The Royal Chapel.

“……”

As planned, the wedding reception was held.

Tables and a stage were set up near the lakeside, and guests gathered. A professional orchestra was invited to play music for Icarus.

However, Icarus sat with his arms crossed and a hardened expression.

The bride’s seat beside him was empty.

Ertel did not appear, even as time passed.

Soon, he realized that waiting for her was futile.

Icarus felt foolish for sitting there, unable to grasp the situation, even after being stabbed in the hand.

‘How pathetic.’

Unconsciously, he was still denying reality to the very end.

Could she have realized that he was a hunter?

‘I hoped there was another reason.’

As the wait grew longer, people began whispering again.

“What’s going on? Did the bride really run away?”

“If she was going to do this, she shouldn’t have attended in the first place. Disappearing after the procession—what is that supposed to mean?”

“That’s why it’s such a mystery… Did she suddenly have a change of heart?”

“Then why did she kiss him earlier? What’s going to happen to Duke Juan now?”

“Calling off the marriage right after the wedding—what a disgrace to the family name.”

At this point, Icarus’s temper was boiling over.

He had thought it would be easy to make Ertel his, but an unexpected disaster had struck.

“Your Grace.”

Amar, who had been searching the chapel thoroughly, approached him.

“We’ve searched everywhere, but the bride is nowhere to be found.”

“If she’s not here, she must have already gone far.”

“But, Your Grace, what happened to your hand?”

Amar belatedly noticed the bandaged hand of Icarus, with a visible bloodstain.

“Could it be… Is this related to Ertel’s escape?”

“……”

“Is that what happened?”

Icarus stood up from the table, a resigned expression on his face.

“Call everyone off. There will be no reception without the bride.”

“Yes, understood.”

“How bitter.”

“This is such a bolt from the blue. Ertel suddenly disappearing like this…”

“Indeed.”

Following his orders, the servants immediately began dismantling the stage.

Icarus and Amar quickly returned to the royal palace office.

Given the situation, a private conversation ensued. Icarus showed his injured hand to his aide.

“Ertel tried to attack me.”

“……!!”

“She aimed directly for my heart.”

When exactly had she attempted to attack Duke Juan?

Even Amar had been watching everything with his own eyes.

“Goodness… Your Grace… Could it be that she knows?”

“Hm.”

“That she has the Kaiya Stone within her?”

“Yes. That’s what I think now.”

“Wow. When could she have realized it?”

“If she didn’t know, she wouldn’t have done this.”

Icarus shuddered with a renewed sense of betrayal.

Of course, he wasn’t in a position to feel such emotions.

From the moment he brought her into the mansion and accepted her as his bride-to-be, there hadn’t been a single moment when he was sincere.

Ertel was beautiful in and of herself, but that was all.

The great Icarus could never love her.

Every time he whispered words of love to her, it had all been lies.

‘Why?’

Yet, he couldn’t understand why he felt betrayed by Ertel.

Thinking that she had worn a mask and played a role in front of him made Icarus’s anger boil over.

“So, does that mean she knew about Your Grace’s intentions but pretended otherwise?”

“That could be the case.”

“Wow, what a terrifying woman! So all this time, she acted like she didn’t know anything, like she was innocent.”

“……”

“We were in such a dangerous situation, weren’t we? If things had gone wrong, we could have died!”

Then, when exactly had it started?

From the moment he met her and brought her back from Yukai Forest?

Had she known everything even when he was courting her to win her heart?

Now, it was all just confusing.

Icarus had always lived a life where everything went according to his plan.

That’s why he couldn’t get a grip on his emotions now.

“How strange. Ertel must have spent her entire life not knowing her true identity. She was even cut off from her biological father, so there was no one to tell her. Anna, the maid, kept the secret from her…”

“This isn’t the time for this.”

“Amar.”

“We need to find Ertel immediately.”

Amar Miguel was ready to take revenge at any moment.

Anyone who had harmed his master’s body could not be forgiven.

“Since marrying her is out of the question now, we should drug her and lock her in a room for two years.”

