It wasn’t a feeling that a half-breed prince should dare to harbor. Even after leaving the palace with heavy steps and entering the academy, he often thought of her.

He would write her name in the corner of his notebook during class, only to furiously black it out when he remembered she was at the very top of that ‘damned aristocracy.’ Later, he gradually came to hate her name.

There were many days when her name wouldn’t leave his mind because he hated her so much. He hated her so intensely that eventually just thinking about her made his heart feel like it would burst while sleeping. On sleepless nights, he would get up and stare at the sky for a long while, unable to fall asleep – it wasn’t until much later that he realized this was ‘longing.’

As an adult, he would drink and enjoy time with friends. At such times, his mother’s horrific death, his father’s cruel indifference, and his soul – hollow like a peanut shell – seemed to escape with his breath, carried away by alcohol.

But on nights when he happened to look up at the sky while thoroughly drunk, the sight of stars so distant they were unreachable would fill him with sadness.

No matter how much he wanted to reach out and approach them, he had no wings to get there.

His friends would say:

“Give it up, Rey. Most people live like this.”

You can’t have everything you want. There’s no such thing as a person without scars. Your life isn’t uniquely miserable, so find some contentment and live with it. It’s easier that way.

But there are things that the mind understands but the heart cannot accept. In his nightmares, he would hear his mother’s broken neck and the maids’ screams.

When he woke and looked at the sky, the unsetting stars would taunt him, twinkling at him who couldn’t rise up. The prince who couldn’t be satisfied with his present began to grow angry. Angry at being born without wings.

He asked himself:

‘Why did my mother have to die like that?’

Because I had no power.

‘What’s holding me back?’

The damned aristocracy created by Duke Grey.

‘I want to rise to that sky.’

I want to break through the glass ceiling and build stairs that can take me higher, even without wings.

His dream began from his desire to reach the stars. Through a young man’s struggles at the edge between despair and hope, the separately operating revolutionary forces united, and the youth who had been nothing gained wings made of wax.

He wedged himself between the Emperor and Duke Grey, who had long harbored deep emotional conflicts. Thus, four years ago, he finally succeeded in making contact with Duke Grey.

“You have two choices. Either live here forever pretending to be a poor commoner, or.”

“…”

“Be called ‘Your Highness’ Reizen by me.”

The fall of the Grey family was the beginning of the revolution.

People’s beliefs that ‘you live as you were born’ began to change.

‘The world could actually change.’

Once people realized this, they began to participate more actively, and Reizen’s power grew over time.

Arthur was one of these people. When he, a leading merchant guild master in the capital, joined, the organization expanded overseas.

It was Reizen who suggested establishing a merchant guild in Tavania for maritime trade.

Historically, those who harbored resentment against Sys due to Hobrain’s invasions were weak to the ‘Blood of Gerion’ – those whose country had been invaded and absorbed.

Although Reizen was from Sys, he could gain sympathy and favor for his overseas expansion because his blood was mixed with Gerion.

Back then, he worked tirelessly, staying up nights until his solid body felt ready to break. That’s how he received his territory, his title, and built a firm foundation to make his wings even stronger.

Now that his wings were stronger than before and he could finally fly in the sky, Melissa was dying, buried in the ground.

After eliminating Duke Grey, he heard she was staying at a relative’s house. He thought that being such a noble woman, even if stripped of her title, she would be living comfortably there like other nobles who remained unscathed despite committing murder. But when he returned from finishing business in the Kingdom of Tavania and went to the address, it was Marita’s establishment.

When Reizen handed over the gold coins, the employee who received them readily spilled:

“That twin sister? I heard she eloped with a young master from a count’s family last night.”

Did she have a man she loved?

For a moment, it felt like a huge hammer had struck his head, splitting it in two.

He had crawled desperately toward the stars, only to find the star had run away.

The man felt completely hollow inside. He was angry too, but then he wondered if he had any right to be angry, and ended up laughing coldly at the absurdity of it all.

