“Are you still spouting such nonsense! Stop those wicked delusions, as I’ve told you repeatedly! How could it be Vanessa’s fault that your weak mother took her own life!”

The vase grazed his forehead and crashed straight to the floor.

“You monstrous bastard. I hate the sight of you, so get out!”

Red blood flowed from his torn forehead, but Alexion didn’t even seem to think of wiping it. The blood that flowed down his chin soon dripped onto the carpet.

Further conversation was meaningless.

“……I shall withdraw now.”

Alexion, who had been looking at the emperor without any movement, quietly paid his respects and left the bedroom as he was.

His footsteps walking along the corridor were drowned out by the sound of rain pouring from the dark night sky. The lily garden he visited after a long time had been completely plowed up, and no trace of its original form could be found anymore.

“Hah……”

Alexion’s tired sigh as he swept down his dry face scattered into the air. Disillusionment appeared in his silver-gray eyes as he looked at the desolate vacant lot where not a single blade of grass remained.

‘It’s all because I, the empress, am lacking. I gave birth to a monster because I was lacking.’

Because Celestine suffered whenever she looked at him, young Alexion always had to watch his mother in hiding. Only when she was tending flowers in the lily garden could he see Celestine’s bright smile, so he often hid behind this pillar.

Each time, Alexion wanted to ask.

Why was the affection she poured so carefully even on mere plants not allowed for her own child? Why wouldn’t she look back at him even once?

Though it was a place where only piercing loneliness had been everything, now other memories came to mind as well.

‘I admire Your Highness the crown prince!’

The voice that had boldly shouted the obvious lie without fear echoed in his ears. On the day he first encountered Erna Lizbeth, Alexion had treated her as some crazy woman with a screw loose.

He who had been letting out a deflated sound stopped and touched the corner of his mouth. Had he ever smiled like this in his life? And in this suffocating imperial palace at that.

“……Erna.”

Alexion, who quietly murmured, felt the emptiness that had been eating away at him for so long subside and finally turned around.

***

Erna lay in bed and stretched fully.

“Ah, a good night’s sleep is the best after all.”

Thanks to spending three days of vacation well, her condition was at its peak. She had escaped from her slave life under the crown prince and thoroughly enjoyed the luxury befitting a count’s daughter for the first time in a while. The night before, she had taken plenty of pocket money and participated in an auction, obtaining some quite decent items.

Erna reached out while still lying down and fumbled around the nightstand.

“Here it is.”

Erna picked up the object her hand caught and held it up to the sunlight coming through the window from various angles. The small, opaque stone the size of a thumbnail looked like common quartz at first glance, but the magic cast on it was quite interesting, so she had quickly won the bid.

“Where should I use this to get a good reputation?”

Erna’s eyes sparkled with anticipation.

A few days later. The hunting festival was held at Mount Kalp, owned by the imperial family.

Before the official start, all participants had time to check their respective weapons under the tent. While Alexion conversed with other nobles at a distance, Erna thoroughly checked once more whether there were any problems with her crossbow.

Her pale pink hair, which she usually preferred to wear down naturally, was today neatly tied up high in one bundle, swaying in the wind.

But……

She felt a gaze openly staring at her from over there.

“It’s been a while, Miss Lizbeth.”

As expected. The man who had been whispering with his companions and glancing at her approached with familiarity.

“I didn’t expect to see you at the hunting festival, Miss Erna.”

Erna looked puzzledly at the man who called her name familiarly. The man had an objectively quite handsome face. However, to Erna, whose standards had risen vertically from seeing Alexion’s dazzling appearance at the imperial palace for months, he was just ordinary extra character 1.

That aside.

“You are?”

Though the man’s smile cracked as if he was shocked, he soon composed his expression as if nothing had happened.

“Haha, you must still be upset with me. I understand. Looking back after time has passed, I don’t think I properly apologized back then. I regret hurting you, Miss.”

The man muttered in a sighing tone as if his heart ached. Erna stared blankly at the hand he extended asking for a handshake and asked.

“Was I hurt by you? Why?”

“Are you really asking because you don’t know, or are you pretending not to know?”

Of course I’m asking because I don’t know. Seeing how he even calls me by name, it seems like he knew the original Erna. Since the extra characters’ past stories were completely omitted when I played the game, there was no way for the current me to know.

