Chapter 0 - Prologue

Prologue

There is a villain in every novel.

She wholeheartedly believed that if she made the villain turn over a new leaf, surely she would have a happy ending.

“…..Elphi. There’s a safe behind the frame. The way to open it…….”

Elphi Inard stared at the guy talking to her, looking at him in vain.

The beauty of his pale face was radiant despite it being apparent that he was at death’s door, traces of life slowly disappearing from his figure. Blood pooled underneath his body, soaking the floor and glistening like molten wax, staining the floor red.

According to the novel which she had read, he was not a character who would die in vain, especially in such a place.

“Prince, please do not talk anymore. It will aggravate the wound! I will…I will call the wizard, so…!”

“It’s not the wound that is killing me; it’s the curse. Calling the wizard and trying to use healing magic is a futile attempt. It’s useless.”

“Th… then I will call a sorcerer and have them undo your curse.. ..!”

“Don’t do that, Elphi. I have to die for you to live.”

Now, it seemed even more difficult for him to talk, as he broke the words into smaller, more manageable syllables and pronounced them one by one, chest heaving with the exertion. However, despite the amount of pain he was clearly in, he still managed to smile brightly as if to reassure Elphi, who was on the verge of tears.

She trembled as she knelt down at the prince’s side, who was already drenched in scarlet blood.

Tron Threadenium.

The third prince of the Kingdom of Threadenium, who grew up as a commoner and was reinstated as a prince later.

“Prince….No, I don’t like it. I don’t want any of that!”

“Elphi, you have to stay alive. It’s what I…” The phrase ‘I want’ was never spoken. His final words died upon his lips and were carried away by the wind.

She reminisced about days past, a particular memory kept playing in her head- the day she met him six years ago.