Chapter 4

‘What is that?’

As Rohana lifted her head, a large light fixture swayed precariously in her view.

‘Huh?’

The chandelier above was making a metallic screeching sound as it swung wildly.

Was it because she had faced death once before? The feeling was familiar.

Today, just like that day, it was raining. The blinding light of the chandelier reminded her of the glaring headlights. The sharp sound of car tires skidding echoed in her ears.

‘How similar.’

The chandelier was falling. And I was right underneath it.

Screeeeech.

As she heard the screams of the people in the banquet hall, Rohana closed her eyes.

‘Am I really going to die like this?’

Worrying about the original story was pointless.

Crash.

The sound of the chandelier shattering echoed through the banquet hall. The people’s screams quickly turned the hall into chaos.

How much time had passed? Her back strangely hurt. It felt as though she had fallen on it.

‘So, did I get hit by the chandelier on my front?’

It seemed she had fallen backward while trying to step back.

‘This will hurt.’

As the ringing in her ears subsided, she heard the clatter of hurried footsteps and murmuring voices. Then something cold fell on her cheek.

‘Water?’

Ignoring the dizziness, Rohana slowly opened her eyes.

‘What is this?’

The bright light mixed with dark shadows, making it hard to see anything clearly.

Again, something cold fell on her cheek. The flickering lights began to stabilize, and her returning senses picked up a peculiar scent.

The strong smell of wood and a snowstorm.

Slowly, her vision cleared. A man with deep eyes and silver hair, almost white, was above her. His body was almost completely covering hers.

From his broad shoulders and firm chest radiated an intense heat. Cold raindrops fell from his drenched hair.

A white wolf.

An aura that was almost inhuman wrapped around her.

With his left arm, he supported Rohana’s head and neck, while his right arm held a large shield over both of them. His dark eyes pierced into hers.

“Are you alright?”

Through the ringing in her ears, his deep, low voice resonated clearly.

A sigh close to a gasp escaped her lips.

It was him.

The lord of Nopthal in the East.

The silver-haired half-breed royal.

As cold raindrops from his sharp chin fell on her cheek again, she recognized him.

Kaiden Delcliff, the villain of this work.

Her heart dropped with a thud.

Following the cold raindrop on her cheek, Rohana raised her gaze.

His deep black eyes were intense.

Despite the noise of people’s murmurs and screams, he seemed to hear nothing, focusing only on her.

A sculpted face with a straight, high nose. The bright light cast shadows on his features, and his disheveled silver hair, wet from the rain, fell across his forehead.

‘Does he…’

Her heart beat so fast it felt like it was about to burst, and she could feel it even through the cold armor. His cold gaze alone made her whole body heat up.

‘Know me…?’

As he slowly lowered the shield to the side, shards of glass and metal spilled onto the floor.

They were heavy fragments, almost too heavy for a person to bear.

“Heath, What’s the situation?”

Kaiden asked, lifting his head slowly to address the man approaching.

“No issues. It’s astonishing.”

The scene was surreal. But why was he suddenly here?

“…Lady.”

Her head hurt.

“Lady Rohana.”

The moment his cold hand touched her cheek, Rohana jumped in surprise. He withdrew his large hand, seemingly not wanting to startle her.

“I’m going to lift you now. Are you alright with that?”

It was indeed Kaiden Delcliff. His deep, rumbling voice mesmerized her as she looked up at him. His sharp black eyes gleamed with a mysterious light.

His eyes bore into Rohana as if waiting for her response. She barely managed to nod, and he applied more pressure to his left hand, supporting her neck. As his other hand moved behind her thigh, her body tensed involuntarily.

Despite the careful touch, lifting her was effortless for him.

Though she hadn’t risen by herself, a slight dizziness set in.

“Lady Rohana!”

Vivian’s voice was filled with concern, but she hesitated to come closer. At that moment, a stranger’s voice caught their attention.

“Lady Rohana.”

A man with sky-blue hair smiled peacefully, his delicate features calm. He was also drenched, wearing a dark cloak and armor, marking him as someone from eastern Nopthal. If that’s the case, this man must be…

“Lady Rohana, is the Crown Prince here by any chance?”

