“I won’t deny it. I despise myself too.”

“……”

“I won’t make feeble excuses, and I will face the consequences of my actions. But not now. While we’re wasting time like this, Ariel is slipping away. Once I have rescued Ariel, I will make things right, even if it costs me everything. Please, just tell me where she is.

“If we wait any longer, something irreversible may happen.”

Kylance added desperately. It didn’t matter if Jedran insulted him or not. If Jedran hit him, he would take the blows without resistance.

If only he could hear where Ariel had gone. If he could just save her and confirm that she was safe, he would kneel right here.

His desperate sincerity seemed to finally reach Jedran as his eyes wavered.

But the answer came from a different direction.

“They said they lost track of her at the western Laud Pass.”

It was Count Forte. Even Jedran did not stop him from nodding in agreement.

“That is correct. We lost track of her there.”

“Laud Pass… could it be?”

As soon as he heard the answer, a location flashed in Kylance’s mind.

“I will bring Ariel back safely, no matter what.”

Kylance made a firm vow to himself, then hurried out of the mansion, determined.

***

Soon the thunder that had rattled the sky stopped and the lightning began to fade.

As the heavy rain that had been battering her body began to ease, Ariel finally brought her horse to a halt.

She looked up at the sky for a moment, then slowly dismounted. She let go of the reins and stroked the horse’s face, exhausted from running through the rain.

“You have worked hard for me. Now go and rest.”

The horse let out a soft whinny, as if it didn’t want to be parted from her. It nudged her arm with its head, as if urging her to take the reins again.

But Ariel couldn’t take the reins. She had to go alone this time.

Stepping back, Ariel spoke quietly.

“I can’t go with you. This isn’t the way for you to go.”

The horse, having stamped its front hoof on the ground, turned and began to walk back.

True to the intelligence of the horse her father had bred, it took the exact same path they had come from.

Ariel stood still for a moment, watching the horse disappear. She watched as the footprints it had left in the vast expanse of sand slowly faded into the distance.

Indeed, the place where she stood was none other than the western shore of the capital, the Cascade Sea. The largest body of water in the Empire, home to the capital’s great harbour and beautiful sandy beaches.

It had been a long time since Ariel had visited this place. The thinning rain had now stopped completely, as if the world itself were embracing her in her final moments.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath through her nose. The scent of the vast ocean enveloped her, filling her entire being.

“Father is waiting for me.”

That was why the rain had stopped.

So that the way to her father wouldn’t be hard, so that she wouldn’t be afraid.

She smiled a hollow smile as she looked out at the dark sea. Slowly, Ariel began to walk across the beach towards the high cliffs.

The heavy, drenched dress made each step harder, but Ariel didn’t falter, not for a moment.

She wanted to meet her father, her mother, as soon as possible. She longed to be wrapped in their warm embrace once more.

They would surely tell her she had done well. And with that, all this relentless despair and regret would melt away like the snow.

Nothing had happened, just like that.

“Ha… Ha…”

When she finally reached the cliff, Ariel gasped for breath, her lungs burning from the effort.

Her pitiful, labored breaths escaped her ice-cold lips and drifted into the cool sea breeze.

But Ariel didn’t feel the cold. Since fleeing the mansion, she had lost all sense of touch.

Had her senses been intact, they would have stopped the moment she stepped on the broken glass.

She wouldn’t have ridden barefoot through the storm, blood running down her foot, and run all the way here.

After catching her breath, Ariel walked towards the edge of the cliff, her face pale, her steps slow and deliberate.

Each step left a trail of red blood, as if she were carving her last moments into the earth.

Finally, Ariel stopped at the edge of the cliff.

The Cascade Sea, where the stars shone brightest in the Empire.

Was it here that the Goddess of Love was said to have been born?

Countless lovers have taken their vows here over the years.

Ariel was one of them.

It was here that Kylance had proposed to her.

The day he proposed.

Under a sky full of stars, the sea sparkled so brightly it was blinding.

The memory of that moment made her heart ache. She had thought all her senses had disappeared, but perhaps something had remained.

Trying to shake off the emotions, she took a deep breath. The cold air filled her lungs, grounding her in the moment.

Ariel looked out at the vast ocean. Perhaps because of the torrential rain, the sea she had once remembered as beautiful was no longer the same.

The sound of the waves crashing against the cliff was unnerving, and the huge waves seemed ready to swallow her whole.

An instinctive fear.

Startled, Ariel looked down at the small bag that had fallen to the ground.

“Ah…”

Carefully, Ariel picked up the bag and took out the pocket watch it contained.

She hadn’t even noticed that she had brought it with her, carrying it in the small pocket of her dress out of habit.

The glass of the pocket watch was cracked, possibly from breaking it or from the rush of the ride.

“You have a strong protective spell, don’t you?”
Of course, it was an ancient magic circle that wouldn’t activate unless by a miracle, but simply possessing it had offered Ariel some small comfort.
“Let’s go together. After all, there are no miracles left for us.”

Ariel smiled helplessly as she wrapped the watch chain around her hand and clutched the watch tightly.

And as Ariel closed her eyes and took a step forward from the edge of the cliff…

“Ariel! No!!”

The desperate scream echoed through the cliff.

Ariel’s eyes snapped open. It was a voice she knew only too well. But it was a voice that should not be heard here.

Had she gone mad, imagining things?

Just as Ariel stood frozen, as if to prove it wasn’t an illusion, her name echoed through the cliff again.

“Ariel!!”

No, she hadn’t misheard.

She could clearly see the knights running along the beach.

Ariel slowly turned away from the edge of the cliff.

“Kylance.”

It was really him. He had come.

Ariel looked at Kylance as he stood at the edge of the cliff.

Why are you here…?

How did you know I was here?

Why is he looking at me with such a frightened expression?

Ariel was curious, but didn’t ask. After all, it didn’t matter why he’d come. Even if she knew the reason, nothing would change.

As Ariel stared at Kylance, he slowly began to move towards her.

“…Ariel. Stay where you are… I’m coming to you.”

Step by step he approached her.

Ariel watched him in silence, her eyes following him as he got closer. When the distance between them was about ten paces, Ariel finally parted her cold, stiff lips.

“Stop.”

Ariel’s voice, devoid of warmth, echoed.

Kylance stopped immediately, his trembling eyes fixed on her. He feared that if he didn’t stop, Ariel would move forward.

But there was nowhere for her to go. There was no ground behind her.

The only way out was for her to fall into the cliff below.

He had to catch Ariel quickly.

He couldn’t stop here; he was so close now.

Kylance looked down at the remaining distance.

It was a short distance, barely two steps if he was running, but now it felt unbearably far.

It was as if a massive wall had appeared, preventing him from getting any closer. Still, he couldn’t just stand there.