Chapter 5
Ji-woo looked back and forth between his wound, being eroded by mana, and her own wrist, then slit her wrist. Not wanting to cut several times, she intentionally put more force into it.
*Swish.*
The blade was so sharp she didn’t even feel the pain of the cut. The wound felt cool, as if touched by a piece of ice. Fortunately, it wasn’t a shallow cut, and blood gushed out.
Ji-woo tilted her wrist and poured all the dripping blood onto the wound of the groaning man on the ground.
Perhaps because of the large amount of blood, the mana was purified much faster than usual. It was a bit excessive as payment for borrowing the dagger, but since she was going to let go of everything anyway, she didn’t care.
“Ugh, ah… heugh…”
The groaning gradually subsided. Since her purpose wasn’t to improve his condition, she didn’t bother to check his state carefully.
Not that she could have even if she tried. Her vision was blurry anyway. Tears were streaming down, and she couldn’t see anything. Her wrist didn’t hurt, so it wasn’t tears of pain.
The amount of blood escaping was greater than the rate at which the wound was healing. Soon, her head became groggy. As her legs gave way and she collapsed to the ground, she didn’t even try to brace herself in case she hit something and got hurt. Ji-woo simply fell like a log. Soon, she could see nothing.
She felt someone grab her arm. Ji-woo just let go of her consciousness.
Ah, everything… was just so bothersome.
* * *
Even after realizing she was in love, not much had changed. Ji-woo’s eyes just followed the Crown Prince a little more.
As the empire had a divine mandate stating that “the imperial authority and the religious authority join hands to protect the world from monsters,” the Crown Prince frequently visited the Holy Capital when there was no war. During a particularly peaceful time, Ji-woo met the Crown Prince.
The warm and gentle winds of the empire only nurtured Ji-woo’s heart, never calming it.
Whenever she came to her senses, Ji-woo was always looking at the Crown Prince’s back. She eagerly awaited the days he came to the Holy Capital, and if she was dispatched elsewhere, she hoped to go somewhere near him.
When she had learned the language to some extent and grown accustomed to the culture here, Ji-woo even began to fear that the Crown Prince would no longer invite her for personal matters.
But even after the purpose of teaching her language was gone, the Crown Prince continued their meetings. Ji-woo spent those days anxiously wondering when this time would end.
And so, her connection with the Crown Prince continued precariously, as if it might break at any moment.
Then, meeting him at a dispatch location was truly a coincidence. When Ji-woo, hard at work, went to a nearby lake to cool off, she unexpectedly met him.
“Your Highness?”
“…”
His eyes widened, and his lips parted slightly. His red eyes, resembling the sunset sky spread behind him, trembled. It was a rare expression of embarrassment.
“Ah, well…”
Flustered, his cheeks flushed, the Crown Prince stammered as if confessing a fault, covering his mouth with one hand while averting his eyes.
“I heard that Akarna… had been dispatched near here.”
“Yes?”
“…Without realizing it.”
“…”
“I had business here anyway.”
The areas where monsters were subjugated and Akarna’s mission sites inevitably overlapped. Ji-woo had chosen this region this time because the Crown Prince was here.
But instead of just saying that, the Crown Prince acted like a fool who had forgotten what to say. The Crown Prince, who always spoke confidently and without hesitation, was particularly foolish that day.
Trying desperately to continue the conversation, he eventually gave up and closed his mouth. Then he stared intently at Ji-woo. His face was as red as if the summer heat had been drained away and concentrated on him.
Ji-woo’s state wasn’t much different. Her face flushed, and her heart pounded. However, Ji-woo, who had learned only basic speech, didn’t know how to beat around the bush.
“Your Highness, are you saying you came all the way here to see me?”
“I shouldn’t have taught you how to speak. You’re too direct.”
The Crown Prince laughed. It was a shy laugh, unlike him.
“When you put it that way, it’s too embarrassing for me.”
“What if I don’t say it that way?”
“You are…”
Smiling faintly, the Crown Prince took her hand. She was surprised by the sudden contact, but it couldn’t be unpleasant. After looking down and stroking her fingers for a while, he suddenly raised his head.
