At The End Of The Hidden Greenery

Chapter 54 - The Expiration Date of Love

It rained incessantly. Funny how the weather was the same as back then.

The time when she felt betrayed by the Crown Prince and when she endured it alone.

When she first headed to the outskirts, she thought she was alone with her mind in the carriage. She never thought she would go back this way with the person who complicated her mind in the first place.

It was quiet inside the carriage. The Crown Prince, who was sitting across from her, looked at her quietly and did not speak.

He only looked out the window.

Jiwoo thought it would be nice if the rain got stronger and put out all the fires that had clung to the forest.

“…Are you uncomfortable anywhere? Once your ankle gets treated, I think it will heal soon.”

“I’m fine.”

As Jiwoo kept looking out the window without showing any signs of caring for her feet, the Crown Prince started talking to her again.

He sounded a little bit nervous.

“As expected, I should have executed those lowly things, but you are very merciful.”

“What do you mean lowly things?”

The Crown Prince’s temper seemed to be belatedly boiling again.

“How have you been? They’re a disgusting bunch who take women who can’t resist them just to gang r*pe her.”

Gang r*pe. Hearing that, Jiwoo laughed.

“…Why are you laughing?”

Can’t resist… It was ridiculous to say that.

Did she not resist? Is it a culture he can understand as an imperial person, and even a man with power?

“Your Highness, the other race hate outsiders. They hate them so much they kill those outsiders as soon as they run into them. Would they really insult themselves by having sex with said outsiders?”

It meant that they weren’t the kind of people who would do such a thing.

However, after hearing those words, Jiwoo felt his heart grow cold because of the Crown Prince’s counterattack.

“It’s just a woman. How can I care about that?”

Yes. Just a woman. The Empire was such a country.

“Well, only the imperial people rape. Whether it’s a person from an enemy country they hate, or a slave who they think is not on the same level as them.”

Even though she has lived in this world for over five years, Jiwoo is not good at speaking in a noble way because she has a short vocabulary.

Still, five years was enough. The Crown Prince was used to Jiwoo’s way of speaking.

“…Can I take it as saying that nothing happened to you?”

“Yeah, nothing happened.”

“Then, that scoundrel…”

That scoundrel, it was clear that the Crown Prince was concerned about Tevon who was provoking him.

Jiwoo let out a sigh. Stupid. She shouldn’t have talked about this.

“Your Highness, it seems that you are worried about me.”

“Why do you think I wouldn’t worry? You won’t know what kind of despair I lived in until I heard you were missing, and until I found out that you were alive.”