Chapter 1 (Part 1)

There was something near the swamp. Something with black hair.

‘Is it a person?’

As she approached with tension, she indeed saw a person. Her heart sank for a moment. She never expected to see a person here. No, she never even thought a person would come.

She didn’t realize she was sweating as she looked around and noticed the blood that had spread around. It splattered onto the person’s clothes, looking horrendous at first glance.

Her tense heart cooled down. It seemed like he had barely escaped the swamp, but the person lying there motionless…

As she got closer to inspect, he was larger than she thought. Long legs and a broad back. A black leather vest with metal plates reinforced on the shoulders.

Though it was a mess with blood, leaves, and mud stuck to it, the fine material characteristic of a luxury item stood out.

Sweat trickled down her cheeks.

‘What if he’s a debtor?’

But for someone like that, he wore expensive clothes. The kind that nobles would wear.

She knew roughly who her father owed money to. Most of them were commoners. Some had distant relatives who were nobles, but they weren’t wealthy enough to wear clothes like this.

They all cursed her, saying they lost all their property because of her.

Resolutely, she placed her hand on the person’s neck, feeling a pulse. She quickly withdrew her hand and lifted the person, her face stiffening for a moment.

He was so familiar. Especially his face. A sharply raised nose, elegant lips, a masculine jawline.

Even with mud on him, even as he powerlessly bowed his head and closed his eyes, she could tell. It was someone she knew. His name slipped out of her mouth without realizing it.

“Cardin.”

Anyone who attended Stern Academy would know his name. No, they wouldn’t forget it until they died.

That’s how much Cardin was an object of admiration and popularity among all the students.

She was one of the students who admired him. She had a crush on him for almost six years. So she couldn’t forget that face even more.

‘Why is he here…?’

Could it be because of my father? 

That was a strong possibility. Initially, Cardin treated her like any other student. Kindly. But after the bond fraud incident, he immediately treated her coldly.

That incident was caused by her father at Cardin’s bank, affecting many victims. Although she didn’t cause the incident, she had been on the run from creditors ever since, moving from place to place.

‘I shouldn’t get involved.’

She tried to lay him back on the ground, but her body wouldn’t move.

Cardin lay there with his eyes closed, and this place was rarely visited by people. It was a remote forest.

Moreover, a pack of wolves often appeared at night. You could hear their howls from the house. Bloodstains. Bright red blood was visible from his right arm.

“The wolves will come.”

They would surely come, smelling the blood.

Her mind became complicated. Cardin surely didn’t come here with good intentions. Yet, she couldn’t help but look at his face.

He hadn’t changed much in the past two years. Except for his jawline becoming a bit sharper.

She remembered the ocarina Cardin gave her before her father caused trouble. He had given it to her, saying he had two.

Thanks to that, she managed to finish her lessons without being ignored by the grumpy music teacher.

Cardin often showed such kindness. It was a common kindness he showed to others as well, but to her, it was an unforgettable warmth.

In the end, she laid Cardin in a sack and secured him onto the gray donkey, Viche. It felt like she had to repay that small kindness.

* * *

When she arrived home, she headed to the lakeside. First, she washed all the mud off his clothes with water. Then she removed his top. The blood flowing from his right arm was alarming.

She flinched at the touch of his firm skin but tried not to mind.

After finally removing the leather vest and shirt, she washed away the blood and mud from his wound. Once the bleeding stopped, she wiped the sweat from her forehead.

As she exhaled for a moment, she noticed his chest rising slightly between his shallow breaths. It was the first time she had seen his bare body up close.

Her gaze was drawn to him. Though the surroundings were blurry, his body was exceptionally striking in the open area.

His perfectly tanned skin and thick chest were well-defined. The abs between the faint scars were so pronounced that they seemed to hold water.

It was as if she understood the sculptor’s heart searching for the perfect male body. She couldn’t take her eyes off Cardin’s body for a while.

Then Cardin groaned, furrowing his eyebrows. She quickly came to her senses and brought him into the house.

After laying Cardin on the bed, she examined his wound. It was worse than she thought. As if gouged by rough claws.

She immediately disinfected the wound on his right arm and bandaged it. Finally, she covered him with a blanket and left herbs and a note on the side table.

Please leave as soon as you regain consciousness.

You don’t need to repay me.

She thought that would be enough. As a repayment for the common kindness he had shown in the past.

She spent a night in the shed next to the house.

She wanted to avoid encountering Cardin as much as possible. No, she hoped he wouldn’t know of her existence anymore.

Half a day later, she returned home. By now, she thought Cardin should have left.

But her expectation was completely off. He was still there. She approached just in case, but he still lay with his eyes closed.

The blanket beside him was crumpled, and Cardin was breathing heavily.

‘What should I do?’

