Chapter 1
Kyaaah!
A huge wolf, black as darkness, let out a savage roar that felt like it would tear her ears apart.
Drool dripped from its large, sharp teeth, big enough to swallow an ordinary person whole.
Is this a dream?
Faced with such an unreal sight, Nayeun stared blankly at the wolf.
It wasn’t just the wolf.
The forest, filled with trees and plants she had never seen before, was also hard to believe was real.
Kyaaah!
The wolf roared again and slowly approached her, its fierce eyes glowing.
Is this really a dream?
If it were just a dream, the violent howl that rang in her ears and the cold air touching her skin wouldn’t feel so real.
The moment she realized that, Nayeun’s body froze completely, unable to move.
“S-save me…”
At that moment, a sharp shout struck her ears.
“Get back, now!”
Just as she tried to turn her head—
The wolf bared its sharp teeth and leaped toward her.
It looked ready to tear apart her small, fragile body in an instant.
As she stood frozen with fear, her eyes wide open, a man came rushing through the wind toward her.
Riding his horse at incredible speed, he slipped between her and the wolf and stabbed his sword straight into the wolf’s open mouth, slicing it clean through all the way to its tail.
As the wolf split in two and crashed to the ground, Nayeun was also thrown aside after hitting the horse’s flank and rolled across the ground.
“Ugh…”
The pain felt like her whole body was breaking apart. She couldn’t even scream, barely able to breathe.
“To not run away even after seeing a wolf—are you insane?”
A silver-haired man, shining brilliantly, looked down at her with the bright sun behind him.
His sharp eyes, deep gray in color, stared at her as if they might swallow her whole.
His masculine features were perfectly balanced, without a single flaw.
Broad shoulders, long legs, and a well-built body—it was as if he had been carved like a statue.
Nayeun could only stare at him blankly, unable to respond.
After meeting her gaze for a moment, the man lightly jumped down from his horse.
Every ordinary movement he made gave off a noble air.
Was it because of the pressure he gave off?
Even though it made no sense, his approach felt slow, as if time itself had stretched.
Everything around them was silent.
It felt as though the entire forest was holding its breath, watching him.
The man stopped about five steps away from Nayeun.
Then, one by one, men in armor gathered around him.
“Your Highness, are you alright?”
A man named Beren approached carefully, his face full of concern.
The man—Grand Duke Ruban Blayer—answered while staring at Nayeun with a strange expression.
“As you can see, I’m fine. The one who’s not fine seems to be over there.”
Nayeun was still lying on the ground, her body trembling slightly.
Her eyes looked wet, as if filled with tears.
When Ruban spoke without taking his eyes off her, dozens of gazes followed his and turned toward Nayeun.
Beren cautiously approached her and gently helped her sit up.
“Hey, try to focus. Why are you alone in a place like this?”
But Nayeun couldn’t answer at all.
She couldn’t understand the situation and felt confused and scared.
Feeling the trembling through the arm supporting her back, Beren lowered his eyebrows in pity.
Then he asked in a softer voice.
“Are you badly frightened?”
Nayeun tried to lift her head to answer.
But the suffocating pain that followed made only a groan escape her lips.
“Ugh…”
Seeing this, Beren let out a short sigh.
With such a slender body, it was no wonder she hurt after crashing into a warhorse.
Clicking his tongue, Beren shook his head toward Ruban.
“She won’t be able to move on her own in this state.”
“Put her on the supply wagon. Take her to the village.”
As soon as Ruban finished speaking, his aide Adelian stepped forward through the knights.
“We should just leave her. A woman alone in a forest full of dangerous beasts is suspicious enough… it feels wrong.”
“She was injured partly because of me. Shouldn’t I take at least some responsibility?”
Despite his calm voice, Ruban’s gaze remained fixed on Nayeun.
In his usually indifferent gray eyes, there seemed to be a faint warmth.
Adelian glanced at him with confusion.
He had served his lord for a long time, but he had never seen such an expression before.
