chapter 2
Did He… See It?
Lebelina hadn’t liked Inferno from the beginning. He had been a frail and weak prince. Her ideal type was a man strong enough to protect her.
The reason she fell for him was because of something that happened at the imperial hunting grounds.
When she was twelve, she went out to the hunting grounds riding a pony. One of the young ladies there boldly declared she would ride a large horse, which sparked Lebelina’s competitive spirit. Unwilling to lose, Lebelina insisted she could ride it too, and in the end, the two of them rode large horses out into the field.
Her fear of the large horse quickly faded as she enjoyed the wind and galloped across the plains.
Then it happened.
From the rustling grass, a wild boar suddenly burst out. It was strange for such an animal to be in the imperial hunting grounds, but at the time, she didn’t have the presence of mind to think about it.
The boar slammed into the side of her horse, and she was thrown off.
Danger!
Just before she hit the ground, someone caught her and lifted her back onto the horse. But shaken by the accident, Lebelina soon lost consciousness.
The last thing she remembered before blacking out was shining golden hair and blue eyes.
“Are you alright?”
When she came to, the person before her was Inferno.
Even now, she could not forget the clear blue eyes that had looked at her so warmly in that moment.
That was when it began—her interest in the powerless second prince.
From that day on, she never took her eyes off him. She endured the Crown Prince’s wariness and the princess’s disdain, yet remained by Inferno’s side.
She liked his humble personality, despite being royalty. Even after saving her, he never acted arrogant—his calm demeanor was enough to capture her heart.
Inferno disliked it whenever she brought up that incident. Lebelina had thought it was out of consideration for her—after all, it would be embarrassing for a noble lady to have nearly fallen from a horse in the hunting grounds.
That’s why I liked you. I liked how you cared without saying anything… that’s why I came this far…!
Her father, the Marquis Asilius, had never intended from the start to choose Inferno as a son-in-law. He had tried to find the best possible match for Lebelina, who was destined to hold a rank second only to a princess in the empire, and had even prepared a list of candidates.
When she turned twelve, he showed her their portraits. Inferno wasn’t among them.
Convincing her father and reaching the point of engagement with the imperial family had been a long and difficult journey.
In truth, Lebelina’s personality was far from Inferno’s ideal.
She was straightforward, blunt, and rough around the edges. Her temper was hot, and she was the type who wouldn’t feel satisfied unless she paid back any wrong done to her twofold.
But when Inferno said he liked kind, gentle, and feminine women, Lebelina completely hid her true nature. She pretended to be gentle, mature, and benevolent—and her entire household helped her maintain that image.
“Do you really have to go this far?” her father had asked.
“Do you want me to become a wife who isn’t loved?”
When her father suggested she should just live honestly and let Inferno accept her as she was, Lebelina had snapped in anger.
She absolutely didn’t want to be found out.
For ten years—no, twelve—she had worked to hide her true self… and yet this was the result.
“Bastard.”
She couldn’t stop the words pouring out.
“You crazy jerk, damned idiot, may you get struck by lightning on your way—”
“My lady.”
Startled by the voice behind her, Lebelina immediately clamped her mouth shut. Her shoulders jumped, and she even hiccupped.
“Hic!”
“I didn’t mean to startle you.”
She quickly turned around.
Standing there was a handsome man with silver hair and blue eyes. Though she had frequented the imperial palace often, she had never seen him before.
For a moment, she was captivated by his face—then a thought suddenly crossed her mind, and her expression froze.
Did he… see everything? Everything I just went through?
Eyes wide, she asked,
“Did you… see it all?”
“My, in a situation like this, you should ask whether I heard it all.”
“S-so… you heard everything?”
“That’s correct.”
The man answered calmly.
Lebelina bit her lip. The face she had just found handsome no longer registered in her mind.
How do I make sure this doesn’t spread…?
Her gaze swept over him. No matter how she looked, he was a stranger—and that meant he probably didn’t know who she was either.
He probably doesn’t know who I am.
It was better to leave quickly than drag out the conversation.
Having made her decision, Lebelina turned around in a hurry. If not for her legs tangling, she might have escaped without issue.
“Ahh—!”
As she saw the ground rushing toward her, she squeezed her eyes shut, flailing her arms to avoid landing face-first.
Just as she was about to hit the ground, her body was suddenly pulled—only to land not on the floor, but against a firm chest.
A warm summer breeze passed between them.
Through her thin dress, she could feel the heat of the large hand supporting her. The hand behind her head hovered carefully, as if to avoid ruining her hair ornaments.
As the hand at her waist brushed her back, a shiver ran down her spine.
Startled, Lebelina tried to push herself up—but froze when her hand touched something solid.
Pale-faced, she slowly lifted her gaze.
The man looked slightly flustered.
Realizing she had placed her hand on his broad chest, she quickly pulled away. But before she could move, he spoke first.
“My lady is quite… bold.”
“I’m sorry!”
Flustered, Lebelina jumped to her feet.
Noticing her attempt to flee, the man spoke again.
“Are you running away like this?”
She paused.
“Without even thanking the person who saved you?”
The man straightened his posture after dusting off his clothes. Lebelina turned back awkwardly.
He had already closed the distance between them and was staring at her with deep, unreadable eyes.
He was tall—so tall she had to look up at him. There was an overwhelming presence about him, something she had never felt with Inferno. Her fingertips tingled with tension.
Fidgeting, she finally spoke.
“Thank you for helping me when I fell.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes.”
After hesitating, she forced herself to ask,
“Um… earlier… did you really see everything?”
“I already told you—I heard it all.”
Right. He had.
Too many things had happened in quick succession, and she had forgotten.
Embarrassed, she cleared her throat. The man remained silent, and so did she.
The silence stretched until she couldn’t bear it anymore.
“If you happen to tell anyone—”
“You won’t have to worry about that.”
His low voice somehow reassured her.
Avoiding his gaze, she shifted her eyes around. She knew it was improper, but she couldn’t bring herself to care after everything that had happened.
Still, something about him inspired trust.
Letting out a small sigh, she said,
“If you tell me your name, I’ll repay you.”
“You’ll find out later.”
He looked at her seriously but said no more. As she had noticed, he was a man of few words.
Find out later…?
“What do you mean by—”
Before she could finish, he turned and disappeared.
Watching his silver hair flutter in the wind, Lebelina stood there, lost in thought.
So… today I got my engagement broken off, fell into a stranger’s arms, and touched that man’s…
Her face flushed bright red, the tips of her ears burning.
She wanted to disappear.
But she couldn’t.
Nor did she have the courage to return to the banquet hall.
There was only one thing left for her to do—go home.
From afar, she could hear the lively noise of the banquet. It was supposed to be a celebration for her and Inferno.
Yet one of the main figures walked alone through the palace corridors.
A hollow laugh escaped her lips as she left the imperial palace behind.
