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Love. Love, he said.
The days when she was hanging on to it seemed distant. Why did she feel that it was laughable only now, whenever he’d speak of love?
“Your Highness, I don’t have the confidence to look at someone who doesn’t love me anymore. I’m exhausted.”
“What do you mean by that? Akarna, I love you. There has never been a moment that I didn’t love you.”
“It’s all lies.”
All he needed was the Akarna from the temple.
“I’m not lying. I’m sincere!”
“How can I believe that!”
It felt like someone was clamping her neck. This stuffy mansion, the Crown Prince who imprisoned her and forced her to bid his will, and the name ‘Akarna’ that was binding her… It was terribly holding onto her breath and she was sick of it.
Jiwoo gasped as if she was having trouble breathing. When she finally caught her breath, the tears she had been holding back came out together.
“You needed a useful tool, I was just an obedient servant who listened to you…! A prostitute to sleep with you whenever you want to!”
“No, don’t say such a thing!”
The Crown Prince kept denying her words, Jiwoo screamed in a fit.
“I told you I didn’t want it! The position of Crown Princess or anything else!”
Jiwoo withdrew her hand from the Crown Prince. Then, she picked up the ring box he was holding and threw it away.
Slam, roll—
The ring box fell to the floor and the ring inside protruded out. The large jewel shone brilliantly even in the dim lighting of the bedroom.
She only screamed a few times, but she was already tired of it. Jiwoo turned her head away from the Crown Prince and gasped for breath. In this world, because the Crown Prince was holding her neck, she couldn’t breathe properly.
The Crown Prince raised himself. Yes. It must have hurt that man’s pride. He should have just gone out now.
It felt like she could calm herself if she didn’t see his face. In the past, he only showed his face when he wanted to, but why was he doing this now?
However, the Crown Prince, who she thought would leave the bedroom, picked up the ring box and held her hand again.
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“I’m sorry.”
She couldn’t breathe.
“It’s my fault.”
Why now?
“I love you, Akarna.”
Why the hell are you doing this now?
It was true that she had loved him. However, there was no way that the love that was once shunned would last forever.
She didn’t know what kind of feelings she had left for him now. Whatever was clogging up her chest couldn’t be relieved even when she got angry and yelled.
The Crown Prince who held her hand was also trembling.
“I didn’t turn away from your love. I… I was short-sighted, stupid, and I got conceited when I saw you risk everything just for me. Like a fool, I realized it only when I almost lost you. It’s my fault. But there was never a time that I did not love with you. You can blame me. But please don’t deny that.”
She didn’t want to hear these words. She couldn’t believe anything he said.
“Akarna…”
He reached out his hand to wipe away her tears. Jiwoo, not wanting his touch, turned her head away.
“I know you can’t believe me. I was the one who brought upon your distrust. So, I’ll try my best from now on.”
The Crown Prince pondered over what he had done. As much as he believed in the other person’s deep love, he thought that she would understand everything.
Rather, he thought it was a good direction for their relationship.
The position of Akarna in the temple, the position of the imperial Crown Prince, was excused for that act. He realized too late that the wounds inflicted without malice would have been more painful.
There’s no way he didn’t love her for all those five years. So he didn’t know how it would break so easily.
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When he thought that Akarna might be dead, his eyes became dark.
There was only one image that came to his mind as he rode the horse to Akarna’s dispatch. Tired of crying and clinging. That was all he could think of.
Then he realized.
He caused it.
At the same time as the feeling that the sky had fallen, he was overcome with regret for everything he had done. However, his Akarna in front of him didn’t even let him grovel down and be pitiful.
“Your Highness, we can’t. It’s too late now. Just let me go.”
“I can’t do that.”
The Crown Prince placed his forehead on Jiwoo’s lap. He looked so desperate as if he was kneeling and hanging on her knees, confessing his sins.
The short frizzy hair. The shade under dark eyes. A sharp and ferocious atmosphere that could only be seen on the battlefield surrounded him.