“If Your Highness hadn’t saved her, she would already be dead. With so many suspicious points, she could be a spy sent by the enemy nation.”
“I saved her, so I’ll take her. Even if she were a spy, what could such a small woman possibly do?”
“She might use poison.”
“Then I simply won’t let my guard down.”
“But, Your Grace—”
“Adelian Lucia.”
As if to say no more, Ruban frowned slightly and called his name firmly.
As the atmosphere grew colder with their exchange, Beren cautiously stepped in.
“Why not ask her directly? That would be the most accurate way. …Hey, can you answer? Why are you alone here? Where do you live?”
Careful not to frighten the injured Nayeun, Beren asked in a gentle voice.
She weakly rolled her large eyes around, looking at her surroundings, then muttered as if talking to herself.
“I was sleeping in my room… then I woke up—no, I fell asleep—and ended up here…”
She was sleeping, and when she woke up, she was here without knowing how?
“Were you kidnapped?”
At Ruban’s guess, Nayeun weakly shook her head, her eyes still darting around.
It wasn’t kidnapping.
Unless all of this was a dream, it was impossible to understand.
The unfamiliar forest, the armor the men wore, and the long swords at their waists—everything.
“Isn’t this a dream? It has to be a dream…”
The men, listening closely to her quiet voice and actions, let out hollow, baffled sounds.
“Is she joking right now? A dream? That makes no sense.”
Adelian spoke harshly, raising his eyebrows in irritation.
Seeing Nayeun grow even more anxious, Beren tilted his head.
“Maybe… she hit her head when she fell? I’ve heard that hitting your head hard can cause memory loss or make it hard to recognize reality.”
“That’s possible. I’ve seen soldiers lose their memories after head injuries on the battlefield.”
Ruban nodded seriously, agreeing with Beren’s careful suggestion.
“No, that’s not—”
Just as he was about to continue speaking—
Bright red blood suddenly streamed down Nayeun’s forehead.
It dripped down her delicate jawline and soaked into the green grass below.
“…That confirms it.”
At Beren’s words, the Blayer knights all gasped, looking at Nayeun with pity.
Ruban also stared at her with widened eyes.
Her long eyelashes trembled, casting shadows beneath her eyes.
As the blood continued to flow, her already pale skin turned even whiter.
Her eyes gradually lost focus, as if her consciousness were fading.
“What’s your name? We at least need your name to find your home.”
Seeing her eyes slowly closing, Ruban asked urgently.
In her dazed state, Nayeun slowly opened her mouth.
“Ina… Ina… e…”
But before she could finish, she lost consciousness.
“…Inael.”
Ruban murmured softly, his eyes flickering hotly like the setting sun.
“Ugh…”
With a faint groan, Nayeun opened her eyes.
Her head felt like it was about to split open.
It sounded like heavy rain, with dull noises pounding against the window.
The room was unusually dark, and her just-awakened eyes struggled to adjust.
It was a strange dream.
She had walked through a dense forest she didn’t recognize, then stood beneath a breathtakingly huge cliff, looking up at the sky.
The cliff stretched so high it seemed to touch the sky, its end impossible to see.
Then she found a narrow gap between the cliffs and crossed through it.
And there, she met a wolf and a man.
Even nightmares frightening enough to make her scream usually faded quickly after waking up, but the pain of being hit by the horse and the emotions she felt were as vivid as reality.
The man’s gaze, fixed on her so intently.
Thinking of him, she shivered slightly, then curled up and groaned.
Why does my whole body hurt so much?
Maybe it was because of the strange dream, but even turning over felt difficult, her body stiff with pain.
Planning to take some painkillers, she barely managed to sit up—then froze at the strange feeling that hit her.
She rubbed her eyes and blinked repeatedly.
A room made entirely of wood, a rough bedside table with an old candle holder.
Even the old bed creaking endlessly with her movements.
Nothing felt familiar.
“This isn’t… my room.”
A dry, shocked voice slipped from her lips.
