No, I don't need forced friends.
"That's not a friend."
Even in my opinion, it was a very logical and emotional rejection.
Nezar, who must have been quite shocked by this, bent down and made eye contact with me.
Looking at it like this, the windblown black hair looked as good as if it had been calmly combed back.
The same happened with the face stained by the sandstorm.
The current Nezar was not a prince, but rather a sword-wielding knight.
When he reached for me, he paused and wiped his hand on his shirt.
And he placed the back of his hand, not the palm he had cleaned, on my forehead.
What kind of stupid behavior is this?
If this is the case, you can also clean the back of your hands.
"Kate, are you really sick?
Why do you keep saying things that are not appropriate?
In the past, no matter what happened, I would complain and ask for help."
"I'm fifteen years old too.
"I'm not a child."
He laughed at my serious answer.
"So who is the little girl that was hanging on my leg, crying and asking for an engagement letter?"
Nezar's hand slowly moved away from my forehead.
I sat still in the chair and looked at him like a child being punished.
The process of removing his hand and making eye contact with me suited him very well, like a tailored suit.
So I was a little scared.
I wonder if my complaining might have hurt him, which is why I say it so often.
"Are we going to pretend this never happened?"
My voice was a little shaky, but I quickly cleared my throat to pretend it wasn't.
"One.
Nezar, if you don't notice me that much, just...
...
."
Nezar gestured to me as if asking me to continue talking.
"You can just pretend this never happened.
I'm fine.
"No matter how the rumors spread, I'll accept it all."
If the engagement fails, I don't need to get a girlfriend, memorize Yeongsik's name, or practice embroidery.
Okay, but...
...
.
Contrary to what I said, the corners of my mouth drooped as if a heavy stone was hanging from them.
It seemed like Nezar had already fully understood my depressed mood.
He narrowed his dark eyes and spoke persuasively.
"I certainly said that yesterday, but you have to take responsibility for the words you say."
And this time, he pulled one of my hands and held it.
It was the same hand I had just wiped on my shirt.
"Kate, can you take responsibility for what you just said?"
Can you take responsibility?
Are you really asking if it can be destroyed?
If I nod my head here, does that mean the engagement never actually happened?
I was very welcome.
If I didn't marry Nezar, I could have children and I wouldn't have to spend my old age in solitude.
I couldn't think of all the advantages right away, but it seemed like there would be many. other good things.
After composing myself, I tried to nod.
I didn't have the confidence to say yes, so I tried to force my body to move.
Yes, I definitely did!
Before I knew it, Nezar's hands were holding my cheeks tightly, stopping me from shaking them up and down.
No, what makes you unable to shake your head when you ask?
"good.
Since you confessed that you can't lose, His Highness Nezar, who has the same heart as Hahae, will do as if nothing happened.
The next time you say something like that again, know that you will be reprimanded.
OK?"
"Where can you find something like this!"
"Okay, nod quickly."
He quickly shook his head as his expression turned cold.
As Nezar relaxed his hands, his neck moved gently.
It's really absurd.
He was very self-indulgent because he was afraid that someone else might be the crown prince.
Nezar, who was making eye contact with his knees bent, immediately grabbed my hand.
Unlike before, all five fingers were cold.
As he led us, we slowly walked down the silent hallway, devoid of anyone.
Nezar doesn't hold my hand tightly.
It was always like this, whether it was cold or hot.
Sometimes it felt like I was holding on instead of holding on.
Even when I clenched my palm or index finger because I couldn't guess why, he didn't show any reaction.
So at some point, I was always the one holding Nezar's hand.
The sky outside the window was so blue that it was impossible to guess its height, and the maple tree that grew right next to the building was gradually turning red from the top.
It was a scene that made you realize it really was autumn.
They look like Nezar's eyes.
Although I couldn't take my eyes off the edge of the red maple, Nezar spoke in a low voice.
"In about five years, the top of your head will touch my shoulder?"
With those words, I lifted my chin and looked at Nezar.
Since he was looking straight ahead, we couldn't make eye contact, but I could tell he was aware of me.
I slowly lowered my gaze from the prominent sideline.
As expected of a man whose hobby is sword training, smooth muscle movements were visible through his shirt.
The problem is that this was only visible if you lifted your chin not just slightly, but very proudly.
At most, the only parts I could see before my field of vision were Nezar's hard chest and solar plexus.
"Are you kidding me?
Meanwhile, Nezar, you will continue to grow.
"A shitbag dwarf like me won't be able to touch your shoulder even after a lifetime."
It was a little depressing to say it myself.
Even in my past life, which now seems like a distant memory, my height was always small compared to the people around me.
