Orbis had many means to claim Litania.

For the divine dragon, it was a simple matter to threaten the emperor and block all marriage proposals coming to Litania.

But what would be the point of that?

It was something neither the imperial family nor Litania wanted.

Litania did not want Orbis to force her, nor did she want her relationship with the imperial family to deteriorate.

So he couldn’t do it. No, he didn’t want to do it.

It’s not like there weren’t other ways.

“You said your relationship with me was over, but it seemed your feelings hadn’t completely left me.”

“……”

“Isn’t that right? Litania.”

“Orbis.”

Litania let out a small sigh.

“My heart still flutters when I see you. But I don’t want to love you again.”

“Why not?”

“I’ve already been hurt once, and I can’t purely like you anymore. If I fall in love with you again, I’ll want to break up again at some point when things get similarly difficult.”

“Then we can break up when that happens, can’t we?”

“What?”

“When we’re in love, we stay together, and when love cools, we part. Isn’t that being true to our feelings?”

“Love isn’t something to be done so irresponsibly.”

“We don’t need justification or obligation between us. Only your feelings and mine matter.”

“If my feelings change and I ask to break up, you’ll part ways again?”

“Yes. And then I’ll come back to find ways to win your favor and make advances.”

“Haha!”

Litania slapped Orbis’s arm at his brazen response.

“How strange. I should find a persistent man annoying, but oddly, I feel reassured.”

“Reassured?”

“It feels like I have a place to return to.”

Her life had been like a floating flower petal. She had no place to settle, neither in the mortal world nor here. She was so used to the fact that no one needed her that it didn’t even hurt anymore.

But since meeting Orbis, things started to change.

There are people who like her and need her.

She now has a place where she belongs.

Just that gives her a sense of purpose in living this moment.

‘Now I think I understand why Orbis wanted a strong and deep connection.’

When he spoke of love to her, she only felt anxious.

But hearing him say he would wait for her return even if they parted, she feels reassured.

After all, both of them had lived lonely lives with nowhere to belong.

She thought an intense connection that wouldn’t break even after death was terrible, but perhaps that was just the pretense of someone who had never settled down.

As she had been before.

“It’s gotten dark. I should head back soon.”

“Since you’ve been kidnapped, why not enjoy a bit more freedom?”

“Haha. Snow will worry. And it will reach His Majesty’s ears too.”

Ferus had approved Orbis’s attendance at the hunting festival solely on the condition that he wouldn’t encounter Litania. If he learns now that Orbis has taken her out of the palace as if kidnapping her, he might throw a fit.

‘Hmm. He has been behaving lately though.’

She didn’t want to unnecessarily upset her brother who would soon hold the royal wedding. Litania looked up at the darkened sky.

Stars were shining in the pitch-black night sky.

A star that had been twinkling like a grain of sand at the edge of her vision fell, drawing a long tail.

“Oh? Orbis, it’s a shooting star!”

“A shooting star?”

“Ah, is there no such legend here? There’s a story that if you make a wish upon a falling star, it will come true.”

“You already have the wishing stone, what other wish do you need to make?”

Orbis’s hand gently gripping Litania’s shoulder tightened. An expression as if worried he might lose her. She hadn’t known his face could change so quickly with just a word.

“Well, let’s see. Good health and long life, wishes for success, achieving happiness?”

She repeated the words she had spoken a year ago in spring, looking at the fountain where they threw coins together with Orbis.

His expression subtly faltered.

“As you explained then, that meant you wanted to be with me, didn’t it?”

“Hmm. Is that how it is?”

Litania scratched her cheek and feigned ignorance.

In fact, at that time, Litania had made a different wish in her heart.

‘May the end of this love be successful.’

At the time, it meant hoping it wouldn’t end in a dead ending like the ‘original novel’ she knew, but thinking about it now, wishes had never come true as the wisher predicted.

Just as when she wished to be freed from Orbis, it had granted her liberation by taking her life.

Perhaps because she wished for the end of love to be successful, even after parting with Orbis, she couldn’t completely cut him off and left him as a place to return to.

“Litania. We can become closer.”

“Hmm. More than this?”

Her long blonde hair, cooled by the night air, tickled her shoulders. His gaze, which had only been high, slowly lowered to follow her.

Stars were shining in Orbis’s eyes too, seen up close.

Tak. Once again, starlight fell, drawing a long tail.

“Orbis. No.”

Litania firmly pushed away his lips with her finger as they came close enough to feel his warmth.

“No?”

“I said it would be just once back then. We should keep our promises.”

“I wonder if the legend that shooting stars grant wishes was fiction after all.”

“What, don’t tell me you wished to kiss me?”

“Who knows.”

Orbis took the slender finger pressing against his lips into his mouth and gently bit it with his teeth.

“Let’s keep it a secret until the wish comes true.”

The warm moisture touching her fingertip. His lips, with their sweet scent, were still smooth and tempting.

For some reason, she felt hungry again.

The day of the hunting festival dawned. Litania boarded the carriage wearing comfortable outing clothes.

When Litania conveyed her intention to attend, Emperor Ferus made a displeased face but did not refuse her participation.

As it was attendance to clear up misunderstandings, Litania planned to only show her face at the hunting festival without participating in the hunt itself.

This was because she didn’t like hunting, and she was worried about getting involved in some unfortunate incident if she entered the Black Forest carelessly again.

‘There probably won’t be any kidnappers targeting me now… but the chances of being hit by a stray arrow or attacked by prey that someone else missed aren’t zero.’

The hunting grounds were still filled with an atmosphere of excitement. As the carriage carrying Litania entered the square, she could feel the gazes of those gathered under the banners bearing family crests turning towards her.

‘I’m just here to quietly watch, so please ignore me and carry on with what you were doing.’

Litania inwardly repeated this as she got off the carriage and exchanged eye greetings.

Trying to avoid the gazes following her, Litania entered the tent where the royal family was staying and suddenly stopped in her tracks.

This was because there was an unwelcome face with black hair and gray eyes in that place.

‘That’s right. Herna’s confinement has been lifted, so she can participate in the hunting festival.’

She had forgotten about it since Herna wasn’t visible at the ballroom. Litania turned her head to look at the entrance of the tent.

‘Should I go out again?’

As Litania was contemplating, a chilling voice came from behind.

“Too bad. Judging by your outfit, it seems you’re not going hunting.”

“…Yeah. I’m just attending.”

“If we had encountered each other in the Black Forest, I might have mistaken you for prey and shot you.”

At this chilling murder forecast, Litania turned around and glared at Herna.

Perhaps due to suffering during her confinement, the area under Herna’s eyes was sunken, but strangely, only her eyes were glowing fiercely.

“You don’t seem to know, Herna. I have no reason to be hated by you anymore.”

“Fake.”

“I’m not a fake. You just picked up and swallowed the memories I lost. I’m the real Litania.”

Litania no longer had anything to be wary of from Herna. There was no reason to feel guilty about taking someone else’s position.

She was the real Litania. Herna was Herna.

So there was no reason to feel sorry for her half-sister, nor any reason to be anxious about losing her own place.

“I didn’t take anyone’s place. Being the imperial princess of Verberium, being the divine dragon’s bride, it’s all me. This is my place, so there’s no reason for you to call me a fake.”

“That’s why you’re a fake.”

“What?”

Herna stood up from her seat. Dressed in hunting clothes, she slung her quiver over her shoulder and strode towards Litania.

As Litania flinched and stepped aside, Herna raised her index finger towards her, twisting the corner of her mouth as if sneering.

“The one who survives in the end becomes the real one, you know.”