The feeling of powerlessness he felt then was something he never wanted to experience again.

It took great effort to barely soothe and reorganize his feelings.

‘I should have forgotten.’

Should have forgotten then.

He hadn’t known that the childhood memories that had long tormented him would follow him until now and multiply.

Reizen, recalling the past, brought the cold coffee cup to his lips. The lukewarm coffee went down his throat with difficulty.

Why was I thinking about this again?

“I shall take my leave now, Your Highness.”

After Rockbell finished speaking and left the room, Reizen, now alone, put down his coffee cup and stared at it for a while.

Ah, he had been thinking about why he chose her over Rockbell.

Then he was shocked by the conclusion that struck him like lightning.

Looking back, it was entirely Reizen’s choice to ignore the marriage arrangement with Rockbell and marry Melissa.

Moreover, he realized for the first time that he had wanted her for a very long time.

Not just because of the brand, but from long, long ago, since he was a thoughtless boy playing in the Rose Maze until now.

“…Ah.”

A painful groan escaped. His parched hand swept across his face, and his lips dried up in bewilderment. Once he realized it, he became frantically anxious. Afraid that the star he had finally caught might try to run away if it knew the truth.

The man took out a cigar and lit it, letting out a deep sigh. His fear flowed out of his mouth like gray smoke.

* * *

She felt nauseous.

‘Is it because of the brand? Or motion sickness?’

Melissa hadn’t eaten anything since morning but had stopped the carriage three times to throw up. However, when she actually tried to vomit, her stomach just churned without properly bringing up any food, and her chest just burned unnecessarily.

“Could you be sick?”

In the carriage heading to Glinford, Nora brought a blanket and covered Melissa’s body.

“Maybe it’s because I slept with the window open in the heat.”

Thinking it was a cold, her throat felt scratchy and she started coughing. Her once high and clear voice had become hoarse. Melissa drank the water Nora poured for her, then leaned back comfortably against the backrest with the thin blanket.

She planned to catch a brief nap until they arrived, as drowsiness was overtaking her.

“Should we turn the carriage around now if you’re not feeling well?”

Melissa shook her head at Nora’s words.

“I’ll feel better after a short rest.”

Melissa had called a knight who was close to Whilton and mobilized knights and soldiers from the guard post. Since Horrux had died while escaping from Miellin Castle, it meant the Crown Prince’s knights were in the vicinity.

‘Since Reizen ordered Arthur to import weapons, they’re likely to be on today’s incoming ship.’

If the Crown Prince’s knights try to search the ship at will, they must be stopped. If the weapons are discovered, it would constitute treason, putting not only Arthur but also Florence and the hotel people in Glinford in danger.

While thinking about Florence didn’t bring particularly pleasant feelings, she was still Reizen’s colleague, so it was proper to protect her as Reizen’s proxy.

Above all…

She worried about whether Clara would be frightened.

‘I hope nothing goes wrong.’

The best scenario would be if the Crown Prince’s knights returned to the imperial palace without stopping at Glinford. However, since the world is full of ‘what-ifs,’ she set out due to her concerns.

After two hours of travel, the carriage stopped in front of the familiar hotel. The fierce waves were swaying ominously. The sky was painted black, looking ready to pour rain at any moment.

A large cargo ship was about to dock, spewing black smoke.

Melissa got out of the carriage, intending to inform Florence of the situation. The hotel employees who saw her arrive with soldiers were already hurrying up the stairs to call Florence.

Just then, raindrops suddenly began to fall. The wind blew so strongly that it made the carriage creak and tilt, snatching away Melissa’s hat.

“Ah!”

Nora started to run after the hat but stopped. The hat had flown too far away and disappeared from view.

“The wind is too strong, would you like to wait inside?”

The knights surrounding her asked. When it started raining, they tried to open umbrellas to cover Melissa’s head, but even the umbrellas turned inside out in the wind.