1. Owner of the Heart

The wind blew in.

My body, shaken mercilessly, looked as pitiful as a fallen leaf tumbling on the ground.

I clutched the binding rope tightly in my hand, hoping only for this moment to end quickly.

“It’s no use doing that!”

Even as the cold wind struck my face relentlessly, I didn’t stop screaming. As a result, tiny grains of sand burrowed into my barely open eyes, nostrils, and mouth.

My entire body was already in tatters, and I had no strength left to endure.

‘I’m sick of this. So.’

“Just end it already!”

Would my voice even reach it? The ferocious ruler in the sky only emitted terrible cries, showing no intention of descending.

Still, I didn’t stop provoking it.

“Why? Think I won’t taste good?”

Stubbornness welled up for no reason.

At this moment, I should be the one suffering the most. I couldn’t accept that this wasn’t the case.

I strained my eyes to confirm this fact. The increasingly hesitant wing beats were not my imagination.

‘Yes, I can see you’re writhing in agony. But let’s just end this now. Please!’

The Empire’s terror. The destroyer of life.

A predator in the sky with its massive body covered in black scales.

The red gleam in its eyes looked as if it would burn the earth at any moment, yet it seemed to resist doing so.

“Hup!”

A stone flew in with the sudden gust of wind and scraped my flesh. Instantly, a cut formed on the back of my hand holding the rope, and droplets of bl＊＊d formed.

At this rate, the end I desired would never come.

Drop by drop, the red fluid slid down the back of my hand.

Did it know that its hesitation was making me more miserable? I turned my gaze away from the scattered bl＊＊d droplets and looked up at the sky again.

The red eyes that immediately met mine blazed with fire. The madness I had only heard about in stories was slowly beginning to emerge.

To not miss it, I shouted with all my remaining strength one last time.

“Jeiroid!”

This time, I hoped it would reach.

That I could grab its consciousness through its long, fierce roar.

That it could finally give me peace……

At that moment, as if by some miracle, its eyes changed, and it shot down toward me, baring its enormous, sharp teeth.

※※※

Haaah!

A flood of breath escaped all at once. The sensation of the evil dragon’s teeth piercing my skin was still vivid.

My throat burned, my nose tingled, and my chest beat rapidly with pain as if my shattered heart was being clumsily stitched back together.

‘Is this h＊ll?’

If so, it would make sense. There was no other way to explain this unnaturalness.

‘I’m tired of this.’

Haah. A shallow breath escaped.

As if by some lie, the phantom pain disappeared, and I became aware of reality.

How long must I repeat the same dream? I feel like I’m trapped in a prison surrounded by invisible doors on all sides. It seems like they will close in at any moment and choke me.

“This must be h＊ll.”

Otherwise, why would I be repeating the same life once more?

Blink, blink. Meaningless movements continued, and my blurry focus gradually became clearer. As always, the familiar ceiling immediately came into view.

I slowly caught my breath, clutching my throbbing head as I sat up. The scene inside the room, which I surveyed languidly, was nothing but tiresome.

“It’s all because of those things.”

The culprits that bring me nightmares and keep me trapped in the past. Everywhere I look, the gifts he gave me are preciously enshrined as if they were treasures.

Just breathing, eating, sleeping.

The most unnecessary things for someone spending such predictable days.

If only those things disappeared, breathing might become easier.

“I should have thrown them away sooner.”

I immediately pulled the bell cord. To get rid of all those things that were choking me.

※※※

“Are you really alright, Miss?”

Enya, with her brown hair tied up tightly in a ponytail, carefully opened her lips.

I changed my clothes with her help and replied indifferently.

“What do you mean?”

“About redecorating your room. The butler seems quite worried, though he didn’t say anything.”

“Why is that?”

“Well, your room was full of precious things. You’ve always forbidden us from touching the gifts you received from His Highness the Second Prince.”

While glancing cautiously, Enya didn’t stop talking.

“You even ordered us to throw away all the perfumes and clothes you used to love. We maids considered it a windfall, but…… Are you really alright?”

“Yes, it was time for a change.”

At my calm response, Enya, who had been tying the ribbon behind my waist, straightened up. For a moment, she met my gaze in the mirror and seemed about to say something, but instead picked up a brush.

I watched her actions and asked.

“What is it you want to say?”

Her sighs mixed in suggested she had something else she really wanted to ask.

Enya’s brushing momentarily paused, caught off guard. After a while, she finally spoke while cautiously gauging my reaction.

“Are you perhaps angry with His Highness the Second Prince?”

I raised my eyebrows as if I’d heard something absurd.

“Angry? Why would I be?”

“No matter how I think about it, I just don’t understand. Even though His Majesty’s collapse is a serious matter, he hasn’t come to see you at all since the wedding. Where in the world would you find someone who neglects his bride like this?”