As Amar proposed various measures, Icarus fell into thought.

For now, he couldn’t kill her, even if he wanted to.

Amar continued to urge him.

“Your Grace, let’s assemble a small, elite team to retrieve her. We must do so discreetly. It wouldn’t be good for people to find out that she carries the gemstone.”

“…Alright. I’ll participate personally. And we’ll conduct the search as secretly as possible.”

“What reason should we announce for the broken engagement? It’s already a hot topic, and everyone’s talking about it.”

As Amar fumed, Icarus rolled his eyes and thought deeply.

“Covering up a scandal requires an even bigger scandal.”

“Pardon?”

“Plan something sensational to divert people’s attention.”

“A scandal?”

Watching Amar, who still didn’t grasp the idea, Icarus’s lips curled into a smirk. He seemed to be planning something very intriguing.

“For example, a murder.”

>><<

After leaving the Agnes family, Ertel headed to Yukai Forest.

It was the place where she and Anna had settled and where she had first met Icarus.

The small cabin where the mother and daughter had lived together still stood intact.

She entered through the open, worn-out door. There were no signs that anyone had been there. In the corner, Ertel’s old pillow and bedding remained untouched.

Kneeling before them, Ertel touched the blanket.

It was cold, but it felt as though it still held some warmth.

‘I used to wait here for Mom to come back.’

But she couldn’t stay here long. If she lingered, Icarus’s assassins would find her.

Leaving the cabin, she headed toward the nearby rocky mountain.

Before long, she came across a small pile of stones that only she would recognize. It was where she had buried Anna herself.

The memory of finding Anna’s body was still vivid. At the time, she had discovered a pouch of money hidden in Anna’s skirt.

It was money meant to raise her.

Seeing it had filled Ertel with both anger and resolve.

She had vowed to become strong enough to protect herself without anyone’s help.

She had spent years learning survival skills and martial arts on her own until she met Duke Juan in Yukai Forest.

“…I miss you.”

She placed a single rose on Anna’s grave.

“I’ve been given a chance to avenge you.”

Though Anna wasn’t her biological mother, she had raised her with more love than anyone else. To Ertel, Anna was her only family and the most precious person in her life.

Thinking about how her mother and she had both suffered at Icarus’s hands reignited her thirst for revenge.

“I will kill the man I once loved with my own hands.”

She made a solemn vow before the grave.

“I swear it.”

After a brief farewell at the grave, she hoped for the day she could return with a clear conscience.

Resolving herself, Ertel quickly left, knowing she couldn’t stay there any longer.

>><<

Ertel left the forest and headed toward the marketplace.

First and foremost, she needed to change out of this cumbersome dress.

The once pristine white dress was now dirty, torn, and stained with mud and rocks. The hem was severely tattered from dragging along the ground.

Walking around in this state would only draw attention.

She entered the nearest clothing store.

“Welcome, miss.”

The middle-aged shopkeeper, with his white beard, was startled to see her.

The young woman’s hair was a mess, and her dress was in shambles.

Still, he tried not to show his surprise and greeted her politely.

“Is there something you’re looking for?”

“I need to change out of these uncomfortable clothes.”

This wasn’t the time for leisurely shopping, so Ertel’s eyes scanned the store quickly.

She flipped through the racks of dresses, looking for something plain that commoners would wear.

To the shopkeeper, however, no matter how disheveled she looked, she still seemed like a noblewoman.

She exuded an undeniable air of elegance.

“You seem like a lady of high standing. How about something in velvet or satin?”

“No. I need something plain and inconspicuous. I’ll take this one.”

At that moment, the shopkeeper became convinced that she was a woman with a story.

Ertel entered the fitting room to change.

Meanwhile, the shopkeeper fell into deep thought.

‘She doesn’t seem like an ordinary person. Should I even get involved with her? Something about this feels ominous.’

Knock, knock.

Just then, someone knocked on the shop door.

A soldier in a royal guard uniform entered.

The startled shopkeeper greeted him respectfully.

“Wow, what brings a soldier of the royal palace to such a humble place?”

“I’m looking for someone.”