Netepel Runtalis couldn’t believe what was happening recently.

“Netepel.”

A few days ago, Ophelia, whom he met in the palace corridor, smiled brightly as soon as she saw him.

It wasn’t the first time he had seen Ophelia smile, and he had even imagined it several times during the time they couldn’t meet, but Netepel was frozen in place when he saw that smile.

The reasons were complex, but they could be largely divided into two.

First of all, the Ophelia he had imagined all this time was, after all, just imagination. No matter how brilliant and vivid it was in his mind, it inevitably fell short of reality. Especially the more intensely he desired it.

And second, the smile Ophelia showed that day was different from what he knew.

As a friend who had known her since she was very young, Netepel had seen Ophelia smile many times.

Her face was so beautiful that it was delicate and pretty, but there was always a shadow in that smile. It was because she had grown up under the pressure of her much older brother since childhood.

But that day’s Ophelia smiled brightly as if she had never experienced such a thing. Her blue eyes, sparkling like an autumn sea, were filled with joy.

There was a reason for that delight.

Ophelia, who had secretly called him to the field behind the palace after encountering him in the corridor, whispered to him under a tree where they could avoid people’s eyes.

“I’m being forced into an unwanted marriage.”

The woman, who had grown into a mature beauty, drooped her eyes after saying those words.

Having had to engage in several fruitless conversations with Mahanas about that very issue, Netepel fully empathized with her gloom.

However, revealing his own feelings was a separate matter.

Carefully wrapping his arm around her soft, fragrant shoulders, Netepel carefully probed her.

“But still, King Aglante is the groom Prince Mahanas carefully chose for you.”

“I hate marriages that feel like being sold off.”

How much he liked that sulky response. At that moment, Netepel had to resist the urge to embrace the woman tightly.

It was then that slender fingers rose to his chest.

Ophelia placed her index finger just below his neck and slowly slid it down. The finger trailing down, just enough to tickle, ignited his senses.

The soft fingertip, which had rarely even held a sewing needle for fear of developing calluses, stopped precisely over his heart.

By then, Netepel couldn’t take his eyes off her lips. He wanted to brush against that red, soft-looking skin once.

Those lips, which seemed to have a faint sheen as if she had put on makeup, curved then.

“You don’t want me to live unhappily either, do you?”

At those words filled with a strange certainty, Netepel sensed it.

Ophelia was now sending him an unspoken signal.

And if he read this signal well, they could become more than just friends.

It was the moment when what he had always dreamed of was about to become reality. Realizing this fact, his lips curled up involuntarily, but Netepel also became a little anxious. It was like the instinct of someone who had never easily obtained what they wanted in life.

The more important the moment, the more it needed to be verified. Swallowing dryly, Netepel said.

“Of course, I want you to be happy. But…”

“Enough, you don’t understand me. I shouldn’t have come to you.”

Ophelia turned her head abruptly and tried to get up from her seat.

As the woman suddenly changed, the atmosphere also cooled down. A flustered Netepel hurriedly grabbed her wrist.

The opportunity that had been in his hands was now slipping away.

“No, Ophelia. I completely understood what you said.”

“How can I believe that?”

The chilly question was harsh.

Netepel calculated the situation in his head. Right now, Ophelia was heartbroken after losing Haslen and was in a position to marry another man. She must be longing to depend on someone.

And then she saw him.

Of course, Ophelia had really cared for Haslen. But if she wasn’t a fool, she would also know that a dead fiancé couldn’t save her.

The calculation ended quickly. Netepel opened his mouth.

“Actually, there’s something I haven’t told you all this time.”

Blue eyes captured him. It was still a delicate and fragile-looking face, but when he met that gaze, Netepel somehow felt like he was being asked for proof.

But the water had already been spilled. He took one more step forward.

“I like you.”

Only then did the woman curl up the corners of her mouth.

Everything was fast after the words were uttered.

Netepel stayed in the palace by manipulating Prince Mahanas. Ophelia called him to the field several more times. The grassland, which had been neglected and where no one would sneak in except for the young princess, soon became their secret meeting place.

“Let’s run away together. I have a small island of my own. If we change the color of our hair and hide for a few months, people will forget about you.”

One day, unable to bear his anxious heart, he spoke, and Ophelia nodded.

However, the next day, she appeared with tear stains on her face.

“The knight left behind by the king seems to have noticed our relationship. I can’t put you in danger too, so go back to your country.”

“What?”

“He said he’s taking me to Aglante soon. Maybe marrying the king is my destiny. So…”

Netepel couldn’t wait for those words to end.

Who is whose destiny?

