Then he smiled playfully. But the sadness filling that smile reached Rihana completely.

The words of a loved one saying they would die to follow you were the most romantic and joyful words in the world, but at the same time, they were the saddest and most painful words in the world. When Raiden smiled with a face that looked ready to cry, Rihana also smiled brightly with tears streaming down her face.

Casian, angered by their locked gazes, attacked Raiden with the sword he was holding. 

But Raiden didn’t move at all, only looking at Rihana. Instead, the startled Rihana moved her body, and before she could block Casian, his blade couldn’t even get close to Raiden and was blocked by the swords of the shadows who had been hiding. Then he was surrounded and subdued by the knights who had followed Raiden.

Casian angrily protested that Tarecus knights dared lay hands on a Marquis of Kadelai, but Felton, who appeared a bit late, silenced him by saying they would charge him with kidnapping the prospective princess of Tarecus.

“Well, if you’re willing to return quietly like this, we could pretend it never happened. Think of it as payment for saving and nursing my woman’s life.”

When Raiden spoke to Casian, Casian raised his head to look up at him. Raiden, who was now holding Rihana tightly in his arms, contrasted sharply with himself kneeling on the ground, subdued by Tarecus knights. Casian had never experienced this kind of humiliation in his life. 

No matter how much of a foreign prince he was, he shouldn’t be able to make a Marquis of the great Empire Kadelai this powerless and miserable.

Casian stared at Raiden with bloodshot eyes, then soon looked at Rihana in his arms. She seemed to see nothing but Raiden already. Watching her caress Raiden’s cheek and rejoice that he was alive, it felt like the distant future he had envisioned with her was shattering into pieces. Casian lowered his head again and muttered like talking to himself.

“Rather than become another woman’s husband, I’ll become a prisoner and remain alone.”

At Casian’s unexpected answer, both Raiden and Rihana looked at him simultaneously. Casian also raised his head and stared at Rihana with completely wet eyes.

“So that someday, Rihana, you might be able to return to my side.”

“…”

Rihana’s face hardened. Raiden’s hand around her waist tightened.

“If it was such passionate love, why did you make Hana suffer so much, Marquis?”

Raiden asked. Casian answered with his face contorted in painful sorrow.

“For me, that was the way to protect Rihana.”

“It was a foolish and stupid way.”

“…It was.”

Casian lowered his head. Large teardrops fell from his eyes.

Rihana watched such a Casian silently. Raiden reluctantly let out a short sigh like he had no choice. Then he asked Rihana.

“Should I give you time to talk, Hana?”

At his completely unexpected question, Rihana raised her head to look at Raiden.

She had been thinking that if she parted with Casian like this, something unpleasant would surely remain, but she had no intention of doing something Raiden might dislike. However, since Raiden had first given her permission to spend time with Casian, Rihana couldn’t help but be moved once again by such consideration from Raiden.

“Would you do that for me?”

*Peck.* Before Rihana’s answer was even finished, their lips lightly touched and separated.

He seemed to have wanted to hear her say no, that it wasn’t necessary. But since she wanted it, he had no choice but to give her time even if it twisted his stomach. Otherwise, he would regret it forever.

Raiden kissed Rihana’s ear again and whispered in her ear.

“Don’t stay too long. I think I’ll get jealous.”

Mm. Rihana smiled and rubbed her lips against Raiden’s lips. Unable to hold back, Raiden cupped both her cheeks and responded passionately to her kiss. It didn’t matter at all that the gazes of the Tarecus knights and shadows were all focused on them.

What else could be important to a man and woman in love besides each other? But since it seemed like they might keep kissing endlessly, Felton cleared his throat and called to Raiden.

“Your Highness. How about we step outside for now?”

Only then did Rihana realize and separate from Raiden, and Raiden, who had been happily receiving her shower of kisses, glared at Felton and clicked his tongue quietly. Casian already had a dazed expression like his soul had left his body from their display of affection.

After sending away Raiden and all the knights and closing the door, Felton saw despair flash across Casian’s face as he looked at Rihana before closing the door, and let out a short sigh.

He too had heard about Casian’s circumstances belatedly and felt sorry for him. He didn’t feel good about the choice made to save his fiancée’s life, who was an imperial guard knight during the Empire’s rebellion. While questioning whether such a choice was really necessary, he also thought that if he had been Casian, he might have used the princess too, as it might have been the fastest and best method.

But that was a choice that might save the fiancée’s life but would poison the relationship with her. Casian seemed to realize this only now, and wanted to restore their damaged relationship belatedly. When it was already too late.

“Move aside, Felton. You’re annoying.”

Raiden spoke with a face that showed he was dying of displeasure at leaving Rihana and Casian alone in the room. Felton quietly watched his old friend taking out his frustration on him who was just standing still, then stepped back a couple of steps.

