One hour ago.
Tatio had stopped by the house on top of the hill and was now gazing at the sunset from the reed field.
It was one of the daily routines he never skipped.
When he lay on Plau’s Hill and watched the setting sun, the noise in his mind would gradually quiet down.
Perhaps that’s why.
He often remained deep in thought until the sun had completely set and the stars began to appear one by one in the sky.
But not today.
Tatio stood up, glancing at the darkening sky.
‘…The wind is too cold.’
Even the shape of the clouds seemed a bit different than usual. He pulled his robe tightly around him and started walking.
The winter reeds swayed endlessly in the wind blowing from behind.
But as soon as he stepped into the forest, Tatio tilted his head, as if he’d heard something. He quickly dismissed it as a hallucination and shook his head.
He’d been plagued by hallucinations and delusions all day.
Every time he closed his eyes, the face of the girl he’d seen earlier that day appeared and then faded.
Her voice, clear like the sound of bells, still rang in his ears.
Tatio thought himself pathetic and briskly cut across the forest.
What others called the “Cursed Land” was home to him.
Following a complex path only he knew, he arrived at a humble dwelling.
He had been maintaining a peaceful life there for several years.
After arriving, Tatio splashed some water on his face.
Then, without delay, he left again—this time carrying a wooden sword he had carved himself.
Since settling here, he had never skipped his evening training.
Mainly because there was nothing else for him to do.
Just as he gripped the wooden sword with strength—
His brows furrowed.
He could hear a faint scent of blood and the growl of a monster from somewhere nearby.
He paused in place, then began to walk as if drawn by something.
‘Could it be Duke Tiggeris and his knights are conducting a subjugation nearby?’
No, that couldn’t be. Monsters never linger around this area.
Then what was it?
Carried by the wind, he thought he could hear a woman’s voice mixed into the commotion.
His pace quickened.
Soon, he came to a halt upon discovering something in the dark forest.
His golden eyes widened.
“You are…”
The boy was gently stroking the wyvern’s head as if it were a pet cat.
I froze in place, eyes wide in shock.
Beneath jet-black hair, golden eyes shone brightly.
My mouth slowly fell open.
There was no doubt—this person was Rubel.
The missing prince.
He looked at me with a curious yet wary expression.
I quickly stood up.
Startled by my sudden movement, he stepped back slightly, but I stumbled forward toward him.
And without hesitation, I grabbed the hem of his robe. Relief mixed with overwhelming anxiety surged through me.
Because of none other than—Cassian, lying on the ground.
With my blood-soaked hands, I roughly wiped my cheeks and muttered,
“P-Please help.”
Rubel’s eyes widened slightly at the short plea.
I steadied my breathing to hold back a sob. Tears streamed uncontrollably down my cheeks.
My face, covered in blood and tears, must’ve looked ridiculous. But I didn’t have the luxury to care about that.
“Cassian is badly hurt. Please…”
I glanced down at Cassian, groaning in pain on the ground.
Finally, Rubel’s gaze slowly lowered to him.
“Please, I beg you…”
Rubel gently pried my hand from his robe.
I stared blankly at his face, bathed in moonlight.
Was that a rejection?
A dreadful sense of foreboding made my hand tremble.
Come to think of it, Rubel had lived cut off from the outside world for years.
‘Of course he wouldn’t want to get involved with a stranger.’
In the original story, Rubel didn’t appear in the capital until years after this point.
He was indifferent to everything and everyone—except the heroine.
‘What if he refuses to help…?’
A helpless sigh slipped from my lips.
I had never wanted our first meeting to happen like this. This wasn’t part of my plan.
If I ever met him, I intended to explain everything thoroughly first.
Only after that would I persuade him to come with me to the Tiggeris territory.
Of course, even if everything went as planned, I couldn’t be sure he would agree to come.
He was someone who had hidden himself in the Cursed Land with a singular focus on survival.
And yet here we were, meeting under the worst of circumstances.
I looked at Rubel’s unreadable face desperately.
Cassian groaned again in pain.
Hearing the sound, Rubel’s face flickered with discomfort.
With mounting urgency, I pleaded,
“Please… please help. If you leave him like this, he might really die.”
A moment of silence passed.
Just when the unbearable tension peaked, Rubel finally moved.
After hesitating briefly, he approached Cassian and knelt down to examine his wounds.
The wyvern, which had been so aggressive before, now sat quietly with its wings folded.
