But my frozen heart remained still, unmoved.

“…Bring me a horse.”

“A horse?”

“Yes. I want to ride and run for a bit.”

Adan, delighted, snapped his fingers.

Before I knew it, a beautiful white horse and a black horse appeared before me.

Blinking, I realized that the plain dress I had been wearing had also transformed into riding attire.

“How did you do that?”

“I told you, my magical power can make anything happen with just a thought.”

I cautiously stroked the elegant white horse.

The horse leaned its head against me in response to my gentle touch.

I climbed onto the horse’s back and grabbed the reins.

“I’m going first.”

Before Adan could mount the black horse, I took off on my own.

I galloped across the vast field inside the Demon King’s castle, then sped up as I charged outside.

“Ribe!”

Adan, who had hurriedly mounted his horse, followed the path I had taken.

Ignoring his shouts, I simply looked ahead, feeling the wind on my face.

The white horse ran freely, moving as though it had become an extension of my legs.

How far had I come?

Out of breath, I slowly pulled on the reins.

“That’s too much. Running so fast isn’t romantic at all.”

Adan came to a stop beside me, grumbling.

However, a satisfied smile spread across my face.

Adan, who had been muttering, stopped and stared at me before closing his mouth.

“Well, as long as you’re happy.”

With a resigned smile, he snapped his fingers.

The white horse I was riding began to sink into the ground, gently setting me down before disappearing without a trace.

“What’s this?”

“Let’s ride back together.”

Scoffing, I imagined the white horse that had disappeared.

And just like that, the white horse reappeared.

Adan and I competed, repeatedly making the white horse vanish and reappear.

Finally, annoyed, I spoke sarcastically.

“Can’t win someone’s heart with your magic, can you?”

At that, Adan made his black horse disappear as well and stood directly in front of me.

His darkened eyes and serious expression made me instinctively take a step back.

In response, he took two steps closer.

A shadow loomed heavily over my head.

An indescribable pressure seemed to compress the air around us.

“Well, what do you think? Do you think I can or can’t win someone’s heart with magic?”

“Don’t come any closer.”

“Take a guess, Ribe. Can I win someone’s heart with magic, or can’t I?”

I tilted my chin defiantly and furrowed my brows, glaring at Adan.

“You can’t. That’s why you’re acting like this, isn’t it?”

“You don’t know me at all, do you?”

He crossed his arms, speaking in a calm voice, seemingly to show he had no intention of threatening me.

“It’s not that I can’t. I just choose not to.”

“What?”

Startled, I looked up at him.

He chuckled softly and shrugged.

“Don’t worry. I won’t use such cheap tricks on you.”

“Why not?”

“Because a heart won that way would be fake. I don’t want that. It’d be like having a doll with nothing but an empty shell. I want your true feelings. So, you need to…”

Adan suddenly reached out and grabbed my hand, almost as though he were stealing it.

I tried to yank it away, but his grip was stronger.

A soft, squishy sensation brushed against my palm.

“Give your heart to me.”

***

“Ugh! You lunatic! Who said you could do that?!”

When I woke up in the morning, I screamed and scrubbed my hand furiously.

The slimy sensation I’d felt on my palm still lingered, sending shivers down my spine.

Annoyed, I clutched the blanket tightly and tried to calm myself down.

Why was I getting so worked up when I wasn’t even Ribe herself?

It was just an unpleasant dream. I should let it go.

But the fact that I’d had a second dream connected to the first left me feeling uneasy.

7 a.m.

Rory wasn’t in the room again today.

For some time now, Rory had been leaving the room before sunrise.

He’d either train or go for a walk by himself early in the morning.

Even so, he never forgot to leave my clothes neatly folded on the bedside table.

Thanks to him, I could leisurely get up, dress, and head downstairs.

“Ann, I think I’ll go for a walk to wake myself up.”

“I’ll come with you, Miss. The bread isn’t fully baked yet.”

“No, what if it burns again like last time? I’ll find Rory and come back with him. Don’t worry.”

“Alright then, don’t go too far and be careful. I’ll make some delicious sandwiches for you.”

Ann smiled, showing me the strawberry jam she’d made herself recently and some lettuce she’d picked from the garden.

Ann, who had completely adapted to life in Greenvalley, was full of energy from the early morning.

She seemed even brighter after starting a relationship with Brussel.

Seeing her like this made me smile contentedly.

“Okay, I’ll look forward to it.”

I, too, enjoyed life in Greenvalley.

Compared to the Hauser Count’s estate, I liked it here so much more.

Three years had passed, and I wondered if anything had changed there.

According to Brussel, they’d slightly reduced taxes and raised wages a little.

But it seemed they were more focused on finding me than managing the estate.

From what I’d heard, Sugar had stopped his heir training and had been staying in the capital for three years now.

“Forget promises and everything else. I just want to live here forever.”

A peaceful, warm village.

Walking leisurely, I snapped my fingers as I recalled last night’s dream.

Snapping my fingers had nothing to do with magic. It was just something Adan did to look cool in front of Ribe. Regardless, when I imagined the beautiful white horse from my dream, the same horse appeared before me.

I was so relieved that the horse didn’t come out squashed like a strawberry cake.

“But isn’t it too big…?”

The horse I’d seen from Ribe’s perspective had been large, but seeing it with the body of a six-year-old made it seem even more intimidating.

I made the horse disappear and imagined a small pony instead.

However, instead of a pony, a wooden toy horse appeared.

“How petty.”

Why was this magic so extreme?

I picked up the toy horse and put it in my pocket.

I thought Rory might like it.

Rustle.

A small sound came from the bushes.

“Ugh…”

Hearing someone groan, I cautiously approached the bushes.

Parting the leaves, I saw a young boy collapsed on the ground.

He was very small, and blood was smeared around his mouth and side.

The acrid smell of blood stung my nose.

Startled, I rushed toward the child.

“Hey! Little boy!”

As I reached out to him, his arm lashed out fiercely and pushed me away.

“Ugh!”

The force sent me sprawling to the ground.