Ophelia’s destiny could be no one but himself.

And Netepel felt the urge to prove this fact to anyone. It seemed he needed to reveal that he and Ophelia were born to be together in some way.

Before he could finish his thought, his tongue moved.

“We can escape before the king’s knight takes you away.”

“But how? Wouldn’t it be too dangerous?”

“I don’t care if it’s dangerous. I can do anything for you.”

To add credibility to his words, Netepel pulled her hand and kissed it.

“I love you, Ophelia.”

The woman’s lips trembled at those words. It must have been due to emotion.

Ophelia laid out a plan as if she had been waiting for him to say those words.

“First, you say you’re returning to your home country. Then, after sending all your people out of the palace, you secretly wait for me in this field. That night, I’ll come out to this field. If we pass through the forest connected to this field, there’s a cape where people don’t go. We can leave by boat from there.”

It was as meticulous as someone who had investigated in advance.

When asked how she knew such facts, Ophelia sadly curved her eyes.

“I came to know while hiding from people’s eyes. As you know, I wasn’t that happy when I was young, was I?”

There was a strange sense of kinship in those words. Netepel tightly embraced the woman who seemed to have been prepared for him after all. Ophelia hesitated a little but didn’t push him away.

Now Netepel was waiting for Ophelia in the field as planned.

He didn’t tell anyone about the plan in case the word might leak out. Even Bahamal, his loyal servant who always followed him, didn’t know anything this time.

That man, who was obedient but had a stubborn side, would certainly try to stop him if he knew that he was trying to run away with a princess from a neighboring country.

So Netepel sent him up the canal a day before carrying out the plan.

He knew this was an irrational act.

But isn’t love supposed to be irrational?

With such thoughts washing away his anxiety, Netepel paced in the field.

It was late at night and the moon had risen, so the woman would come out soon.

And as he waited, a familiar figure appeared in the distance. Netepel hurriedly approached her.

“Ophelia!”

“Shh, someone might hear.”

Ophelia whispered, quickly grabbing his hand and pulling him into the field. The soft touch of her hand felt so good that Netepel kept his mouth shut.

As if her words about frequenting the field for a long time were not a lie, Ophelia stepped forward without hesitation. Netepel followed her, holding a lantern. The moon was bright, making the surroundings clearly visible.

Soon the field ended, and a densely wooded forest appeared. Beyond this forest was a sheer cliff. The cape was at its end. Following Ophelia’s words, Netepel had prepared a boat there in advance.

The princess who had only lived inside the palace didn’t have very good stamina, so by the time they were nearing the end of the forest, Netepel could feel Ophelia’s breath becoming rough.

We should have ridden horses. Netepel inwardly clicked his tongue, but it couldn’t be helped. Ophelia couldn’t ride horses. Even if they tried to ride together, it would be dangerous without some experience.

Well, he could somewhat understand Mahanas’s intention of not teaching her horseback riding. If a woman knew how to ride a horse, her range of action would widen, which could be troublesome.

After walking for a while, they finally arrived at the sheer cliff.

To descend this cliff, they had to use a narrow stone staircase. Netepel swallowed dryly at the somewhat dangerous act to perform on a dark night.

“The path is steep, so be careful.”

And he stepped forward first. Since he was holding the lantern, it was right for him to go down first.

After taking a few steps, the woman following him called his name.

“Netepel.”

“Yes?”

“You said you love me, right?”

She seemed to want reassurance because the situation was unsettling. Netepel nodded without looking back.

“Yes.”

“You also said you could do anything for me.”

“I did.”

It was nice that she was being cute, but it was annoying to keep answering in this steep situation. He was about to open his mouth to caution her to talk after they had finished descending the path. However, Ophelia was faster.

“Then, just one more favor.”

Netepel instinctively looked back at the cheerful voice. It was then that a powerful impact struck his face.

Ophelia, who had hit his face with a rock she had picked up at some unknown time, said brightly.

“Now, please die.”

That was the last memory. Feeling his consciousness fading to black, Netepel fell just like that.

Ophelia looked down at the bottom of the cliff they had been descending. She could see the man lying far below. His neck and limbs were bent abnormally. He looked like someone who had fallen to their death, to anyone who might see.

After staring at that sight for a moment, Ophelia dropped the rock she had been holding onto him. The rock, which had been heavy even when held with both hands, crushed the man’s forehead precisely.

After confirming that sight, Ophelia let out a sigh tinged with satisfaction and fatigue.

Dawn was breaking in the distance. The sunlight tinting the sea reddish will soon shine on the corpse as well.

It was time to return to the palace.