The next moment, what came out of his mouth was a voice mixed with some gloomy obsession.
“That won’t do. Your place is by my side.”
“No, I don’t want it.”
“I’ll prove it. Trust me. The duty of the Akarna that oppresses you will be gone now. Then I’m sure you’ll be able to believe me…”
The Crown Prince’s voice was mixed with obsession and madness.
“Please stop.”
“It won’t take long.”
“Let me go…”
Jiwoo, exhausted from crying, muttered in a fading tone. Tears continued to fall.
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“I won’t take any concubines or keep another woman by my side. You’re the only one for me. I’m just going to ask your opinion about adopting.”
“My opinion is for Your Highness to let me go.”
“I’m sorry. I won’t listen to that.”
How could the Crown Prince, who always held his head upright, become someone who apologized so easily?
Jiwoo looked at him with eyes clouded with tears. She couldn’t tell what expression the blurry face was making.
“You will become my one and only Crown Princess.”
All she could feel was his red eyes ensnaring her, burning like a maned lion tearing down his enemies on the battlefield.
He grabbed her hand and forcibly put the ring on her helpless finger.
His lips touched it.
“I love you, Akarna.”
Akarna.
He ended up holding her back with those words.
* * *
The Crown Prince visited the mansion from time to time. Even during the day when he was in the midst of state affairs, he often visited, and he stayed for quite a while in the evening.
One day, he forced Jiwoo, who didn’t want to lie down on the bed and watch her until she fell asleep. When she turned her back to avoid looking at his red eyes, Jiwoo eventually fell asleep on the bed.
Nothing special. The days just repeat itself.
When the time came, she ate the food that came out in a timely manner, and occasionally when someone came from a boutique or jewelry store, she would greet them and pick out something.
The Crown Prince asked if she needed anything, but Jiwoo would not answer.
Whenever Jiwoo wanted to leave, the soldiers blocked her way. Whenever she did this, the Crown Prince increased the surveillance on her.
Such a life kept repeating.
Again. Again. And again… She was treated as a bird locked in a cage. She was so frustrated that she felt like going crazy.
The Crown Prince, who was working on something alone, told Jiwoo to wait when she was frustrated, but did not tell her what was going on.
Then one day.
Tap.
Tap, tap.
Was the night wind that strong tonight? From the balcony connected to the bedroom, there was a constant sound of something hitting.
Tap. tap. A small sound but could not be ignored.
The sound was a bit loud for a leaf blowing and knocking.
Tap. Tap, tap.
And it was too constant.
It seemed that something like a tree branch had caught on to something and kept making the same sound. She didn’t intend to sleep comfortably, but she thought she’d want to deal with trivial noises because she was stressed out right now.
When Jiwoo opened the balcony window. A large shadow leaped inside.
“W-Who…”
Jiwoo wasn’t the type to scream when surprised. Jiwoo, who was frightened and stopped breathing, took only a few steps back.
When the assailant who broke into her bedroom, took off the hood.
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“Uh, ah…!”
Jiwoo couldn’t even say the right words and ran to him and hugged him. A low, merry laugh came above her head. Even that slightly light voice was very welcome.
“Ah, Seo Jiwoo. I didn’t know you would welcome me like this.”
“Tevon, Tevon… Tevon…”
The scent of the forest that she missed so much in a short time wrapped around her. Tevon hugged Jiwoo’s waist with his firm arms. The scent intensified as she buried her face in his arms.
It was not a dream. This vivid touch is not a dream.
“How, how…”
Jiwoo was crying and couldn’t speak properly. It was so stupid, but Tevon didn’t seem to mind.
As Jiwoo continued to cry, Tevon stroked her cheek. As she moved her head and rubbed her cheek against his hand, Tevon’s face, which had been smiling all along, became serious.
“Didn’t I tell you? I’ll go find you, so wait.”