Chapter 30
Agasa screamed as she was left alone in the darkness and noise.
“No!”
Bolt upright!
“Haah, haah…”
Panting heavily, Agasa urgently looked around.
She was in a luxurious room, brightly lit by a large chandelier.
In the center, she lay alone on a grand bed and quickly hugged her shoulders.
‘It was a dream.’
…A dream?
Could she really call it that?
It wasn’t all that different from the reality she was now facing.
“Ah…”
The despair she had felt in the dream returned and she clutched her head.
She sat there for a long while, unable to think of anything, until the sound of the door opening made her snap her head up.
“You’re awake.”
“You’re…”
The man was the knight who had first revealed the true identity of Gobard to her.
He placed the tray he was holding on the nightstand beside the bed.
It was a neatly prepared meal.
“Eat.”
Agasa didn’t even glance at it and instead grabbed the knight as he turned to leave.
“Si, sir!”
At her cry, the man glanced down at Agasa.
His gaze was so cold it frightened her, but she couldn’t let him leave like this.
“Where am I? Why am I here?”
“Tsk.”
The knight clicked his tongue as if displeased.
But this woman was someone Gobard had specifically ordered to be treated with utmost care.
Reluctantly, he began to explain.
“You collapsed with a high fever, and His Highness the Crown Prince personally brought you here. This is His Highness’s palace.”
“I-I want to go back.”
“Back where?”
“To where I’m supposed to be… to Princess Neroli’s palace.”
“Ha!”
The knight snorted.
“Rumors that you’re His Highness’s secret lover are already everywhere. And you want to go back there? Even the kind-hearted Princess Neroli wouldn’t take you in now.”
“…Still, I want to go. I have to.”
Agasa clutched her chest tightly, her voice strained.
“I need to go apologize. I’ll explain everything to His Highness later.”
Agasa sprang out of bed, intent on leaving the room.
The knight sighed deeply and, though careful, firmly grabbed her arm.
“Let me go…”
“There’s been an order.”
Without hesitation, he dragged Agasa back to the bed and flung her onto it.
“You can’t leave this place.”
“What?”
“For the next week, you won’t be allowed to step a single foot outside this room. It’s His Highness’s command.”
Agasa blinked, unable to comprehend what she had just heard.
The knight continued, ignoring her confusion.
“After His Highness’s wedding, you’ll be transferred from the palace to his private villa. He said he’ll summon you again after a year, so wait.”
“What are you saying?!”
“For a commoner like you, it’s a more generous treatment than you deserve. You’ll live more luxuriously than a noble in that villa, and when the time comes… you’ll stand by his side.”
With that, the knight left the room without hesitation.
Slam!
The heavy door closed with a loud bang.
Agasa, stunned, finally understood and ran to the door.
“Wait! Sir!”
Clank.
Instead of an answer, she heard the sound of chains clinking.
She shook the doorknob, but it was locked tight and didn’t even rattle.
“What are you talking about?! Look here!”
“…”
“Open this door! Open it right now!”
“…”
“I don’t want this! I’m going out! Let me out!”
Bang bang bang!
She banged on the door until her throat went hoarse, but no one responded.
Eventually, Agasa collapsed to the floor.
“This can’t be happening.”
She couldn’t accept the situation.
What did that knight just say?
‘I’m to stay here until His Highness’s wedding? And then be taken to his villa?’
Gobard had made her a promise.
He swore he’d break off his engagement.
That he’d only ever look at her.
“Then what is all this…”
A wedding? With who?
That fiancée?
‘Then what about me?’
Staring blankly at the closed door, Agasa slowly clenched her fist.
So tightly her hand turned white.
‘He lied to me again…’
And worse—he had locked her up.
The love she had chosen over everything else had betrayed her once more.
Suddenly, the whisper from her dream returned.
—You think you can be happy after repaying salvation like this?
Her sunlight had vanished with those words.
There was no difference between the despair of that dream and her current reality.
Feeling as if the entire world had gone dark, Agasa screamed.
How much time had passed?
There were no clocks or windows in this lavish room, making it hard to tell.
Agasa lay weakly on the bed.
‘What’s going to happen to me now?’
Was she really imprisoned here, to be secretly whisked away from the palace?
Would she be watched, forced to live under surveillance, and become a crown princess she never wanted to be?
Agasa slowly closed her eyes.
Tears began to stream down from her closed eyelids.
‘It was all lies.’
Gobard’s vows, his loving gaze, his gentle voice.
She couldn’t believe in any of it anymore.
The sting of betrayal from a lover hurt too much for her to stop crying.
‘How… how could he not come to see me even once?’
She thought he would visit her, at least once.
To give an excuse, or even a threat.
At the very least, she thought he would show his face.
But Gobard never came.
‘I was foolish.’
Of course he would choose a noble-blooded fiancée over a mere commoner like her.
She hadn’t realized the obvious, falling for sweet lies.
‘I can’t even ask for help anymore.’
She had already once rejected the hand of salvation that Neroli offered.
How could she dare beg anyone now?
Lamenting her grim reality, Agasa eventually buried her face in the pillow and cried aloud.
It was just as her body began to tremble slightly when—
“You came to fetch the woman?”
A faint voice spoke from beyond the thick door.
Agasa quickly lifted her head and stared at the door.
“Yes, here is the royal decree from His Highness.”
“Hmm… The handwriting and seal are authentic. Has the wedding already ended?”
“No, the ceremony is still underway.”
“Then isn’t it too early? His Highness clearly said to wait until it was all over and night fell.”
“That’s true. But it seems House Bobonsier noticed something suspicious. That’s why I was sent early.”
“Then… who’s that next to you? Not a knight, it seems.”
“His Highness’s handmaid. She’ll serve the lady from now on at the villa.”
“…Understood. Then I’ll accompany you as well.”
“Of course. The carriage is ready outside, let’s hurry.”
That was the last thing said before clank—the chains were unlocked.
Agasa’s heart sank.
She shook her head violently and stepped back without realizing it.
‘They’ve come for me after all!’
Today was already his wedding day!
While Agasa froze in fear, the door creaked open and three people entered.
One was the knight who had locked her up.
The other two wore hoods so deep she couldn’t see their faces.
At the sight of them, Agasa shouted.
“N-No! I’m not going! I refuse!”
“Tsk, noisy. Should’ve drugged her.”
“She hasn’t eaten anything, couldn’t be helped.”
“Well… better than damaging her with the wrong medicine.”
To say such things right in front of her!
Agasa clung tightly to the bedpost, refusing to move.
Seeing this, one of the hooded figures sighed deeply and removed their hood.
At the face revealed, Agasa’s eyes widened.
“You’re…”
Recognizing him, Agasa cried out before she could stop herself.
“You’re Princess Neroli’s guard! What are you doing here?!”
“She recognizes you?”
“Well, she did spend time around the princess’s palace.”
Standing before her was the shorter of Neroli’s two guards.
He shrugged lightly and turned to the other hooded figure.
“Put the robe on her.”
The other figure nodded and approached.
Agasa trembled with a strange sense of betrayal.
“Stay away! I’m not going! I won’t go!”
The figure halted briefly, sighed deeply, then grabbed Agasa’s wrist and whispered in her ear.
“Stay still.”
At that, Agasa paused again.
That voice was so familiar.
“…Bru—”
“Shh.”
The woman quickly helped Agasa into the robe.
At that moment, Gobard’s knight sensed something was off and walked toward them.
“You there. Take off your hood.”