“There’s still some time before the hunting festival starts, so could we talk privately for a moment to clear up past misunderstandings?”

Just as the man was about to grab Erna’s wrist. Alexion, who appeared from behind, pulled Erna close to his side.

“I greet Your Highness the crown prince.”

“Young Lord Vernold. Do you have business with Erna?”

Though Erna couldn’t see it, the man facing Alexion directly felt his mouth go completely dry from the overwhelming pressure. The crown prince’s gaze at him was murderous, as if he would cut off his neck immediately if he didn’t disappear right now.

“No. I was just briefly exchanging greetings. It’s not that I had any particular business with Erna, no, Miss Lizbeth…… I’ll withdraw now.”

The man rambled excuses and hurriedly returned to his group.

“Are you acquainted with Lewis Vernold?”

Erna, who had been bewildered by the man’s pathetic exit, shook her head.

“No, I only learned that young lord’s name just now when Your Highness mentioned it.”

Well, we probably won’t see each other again anyway, so there’s no need to worry about it. Erna dismissed it as unimportant.

“Oh right. I bought this the other day when I was looking around downtown with Violet.”

Erna took out an item from her bosom and personally hung it around Alexion’s neck. It was an amulet with an oval sapphire set in the center of a thin silver chain, and giving items symbolizing good luck to those going to battlefields or hunting grounds was a long-standing custom.

The brilliant blue light emanating from the sapphire matched exquisitely with his jet-black hair.

“Ahem.”

Erna’s eyes suddenly widened as she turned her gaze elsewhere due to the awkwardness that belatedly rushed in. Several noble ladies around were kissing the foreheads of men. She knew this was also one of the customs passed down with the meaning of praying for safety and blessings, but……

‘Why do they observe such embarrassing customs?’

When she quickly turned her head again, this time Alexion was staring at her intently. With a look that seemed to ask what she was doing not doing it. He leaned slightly and whispered softly in Erna’s ear.

“Erna, wouldn’t it look strange if only we stay still?”

Then he even went further with his usual mischievous expression.

“If you find it really difficult to do, I’ll do it.”

Alexion leisurely watched Erna’s face turn to horror. After fierce internal conflict, Erna made her decision and pulled Alexion’s collar with her trembling hands.

The soft sensation of her lips descended like petals on Alexion’s forehead.

“!”

As if he hadn’t expected her to actually kiss him, Alexion’s silver-gray eyes wavered.

Erna’s earlobes, who had let go of the collar she was holding, turned red. With the gazes watching from around adding to it, she felt doubly embarrassed. Just then, the horn announcing the official hunting festival rescued Erna.

Because she ran into the forest as if fleeing, Erna failed to notice that Alexion’s lips had curved up slightly.

About two hours had passed since the hunt began.

Erna had been struggling to help Zenon’s hunt whenever she got the chance. It was when Erna, who had spotted a fox lurking nearby, was about to scurry off to inform Zenon again.

“Where are you going? Erna.”

Alexion blocked her path, revealing his displeasure.

“Going to bring prey to Zenon Mayer like a mother bird again?”

Erna counted the game that Alexion had caught over his shoulder. One, two…… just how many had he caught? At this rate, the hunting festival’s victory would definitely go to Alexion, not Zenon.

Her voice rose from impatience.

“Your Highness does perfectly fine on your own! So I’m going to help Zenon.”

“What touching friendship. Anyone watching would think Zenon Mayer was your lover.”

Erna wrinkled her nose bridge at his constantly sarcastic attitude.

“Are you jealous of Zenon?”

Immediately, Alexion’s expression hardened as he pressed his lips into a straight line.

“Your Highness? I was just joking…… you’re not angry, are you……?”

Alexion passed by Erna, who was reading his mood, and moved forward.

“What are you doing? Not following.”

“What? Where are you going?”

“You said you were going to Zenon Mayer. It would be troublesome if you got lost in the forest again like before while acting alone.”

Erna, who had been standing dazed, hurriedly chased after him.

***

Meanwhile, at that moment. Zenon was facing a crisis.

He gritted his teeth, having lost his only weapon, the sword, after being struck by horns. The bright red bloody eyes glaring at him made his spine chill as if he would be torn apart alive.

“It shouldn’t be the season for mutants to be active, so why……”