KFBRV Pt 2 Ch 32

It was difficult to remain cold toward him when he spoke with such desperation, as if she were his only lifeline.

The sound of his breathing, rising from deep within his chest, was what one would expect from someone who had just finished a full sprint. He radiated a heavy heat.

In the current Johan, Odette sensed a frantic urgency—the same urgency she had felt as a child, desperately trying to grab the Count’s hand.

And besides......

She didn't entirely hate it. It was her first time being held as if she were someone’s most precious, indispensable person.

It felt embarrassing and awkward, yet a corner of her heart softened, much like it had back when she was naive and craved love above all else.

---

Only when his trembling subsided did she manage to gently push him away.

[Odette] "Your Highness. Please let go now."

[Johan] "Ah."

As he took a step back, she finally saw him clearly: his face was flushed a deep crimson, his eyes were bloodshot, and his entire body was drenched in sweat.

Had he been... crying?

It could have looked unsightly, but it didn't. His expression was too filled with absolute rapture for that.

Becoming aware of their audience, she looked around.

Fortunately, the people remained on their knees. Since the Crown Prince had not given the command to rise, they didn't dare lift their heads.

[Odette] "Your Highness. I believe you should permit the citizens to stand."

Instead of answering immediately, he offered her a smile through his reddened eyes and looked down at her damp dress.

[Johan] "More importantly... Odette, your body is cold. You’ll catch a cold. You said you came out of the icy water?"

As he spoke, he began to shed his uniform jacket.

[Odette] "I’m fine—"

[Johan] "I am not fine."

He draped the jacket over her shoulders with an unyielding firmness.

Perhaps because of the Victory Day festivities, Johan was wearing his grand ceremonial dress uniform rather than his usual white military attire.

Still, with so many people kneeling...

She also worried about the Pope's reaction.

Having no obligation to bow to the Crown Prince, the Pope stood several paces away, his face twisted with displeasure at being ignored in his own domain. Even the bowing High Priests looked uncomfortable.

I heard the relationship between the Cathedral and Johan soured after he appointed me Crown Princess.

Was it wise to act like this in the holy cathedral, disregarding the Pope and the priests?

Johan is usually the type to care about these things......

He was someone who prioritized others' feelings, royal etiquette, and the boundaries between the Great Temple and the Imperial Palace. Yet now, he seemed to care for none of it.

[Johan] "Your Holiness. We shall use the Audience Chamber."

Though he used honorifics, his voice carried the weight of a command. The Pope looked visibly insulted.

[Johan] "Ah. One moment."

He turned toward the gate. He approached a kneeling Paladin and drew the ceremonial silver rapier from the knight's waist.

[Johan] "I’ll borrow this. Everyone may rise now."

This high-handed, overbearing Johan was a stranger to her.

[Johan] "Allow me to escort you to the chamber, Odette."

She had never seen this side of him—not in the original game, and not in her previous life.

He seemed like a different person entirely.

---

The Pope didn't follow them to the Audience Chamber; instead, he headed to the second-floor conference room for an emergency meeting with the High Priests.

The reason was obvious: her "resurrection."

Thanks to that, Odette sat alone with Johan in the chamber, on a sofa that offered a clear view of the cathedral’s arched gates.

The crowd at the gates has thinned out significantly.

The space that had been packed tight before they entered was now relatively sparse.

She turned her gaze to another window that overlooked the cloister.

Charlotte must be meeting Rolf by now.

This was why she had chosen the Audience Chamber. From here, she could see Charlotte entering the cloister and gauge how long the two spoke.

An hour has passed since she went in.

Given how long the conversation lasted, they were likely discussing things in depth.

Rolf, having overheard Charlotte’s conversation with Raphael, would be eager to adopt her.

Charlotte, already seeking a family to take her in, would accept his offer—especially since Odette’s provocation today would have left her fuming.

And if Charlotte is indeed a fake Purifier, as I suspect…

She will want to follow me to the Count's estate to steal my purification power.

Odette decided it would be best to leave the chamber soon.

Having organized her thoughts, she looked back at the room.

Johan was in front of the fireplace, personally wielding a poker to stoke the embers and warm the room. He had even run to the assistant priests' quarters to fetch hot tea and blankets. None of this was at her request; she had tried to stop him several times.

[Odette] "This is far too much. Receiving such service from the Crown Prince himself."

[Johan] "The honor is mine."

Even when she phrased her discomfort indirectly, he offered only that stubborn reply. He was too resolute to be dissuaded.

The only sound in the room was the crackling of the fire. The moisture in her hair began to dry.

I’d like one more cup of tea before I leave.

As she reached for the teapot, he was suddenly standing before her.

[Johan] "Leave such things to me from now on. There is no need for your precious self to do this."

Who is calling whom "precious"? He's the Crown Prince...

While she hesitated in bewilderment, he took the teapot from her hand. Again, he poured the tea himself, acting for all the world like a butler.

Was he always a kind character... but was he this extreme?

Even in the game, when his favorability was at its peak, he never performed manual labor like this.

He would have just assigned a dozen servants to me. Like the high-ranking, noble character he is.

[Odette] "You speak as if pouring a cup of tea is some sort of grueling labor."

[Johan] "You went through the exhaustion of resurrecting today. Returning to life is no small feat."

What is wrong with him?

He had received reports from his aide—a Transcendent—that she was alive at the inn, the tutor's house, and the convent.

[Odette] "......You’ve known for a long time that I didn't die, haven't you?"

He flinched at the question, looking startled. But he quickly regained his composure and shook his head firmly.

[Johan] "Odette, you were resurrected. By the will of the Gods."

His voice was hard and certain. It was as if that was the only truth—or the only truth allowed to exist.

[Johan] "No citizen of the Empire will deny it. Because I will make it so."

Facing him like this, she realized how much he had changed.

His features had grown sharper, more masculine, and his blue eyes burned with a fierce light, like a flame that would no longer hesitate to use any means necessary.

She had seen those eyes during the moments she was running away. On impulse, she asked a question.

[Odette] "Did you see me on Apfelblüten Street?"

She wondered if he had truly seen her and let her go on purpose. She wondered if he had been protecting her in her previous life, too.

[Johan] "I never saw you."

He looked directly at her as he answered.

I didn't even mention when it was.

If he had never seen her, he would have asked for the time and date before giving such a definitive "no."

He wore the same expression he had when he claimed she was "resurrected by God."

Because of that, she was certain he was lying. He had seen her on Apfelblüten Street.

But why?

Why go so far as to lie about it?

She had her status window; she could check his favorability at any moment. But she didn't want to.

She hoped, more than anything, that it was just shallow sympathy or the duty of a ruler toward his people.

I’ve finally begun to reclaim my life.

Only after she stopped begging for her family’s love and stopped longing for the male leads' attention did she start to care for her own emotions.

And now, of all times... what did his feelings even matter?

In the end, she had died a miserable death. Whatever feelings he possessed, he had still played a part in her demise.

A wave of discomfort washed over her, making her want to leave. Conveniently, it was time to depart.

[Odette] "You can take your jacket back now."

With a trace of awkwardness, she handed the black uniform jacket back to him.

He took it without a word. As he adjusted his epaulettes and buttons with meticulous care, he smiled.

[Johan] "Still, I'm glad I was wearing my ceremonial dress when we met."

Why does that matter?

As she rose from the sofa, a brief sense of confusion flitted through her.

Then, with a heavy thud, the door to the Audience Chamber swung open.

She turned.

Zion stood there.

---

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