I couldn’t see him for several days.

I tried waiting at the annex for an answer, and even deliberately took walks towards the outer palace, but I didn’t even bump into him by chance.

Today, I was planning to visit Kaius’s quarters directly and try to persuade him once more over lunch. If I promised him delicious steak for a year, he might be tempted. The past Kaius was particularly picky about the taste of steak.

“Phew…”

After finishing work in the greenhouse, I came out of the water after holding my breath. Ariel usually swims during the time she replenishes her vitality. As it took considerably longer than usual, I hurried a bit. With the artifact strapped to my thigh and clothes on, I came out of the greenhouse to find an uninvited guest waiting.

“Ariel.”

At the sight of Ludvian, Ariel frowned deeply.

“What’s the matter today?”

“It’s the day we agreed to go to the festival together.”

“Ah…”

I had forgotten. That today was the day I was supposed to go to the festival with him. Ariel only left her bedroom after making him wait quite a long time in the reception room. Ariel, who had no intention of giving Ludvian even a wrist today, had hidden a dagger in her bosom to protect herself.

In her memory, he had taken her first kiss around this time, so she had to be especially careful on days when she went outside the palace.

“Why?”

Ludvian blocked Ariel’s path as she got out of the carriage. Ariel asked in response to his staring behavior.

“Do you have to cover your entire body like that?”

She had only hidden herself under the cloak because it wouldn’t be good to be seen at the festival with him when she had a fiancé. That’s why she had also secretly instructed a guard knight to follow.

“If you don’t like this appearance, I’ll go back.”

Ludvian, who had been silently staring at her, grabbed Ariel’s hand. She tried to shake it off, but he wouldn’t let go. If the guard knight had seen, he should have acted according to the instructions given beforehand, but he didn’t appear. As Ariel looked around, Ludvian said with a sneer,

“No one’s coming.”

Not knowing what kind of trick he had pulled, but realizing she had to face him alone today, Ariel took out the dagger she had prepared and held it to her own wrist. She didn’t expect to use the dagger so quickly.

Seeing this, Ludvian laughed in disbelief. To bring a knife while coming to a festival with him.

“Let go. I never gave you permission to hold me.”

Ariel glared coldly as she spoke, but he tightened his grip on her hand. At his action, Ariel applied more force to the dagger.

This was a warning.

To prevent him from touching her body today. When Ludvian frowned and tried to take the dagger away, Ariel applied more force to her hand, and blood began to seep out of her wrist more and more. She didn’t intend to go this far.

“Put the knife away.”

Finally letting go of her hand, Ludvian spoke coldly. As soon as his hand fell away, Ariel retrieved the dagger and distanced herself from him. It hurt so much that tears even trickled out.

Ariel untied the ribbon that had bound her hair and tightly wrapped it around her injured wrist. Due to poor control of strength, the wound was quite deep and hurt more than she thought. But she couldn’t show it to Ludvian.

This should have clearly conveyed her intention, so she should be safe at least until returning to the palace today.

Watching this scene, Ludvian’s eyes gradually narrowed. He could have taken the dagger if he wanted to, but he decided to leave it be for now.

For tonight.

“Ludvian, I still can’t understand why we have to enjoy the festival together. Why don’t we just go back now?”

“I heard you like puppet shows. Let’s go see that.”

She spoke with some hope, but he made her frustrated with an irrelevant answer. Ariel quietly followed Ludvian as he started walking ahead.

“This won’t change anything.”

At her quiet murmur, one corner of Ludvian’s mouth rose crookedly.

The inside of the festival grounds was splendid.

The sound of people in colorful attire laughing and chattering. Carts selling various items and food. Games for people to participate in. Even a large tent performing a puppet show.

“Buy the puppet show tickets first in case they sell out. I’ll buy a ribbon and catch up.”

Showing her injured wrist, Ludvian frowned and started walking ahead, telling her to follow quickly. Once he was out of sight, Ariel approached a cart selling drinks.

“One apple juice please. With lots of ice.”

“One wine. With lots of ice. I’ll pay for the lady’s drink too.”

Surprised, Ariel turned her head to see a large man standing with his body hidden under a cloak. The man who had made her anxious for days.

Looking at her with calm black eyes.

“Did you come to see the festival?”

Kaius answered with a short nod of his head.

“Um… You must have been busy these past few days.”

As he nodded once more, Kaius received the drinks that came out and handed one to her. Ariel pulled her hat down further at the memory evoked by his hand suddenly approaching. She didn’t want to show her flushed face.

“I came with Ludvian. But it’s not a date or anything. Hard to believe, I know.”

Worried that he might misunderstand if he saw her with Ludvian, she ended up blurting out words he hadn’t even asked for.

“If you’re free tomorrow, would you like to have lunch with me?”

Looking at her with calm eyes, he finally opened his mouth.

“Sure.”

His soft baritone voice, heard after days, was pleasant to hear.

“Then come to the North Palace at the appointed time tomorrow.”

After confirming his nod, Ariel’s mood improved and she drank the apple juice she had been holding in one gulp. The cold drink caused pain between her brows, and a painful groan escaped involuntarily.

Watching this scene quietly, Kaius ended up chuckling. This woman seemed perfect in some ways, yet careless in others. As the moment of pain passed, Ariel looked at him and smiled brightly.

