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“Can you see who I am?”
Of course I could. I answered with confidence.
“It’s Valentin.”
He wore a strange expression for a moment, and shortly after, a swarm of green grasshoppers appeared. Oh my god... to be surrounded by grasshoppers... I want to die... I'd rather just die right here...
Allies gathered around Valentin, who was struggling to swing his cue. Vasily, Ivan, Tanya, and Fedora swung tennis rackets, hunting down the rebels who had turned into grasshoppers.
“Lara... are you awake?”
“Lara, look over here.”
I was annoyed by my siblings' pestering.
“Stop it. Just fight! The grasshoppers... the grasshoppers are going to get inside my blanket...”
“Grasshoppers? What’s with the grasshoppers all of a sudden?”
“Grasshoppers are... big green rebels. They're so gross...”
Someone snickered.
“S-surrounded! We're surrounded by grasshoppers! The grasshoppers are going to encircle us. Everyone retreat, retreat!”
“N-no...!”
“This is bad! The grasshoppers are starting to climb onto Princess Larisa's back! The leader grasshopper is—ugh.”
From somewhere, I heard the satisfying sound of a sharp smack against a back.
“Be quiet, Ivan. Let's go back. It's better to let her sleep a bit longer.”
Don't go. What about the grasshoppers? The rebels!
At this rate, the swarm of grasshopper rebels would take over the Imperial Palace... the Imperial Palace was floating on the sea. A sweet scent wafted into the room like waves from a sea made of cotton candy. ‘No, Your Highness!’ I shook off Fedora's hand and jumped out the window. My goodness, look at all this cotton candy! How sweet must it be? I tore off a handful of the waves and stuffed them into my mouth. Look, it's so sweet my teeth ache...
‘Hm?’
It should be sweet...
Why does my mouth feel so parched?
I snapped my eyes open.
As I slowly caught my breath, I saw a familiar ceiling. My body felt insanely heavy, but seeing as my five senses were vividly awake, I was clearly not dead yet.
‘What was that?’
I felt like I had just had a very complex dream, but I couldn't remember it at all.
‘I'm thirsty...’
And oh my god. Truly, oh my god.
My arm hurts so much, so damn much, it's driving me crazy!
“Haa...”
I scanned the room.
Was it night? A couple of yellow lanterns cast a lonely glow in the dark interior.
“Fedora! Are you there?”
No matter how much I shouted or rang the bell, Fedora did not appear. The moment I pushed my upper body up to quench my thirst, a scream escaped me.
“Ack.”
The source of the pain was my right shoulder and arm, wrapped tightly in bandages. After struggling to endure the pain, even shaking my head from side to side, I checked my condition.
“What... what is this look?”
My chest felt not just cool, but cold. Perhaps because of the treatment around my shoulder, I was wearing a thin slip with nothing but flimsy shoulder straps.
‘So this is the wound from that gun.’
Good heavens, is it really painful enough to make my eyes well up just because one tiny little bead got embedded? I was glad Valentin hadn't been hit.
‘...Valentin will be okay, right?’
What did I see right before I collapsed?
I think I saw a crazed terrorist pinned down like a sandwich by numerous Guards. But I recall Valentin predicting that incident as well...
My brain wasn't functioning properly, so I first crawled out of bed. Water, give me water. I walked like a corpse, dragging myself to the table. Seeing one of the two glasses lying overturned, someone must have been in my room until just a moment ago...
Screech.
Speak of the devil. Beyond the shadows, someone opened the door and entered. I turned toward the door, swallowing water repeatedly to satisfy my unquenchable thirst.
“Fedora, I want some grape jui—”
I want some.
Suddenly, my throat tightened. It was because my eyes met those of the person standing silently by the door, staring at me: Valentin.
He promptly left the room without a word.
I was about to follow him out of curiosity, but I suddenly felt the chill on my bare skin and froze. Looking down, I saw something that should only be seen between sisters or a mother and daughter—something trivial, careless, and even revealing my curves... Oh... no...
‘This time, I really want to die.’
Swallowing the tears welling in my eyes, I quietly crawled back into bed. Grape juice or not, my barely existing appetite had vanished completely.
Before long, the door opened again. I put all my heart and soul into making a sickly moan.
“What do I do, Fedora... what do I do...”
What do I do.
Valentin is here again...
While I lay frozen, rolling my eyes, Valentin approached the bedside. Something was strange. Valentin's handsome face was unbelievably haggard. He was thinner than I remembered, his complexion and gaze were dark, and thus, he looked even more exhausted.
Could a bigger incident have happened while I was unconscious?
While I was unable to speak out of fear, Valentin sat down beside me. As a calm scent wafted over, a warm heat embraced my shoulder. My eyes snapped open in a panic as my heart hammered against my chest.
“W-what are you doing?”
He answered with an expression that was beyond indifferent—it was cold.
“You likely still lack strength in your right arm. I will serve you, so please lift your head.”
“...No, my left hand is enough. Give it to me.”
“It is not enough. Lift your head.”
It really is, though. I just finished a whole glass of water with my left hand.
My name is Larisa. The youngest of four siblings, the youngest Imperial Princess who grew up developing a keen sense of social intuition that puts others to shame.
Past experience advised me: absolutely do not provoke the current Valentin. I relaxed my body and obediently opened my mouth. I swallowed everything, not knowing if the sweet grape juice was going down my throat or up my nose.
The atmosphere remained grim afterward.
As if he had just crossed a vast desert, Valentin poured the water from the teapot and emptied it in one go, then picked up something from the corner and took his place beside me again.
Scissors, bandages, disinfectant, ointment... I wondered if a physician had arrived, but Valentin began unwrapping the bandages on my shoulder with practiced skill on his own. His face was so dry and plain that I felt embarrassed for myself, clutching the blanket and struggling to hide my upper body.
However, my dampened mood snapped awake like a bolt of lightning the moment the disinfectant touched the vicinity of the wound.
“It hurts!”
“Stop exaggerating.”
I'm not exaggerating!
The coldness that went beyond firmness made the bridge of my nose sting. It was miserable enough that it hurt, but with Valentin making me feel wretched too, I wondered if I had committed some great sin.
“I'm not exaggerating. It really hurts. It stings so much I'm crying...”
“You should be grateful that it ended with a wound of this magnitude. Ah, of course, Your Highness probably doesn't see it that way. How could someone who ignored my words and threw themselves into danger understand the feeling of gratitude? You might even be disappointed that you didn't die. But what can be done? It may be a disappointment to you, but while I can stand to see you become a cripple, I cannot stand to see you dead. If you lose a leg, I will keep you alive without a leg; if you lose both arms, I will keep you alive without arms. So, please continue to act as you please. I am curious to see how far I can go. Will you do the left shoulder next?”
I couldn't say a word and kept my mouth shut.
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