In Dion, Princess Layla ate only as little as the amount of food given to birds and barely slept. She hunched her body to hide her unusually tall height for a woman, giving her a thin and almost sickly appearance. She never allowed the attendants to help her with bathing or dressing, and her long hair was always grown out, either braided thickly to cover her collarbone or simply left loose.

All of this pointed to one thing.

“No, I suppose I should call you Prince.”

Finally, Layla let out a groan—a deep, low sound as if rising from the depths. It was unmistakably the voice of a man. Why hadn’t she realized it before? She had thought that low, steady voice was just irritated, or worn out from the cold, like the voice of a disgruntled princess.

Malyn wiped her tears harshly with the palm of her hand, then spoke in a low voice.

“You weren’t looking for love when you ran away from this arrangement, were you? If you had entered that room, the two of us would have ended up stacked on a cart carrying corpses out of the gates of Veldam Castle in the morning.”

“I’m sorry… I’m really sorry…”

“You never really needed a man to help a mere maid escape. You could run away just fine on your own.”

“…”

Layla’s complexion looked even paler now than it had in Dion. Looking at the white, rough face, Malyn let out a hollow laugh.

Every time Layla bathed her, Malyn always struggled to suppress the simmering anger within her. She resented the thought that the noble princess was using her as an escape into a world of flowery fantasies. But when she learned that Layla was actually a man, she no longer hated or despised him as much.

After all, it was probably just a desperate attempt to save his own life.

Malyn could swear that if it had been her own life at stake, she would have acted the same way – or even more ruthlessly than Layla. While fleeing the bandits, she’d often thought of abandoning Layla, sneaking away with some valuables and leaving. And on some nights, after enduring the beatings of the King of Veldam, she had even considered taking her anger out on Layla by striking her slender legs in revenge.

But what Layla had done was nothing more than a desperate plea for survival – a fight to stay alive. Malyn came to realise that Layla’s behaviour – the way she stayed at Malyn’s side through the nights, tending the fire and sleeping on the hard floor like a monk in gruelling training – was actually Layla’s own self-imposed penance for her guilt.

But what Layla did was merely a desperate plea to survive—a struggle for her own life. Malyn realized that Layla’s staying by her side all night, tending the fire, and sleeping on the hard ground like a monk enduring harsh training was simply her way of punishing herself out of guilt.

“You might as well have just run away.”

“…”

“If only you had managed to escape properly and disappeared without a trace, I could have just thought that I lost a foolish princess.”

Malyn gently took Layla’s cheek, which was turned away from her, and turned her to face her. Layla’s confused eyes met hers—those chaotic blue eyes, as if she didn’t know what she was thinking. It was different from the sharp, scrutinizing gaze or the look full of pity. Malyn spoke softly, almost like a whisper.

“I cursed you every night when the king beat me, and even as I grew into an old woman with gray hair, I thought to myself that because I saved that wretched life, I would live a decent life when I was reborn after death…”

“….”

“How can someone as noble as you be filled with so much shame and pity…”

Layla’s face contorted, and now Malyn could no longer see this face as that of a princess. As she came to this realization, she noticed just how striking Layla’s features were. The prominent nose, firm lips, and square jaw gave her an air of dignity. How had she missed the face hidden behind the long hair that concealed so much sadness? And how had she overlooked the strong, well-built shoulders beneath the elegant dress adorned with pearls?

Malyn reached out and gently brushed aside the golden hair that had fallen across Layla’s forehead, revealing her smooth skin and prominent forehead. It was then that Layla began to speak.

“How can you show such endless kindness, even when you’ve been treated so harshly?”

This time laughter truly erupted. Malyn laughed bitterly. She shook Layla violently, gripping her cheek tightly. But Layla’s face didn’t even flinch.

“Kindness? My God, that’s the funniest thing I’ve ever heard!”

“…”

“Slapping the princess, taking out my anger on the horse.”

Malyn pointed around them accusingly.

“Look at this bedroom! Kindness, you say, to someone who can do nothing but make a mess? Are you mocking me, Your Highness?”

“No.”

Layla shook her head, looking calmly into her face.

“You are a kind person.”

“Completely out of your mind…”

Malyn tried to turn away from Layla, but this time Layla grabbed her hand and pulled her closer. Their faces were now so close that only the width of a palm separated them, and they found themselves looking directly at each other.

“I know your kindness is rough because you’ve never experienced kindness from others in your life. But that doesn’t mean you are incapable of giving kindness.”

Layla’s eyes were trembling. At one time, Malyn had thought those eyes resembled a frozen lake. But now, what Malyn was witnessing was a wave slowly rising beneath the surface of that lake.

“When you slapped me, I hated you. I kept telling myself that the rumours about the King of Veldam weren’t true, and I arrogantly assumed that becoming queen would be better for your future than remaining a mere servant.”

“…”

“How could I ever have the audacity to leave someone who, in the end, showed kindness even to someone like me?”

“Are you saying these words because you think I didn’t know that you told Paradi, the horse, that I was a lowly woman of no value?”

Malyn finally answered. She still remembered the conversation Paradi and Layla had had in the stables. Those outrageous and degrading words. As if a mere maid could ever be noble and elegant. Sometimes she couldn’t control the bitterness that kept rising inside her and it made her lash out at Layla.

Layla’s eyes widened slightly, then faded.

“I understand what you mean. But that wasn’t said about you.”

“Who else could be the lowly, foolish girl next to such a noble, kind and compassionate person?” Malyn sneered, but Layla shook her head.”

“Don’t talk about yourself like that.”

“…”

“I once had the courage to speak of love in front of you. I said that I didn’t want to be married off like someone being sold to a person I didn’t love. The one who sold you out is truly lowly and foolish—so please, blame me instead.”

Layla spoke up to that point and then fell silent for a long time. Their eyes remained locked during the silence. Finally Layla sighed and spoke again.

“And now, this foolish person has finally realized that you are what love truly is…”

Their breaths tickled each other. Malyn was the first to press her lips against Layla. Layla flinched slightly, but soon gave in, pulling Malyn closer and embracing her, as if this had been expected all along. The humble man, full of shame, and the rough yet kind-hearted woman drew near, intertwining with each other like thorny vines.