Her breathing grew rougher with each additional word, as if her indignation was rising.

“Is that what you’re worried about?”

“Of course!”

Her huffing voice was followed by an implied “What kind of person do you think you are, Miss!”

Seeing Enya getting angry on my behalf made me realize how much the world had changed.

She used to be a girl who couldn’t even properly meet my eyes. Seeing her get angry for me now was quite a novel experience.

“The wedding ceremony was interrupted, which is upsetting enough. Doesn’t he care at all about you, who must be heartbroken? He’s too cold!”

She continued brushing while grumbling.

“So you changed your room and threw away all his gifts out of spite, right?”

Enya, who had somehow returned to the original topic, asked with certainty.

I gave her an ambiguous response with a “Well,” and then looked at my back in the mirror.

“This dress won’t do.”

“Pardon? Oh!”

The back was slightly low-cut, revealing glimpses of a mangled scar. Enya quickly realized this.

“You’re right. I thought your hair would cover it, but the scar is slightly visible. I’ll bring a new dress right away, Miss.”

“Please do.”

Seemingly embarrassed for not checking properly because her mind was elsewhere, she hurried to the dressing room.

I kept my gaze fixed on the mirror as I touched the scar visible on my back.

‘Why did such a scar remain?’

It’s still strange to see, no matter how many times I look. While everything else returned to normal, only this mark remained clearly engraved.

‘Is it telling me not to forget the past?’

My breath, which had been somewhat free, became constricted again.

I wonder what would have happened if I had properly defended myself then. Though it’s already in the past, regrets always came unexpectedly.

As I felt the rough texture of the scar under my fingertips, the events of that day naturally came to mind.

※※※

“The criminal, Iella¹T/N: pronounced EE-ella Ribatris, step forward!”

With each step I took, the clanking sound of iron chains echoed on the floor. I barely moved my trembling body to walk to the center of the circular courtroom.

The gazes of those surrounding the room were all directed at me, filled with condemnation and contempt.

“No, it wasn’t me.”

It was unbearable. My thoughts became mumbles, but they were buried under the murmuring noise and couldn’t be heard.

Under my lowered head, my eyeballs darted left and right, searching for someone.

Then, in my slightly raised gaze, I caught sight of a man. In a position that could only be seen if I lifted my head, quite close to the judge’s platform, he stood.

I barely managed to lift my creaking neck to look at him.

The silver-haired man who met my eyes showed eyes that had given up everything, then lowered his head as if turning away.

‘No, don’t do that.’

My heart sank. I wanted to reach out and grab him right away, but my feet remained stuck and couldn’t move forward.

At that moment, the Emperor’s voice came from above the platform. The Emperor, who looked down at me with an emotionless gaze, recited the circumstances of the case.

“On February 25th, 654 Imperial Calendar, at approximately 2:50 AM, an intruder entered the sacred artifact repository at Auna Sanctuary. Not only did this person contaminate the sacred sword Ilafiart, but they also murdered a witness and fled. This constitutes m＊rder, destruction of national property, and sacrilege, as well as being a serious crime linked to the nation’s survival. Therefore, I ask Iella Ribatris, the current Crown Princess Consort.”

In the silence of everyone, the Emperor’s gaze turned to me again.

“Do you admit to the crime?”

‘No. It wasn’t me.’

“For what reason did you enter the sacred artifact repository?”

‘He did it. Your son.’

I could only open and close my lips while swallowing the words that had risen to my throat.

“Who instigated you?”

‘I was only trying to help him.’

“Iella Ribatris, I am giving you one last chance. So tell the truth as it is.”

“I……”

Finally, my moving lips made a sound, but that was all. I turned my gaze to look at the consistently powerless man.

His lowered head showed no intention of rising. Only his occasionally trembling shoulders hinted at the outcome of this situation.

‘Help me, please……!’

I cried out countless times inside. For him to lift his head and look at me. To claim my innocence.

But in this hellish time that passed helplessly, he didn’t utter a single excuse for me.

My clenched fist trembled.

‘You told me to just trust you! You said you would solve everything!’

Uncontrollable emotions surged violently. Words I didn’t want to think about kept wandering through my mind.

Betrayal, deception, manipulation.

‘……It’s not true, right? You’re not abandoning me?’

The desire to believe until the end and the feeling of betrayal—these two emotions cruelly pushed and pulled me.

“Iella Ribatris.”

The low murmuring voice caught my subdued consciousness. The Emperor’s face, soaked in fatigue, came into view.

“All circumstances point to you. The witness testified as such. Despite giving you one last chance, you only repeat that it wasn’t you.”

“Your… Majesty……”

Sharp rebukes came from here and there. I felt like I was about to burst into tears.

“I will deliver the verdict.”

The murmuring noise suddenly stopped.

The Emperor’s expression also changed.