Still, considering my father and brothers' height, there was a glimmer of hope.
That's right, height is hereditary.
I can be bigger!
"Why suddenly?"
Does Nezar like tall, mature women?
It was worth it.
He was nineteen and I, who was chubby and stuck to the floor, was only fifteen.
Wait, so getting a girlfriend my age isn't going to help you at all?
I grimaced at the difficulty that suddenly appeared.
you are fine.
Just take a good look.
There were only four years left to complete nineteen...
...
.
No, there are still 4 years left?
I decided to go to bed early and wake up late from today onwards.
This way, the slow time will pass a little faster.
"I'm a little sad because I think my Kate will grow up a lot in the future."
I was disgusted by his expression and my shoulders shook.
"Ugh, where did that damn 'my Kate' come from?
"Rockherd and you too, don't keep adding possessives in front of my name."
Nezar stopped walking down the stairs and looked at me with shocked eyes.
"Do you know the word possessive?
"When was the last time you opened a book?"
It was a phrase that gave me a very good idea of the level at which I considered myself until now.
His eyes widened and he threw away Nezar's hand that he was holding.
"Do you know?
Anyway, don't put it carelessly.
"I don't belong to anyone else but my own."
"What's wrong with being careless?
Do you know how much you've followed me since I was eight years old?
If you fall and hurt yourself, I carry you, if you complain about being hungry, I pick raspberries for you, and when it's time to leave, I sing a song telling you not to go, so there were days when I couldn't go back to the castle...
...
."
“Eww!
I don't know! stop!"
I covered my ears and ran down the stairs as the dark story was revealed one by one.
I ran down the hall to the outside of the castle with great spirit, but I had no idea where Rockherd was.
I ended up having to stop running aimlessly.
When I turned my back, I saw Nezar walking slowly with his hands in his pants pockets.
As he was wearing only a tattered shirt and no jacket or vest, he looked like the image of a popular gangster roaming the alleys.
Even the smiling face was exactly like Rockherd's evil.
They say if you're close you look alike, and they were exactly like that.
"OK?
KATE It was because of you that I created half.
And yet, how dare you call it possessive without knowing grace?
The garden in front of the Knights' headquarters was full of wide grass and trimmed trees without a single flower.
As I smelled the blooming green leaves, Nezar approached.
The shadows of the leaves floated across his face.
"Don't run alone and get lost again.
"Hurry up and join hands."
With a glum face, I took the hand he extended.
As Nezar said, I wandered around as I pleased and got lost in the labyrinthine garden more than once.
I never wanted to go back to that moment when I was waiting for Nezar, shivering with cold and hunger.
"But where are we going now?
"I may know Nezar's castle, but I don't know this road very well."
"your home."
“I heard you were busy.
Can you take me there?"
Nezar answered my question in a calm voice.
"no.
I'm putting in the time and hard work to get you there.
So be grateful."
I'm so amazed.
Anyone who sees me will think I'm begging them to come with me.
"Can't I just go alone?"
"huh."
It was such a firm refusal that there was no need to ask any more questions.
I took my gaze away from him and looked ahead.
Thanks to Nezar adapting to my small steps, I didn't have to get out of breath.
When we arrived in Ezelot, it was past lunchtime and the sun was shining overhead.
As I had skipped a meal, I was hungry and had to walk to the castle.
However, Nezar seemed to have no intention of spending any time in Ezelot and refused even when told to go after eating.
He patted my head tightly, got into the carriage and left Ezelot again.
I looked at the imperial carriage, which was gradually becoming a dot in the distance, and silently entered the castle.
At the same time as I felt satisfied, a deep feeling of emptiness took over my mind and I became instantly depressed.
Until I got into the bathtub, I didn't know his dirty smell would go away.
I called Daisy in an increasingly low tone.
"Daisy, is there a way to think less about the person you like?"
Daisy, who was tidying up the room behind the curtain, answered.
"How to think less?
Hmm, I think I heard that if your body is far away, your mind will be far away too.”
"Stay away?
"How far?"
"Wouldn't it take at least two days by carriage?"
It took more than two days by carriage, so it was a distance that could have been traveled between the islands and Ezelot more than ten times.
Disappointed in Daisy's plan, I dipped my chin just below the surface.
"Anything else?"
"It's another thing, I don't know.
First of all, it's hard to easily forget someone you love.
"Isn't that why everyone is having a hard time?"
Then you just need to wait patiently until it is forgotten.
It was of no use to me now.
I sighed and laid my head on the bathtub.
As expected, those who liked it first and liked it more were perplexed.