secret love

Episode 9

Herry reached the palace and found Max, the King, the Queen, and Lera's brother all staring at him. The King was about to step forward, but before he could, Max quickly approached Herry.

"Why is Lady Lera soaking wet? And you too?" Max questioned, concern evident in his voice.

Just then, Lera slowly opened her eyes and realized she was still in Herry’s arms. For a moment, she was startled, then as she looked around, she saw everyone watching them. Herry remained silent, as if searching for the right words.

Max’s gaze darkened. "Do you even know what time it is?" he asked, his voice laced with irritation.

Then, suddenly, in a fit of anger, Max raised his hand to slap Herry, but before he could, Lera firmly grabbed his wrist. Her grip was so strong that Max's hand froze mid-air.

Lera’s eyes held a fiery intensity. "Put your hand down," she said in a cold but firm tone.

Max was stunned by the sheer strength of her grip. He hesitated before saying, "Alright, let go. I won’t do anything."

Herry, who had been silently observing, simply kept his eyes on Lera. There was something unspoken in his gaze—whether it was surprise or something deeper, even he couldn’t tell.

Without a word, Lera turned and grabbed Herry’s hand, leading him toward her room.

As they disappeared inside, Max looked at Lera’s brother and said, "Lady Lera is incredibly strong!"

Her brother gave a small smile before replying, "That’s why no one dares to argue with her for too long. She trained under the greatest and most powerful warrior in our kingdom. She can easily defeat anyone—even you, Max."

Lera looked at Herry and said softly, "Prince Herry, please stay here. I'll bring you some clothes."

She quickly left the room and went to her brother's room, picking out one of his outfits. Returning, she handed the clothes to Herry. "Wear this," she said before stepping behind the curtain to change into dry clothes herself.

Herry also changed, putting on the fresh clothes Lera had brought him. When she stepped out, now dressed, she approached him hesitantly. With a slightly sad expression, she murmured, "Will you sleep with me tonight?"

Herry looked at her, sensing something was off. "Do you have something you want to say?" he asked gently.

Lera didn’t respond directly. Instead, she repeated her question, "Will you sleep beside me?"

Herry gave her a reassuring smile. "Of course, if it brings you peace and comfort."

They lay down on the same bed, and Lera nestled into Herry’s arms. Moments later, she began to cry softly.

Herry tightened his embrace and whispered, "What happened? Don’t cry. I'm here. If you don’t want to talk about it now, you can tell me later."

Lera simply nodded, sniffling. "It’s warm here," she muttered.

Herry gently held her face, placed a soft kiss on her forehead, and said, "Sleep now. You don’t need to answer me right away."

With that, he held her close, and soon, they both drifted into sleep.

Herry wrapped his arms around Lera, holding her close as he lay beside her. He pushed away all the questions in his mind, choosing instead to embrace the quiet warmth between them. Without saying another word, he let himself drift into sleep, feeling the steady rhythm of Lera’s breath against him.

Max lay awake, his mind restless. I felt something strange in her touch… some kind of energy. What was that? he wondered. His thoughts then shifted to Herry. He left without even telling me… A flicker of anger rose within him as he muttered to himself, Who are you to decide the fate of others?

Frustrated, he let out a deep breath, trying to push the thoughts away. Eventually, exhaustion took over, and he drifted into sleep.