Chapter 16
“Joo-hee, are you okay?”
“Yes.”
Joo-hee blinked and thought: If Rowen really is the Crown Prince, he doesn’t belong here. She felt it in her bones. If he stayed, something would go wrong. The story would fall apart.
“You can’t stay here,” Joo-hee said.
“Why not?” Rowen asked.
Joo-hee bit her lip, knowing that saying this was like admitting they were characters in a book. Instead, she asked him, “Why do you want to stay here?”
“Well…” Rowen’s voice caught. He wanted to answer but couldn’t find the words.
“Why keep lingering when you have somewhere to return to? I don’t want any more trouble.”
“Joo-hee…”
“I’ve said enough,” she finished, even though her heart felt a sting.
Rowen’s voice was low. “Do you… want me to leave?”
Joo-hee looked at him steadily and nodded.
Rowen’s throat tightened. He forced himself not to yell out “Are you sure?” and instead breathed out a heavy sigh. Time passed in silence, and at last Rowen whispered, “One week.”
“…”
“I’ll stay one more week, then I’ll go.”
“Do that.”
He’d heard from Rian that he had exactly one week. Mel, watching their somber mood, stayed quietly out of sight. Night passed.
* * *
Rowen sat quietly, lost in thought. He wanted to be with Joo-hee always, but she clearly didn’t feel the same. She never showed much emotion, but one thing was certain: if he left, it wouldn’t bother her.
“Crown Prince…” If Rian was telling the truth, returning to the palace would make him Crown Prince. Then bringing Joo-hee to the palace might be easier. So his first task was to go back as soon as possible. He’d set things straight there, arrange a proper home for Joo-hee, and return for her. If he asked her to come now, she’d think it ridiculous—she didn’t know his real status. But once his identity was clear… In the meantime, he swallowed his hurt and his urge to force her to go with him.
Just then, he saw Joo-hee coming out of the forest. Rowen hurried down the hill.
“Joo-hee!”
He rushed over and took the basket from her hand.
“You must be tired. Let’s go home and rest.”
Their days had been quiet—meals together, walks together. The week passed quickly. Tomorrow was the day he had to leave.
Lying under the covers, Rowen asked, “Joo-hee, are you asleep?”
“…No.”
“Even after I leave, eat well, okay?”
“Yes.”
“And don’t get hurt.”
“Yes.”
“You’ll see me to the village entrance, right?”
Joo-hee said nothing. Rowen grew anxious. He was about to ask again when she finally replied, “Yes. Now go to sleep.”
“Okay…”
He closed his eyes, but sleep wouldn’t come. He lay awake until morning, rubbing his dry eyes. Joo-hee woke early to change her clothes. Watching her hurry, he felt even more forlorn—did she really want to say goodbye so soon? He’d come back for her, but the sadness remained.
“Hurry up, come out.”
“All right.”
Joo-hee handed him a bundle of jerky.
“Joo-hee, when did you prepare all this?”
“I bought it when I came to town before. Eat it on the way.”
His chest tightened. Joo-hee looked around, then called out loudly, “Lu! Ro!”
Even from a distance, Lu and Ro heard and sprinted over.
“Let’s go!” she urged.
“All right.”
Smiling, Rowen carefully tucked the jerky into his coat pocket—he probably wouldn’t eat much of it, too precious. Joo-hee and Rowen mounted Lu and Ro and rode toward the village entrance.
They reached the hill overlooking the entrance. There, Rian was pacing anxiously. Joo-hee jumped down and ran ahead; Rowen followed quickly. Seeing them, Rian’s anxious expression brightened immediately.
“Lord Lowengrin!”
He ran up, holding Rowen’s reins.
“I knew you would come! If we leave now, we’ll arrive just in time.”
Rowen and Rian mounted their horses.
“…Farewell.”
Joo-hee gave a short goodbye.
Rowen bit his lip and, after a moment’s hesitation, whispered, “I won’t forget you. I’ll definitely come back—don’t forget me.”
Joo-hee paused. Even if she nodded, once he returned to the palace and became Crown Prince, he would fall in love with the heroine. He would forget her completely. Maybe that was better.
Rian urged, “Lord Lowengrin, we must depart.”
“Ah, damn.”
Rowen glanced at Rian, then turned back to Joo-hee.
“Don’t forget me. I’ll be angry if you do. Take care.”
With Rian’s urging, the farewell was brief. Their horses set off, and Joo-hee watched until the figures became tiny dots on the horizon. Mel, who had followed close behind Joo-hee, asked softly:
—“Joo-hee, are you all right?”
“I’m fine. Let’s go.”
Joo-hee walked away without looking back, trying to ignore the emptiness in her heart. Remembering only brought pain, so she pushed it out of her mind.
* * *
More than two months had passed since Lowengrin’s disappearance. Arsen had belatedly expanded the search to beyond the capital, but a dead man could not be found. In his father’s mind, Lowengrin had long ceased to exist. Arsen just wanted to become Crown Prince—and, ideally, Emperor.
“But I’d like to be Emperor someday…”
His father was too healthy—never once fell ill—so there was no natural way to take the throne. Arsen muttered darkly:
‘If people weren’t so unequal, I wouldn’t even be thinking this.’
The best way to kill someone quietly was with poison. From that day, Arsen began arranging a secret plan.
“This will work, right?”
“Of course, Your Highness.”
The chief servant bowed deeply. He was Arsen’s eyes, ears, and feet—and did everything without question. When Arsen asked for deadly poison, the servant obtained the most effective kind without hesitation.
“Is the plan perfect?”
“Yes. We’ve bribed a palace maid, and everything is ready.”
Next week, Arsen was scheduled to dine with his father. He planned to lace the wine with poison. Of course, he would drink just enough so he didn’t die—and then they would find a body that looked like Lowengrin’s.
“Have you found a suitable corpse?”
“Not yet. Black hair is so rare.”
“Tsk. Hurry up. I’ll destroy the face so it can’t be recognized—just needs to have black hair.”
“Yes, Your Highness. I’ll move faster.”
The servant bowed and left. Arsen smiled darkly. Everything was going according to plan. If his father died by poisoning, the Crown Prince title would be vacant—and Arsen would become Emperor.
“Ha… ha! Ha ha ha!”
He laughed to himself. He planned to exile the empress—Lowengrin’s mother—as soon as he took the throne. Since he had no intention of finding Lowengrin, the searchers wandered aimlessly. It was no surprise they had no leads.
“Damn it! Any progress?”
“No.”
The captain of Lowengrin’s knights ran his hands through his hair in frustration. Rian had only about twenty days left to find him. If he didn’t return soon, it would mean either very good news—or very bad news.
“I hope it’s good news…”
The captain sighed heavily.