She thought his red eyes had come too close. The unfamiliar sensation came next.
*Whoosh—*
The sound of the gentle breeze brushing through the leaves stopped for a moment. The intermittent chirping of birds, the sound of insects, the clear flow of the lake water—all suddenly became inaudible. Intoxicated solely by the heat enveloping her, Ji-woo closed her eyes.
With their lips pressed together, the Crown Prince wrapped his arm around Ji-woo’s waist. As Ji-woo docilely leaned into him, the kiss deepened. The tongue that had been carefully tapping at her lips pushed inside.
The moist muscle explored her mouth, gradually becoming rougher. The passion stirring her insides spread throughout her body. She had clearly come to the lakeside to cool off from the heat, but it felt like she had fallen into the hottest place in the world.
After a long while, the Crown Prince parted his lips and rested his forehead against hers. Hot, ragged breaths exchanged between their faces.
The Crown Prince spoke in a hoarse voice.
“…Do you feel the same way as I do?”
Ji-woo didn’t answer. This time, she captured his lips first. It was an excuse that her speech was still poor, but no one complained.
She didn’t know much about politics. But she knew that being Akarna wasn’t such a bad position for being with the Crown Prince.
It was a union between the Crown Prince, the most precious bloodline of the Empire, and Akarna, sent by the gods to directly oversee the lower realm. It was a match made by the gods, whom no one could complain about.
It seemed everyone blessed their relationship. Perhaps even the gods. Perhaps even the imperial family. She was happy, entertaining the romantic thought that maybe she had fallen into this world to meet him. That instead of shouldering the hardships of this world, the gods had allowed her this love as a reward.
And so, Ji-woo experienced a dreamlike love. She didn’t long for the past, wishing to return home; she faithfully loved the present and painted a brilliant future.
Was that such an unrealistic wish? The future she had painted shattered precisely five years later.
“…You’re getting engaged to the Marquis’s daughter? What do you mean?”
It was news like a bolt from the blue. Moreover, Ji-woo didn’t hear it directly from him but through the loud rumors circulating within the temple.
As soon as she learned the truth, Ji-woo immediately confronted the Crown Prince. She desperately hoped it was just a rumor, but unexpectedly, the Crown Prince did not deny it.
“Were you seeing someone else while you were seeing me?”
“Akarna.”
The Crown Prince sighed as if weary of the matter.
“It’s problematic to think of it that way. The union between noble families is not about the relationship between a man and a woman; it places greater emphasis on political value.”
“But at the very least…”
Yes. She thought it might be understandable because he was involved with someone so great. Feeling suffocated, Ji-woo paused, then continued.
“At the very least, you shouldn’t have let me hear it from someone else.”
“I’m sorry about that.”
The Crown Prince apologized immediately without excuse. Yet, she couldn’t read any remorse in his expression. He just looked flustered by an unexpected situation.
“Akarna.”
He gently embraced her trembling shoulders. It was a gesture as if trying to soothe a sulking lover.
“Can’t you understand? It’s just… a political arrangement. My position and goals are not a private matter. You know that I only love you.”
“You think I’m just throwing a tantrum right now.”
“Akarna.”
“…”
“Are you not? I am not in a position to go against the greater cause for personal matters. I didn’t think a wise person like you would throw a tantrum like this.”
Personal matters. A tantrum.
Ji-woo clenched her fists tightly. Akarna was just Akarna, not a noble. She had no possessions, no good lineage, no territory. The empire had religious authority under imperial authority. Being Akarna was merely for the temple’s propaganda; it wasn’t such a great power.
There was one more problem. Her periods had stopped after she became Akarna. During the five years she met the Crown Prince, she never had a child. Ji-woo was clearly infertile. Telling the Crown Prince not to see anyone else was the same as telling him to give up on an heir.
It would have been better if she were just a noble. The Crown Prince was so high and mighty that it was almost surprising Ji-woo had loved him.
In the end, these were the only words left for Ji-woo.
“…That woman probably won’t like this either.”
