Chapter 18…………………………….
Arhan Etricios.
He was of the noblest blood of the great empire Demeteon—the powerless imperial crown prince, and the fiancé of the foolish duchess.
Right now, Arhan was startled by the sudden visit from that foolish duchess. The Cardia he knew was not someone capable of such bold behavior.
What kind of person was Cardia?
The foolish duchess, Cardia. She always stuttered, and her learning was worse than that of a five-year-old on the streets—a disgrace to her ducal house.
Perhaps because of her shortcomings, Cardia struggled to express her own thoughts. Even if she raised her voice for a moment, she would immediately shrink back. When upset, all she could do was hide somewhere like a speck of dust and quietly shed tears.
Arhan became engaged to such a deficient girl when he was twelve and Cardia was ten.
Even at that young age, the crown prince knew it was a great humiliation. Yet he maintained the engagement because he lacked the power to resist the pressure of House Wincadius.
His anger was directed at the weakest.
That foolish, fragile face. Whenever Cardia called out to him with that clueless expression, Arhan could barely contain his irritation.
“Ah, Arhan… why do you keep p-playing with o-others? C-can’t you p-play with m-me too?”
At some point, she had even started stuttering.
Whenever he saw that stupid face and her stammering speech, anger surged within him. People’s laughter all seemed like mockery directed at him, and even her innocent face felt like it was ridiculing him.
“Your Highness, isn’t your fiancée waiting?”
When Cardia spoke, everyone around burst into laughter. Noble ladies hid their mouths behind fans, and gentlemen covered their smiles. In that brief moment, Arhan’s pride shattered.
‘Everyone looks down on me—on this ‘Etricios.’’
The noblest blood, yet a powerless imperial family. The Duke of Wincadius playing with that fact. All of that anger gathered and was hurled at Cardia.
Arhan wanted to wash away this humiliation somehow—wanted to vent his anger. While looking around, he noticed a statue holding a torch. Unless it was for a special occasion, the torch was always unlit.
He whispered so only Cardia could hear.
“If you really want to play with me, you should show some sincerity.”
“H-how?”
“Light the torch on that statue.”
At his command, Cardia was frightened. She looked back and forth between the statue and Arhan, trembling, but she didn’t refuse.
What happened next was obvious.
Cardia failed to light the torch and ended up burning her own hair with the weak flames she managed to make. Her ash-gray hair truly became ashes. Crying loudly without even realizing her shame, she looked utterly pitiful. No one refrained from mocking her.
Arhan, too, curled his lips into a smile. Laughing at Cardia along with the crowd made him feel like he belonged among them. That feeling slightly restored his shattered pride.
From then on, Arhan always looked down on Cardia.
After humiliating her once, it became easy.
He openly disgraced her in public, met other women, and didn’t even bother hiding it.
“A-Arhan…”
Even then, that foolish idiot Cardia could say nothing.
So when strange rumors began to spread, Arhan assumed they were just exaggerations of another mistake of hers. There was no way that stupid Cardia could do such things. Rumors were never to be trusted.
But now, that very fool had suddenly come to see him.
The knight delivering the news was stiff with tension.
“Your Highness. Lady Wincadius has come to visit.”
“Send her away.”
“Th-that is…”
Arhan frowned. Though the imperial family was weak, knights did not disobey the crown prince. Yet the knight did not seem insolent—rather, he looked frightened.
Arhan tilted his head, granting permission to continue. The knight swallowed hard.
“She has brought Panake with her.”
Panake.
At that name, Arhan’s hand tightened.
Panake—the legendary bird said to devour sailors crossing the Simena Strait. From the boar-like tusks inside its beak came ten thousand kinds of poison, and its tears were said to cure any poison.
But it was more famous for something else.
Over a thousand years ago, Elecsena committed a sin that no human could judge. Even at the brink of death, she cursed humanity.
Panake had been her companion.
And now, it was accompanying Cardia.
‘Could it be… the rumors were true? That Cardia committed evil deeds?’
The knight spoke again cautiously.
“She also asked me to tell you… that her friend has little patience.”
Ha! Arhan laughed aloud.
‘That idiot Cardia is threatening me?’
To him, Cardia was always foolish and weak. Even if she had come to her senses, how much could she really change? At most, she would hide her tear-stained eyes and spit out a few harsh words.
Besides, the Panake she brought might not even be real. It was a mythical creature from over a thousand years ago—no ordinary person could verify such a thing.
Cardia trying to rise above her place was laughable. She was someone who should always remain beneath him.
“Then tell her to come in.”
Arhan said coldly.
“You may enter.”
“Alright.”
The knight opened the door respectfully, glancing around to see if Panake was present. Not seeing it, he visibly relaxed.
He cautiously spoke.
“Um… about that…”
“You mean Panake?”
The knight nodded. Elecsena smirked.
“I said he lacks patience, didn’t I? He got bored and left.”
In truth, Panake had gone to rest, but the fact remained that he was gone. The knight, who had been tense, visibly sagged in relief.
“Why? Did you want to see him again?”
“N-no.”
After that, the knight silently guided the way. Elecsena simply followed. The palace grounds felt strangely familiar to her—it almost gave her a sense of nostalgia. After all, this had once been the site of the old Palakium.
They passed through a well-maintained garden and arrived at an outdoor table where a man sat.
Jet-black hair. Lush lashes like a camel’s. Beneath them, silver eyes shimmered like a galaxy.
The crown prince, Arhan.
At the rustling sound, Arhan turned his head.
There stood Cardia.
She didn’t look much different from before—dusty gray hair, dull foggy eyes, and clothes that didn’t suit the setting at all.
‘And Panake isn’t even here.’
So the knights had panicked for nothing.
To think imperial knights would make such a fuss over foolish rumors. Arhan curled one corner of his lips.
But something felt off.
Without waiting for permission, Cardia pulled out a chair and sat down across from him. She had never been good with etiquette, but she had never acted this brazenly either.
“What is it?”
Arhan frowned. Something about her was strange, but he decided to hear her out. If it was trivial, he would throw her out.
Cardia leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms and tilting her chin up—more like a street thug than a noble lady.
Her eyes slowly scanned him.
Then she smirked.
“Let’s break off our engagement.”
Her voice was firm—no stutter, no hesitation.
‘What?’
Arhan frowned deeply. Had those words really come from her? Had she gone mad now, on top of being stupid?
“Did you learn that phrase today? Are you trying to show it off?”
His tone was mocking.
“Oh, you’re not stuttering anymore—do you want praise for that? If so, I’m afraid I can’t oblige.”
He chuckled.
The smile slowly vanished from Cardia’s face. Her pale expression and ash-gray hair made her seem drained of all color.
She uncrossed her arms and lifted the teacup before her.
Arhan felt triumphant.
But there was one thing he didn’t know.
The person inside Cardia’s shell… was not Cardia.
The one wearing her body was Elecsena—the greatest hero from a thousand years ago, who met a tragic end.
“Your Highness… are you playing games with me right now?”
She had a very foul temper.
