The Wind Calms the Fire - Chapter 13

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 13
“Today…….”
The moment Carion opened his mouth, Lea held up a hand—shush—and lowered her voice to barely a whisper.
“Let’s move somewhere else.”
Penny’s room was just next door, and she didn’t want to risk waking her.
Carion followed as she led the way.
‘This is my residence, isn’t it?’
Yet she moved through it like she owned the place.
She’d been that way from the moment they’d met.
Beyond fearless—she carried herself with such confidence that every word and action seemed to her like the only correct choice.
He kept people of that type at arm’s length.
‘They’re usually con artists.’
He acknowledged his own tendency to reject people outright.
Anyone who grated on him never stayed in his orbit.
Better to narrow the world than to get stabbed in the back.
Besides, con artists were among the humans he despised most.
So why didn’t this woman irritate him?
Even in the darkness, her golden hair caught the faint light, swaying gently as she walked.
As if a breeze were moving through it.
‘A breeze?’
All the windows in the corridor were shut.
He found himself captivated by the sight of her retreating silhouette, and before he knew it, they’d emerged into the Inner Courtyard.
Carion spoke in a low voice.
“If you wanted a quiet place, you’ve chosen poorly. Any words spoken here will carry all the way into the residence.”
“No one will hear our conversation.”
Carion’s brow furrowed.
“It’s the same way I was able to find you so quickly in the forest.”
“……You’re saying you can block sound?”
“Here, yes.”
She could erect a wall of wind to dampen the resonance of sound.
To manipulate the air with this level of precision, outdoors was preferable.
He’d been staring at her, but now his expression softened.
Absurd. She really was like a con artist.
Yet he found he didn’t want to press the matter further.
For this moment at least, he’d overlook it—even if she were a con artist.
“Where were you planning to go at this hour?”
“Go? I wasn’t—”
“You weren’t about to leave?”
“Ah…….”
She couldn’t very well tell him that a spirit had warned her someone was approaching her door.
“I was going to call for Penny—she’s my maid—but it wasn’t urgent. Since you ask, what were you doing outside my door at this hour?”
Carion hesitated for a moment, looking slightly uncomfortable, before he spoke.
“I came to apologize.”
Lea’s eyes widened.
Carion kept his gaze on her green eyes, his head tilted slightly downward.
“The cancelled dinner reservation—there were circumstances beyond my control.”
“Yes, I heard. Governor Foema paid a visit. I understand. A meeting with Governor Foema would naturally take precedence over a meal.”
“That’s not what I’m apologizing for.”
The light in Lea’s eyes wavered as she looked at him.
“Last night…….”
He struggled to find the words.
Lea felt embarrassed for some reason and turned her gaze away.
“I… there are parts of last night I don’t remember, and I know I must have made a serious mistake with you. But I can’t recall how far I…….”
As Carion spoke, cold sweat beaded on his back.
His mind had gone blank. He felt utterly foolish.
This had never happened to him before.
When no one could speak, Lea cautiously broke the silence.
“What…… do you remember?”
“……After we left the Forest Village…….”
Carion trailed off because he couldn’t find a way to describe what had happened.
‘I don’t remember.’
Lea misunderstood what he said.
She thought he could scarcely remember what had happened in his bedchamber the night before.
That he didn’t remember those raw, naked moments left her feeling equal parts relieved and disappointed.
“Nothing happened beyond what you remember, sire. It wasn’t a grave mistake.”
Recalling his state last night, she understood why he might not recall it.
He’d seemed barely conscious.
This time, Carion misunderstood her.
‘Not a grave mistake?’
Skin pressed against skin with only a thin nightgown between them, they’d rolled together on the bed.
The sensation of his hands tracing every inch of her still lingered on her skin.
There was no excuse for it—it had been caressing, foreplay.
He opened his mouth to speak, then closed it. He could feel his voice rising beyond his control.
If this wasn’t considered a grave mistake, just how permissive were Zephyros’s customs?
