The Prodigal Prince - vanish into fiction

Louis narrowed his eyes in a probing way and gently tightened his grip on her hand. Enze, feeling the pressure of pursuit, kept talking.

“I ran away because I wanted to live. I joined the military to stay somewhere he couldn’t drag me back to. I wasn’t officially enlisted—I used an alias and joined as a test pilot for hot-air engines.”

“You’ve been through a lot.”

“The reason he’s trying to kill me is…”

She tried to swallow, but her throat locked up. Her voice narrowed to a needle-thin rasp and no sound came out. She could only gasp and then clamp her hand over her mouth. Just recalling what had happened pushed her into a panic. Her whole body shook uncontrollably. It felt like her soul was being shaved down by the memory.

Louis wrapped an arm around her half-collapsed shoulders. His large, solid warmth gave her a sense of calm.

“If you don’t want to talk anymore, you can stop.”

“But…”

Didn’t he want to know her secret? This was the only meaningful thing she could offer in return.

“What I said about owing you… forget it. Don’t feel burdened.”

He brushed off the idea of a debt, as if their earlier jokes meant nothing. Even though he’d saved her life, he didn’t seem to care at all. She bit her lip hard, afraid that tears would make her look pathetic. Regaining her composure, Enze stood up.

“I’ll go rest.”

Louis stood too, gently rubbing her shoulder to warm her. Staring quietly at her pale face, he leaned in and pressed his lips softly to her forehead.

Enze grasped the front of his robe.

She didn’t know how to interpret this. He didn’t pull away—he simply stood there.

Her heart fluttering, she eventually let her hand slip away.

‘A kiss on the forehead is probably just comfort. I shouldn’t read too much into it.’

She fled to her bedroom and leaned against the door. She had never trembled like this in her life. Even her feet, cold against the floor, throbbed with a pounding heartbeat. Her thoughts raced in all directions as emotions overwhelmed her.

Louis was an incredibly attractive man, no matter how you looked at him. Even as a man, he seemed like an ideal partner. Most of all, to her, he felt like a strong wall she could lean on. The desire to rely on him physically grew stronger. She wanted to make use of his kindness.

A rather ambitious exchange.

But for now, she couldn’t be sure when Louis might change his mind. If he lost interest, if even a faint attraction faded, or if his mood simply shifted—Enze could be cast out from the prince’s world.

More than anything, she feared how he might react when he learned the brutal truth about her father. Maybe she should’ve just told him everything. But in the time she hesitated, new desires had already taken root. She also had to consider the possibility that her father might come to Hellbrunn Castle and confront Louis. If Louis found him utterly detestable, he might reject her as well.

The kindness Louis had shown her felt endlessly fragile. It was a protective shield that could tear from the smallest scratch.

‘What would happen if I went to his room now?’

Owing him her life wasn’t enough—now she was considering using him like this. The contradiction stung. But Enze needed some way to protect herself.

If they grew closer, wouldn’t he feel more inclined to keep her safe?

The atmosphere in the living room had been warm. It felt wrong to use that as an opening, but the truth was, she did want to be closer to him. In that sense, her interest came first, so it wasn’t entirely driven by need. It wasn’t like she was planning to jump him either.

“…Haa.”

Just thinking of going to Louis and touching his bare skin beneath his robe made her breath hot. Her heart fluttered with both selfish motives and anticipation—it was contradictory.

She had drunk two full glasses despite not being able to hold her liquor. Her vision spun. With her body already aching, the strong alcohol hit her like a hammer, pounding a migraine into the back of her head.

Even after weighing everything, she still wasn’t sure she was doing the right thing. She worried that the alcohol was clouding her judgment. But this night, alone in a hotel with him, might be her only chance.

Would she regret this someday?

Even with the help of liquor, it took tremendous courage just to stand in front of his door.