After a moment, Rubel stood up from Cassian’s side.
My eyes widened.
He had lifted Cassian over his shoulder with ease.
“…Follow me.”
His voice was flat.
I stood frozen in shock, then quickly nodded. I followed him through the dense trees.
When I glanced back, I saw the wyvern still sitting there. It didn’t seem inclined to follow or attack.
Strangely, after all that violence, it was simply licking its wounded wing with its long tongue.
Rubel glanced back and said,
“…It’ll heal on its own if left alone. Monsters have amazing vitality. Unless you cut off their heads, they’ll just keep recovering.”
Wyverns were notoriously vicious and belonged to the dragonkin—they weren’t easy to handle.
Cassian had managed to survive it, but any ordinary person would’ve become its meal in seconds.
Yet Rubel had subdued it single-handedly.
No—maybe “subdued” wasn’t even the right word.
It was more like the wyvern had simply become a docile lamb before him.
I watched his silhouette in the moonlight calmly.
I had a few suspicions… but for now, Cassian’s life came first.
After some time, Rubel finally stopped walking.
In the silent heart of the forest, a rugged little hut appeared.
Rubel gestured with his eyes for me to enter, then walked inside.
I quickly snapped out of my daze and followed.
The interior was sparsely furnished—barely enough to be considered livable.
“We can’t treat this kind of wound here. All I can do is give him emergency aid.”
Rubel said as he laid Cassian down on the bed.
When he took off his thick robe, his strong body, clothed in only a thin tunic, was revealed.
I stared blankly as he shook his head slightly.
He went over to what looked like a kitchen and returned with a strange-looking jar and white cloth.
Then he crouched beside Cassian and, without hesitation, ripped open the pants covering the wound.
The injury was still oozing blood.
With practiced hands, Rubel pressed the cloth against the wound to stop the bleeding.
I stood frozen, staring at the blood soaking into the fabric.
Eventually, the bleeding subsided.
He removed the cloth and checked the wound, then scooped a white ointment from the jar and applied it gently to the swollen area.
It was all so surreal.
Even as he finished applying the ointment and began wrapping a clean bandage around Cassian’s thigh, I stood like a statue.
Then Rubel muttered softly,
“If he was bitten, he wouldn’t have survived. But like this, he’ll live.”
Relief washed over me, and I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding.
“Ha… thank goodness…”
“But he still needs treatment with a healing ability.”
I answered from the doorway in a trembling voice.
“Okay. I’ll make sure he gets it.”
As my legs threatened to give out, Rubel, watching me curiously, said quietly,
“…The bathroom is over there.”
His sudden words made me blink.
Then I realized I was completely covered in Nepas’ blood from head to toe.
Rubel awkwardly averted his gaze and added,
“I figured… you’d want to wash up.”
I rubbed my cheek with the cleanest part of my hand and nodded dazedly.
“Uh-huh… thank you, Rubel.”
I said it with a faint smile I didn’t even realize I was making.
That’s when Rubel, who had been checking the bandage, suddenly froze in place.
He slowly turned to look at me, his expression strange.
His face was stiff, like he’d just seen something he shouldn’t have.
I blinked in confusion as the bandage slipped from his hand and fell to the floor.
Right in front of me, Rubel’s face turned pale.
“Why…”
Just as I tilted my head in confusion, he strode over to me.
In the blink of an eye, he grabbed my shoulders and shoved me against the wall.
“…How do you know that?”
His voice, sharp and cold, had none of the earlier calmness.
I stared at him, dumbfounded.
“W-What?”
“Who sent you? The Emperor? Or…”
His eyes scanned my face intensely.
Then I finally realized.
“I—I wasn’t sent by anyone!”
The strength in his hands loosened for a moment, but then the pressure on my shoulders increased again.
“How can I believe that? You’re my—”
Rubel’s words trailed off as his face trembled.
It felt like I couldn’t breathe. I moved my lips.
“I-I mean… I…”
Then finally, I shut my eyes tight and shouted,
“I came to protect you!”
He froze.
I slowly opened my eyes to see Rubel staring down at me in confusion.
Meeting his gaze, I gently placed my hand over the one gripping my collar.
“It’s true. I’ve been looking for you all this time because I wanted to help you!”
“What does that even…”
“Please, just give me a chance to explain. Just a moment, Rubel.”
When I said his real name again, his grip finally loosened.
His golden eyes wavered endlessly.
