The princess and the prince seemed like a perfect match. He remained in a distant place, unable to reach her, only able to watch from the shadows. Even then, the princess, standing beside another man and basking in his light, appeared endlessly beautiful. As he watched her, emotions surged from the emptiness within him, rising up to choke him.

He was blinded by the brilliance of the princess, who was unaware of the time he had spent and had no need to know. He looked at the prince, who stood naturally in a place he could never reach, no matter how much he longed to.

What was he thinking at that moment, standing in a place where he could neither draw closer nor retreat?

The hand that always instinctively drew the sword from his waist trembled in its familiar position. If the groom were to die right next to him at the wedding, would the princess be unable to marry anyone else? If he rushed out now and stole the princess away, could she become his? That was…

Would it be what the princess, smiling with excitement beside another man, truly wanted? Would it be fitting for her?

Kaiden compared himself to the prince, who stood with the princess in the light. A prince born into nobility, raised seeing only good and pure things, and a man born into lowliness, rolling in fields stained with the blood of monsters while desiring the princess. What future was more fitting for the princess, someone as radiant as light?

In the end, the wedding concluded without incident. The princess took the prince’s hand and moved to the reception hall, walking with a smile that dimpled her flushed cheeks. The guests followed them out of the wedding.

Kaiden stood there, unable to leave, staring in the direction where the princess and prince had been wed. Facing away from the reception they were heading to, he stood alone, looking in the opposite direction.

It was as if he had lost his sword. No, it was as if the sword in his hand was bound by something rooted deep in the ground, unable to be drawn. As if everything about him was trapped by something he couldn’t escape, he stood there, unable to do anything.

He stood there for a long time, as if his feet were bound by what leaked from his hollowed chest…

“No, what is this!”

“Prince Ergart! Get a hold of yourself!”

He heard loud noises. Kaiden slowly turned his head. Beyond the open doors of the now-empty wedding hall, he saw knights running down the corridor. Among them, he saw a blond man being carried by a knight, blood flowing from his mouth.

“Ah.”

It was the princess’s intended groom. The prince was being carried away, bleeding. Kaiden watched the scene from the wedding hall, then turned to look at the open doors of the reception hall. Nobles were in confusion and knights were rushing back and forth.

Kaiden dashed into the reception hall. Inside, he immediately found the woman he was looking for.

“Escort the princess!”

“What on earth is this…!”

“Get inside! Close the doors! Shut the castle gates!”

The king shouted, and beyond him were the knights, and…

He saw the princess, her face pale, leaving with her maids through the door. Blood had splattered on the hem of her dress as she ran. Her red dress was stained dark with the bloody hue of death. Thankfully, the princess was alive, but the bloodstains that didn’t suit her trailed behind her.

All the scenes that had stood like a well-painted picture were completely torn and shattered. The marriage between the princess and the prince was not completed.

Relief and confusion filled his mind. Was it because he had imagined the prince’s death? It seemed impossible, yet he wondered. Was it divine intervention? It seemed absurd, yet it felt that way. In any case, the princess’s intended groom had disappeared, bleeding. The wedding reception hadn’t even concluded.

“Then?”

Hope sprouted in his heart. But the situation was not favorable.

King Taras had closed the castle gates immediately after the prince was carried off, but soon opened them again. The Heinz knights intended to take the prince back to Heinz, and he didn’t want to trap the nobles inside the castle, fearing that the poisoner might emerge from within.

The king decided to avoid taking responsibility by neither revealing the culprit nor proving Rowen’s innocence to Heinz. Instead, he opened the gates, making it impossible to find the perpetrator.

Because of this, Kaiden left the castle and returned to Leonas to prepare for battle. This situation could not simply be resolved. His sharp instincts sensed the tense atmosphere, and he and his knights quickly prepared for combat. There was little time to get ready. Soon enough, knights from Heinz invaded.

Kaiden organized an advance party and departed from Leonas for the capital. At that moment, Leonas was not his primary concern. The journey was easy, and they faced no obstacles. The southern nobles, already terrified, had raised the white flag and opened the gates. With disbelief, he and his knights fought against the advancing Heinz knights.

The number of Heinz knights was overwhelming and seemed endless. However, having faced even more formidable monsters before, Kaiden found himself filled with anticipation.

‘Perhaps if I seize this opportunity.’

If he could defeat the Heinz knights and protect Rowen, then this time, the king would not be able to ignore him. He recalled the image of the princess fleeing the banquet hall in fear.

‘If I win this war.’

Could he become the victor and safely embrace the princess? Would he finally have a chance to approach her?

Perhaps this was the last chance the gods had given him. As an orphan of humble origins, he had never been grateful for his exceptional talents. He had never thanked the gods. But at that moment, it was different. He was grateful to the gods and couldn’t afford to miss this opportunity. He couldn’t let it slip away.

The sword he wielded felt heavy yet not burdensome, and he could not afford to tire. He fought like a madman. The reinforcements that left Leonas later were delayed by monsters and couldn’t arrive, but that didn’t matter. He had to fight and win regardless.

His entire body was soaked in blood, and his armor felt heavy. Being human, he eventually grew weary. Yet, he persisted, and while he endured…

He heard that King Taras had abandoned the royal castle and fled, only to be captured by the Heinz knights. The knights, entering through the escape route used by the king, had seized the royal castle and taken the princess.

‘Ah…’

Once again, his star slipped from his grasp and flew far, far away. Perhaps now it was truly beyond reach…

It was despair, pain, and the end.

The Heinz knights who had seized the royal castle pushed forward into the rear. Swords and blood. Sounds and shouts. Everything became distant. His body collapsed. And then…

When he opened his eyes again, he realized he had returned to a previous time.

When he awoke in the morning and realized he had come back, he recalled the words of the old monk who had cared for him long ago.

‘Why don’t you pray diligently when you’re so blessed?’

If he was already blessed without praying properly, was there really a need to be diligent? In the past, Kaiden had thought so and was always an insincere believer. However…

Perhaps he truly was blessed. Perhaps that was why he had been given another chance.

He couldn’t believe it. He heard that he would be on guard duty at the princess’s birthday banquet that night. How could this be? Could he see her again? The image of her that had been etched in his heart like light.

He couldn’t remember how he spent the day. He couldn’t recall what state of mind he had during that time. From the moment the sun set, his heart felt like it would burst.

The princess now was not yet engaged to the prince. She was not the bride waiting for marriage to the prince, nor the woman blushing beside the prince.

‘This time.’

This time, he had to be the one standing by the princess’s side. The prince should not even cast a shadow near her. That despicable creature who would only stain her dress with blood. That filth who covered her life in horror…

Finally, as the banquet began and he saw the king, who had arrived first and was seated, Kaiden felt a chill run through him. The heat that had risen in his head while thinking of the prince turned cold.

Wouldn’t it be better to kill him first? Even if he became a traitor or a regicide, wouldn’t it be right to kill Taras now? The one who wouldn’t allow him to reach the princess and destroyed his last chance.

‘If I kill him now…’

The princess would become aware of his existence. Unlike in the past, his presence might become something unforgettable and indelible in her mind. Would she hate him for killing her brother? Would she resent him? Compared to being unnoticed in the past, wouldn’t it be…

Wouldn’t it be better?

‘Somehow…’

If he could remain in the princess’s mind in any way. Including the fact that it might be a way to make her future better.

While he was contemplating this, the star of the banquet arrived.