"And what exactly would make you die? Behave properly and you won't."
Rora said this in an uninterested tone, paying little mind to his words. He silently thanked the heavens she didn't take the topic seriously; otherwise he would've been stuck between interrogation and forced persuasion.
"Rora… what do you think of me? Do I seem like a bad person?"
This time, confusion spread over her face. His questions were pointless, but she still answered.
"Turns out you're just an idiot. You only looked like someone who doesn't tolerate others."
She fell silent afterward, and she wasn't entirely wrong. He truly hadn't been open since he became a servant—
not until Sungmin ended up in Jinho's body.
So she never actually knew how to describe him.
He stayed quiet as they continued their journey. There was no time to rest; the duke's estate was still four hours away.
Two hours later, they stopped at a garden to let the horses drink and eat, as they had begun panting heavily.
Jinho got off to check on everyone, and they were fine. Meanwhile, Sungjin was busy feeding his carriage horse.
Jinho tossed him a water flask and said,
"You too. Refresh yourself."
The other caught it, puzzled, but drank after thanking him.
Jinho approached with some food—carrots for the horse—and placed them in front of it, feeding it in Sungjin's stead.
Sungjin simply stood and watched quietly.
But he couldn't stop himself from asking,
"Do you like horses?"
Jinho remembered he had always been afraid of them in his old world—he once fell trying to ride one as a child.
He let out a soft laugh, because he had to lie. Jinho loved horses, and Sungjin knew that… but he wanted to test him.
Jinho:
"Of course I like them. It's nice remembering how I used to ride."
He suddenly fell silent. A wave of voices rushed into his mind, dragging out buried memories belonging to this body:
"Careful, Jin!"
"You fool, look where you're going!"
"Put your backside on the saddle properly!"
"Come on Jinho, you can do it!"
These words echoed in his head—spoken by his sister and Rafael—in a wide, bright field he couldn't pinpoint from the original story.
He pressed his temple, a sudden ringing filling his head. His companion instantly sensed his shift—tension, unease—
as if he had suddenly fallen ill.
"Are you alright? Does your head hurt? Should I call Rafael?"
Jinho laughed, hiding his pained expression.
"You're calling him Rafael now without 'sir'? Shame on you. I'll tell him."
The other's face flushed awkwardly.
"My mistake… for worrying about you."
Sungjin backed away, embarrassed, which only annoyed Jinho a little.
Jinho ran to him and grabbed his shoulder.
"I'm joking, you law-lover. I won't tell him."
Sungjin looked at him, a hint of fondness in his eyes.
He really has been more social since yesterday… is something wrong with his head?
Sungjin reached out and tapped his cheek teasingly.
"Is this a symptom of dying? Or have you suddenly become so kind it's troubling?"
The other smiled—painfully—
a smile that held more unspoken thoughts than words.
Jinho noticed, but chose not to ask.
"What are you two doing? Secretly dating behind the prince's carriage?"
Rora said this as she arrived with the prince, who looked at them proudly.
Jinho jumped back instantly, cheeks burning from their comments and from Sungjin and Rafael's stares.
He blurted,
"Of course not! I was just talking to him!"
Rafael smirked mischievously.
"Is he soft to the touch? Or rough?"
Jinho's face turned even redder. He didn't know where to begin defending himself.
Rora laughed behind the prince as Sungjin rolled his eyes coldly.
"Enough fooling around. He's dying—let's continue the journey."
They left him flustered, unable to understand why he was embarrassed.
Since when did friendliness count as "dating"?
No—I refuse to think about dating. I just want to stay alive. What if I get killed by one of his obsessed fans because I spoke to him kindly? Why am I acting so stupid that I'm getting these looks?
Poor thing—taking every word in this world so seriously.
On the bright side… Sungjin seems to like me no matter what. After a month from now, I need to stick to him so I won't be blamed for anything.
---
Songjin wanted to avoid anyone's gaze, to wriggle through his embarrassment alone, but the prince had a different idea. When he ordered him to ride alongside him, though it went against the rules, Songjin surrendered—after all, it wasn't just anyone giving the order.
The horses began to move, pulling the carriages behind them.
Meanwhile, Raphiel looked at those around him in silence, as if asking: Will you start, or shall I?
Songjin spoke quietly and respectfully:
"Why was I summoned here, my lord?"
Raphiel replied:
"If you want to make amends with him, just tell him that he has a pure heart, and he surely wants to reconcile with you."
Songjin hesitated:
"It's not easy to do as you say, my lord."
Raphiel said firmly:
"Just tell him. I swear he wants you as well."
Songjin clarified:
"You're not trying to make us date, right? I only want to be his friend."
Raphiel raised an eyebrow, a trace of amusement in his gaze:
"I told you something else. Do you want me to tell him what you truly want?"
Songjin shook his head:
"I won't say it on my own."
Raphiel smirked:
"You really are trying to make it sound like a confession."
Songjin sighed:
"It's hard when someone suddenly disappears from your life."
And so their conversation ended there. Meanwhile, Jin-ho didn't remember that Songjin had been his friend before becoming Raphiel's companion. This is why Songjin's feelings were crushed every time he saw Jin-ho acting as if they weren't long-time friends.
Jin-ho truly didn't remember him—it wasn't pretension.
Meanwhile, the carriage with rora and Jin-ho remained silent, unlike the others.
The problem wasn't with rora—it was Jin-ho. As the carriage neared the Duke's palace, he began thinking of Mariana. It was hard to consider someone he knew so little about. She had married the prince but died for reasons the author hadn't explained.
How could he know what to say or how to interact with her? She was described as being unusually curious.
After a long time, both of them fell into a brief sleep, as they had only slept two hours that day.
When they arrived, everyone except them had already disembarked. They were so exhausted that they didn't even notice the carriage stopping.
At the main entrance of the palace, a group of servants awaited them, led by a girl with a striking appearance.
She wasn't as Raphiel had imagined. She wore a dark blue gown embroidered with shimmering silver threads. Some light jewelry adorned her chest.
With a small smile, a slender figure, a round face, large blood-red eyes, and short black hair streaked with white—an unnatural mix of shades she carried effortlessly—she stepped forward, bowing politely.
"Welcome, Your Highness the Crown Prince. It is an honor to receive you at the Silvanor Palace. I am Sylvester's daughter, Mariana."
She didn't raise her head until given permission. Raphiel's eyes widened in surprise and admiration.
Yet she wasn't pleased by these gazes; there was something deeper stirring her sorrow.
Songjin, watching her, sensed it immediately.
She looked at them both with curiosity:
"I feel someone is missing… who could it be?"
"Ah, Jin-ho!" Songjin said without thinking.
Raphiel, with seriousness, instructed:
"Go and check on them. We will go ahead inside."
"Understood," he replied politely.
Mariana stepped aside, sneaking occasional glances at the carriage, but she only caught sight of a silver-haired figure. She continued following Prince's