Who was he in the original story? She didn’t recognize him.

“What?”

Kaiden narrowed his eyes at the man who asked the question with a grin.

“Ah… I should introduce myself first. I am Heath. I serve as a knight for this gentleman here.”

“Knight…”

Kaiden muttered in dissatisfaction.

“Rohana!”

An all-too-familiar voice called from behind. As Kaiden reluctantly turned, Rohana saw the Crown Prince, looking quite surprised.

His blue eyes widened and then narrowed. Surrounded by the royal guards in red uniforms, the aristocrats around him were filled with a mix of undeniable curiosity and restrained admiration for the mixed-blood prince.

“Rohana.”

The Crown Prince extended his hand as if to help her walk over. However, Kaiden’s arm showed no sign of releasing her, making Rohana’s efforts to stand futile.

“You might be injured. Let’s wait for a stretcher.”

His voice was courteous yet carried a subtle edge, almost too faint to be certain it was real.

“Lady Rohana!”

At that moment, a palace physician arrived, panting and pale-faced.

“What are you doing? Bring a stretcher for Lady Rohana!”

Following the physician’s command, the medical team cleared away the glass and metal fragments to make space for Rohana and Kaiden.

“She has leg injuries from the shards and possibly a head injury,”

Kaiden murmured. As the medical team nodded in a fluster, his gaze returned to Rohana.

“If you feel dizzy or nauseous, please let us know. You might have hit your head.”

As he carefully set her down, his voice was much more respectful and deep than before.

“I apologize for being late.”

An odd apology. Just then, Bardi, who had approached unnoticed, pushed Kaiden aside and grabbed Rohana’s hand.

“Rohana.”

“My Lady! What should we do… Are you alright?”

Aurelia, her face already a mess of tears, spoke with a trembling voice from right behind.

“I’m fine.”

The sudden appearance of the trio from the original story left Rohana feeling a sharp wave of fatigue. They were finally all here.

A maid from the ducal household hurriedly covered her with a gown, and Rohana realized she had injuries on her body.

Even though Kaiden had shielded her with his body and shield, she couldn’t completely avoid the falling glass and metal.

The decorations on her dress were torn, hanging loosely.

After giving a brief smile to the weeping maids, Rohana turned her gaze and met Kaiden’s eyes.

His gaze was intensely focused on her, following her even through the crowd.

***

“You said you couldn’t leave Nopthal?”

The Crown Prince stared directly at his cousin, their eyes locking in a complex exchange. Bardi eventually broke the silence with a smile.

“Anyway, thanks. Because of you, Rohana avoided serious injury.”

“Check everyone who attended the party. Musicians, grooms, servants, maids—everyone who came and went.”

Kaiden’s polite yet businesslike tone made Bardi smile brightly.

“Yes, of course. They’ll all lose their heads.”

Though the words didn’t match the smile, his blue eyes gleamed as he looked around.

“Yes.”

Kaiden answered with a bow and turned towards where the chandelier had been.

The nobles were more intrigued by Kaiden, who had appeared in the capital and the palace for the first time in a decade, than the fallen chandelier.

Despite his lowered voice, some conversations reached his ears.

“What a surprise. It’s Duke Kaiden Phillip Delcliff.”

“He’s so handsome. How can anyone be that perfect?”

“Handsome? He reeks of Kark blood. He looks just like his father. Disgusting.”

“He’s handsome because he has Kark blood!”

The murmurs from the crowd reached Kaiden and Heath.

“Oh, they think you’re handsome. Lucky you, Kaiden.”

Ignoring His’s teasing, Kaiden scanned the surroundings. As he smiled faintly in response to the people’s admiration and not-quite-cheers, he caught a particular name mentioned in passing.

“We owe our lives to the destruction of Axebone. We should be grateful.”

His faint smile turned icy as Kaiden quickly turned.

The glass crunched under his heavy boots as he paused for a moment. But no one noticed the subtle shift in his demeanor.

The palace remained in an uproar for a long time, excited by the unprecedented accident and the sudden appearance of the eastern protector, Kaiden.