Chapter 120
The Reincarnated Princess’ Reunion (3)
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“Klaus…?”
“!”
The moment I called out, I saw his body slightly tremble .
Was he not happy with the fact that his cover was blown? His eyes were swimming left and right . When I took a step towards him, his agitation became clearly visible .
Looking at him now, you couldn’t be sure if this was the same Klaus we’re talking about . I decided to find out for myself and took another step closer .
It’s a general rule of thumb to not rush wild animals, after all . However, in the last ten metres, he dashed away at full speed .
“Ah-”
“I’m really sorry!”
“Stop right there, Klaus!”
“!!”
I threw a word of restraint at his retreating back .
It was just out of reflex, and I didn’t think it would have any effect whatsoever . There’s no way he was going to hear me when he’s running that fast in the first place .
But Klaus stopped his feet . It was as if a car’s handbrake had been pulled .
To be honest, I was actually surprised he stopped at all . It wasn’t only me; it seemed Klaus as well, was surprised by his own actions . Shouting on reflex is scary .
I didn’t know what to say to Klaus whose back was turned .
“Klaus . ”
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“I-I’m truly sorry…”
When I called his name once more, he kept repeating his apology . It was like that was the only word he ever knew .
“…Sorry? Sorry for what?”
I figured he wasn’t apologising for running away .
But I couldn’t think of anything else he would be apologising for .
Apparently, my utterly confused voice had reached him . His hands that were dangling aimlessly soon turned into a clenched fist .
“…I’ve already put you in danger countless times . I was both injured and even a bother . To top it all off, you were right there beside me, and yet, I didn’t realise when you were kidnapped before it was too late . I’ve failed… as your escort . ”
Failed as my escort . To think there was a day I could hear those words come out of his mouth .
‘That’s not true!’ I would have denied him outright, but I was too stunned to do anything and missed my opportunity .
“I have no right to face you anymore . ”
His painful voice squeezed out the bitterness for all to hear . Somehow, it didn’t sit right with me .
Obedient, stubborn, and never listens . No matter how many times he was scolded or was given the cold shoulder, he would always laugh it off and never get down . That was who the person named Klaus was . This was not like him . No, this was not Klaus at all . But the person to blame for this was none other than me .
If I hadn’t selfishly wanted to travel, Klaus would not have wound up with serious injuries .
If I had only resisted and made my escape when Wolf kidnapped me, Klaus wouldn’t have to blame himself .
My ego and arrogance had driven him into a corner .
I was the one who was supposed to apologise .
“Klaus…”
Calling out to him, I once again saw his shoulder shake . He seemed to be frightened by anything I said, so I swallowed back the rest of my words .
‘I’m sorry . I’m sorry for being so selfish . You did nothing wrong at all . ’
What would happen if I had said that? A stale apology like that wouldn’t clear Klaus’ conscious . In truth, it might even have the opposite effect on him .
I only have my guilt to apologise for .
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“…Klaus . ”
“…Yes . ”
I called out to him again, and this time, he replied with a smaller voice .
He looked nothing like the usual Klaus, it’s insane .
“I… have finally met the pharmacists I was looking for . ”
“Ah…? Yes, you have . ”
Klaus whispered as if confused .
“As a result of tireless negotiations, they not only offered us the medicine but also the treatment as well . ”
“I’m glad you’ll finally be able to bring those results back home . ”
‘That’s great . ’ Klaus quietly added . He sounded just as happy as I was, so I finally laughed, ‘Yes!’
“And therefore we’ll split the credit evenly between the two of us!”
“…Eh?”
Klaus now looked completely lost . I continued walking up to him without answering his question . I noticed his tension growing as I got closer, and once I walked past his stiffened body, I stopped my feet . Turning back around, our eyes briefly met before he lowered his gaze back down again .
But because of my small figure, he couldn’t avoid my face . Klaus, who was staring down his feet, had a terrible complexion .
I hushed my voice and whispered to him as if telling him a secret, ‘You know,’
“Wolf is part of the Kua Clan too . Because you got injured back then, Wolf came out as a doctor . He took an interest when I was trying to save my subordinate . ”
“…”
“If you had rescued me from Wolf, I wouldn’t have had the chance to save all of the Kua tribe . We might not even have the medicine we needed today . ”
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“…That’s-”
‘That’s not my achievement,’ was probably what he was trying to say .
You wanted to say that there was nothing you could do to make a difference, didn’t you?
As to stop him from saying that, I called out to him again .
Your biggest achievement was something else entirely .
“Above all, I can stand here now because you had saved my life . ”
“!!”
Klaus raised his face .
His emerald eyes were the widest I’ve seen them yet .
“Since you’ve protected me, we got our hands on the medicine . And like I said, even the treatment as well . I can finally save them all from the plague . I couldn’t possibly have done all of this without your help . ”
I lined up the achievements that he didn’t want to accept, one by one .
His surprised eyes were now wavering, and his half-open lips struggled to hold back his voice . Klaus clumsily got down on his knees with his gaze still low .
“Klaus, are you alright?”
I was worried whether he had pushed himself too far, but the voice that came back told me he was fine .
“…I-”
Klaus stuttered on his first words and ruffled his hair .
“Have I been of help to you…?”
Klaus whimpered out in a tiny voice as if it was being drowned out by the surroundings .
At his unexpected question, I was brought back to the past .
All of my memories with Klaus had always been lively . The trouble he had caused me can’t be counted on two hands .
But even more than that…
“Yes, plenty . ”
I crouched down to meet him eye to eye .
“Thank you, Klaus . ”
“…”
I heard a soft breath .
Klaus’ arms shook and he tightly hugged himself .
For a while, we continued facing each other .
No conversation took place . Sometimes I could hear sniffing noises, but I pretended not to notice .
I did the same with his reddening eyes when he raised his face back up .
“Klaus . Right now, I’m on my way to Wind . ”
“…And you can’t take me with you . ”
I nodded .
“I can’t possibly take you when you’re not in the best shape . Please, concentrate on getting better for now . ”
Klaus, with a bitter but thoughtful face, defeatedly turned down his gaze . He wrinkled his brows and exhaled a long sigh .
“…Please don’t overdo it . ”
Klaus stood up and offered me his hand .
Once I got up, he immediately knelt down on one leg .
“I shall be awaiting your return . ”
I met his eyes and answered back, ‘Certainly . ’