The moment she nervously placed her hand on his forehead, she flinched and withdrew it. It was too hot. She hurriedly took out all the medicine from the kitchen shelf.

As she quickly rummaged through the medicines, she found herbs wrapped in orange paper. She hurriedly grabbed it and went to him.

Just as she was about to unwrap the medicine paper, she felt something strange. Slowly looking at Cardin’s face, their eyes met. Fierce heat emanated from between his slightly lifted eyelids.

To her surprise, she lowered her hand, and Cardin grabbed her wrist and pulled her in.

It happened in an instant. Cardin climbed over her as if to trap her. Her entire body was trapped beneath him. His eyes, filled with heat, captured her face.

“Who are you?”

It was a rough, low voice. She was momentarily flustered and couldn’t speak. 

Who am I? 

It hadn’t even been ten years, only two. Her face hadn’t changed much.

She spoke without realizing it.

“Don’t you know me?”

Cardin looked down at her intently. She was bothered by the hand still holding her tightly and the firm thigh touching her leg.

His warm breath subtly spread over her lips. His sharp gaze was full of wariness. His eyes slowly moved down her eyes, nose, and mouth.

The slow gaze stimulated her entire body. Even in that brief moment, it felt like heavy air was suffocating her.

As his gaze dropped low between his scattered breaths, their eyes met. She stared at him without realizing it, and Cardin suddenly furrowed his brows and lowered his head.

With a faint earthy smell, his breath touched her collarbone.

As she inhaled, Cardin collapsed on top of her. It was so sudden that she only blinked. Cardin’s body completely covered her.

His hot breath spread provocatively between her neck, and the heat fully penetrated her body. Feeling a strange sensation rising from below, she hurriedly pushed Cardin’s arm.

It wasn’t easy to push him away, but she barely managed to get out from under his body.

Even after quickly getting up, her body felt hot as if the heat hadn’t subsided.

‘Is it because it’s hot?’

Looking around, all the windows were open. She still felt the heat on her cheeks. She quickly exhaled and looked down at Cardin.

His broad back, lying prone, rose faintly. He showed no sign of waking up. Helplessly, she picked up the medicine pouch that had fallen on the floor. Although it was embarrassing, she had to lower his fever.

If possible, along with the heat in her body.

* * *

Twelve hours later, Cardin slowly opened his eyes. Though dimly lit, it was still dark. The smell of herbs from the medicine room filled his nose.

It was unfamiliar. It wasn’t a scent he liked. He furrowed his brows and raised his upper body. Someone was lying prone. Brown hair flowed down to her neck, and her body was small.

Cardin closely observed the woman’s white skin. Come to think of it, he had seen a woman with brown hair before.

The moment he met her eyes, intense heat boiled inside him, but he couldn’t figure out why.

To be precise, he couldn’t remember.

‘She seemed to know me.’

He had no idea how he got here. It was as if he was trapped in a faint fog, unable to think clearly. All he could remember was his father’s tyranny and what happened at Stern Academy.

Cardin frowned, touching his forehead, then looked at his arm. It was carefully bandaged. The pain had subsided somewhat, but this place felt unsettling.

He sharply surveyed his surroundings.

A small table, two old chairs, two pots, and a ladle under an open upper cabinet. A simple household. It was easy to grasp at a glance.

His gaze naturally turned to the side table. There was a note and crushed herbs.

Cardin lightly unfolded the note and read it.

Please leave as soon as you regain consciousness.

You don’t need to repay me.

He lifted his gaze and looked around the bed. Bandages scattered carelessly, crushed herbs, paper that seemed to have wrapped the herbs, an old water basin, and a wet cloth.

The tone of the note was stiff, but the current situation wasn’t so rigid. It was very attentive. He looked down at the woman again.

She clearly knew him, but something was off. She had treated him with care, but the note suggested she didn’t want to be involved any further.

‘Who is this woman?’

Cardin looked down at her slender neck and thin arms for a long time. Her face, which he encountered like in a dream, wasn’t bad.

Moreover, she was the only person who knew him right now. If he were to regain his memory, she might provide a clue.

And he was curious. What kind of relationship did he have with this woman? What was the intense emotion that surged when he first saw her?

Cardin crumpled the note and put it in his pocket. At that moment, he grabbed something. It was paper. When he took it out, it was muddy and wet, but fortunately, the letters were still visible.

There was a photo of the woman’s youthful face and her personal details.

If his memory was intact, she had also graduated from Stern Academy. And underneath, there was a red stamp that said ‘Kill.’

It was a legally recognized certification stamp. Cardin couldn’t take his eyes off it for a while.

Then there was a rustling sound. The woman stirred. According to the personal details, her name was Brienne Hurrick.

‘Why must this woman be killed?’

Cardin stared intently at Brienne.