They Say an Age Gap Like This Doesn’t Even Need Matching - Chapter 19

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

“So that’s why… I think I should head back early and rest today.”
Suppressing my embarrassment, I stubbornly feigned illness and weakness.
“It’s fine, isn’t it? We have plenty of time….”
As I said this while staring intently at the Crown Prince, he nodded slowly.
“Yes. There’s no need to rush.”
Good, I’d made the right call.
There was no reason to discuss important matters in the middle of the Banquet Hall while dancing, after all.
The Crown Prince seemed to believe my excuse of being unwell, and even showed me kindness.
“I’ll send my personal physician to the Separate Palace.”
Though he might just be pretending to believe me.
If I refused, I’d be suspected of malingering.
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
Since I was already feigning illness, I might as well extract some medicine while I was at it.
I coughed again, making it sound convincing.
I’d never actually caught a cold before, so I wasn’t entirely sure how convincing it sounded… but it was probably similar to choking on something.
When I removed the hand that had been covering Elhart’s eyes, he lowered his head to examine my face.
“Are you alright…?”
No, Elhart… if you fall for it too, what am I supposed to do….
“The Banquet Hall seemed a bit cold.”
I had no choice—the Crown Prince was watching us.
“Let’s go back and rest.”
Elhart carefully fastened the jacket I was wearing more snugly, then lifted me up effortlessly.
“Wait, just a moment…! There’s no need for this….”
Startled, I struggled, but he adjusted his grip and held me more firmly.
“It puts my mind at ease this way.”
With those words, he pulled me closer into his embrace, and I had no choice but to relax.
This was the first time I’d ever been carried like a princess by someone.
‘Huh… it’s more comfortable than I expected?’
Elhart wasn’t just large in stature—his muscles were firm and his body temperature was warm, making it quite pleasant.
As Elhart, carrying me, tried to leave the Rest Room, the Crown Prince blocked his path.
“Wait.”
The Crown Prince casually tossed aside the dress he’d been holding and draped his own jacket over me.
When his hand touched my body, the mana around me seemed to shift subtly, but it happened so quickly I couldn’t be certain.
Only after carefully ensuring that nothing but my face was exposed did the Crown Prince withdraw his hand.
“Follow me.”
Without waiting for a response, the Crown Prince turned and walked away. Elhart, who had been watching him for a moment, soon followed.
At the end of the West Corridor, there was a door that led outside without passing through the Banquet Hall.
‘Lucia said going that way would get me killed.’
As I looked at it suspiciously, recalling her words, the Crown Prince stepped outside ahead of us and spoke.
“This way, we can reach the Separate Palace without encountering anyone.”
“Isn’t this garden reserved exclusively for the direct imperial line?”
Elhart voiced my curiosity in my stead.
“I understand that stepping foot here without permission could result in summary execution.”
“So you know all about it.”
The Crown Prince spoke as though taken aback.
“There’s nothing to worry about. There are no guards today.”
“….”
The Crown Prince shrugged at my suspicious gaze, as if questioning whether he meant to deceive us.
“I’m simply extending a courtesy for Ser’s sake. After all, he won’t surrender meekly to death anyway. There’s no point in making unnecessary losses.”
Elhart looked to me as if seeking my opinion, so I gave a slight nod.
The Crown Prince’s words were not without merit.
Cradian would not harm Elhart without good reason.
If they intended to, they would have acted long ago.
“I’ll accept your kindness with gratitude.”
“Think nothing of it.”
As Elhart stepped into the garden, the Crown Prince turned and re-entered the building.
He was likely returning to the Banquet Hall.
My thoughts drifted to the fact that the Crown Prince had given me his jacket.
‘Well, whether he wears a spare jacket or changes clothes entirely, that’s his concern.’
It was not my problem to worry about.
Rather, it would be better to appreciate the Imperial Gardens, a place I would likely never set foot in again.
‘Is it… beautifully arranged…?’
Had I come during the day, I surely would have marveled at it, but the dim moonlight made everything feel only serene.
