Aston Clitter was the person who hated hearing the words “forget.”

Once a noble 2nd prince, when he fell into ruin, many people initially ridiculed him.

“Looked like a beloved prince, tsk tsk. It’s almost pitiful.”

“At a young age, to receive banishment from the harsh land of Whitewood. He won’t be able to regain the prince’s position. The nobles who supported the 2nd prince must be in pain.”

“But why was he expelled by Emperor Feuha? It’s not like there’s smoke without fire, right?”

Murmurs and more murmurs. Investigations and a string of investigations followed.

Although all were filled with baseless rumors, due to the imperial family covering up the truth, Aston’s image was shattered.

The shock of being stripped of the title of the Heinzworths, the adult of the imperial family, was enough, but there was something more.

It was that his father, the emperor, completely erased Aston’s existence and blocked any mention of him.

“Forget.”

Erase all memories of the life lived as the 2nd prince.

With that single command, Aston had to spend his lonely and solitary childhood.

If it weren’t for his cousin Jacqueline Celeste risking danger to take care of Aston, he might have starved to death.

“Marquis Aston, it’s unjust, but you must not throw away your life.”

You must live.

Uncharacteristically clever and astute, Jacqueline desperately tore apart Aston, who wanted to let go of everything.

“If you’re alive, someday, the pain of having your heart torn apart will be forgotten.”

“…What do you know?”

Have you ever experienced misery like me?

To Aston, who growled with a hostile attitude, Jacqueline honestly replied, ‘No.’

“Well, I apologize. I can’t presume to understand Your Excellency’s position.”

Smart people know it’s best to apologize quickly.

Having forgiven Jacqueline, Aston spoke while shedding tears.

“Don’t tell me to forget.”

Among the orders issued by his father, the emperor, that was the cruelest.

The boy was definitely a living person, but those who feared the emperor treated him as if he didn’t exist.

A living, breathing ghost.

It left a deep scar on the boy’s soul.

“In this much pain, in this much difficulty… How can you tell me to forget? Don’t speak so lightly without knowing the weight of my emotions.”

Telling someone to forget such unforgettable emotions was something only those who had the luxury could say.

“I won’t forget.”

The prince who abandoned me, my brother, and all those who ridiculed me.

“Someday, I will definitely seek revenge.”

The boy endured with that determination.

While enduring, hoping for the arrival of spring when flowers would bloom in the land akin to a severe winter.
Even though the hands, which were like works of art, became scarred and ugly from gripping the sword, even though he almost lost his life from the endless waves of monsters.

To one day ask his father and brother why they abandoned him.

He endured the passing years and became an adult.

However, waiting for Aston, who had endured and swallowed the pain, news came that, inexplicably, the imperial family had collapsed.

“…What?”

“The imperial city, the capital, has been occupied by unidentified monsters. Lord Aston, I’ve already mentioned it at least five times.”

After being pushed by the emperor, having been entrusted with the protection of Celeste Marquis, his cousin and his mother’s family, and visiting Tricala, the empire was in chaos.

Because the capital was filled with monsters that devoured people.

Family, lovers, brothers, friends tragically bit and devoured each other without recognizing one another.

Jacqueline spoke of stories that seemed unbelievable, but due to the magical barrier, they had to endure, unable to even go outside for a while.

“Perhaps there’s a high possibility that the Emperor has passed away or turned into a monster. From now on…”

Oooong.

A ringing sound was heard.

It was the ringing that occurred every time Aston Clitter, not Aston Heinzworths, felt his heart flutter.

Jacqueline’s story no longer entered his ears.

“The Emperor passed away?”

Even his brother?

“If so, what should I do now?”

Losing this guidepost, all that remained was despair.

All the efforts in bone-carving training, demon subjugation, and the process of trying to survive all became meaningless in the face of losing the target for revenge.

Forgetting might lead to happiness, but…

“But how?”

Aston’s past days were a tower built by pondering and pondering painful memories.

Forgetting that was like repeating the cruelest command given by the emperor.

Denying his identity.

“I can’t do that.”

I can’t forget.

It’s too late to forget…

Aston Clitter still hated hearing the words “forget” more than anything else in the world.

His body became an adult, but his mind, trapped in the harsh winter forest, remained a boy who hadn’t grown up.

To him, a strange woman named Elizabeth Kitten held out a chocolate bar and said,

“When your heart hurts or your mood is dirty, if you eat something sweet, you’ll feel better.”

“Eat that and regain your energy.”