Why did his chest burn watching her speak with such casualness, as though it were nothing?
He exhaled slowly and spoke.
“I take responsibility for my actions. Once we reach the Capital, let’s become engaged.”
“…What?”
“I can’t speak to Zephyros’s ways, but in the Empire, if royalty marries without an engagement, it becomes the subject of gossip.”
“Wait. What are you saying all of a sudden?”
“Didn’t you say you wanted the position of Crown Princess?”
“Of course I do. But what I wanted was a deal—not like this.”
“Like this?”
“You’re speaking as though you’re taking responsibility for me, sire.”
“A responsibility has arisen, so I’m taking it.”
“Why would you take responsibility for me? Our marriage was always meant to be a transaction between equals—”
“I can’t speak to Zephyros’s customs.”
“How different can Zephyros and the Empire really be? Anyone listening would think the people of the Empire are naive. As if I don’t know the truth. Everyone knows how famous the High Society Underworld Culture is here.”
“I see.”
Something sharp and bitter colored his acknowledgment, and Lea’s brow furrowed.
“So that’s what you were aiming for. Unfortunately, I’m not like that. Marriage is a sacred oath. I have no intention of allowing my wife to indulge in high society’s nightlife. My honor is at stake.”
“Who said I wanted to indulge in it!”
“Of course, if you do it without my knowledge, there’s little I can do. But my people are quite capable.”
“I have no plans to sneak around—really, what kind of person do you think I am?”
Watching her bristle in indignation, a slight smile touched the corner of Carion’s lips.
He found himself drawn to the way she pushed back, her spirit unbroken.
“If what you want is the position of Crown Princess, what I want is a wife who doesn’t damage my standing. Is my request excessive?”
“I’m not saying it’s excessive. If we both agree your conditions are fair, we can add them to the contract. My point is that neither party needs to carry unnecessary burden in this marriage.”
“Does the word ‘responsibility’ weigh on you so much?”
“Sire.”
Lea looked directly at him.
“I don’t speak carelessly about responsibility. You and I might mean different things by the same word. Ambiguous terms have no place in a transaction.”
The question ‘What could be different?’ rose to his throat.
But Carion didn’t ask it.
When he’d spoken of ‘responsibility,’ it hadn’t been a light thing.
Yet somehow he sensed she meant something far heavier, far more grave—and he didn’t have it in him to face that emotionally.
“Why do you want the Crown Princess position so desperately? Will you tell me after we’re married?”
Lea regarded him silently for a moment before answering.
“Whenever you’re ready to listen.”
‘How solemn.’
The thought came that silence was more frightening than any refusal to speak.
But he was curious, too.
‘What story lies behind this?’
She didn’t seem to want the Crown Princess position merely for power.
‘Can I trust this woman?’
He didn’t know who she really was, what she knew about his curse, or why she’d approached him.
‘But does it matter?’
People remained mysteries even after decades of knowing them.
At the very least, her intentions last night in the bedchamber had been clear—she meant to help him.
Last night, he’d certainly been in a dangerous state.
‘If it weren’t for this woman, I’d be dead or far worse off.’
It took nearly dying to understand it. He’d thought himself indifferent to life, yet the truth was—he wanted to live.
The debt he owed her transcended mere survival.
Even if she drove a blade between his shoulder blades tomorrow, it would still be a life she’d given him once.
“Very well. As you say, let us marry as an exchange—a mutual deal.”
Lea stood momentarily stunned.
She hadn’t known how long he’d wrestled with this.
She’d thought of him as a firmly closed door.
One that no amount of knocking would open.
“I hope you’re not speaking on impulse. There are far too many people who don’t consider a spoken promise a real one.”
“A spoken promise is still a promise. And I keep mine. Would you prefer it in writing?”
“No. Putting something like this in writing is dangerous.”
“My thoughts precisely. We can work out the specific terms at our leisure.”
“Yes. There’s no rush for that now.”
Lea smiled softly and spoke.
“Your Highness. From now on, we’re allies, aren’t we?”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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