Watching Elhart’s face was far more entertaining than observing the flowers and trees buried in darkness.
He walked silently toward the Separate Palace, his lips pressed firmly shut as if lost in thought.
‘Now that I think about it….’
Something suddenly occurred to me, and I posed a question to him.
“What you said earlier… you didn’t mean it, did you?”
“Mean what?”
“That you could abandon Bardia.”
Even if Elhart truly harbored such feelings, no one could fault him for it.
Considering how Bardia had abandoned him, who had fought with his life on the line.
However, if Elhart had come to despise Bardia, there would be no reason for him to endure the humiliation of serving as a hostage, which is why I asked.
To know what his true heart truly held.
“…I’m not entirely sure.”
Elhart opened his mouth after a long pause.
“I did not fight to preserve the royal line or the privileges of the nobility.”
His gaze remained fixed ahead, yet it seemed as though he was simultaneously recalling each step of his journey.
“What I sought to protect was the lives of the people who depended on the walls of Bardia to survive each day.”
Yes.
I thought it would be so.
Just as Mikhail had done, Elhart too was someone who had become a wall unto himself, yearning to protect those who sought his protection.
Even if someone spat upon that back, hurled filth, and treated him with contempt.
Manarang, who spoke of the days he had lived, proved the nobility of Elhart’s character.
“But, Ser. I too have come to realize that I have lived in peace only thanks to someone’s protection and sacrifice.”
He lowered his gaze toward me as he spoke.
“I feel as though I could do anything for my wall.”
Elhart’s wall.
What did that mean? Who did it refer to?
“Do you think I am mistaken?”
Elhart sought my opinion.
I pondered for a moment before speaking.
“It depends on how convincing that wall truly is.”
I cannot claim to know the answer, but I have experienced something comparable, in a manner of speaking.
“If it’s a pathetic wall, I would kick it down and rebuild it anew.”
Mikhail was the hero of his era, a sturdy wall that people desperately needed.
Yet had he ever walked a wrong path, I would not have overlooked it.
Precisely because he was my friend, I would have given him a thorough scolding.
“People cannot be trusted. You must keep your eyes wide open and watch carefully.”
Whatever the reason, his irresponsible act of abdicating to Kailyb and departing deserved harsh punishment.
Yet I was not at his side, and now I regretted my choice.
I did not know my wall would crumble.
Because I failed to see the weakness Mikhail possessed, I left him alone and departed.
How terribly foolish of me.
“Is that so.”
“Yes.”
I nodded emphatically.
“Do not let your guard down. Watch carefully that your wall does not suddenly do something foolish.”
Did my advice strike a chord with him?
“I shall remember it.”
Elhart’s voice carried a hint of laughter as he answered.
***
Upon returning to the Separate Palace, Elhart laid me on the bed and ensured I couldn’t move a single finger.
The reason I couldn’t immediately confess to him that it was all an act—
—was because my performance just now had trapped me.
‘It was far too convincing.’
The Crown Prince’s physician diligently recorded every symptom I’d fabricated and then spoke.
“It appears to be due to a sudden change in environment. I shall prescribe treatment suitable for your symptoms and medicinal tonics to restore your health.”
It was a blessing that the naive fool took the words of a malingerer at face value.
Thanks to him, I managed to stockpile an abundance of common remedies and precious medicinal compounds—a reassuring outcome.
But….
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner that you weren’t feeling well?”
The moment we were alone, I found myself cornered.
“Well, you see….”
As I rolled my eyes, contemplating how to explain this, Elhart sat down beside me on the bed and spoke.
“Don’t think about sleeping on the floor. Sleep here.”
“Sleep in the bed? With you?”
“We slept together last night anyway.”
That was entirely different.
Besides, he was the one who unilaterally moved my bedroll in the first place…!
“Does my presence bother you?”
He asked this while leaning his body toward me.
As his weight settled onto the bed, I felt it through my body and reflexively held my breath.
‘Of course it does.’
It bothers me tremendously!

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