An annoyed wrinkle formed between Raiden’s brows.

“No, if you dislike it this much, you shouldn’t have given them time…”

“What?”

Raiden cut off Felton’s words and sent him a sharp look. Since they had grown up running around together since childhood, Raiden knew that this kind of behavior wasn’t threatening to Felton at all.

Felton let out a short sigh and approached closer to Raiden’s side. Then he spoke in a low voice so the surrounding knights wouldn’t hear.

“I’m asking why you had to give them time. Since they’ll never meet again for the rest of their lives anyway, you could have just brought Lady Ariella out as she was.”

“You want me to watch Hana be bothered for the rest of her life?”

“…”

“If anything isn’t properly concluded, it remains in your heart. Especially if it’s a matter of human relationships.”

“…”

“I’m giving my companion a chance to properly sort things out. It’s annoying, but with this brief moment of patience, I’m not giving that damned b*stard a chance to occupy Rihana’s mind for the rest of her life.”

At Raiden’s words, Felton looked at him with a surprised expression. Raiden sent a dissatisfied look at such an expression from Felton and asked him.

“What do you want to say?”

“Nothing. Suddenly Your Highness looks different to me.”

“What?”

“Your Highness is the best.”

Felton smiled cheekily.

* * *

Casian looked at Rihana’s lips that had just been kissing Raiden. Even though he had embraced countless women, he had never thought of laying hands on Rihana. 

That was due to a mixture of carefulness toward his first love from long ago, uncomfortable distance toward her who was always in uniform as a knight, and vague fear of what would happen if she came to dislike him.

Only after seeing Rihana kiss Raiden with his own eyes did he realize that she too was a woman like other women. She just didn’t wear heavy makeup and fancy dresses while giggling and making eye smiles, but she too was a woman who wanted to be loved and wanted to give love.

If he had reached out to her even a little earlier, she probably could have loved him.

It wasn’t just about physical union. He lamented his past self who, due to that uncomfortable distance, carefulness, and vague fear, couldn’t even confess his feelings once and treated her stiffly. Only now did Casian regret everything.

“Your Excellency.”

“I loved you.”

“…”

“I still love you. I never stopped loving you.”

“…”

“You were my… first love.”

At the words that she was his first love, Rihana’s pupils shook slightly.

“But what use are these words now? You’ve already embraced someone else.”

“…Yes.”

“But I want you to know. That I truly love you. That’s why I committed all these stupid acts… regrettable acts. That… stupid me thought it was the best choice I could make for you.”

Casian muttered bitterly. Rihana silently stared at such a Casian, then soon spoke to him.

“You were my first love too, Your Excellency.”

“…!”

Casian’s eyes widened.

“I had unrequited love for Your Excellency for a long time, and wanted to be by Your Excellency’s side no matter what, so I wanted the engagement without consultation…”

Rihana seemed to have difficulty and closed her mouth for a moment. Then after letting out a short sigh, she continued speaking.

“So I was always tormented by the women by Your Excellency’s side. The day I witnessed Your Excellency’s relationship with Her Imperial Highness with my own eyes, the sky of my heart toward Your Excellency collapsed.”

“…”

“Did you say you used Her Imperial Highness for my sake? But surely, Your Excellency enjoyed your relationship with Her Imperial Highness.”

“…”

He couldn’t argue that it wasn’t true. Casian had quite enjoyed his acts with other women besides the princess too. He could do that even while keeping Rihana in his heart.

Some days he met women out of displeasure with Rihana, who always treated him stiffly despite being the one to request the engagement first. And some days he embraced the princess using the reason that it was to save her life.

In the end, all his actions made Rihana suffer and sad. He only realized this now too. Just imagining how devastated the heart of a woman who had to watch the man she loved collide bodies with another woman right before her eyes would be made his heart clench.

“I’m sorry.”

Only now could he offer a sincere apology.

“I’m sorry, Rihana.”

For the past days when he had made his fiancée experience that humiliation.

Watching Casian shed tears and beg for forgiveness, Rihana nodded.

“I’ll forgive you, Casian.”

A sincere apology and true forgiveness were exchanged. With this, Casian felt he could return to the Empire a bit more lightheartedly. And he felt he could wait for her a bit more lightheartedly.

“I’ll pay the price for the crime of kidnapping the princess. The marriage with Her Imperial Highness will be called off, and even after paying the price, I’ll still be alone, Rihana.”

“…”

“I’m not trying to burden you. Just, if there comes a time when life in Tarecus becomes difficult and you want to put everything down, I hope you’ll think that there’s at least one place you can return to.”

At Casian’s words, Rihana didn’t answer in the end, but Casian didn’t press her for an answer. Casian knew that he would never be able to see her again from now on. That this time facing her like this was the last.

Even knowing this, Casian wanted to let her know that he would be there if her life ahead didn’t flow smoothly.