“Make sure to see the fireflies too. They’re really beautiful. I can proudly say this is the best in the continent!”

Letiana’s firefly festival was so famous that people from other countries came to see it. Because the continent’s only firefly habitat was formed along the river, people enjoyed the festival in the square and then boarded small boats to watch the fireflies when it got dark.

“Then I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Having said all she wanted to say, Ariel bid him farewell. Yet his business hadn’t even begun.

“What happened to your wrist?”

He stopped her as she was turning around. At his question, Ariel hid her hand behind her back.

“It’s nothing. Enjoy the festival.”

Ariel hurriedly greeted him again and started walking away. She didn’t want him to see the wound on her wrist.

“Ariel.”

Kaius, who instantly blocked her path, grabbed her injured arm. Surprised, Ariel reflexively tried to pull her arm away from his grip, but he didn’t let go.

“What are you doing? I said it’s nothing.”

“Stay still.”

Kaius’s hand holding her arm was firm. As a bewildered Ariel blinked, he untied the blue ribbon from her wrist. His brow furrowed at the deeper-than-expected wound.

Looking at the wound with narrowed eyes, he asked,

“Why aren’t you using your healing power?”

“…”

It must seem strange. It was something she had found curious since childhood. As she didn’t answer, Kaius raised his eyes as if urging her.

“It doesn’t work on me.”

At her words that she couldn’t heal herself, Kaius chuckled and took out the hemostatic agent he always carried. As the medicine touched the wound, the woman winced and tried to pull her arm away, seemingly in a lot of pain, which made him feel somewhat exasperated.

“It hurts.”

If it hurts, don’t do such reckless things.

Kaius, who took out a neatly folded handkerchief from inside his jacket, turned his gaze to Ariel’s face. The moment their eyes met, Ariel unconsciously turned her head to avoid his gaze.

As she felt the touch of his hands wrapping her wrist, Ariel couldn’t help but glance at him again. His long eyelashes visible as his eyes looked down, and his gentle touch.

That kindness felt too unfamiliar.

As he was wrapping her wound, Kaius recalled Ariel harming herself with a dagger in front of Ludvian just moments ago. As the memory of that moment came to him, Kaius’s face hardened coldly.

When he calmly released her hand after finishing the treatment, she examined her wrist this way and that before leaving with just a brief thanks.

“Thank you for the treatment.”

As he watched her disappear into the crowd, Kaius spotted Duke Beloas approaching from afar. Although Ariel had denied it, that man looked at her with a man’s eyes. Based on what he had observed over the past few days, it was certainly so.

Watching her approach Duke Beloas, Kaius readily admitted.

Even if she was to be his wife through a political marriage, it wasn’t pleasant to see her going towards another man.

As darkness fell, the heat of the festival moved to the riverbank.

After watching the puppet show, Ariel and Ludvian moved to the dock. She didn’t want to ride a narrow boat with him, but since the highlight of the festival was seeing the fireflies, refusing wouldn’t work. At least there would be many people, so nothing should happen.

Ariel and Ludvian boarded the boat and sat at the bow, the passenger seat, while the boatman rowed from the stern. The river heading to the firefly habitat was dotted with the lights of numerous boats.

But Ariel had no leisure to feel the beauty.

The boat was narrow, and this was the only place to sit, so she tried her best to twist her body to avoid facing him. Extremely tense, Ariel was tightly gripping the handle of the dagger inside her cloak.

As she looked around, thinking the boat’s direction was strange, Ariel realized their boat was moving to a different place than the other boats. The gap between them and the other boats was widening.

“Where are we going now?”

Seeing Ludvian only smile without answering, a bad feeling made her hair stand on end.

“Turn the boat around quickly!”

Only the light from her boat was visible around. She stood up in fear, but Ludvian pressed down on her shoulder.

“What are you doing?”

“We’re going somewhere else.”

It was something he had planned since the night of the ball. Ludvian intended to take her to his mansion tonight and make her his woman. If he took her body, Ariel would probably, no, certainly break off her engagement with Kaius von Elbartan. Even if she didn’t break it off, he just needed to inform the Duke of the fact.

Then everything would fall into place as he wanted.

“No! I’m not going. Let’s go back quickly!”

As she struggled to remove Ludvian’s hand, the boat shook violently. Then he grabbed the back of her head and pulled her towards him. Ariel’s attempt to take out the dagger was thwarted by his hand.

“If you say even now that you won’t marry that man, I’ll take you back to the palace quietly.”

The red eyes she faced up close awakened past pain, fear, and anger simultaneously. Her head started to become cold and clear.

“What are you saying? This is breaking the rules between us. If you do this, I won’t grow flowers either.”

“Rules?”

“Yes! Rules. If I grow flowers for you, you don’t touch me or the people around me!”

Ludvian, smirking with one corner of his mouth raised, whispered quietly in Ariel’s ear.

“That’s not the only thing that falls under the rules, is it? If you go against my mood, a curse might befall the King and Queen.”

At his words, Ariel’s eyes turned fierce. Fierce enough to kill the demon in front of her with just a look.

What surprised Ariel was when she spotted a boat charging towards Ludvian’s back. As the boat without even a lantern hung approached very close, she saw someone standing on it.

But there was no time to think about it.

Bang.

In an instant, the boats collided, and the boat Ariel was on capsized.