“Criminal Iella Ribatris has committed a crime so grave it could determine the Empire’s fate. From this moment, I strip the criminal of all positions and authorities! Furthermore! Anyone who tries to save the criminal, anyone who has private contact with the criminal! Even those who show mercy to the criminal will be severely punished!”

A sharp energy settled on the Emperor’s face.

“The criminal shall become a sacrifice to the evil dragon Jeiroid to atone for her sins!”

That year, at twenty-eight, in the midst of abundant spring energy, I met my death.

※※※

“You look truly beautiful, Miss. You could go to the party like this without any issues.”

Enya, who had changed me into a new dress and finished styling my hair, clapped her hands in delight.

I faced the young woman in the mirror and gave a brief admonition.

“Don’t overdo it.”

Eighteen, a woman who had just become an adult, slightly raised the corners of her lips and tucked her flowing platinum hair behind her ear.

Behind me, Enya poked her head around and checked my appearance from various angles.

Her gaze, rechecking whether there were any loose threads or whether the hair she had styled was tangled anywhere, was almost burdensome.

After inspecting me from head to toe, she clasped her hands together and her eyes sparkled.

“I’m not lying, it’s true! I think you’re the most beautiful woman in the Aspenia Empire, don’t you agree?”

“That’s embarrassing, stop it.”

Despite my repeated reproaches, Enya just chuckled and didn’t stop her compliments.

I looked at her brown eyes full of vitality through the mirror and slowly turned around.

“Let’s go out. I need some fresh air.”

※※※

While walking along the winding garden path, Enya, holding a parasol, chattered away beside me. Her voice, resembling a lark’s song, made me feel at ease.

‘What if I had given her my company sooner?’

The past days when I isolated myself now seem strange.

‘Would life in the Imperial Palace have been a little better?’

Memories of the past that occasionally intruded disturbed my mind.

At such times, having Enya beside me, muttering unnecessary words, helped me shake off painful thoughts a little.

It was the same now.

The topics of conversation constantly shifted to new subjects, and trivial rumors from society flowed out through her lips.

Thanks to her, I knew even things I wasn’t curious about.

“Oh! Have you heard that news, Miss?”

“What news?”

“You know, about the evil dragon living in the Grow Mountains.”

“Evil dragon?”

Suddenly, a throbbing pain arose in my chest. Emotions I had barely suppressed began to rise anew.

Even though my face was crumpling like a piece of paper, Enya, not noticing me, was busy pouring out words.

“Yes. That vicious evil dragon, they say it might be dead.”

“……”

“Some say it’s fallen into a state of suspended animation, but that’s just a minority opinion. Most people think it’s dead.”

“……”

“But is this a good sign, Miss?”

She tilted her head with her finger against her lips. Yet, as if not really expecting an answer, she continued immediately.

“I think differently. People say we should hold a festival because the vicious monster has died, but…… It didn’t particularly harm us, did it? I just find it sad that an ancient spiritual being has died.”

Judging by her puzzled expression, she genuinely seemed to think that way.

Perhaps that’s why, without realizing it, a sharp remark escaped me.

“So, are you sad?”

“Pardon? Hmm…… I’m not sure? Is this sadness? I don’t know. What about you, Miss?”

Enya answered my question with another question.

I looked at her silently for a moment, then placed my hand on my throbbing heart again. It felt as if something sharp was constantly scratching my heart.

“It’s……”

Just as I was about to answer that it was a good thing, something seemed to try to cover my mouth, and my chest dropped with a thud.

Hnngh!

I had to swallow my breath due to the sudden pain.

Alarmed by this, Enya quickly supported me.

“What’s wrong, Miss? Are you unwell?”

Her brown eyes were full of worry and anxiety.

I pushed her away with my hand and straightened my bent body.

“I’m fine, calm down.”

No, actually, I’m not fine. My heart has been reacting wildly ever since I heard about that creature.

It feels like some force is trying to disturb my peaceful daily life.

‘This is unpleasant.’

Even though it’s my body, it doesn’t feel like mine.

It felt like my body, which had lost its will just like when I was being dragged as a sacrifice to the evil dragon, was swaying on its own.

My fingertips began to tremble more and more, and my breathing became rapid.

“This could become serious, Miss. Let’s go inside quickly.”

I eventually had to return to my room, led by her hand.

※※※

Iankar’s²T/N: pronounced EE-an-kar steps suddenly halted as he walked down the corridor. His gaze had inadvertently caught sight of Iella outside the window.

He quietly called for the butler.

“Alred.”

“Yes, young master.”

“What do you think?”

Despite the abrupt question, the butler wasn’t flustered. Slightly following Iankar’s gaze, he answered in his characteristically emotionless voice.

“If you’re referring to Miss Iella…… She seems to have changed a bit.”

“That’s true…… Right?”

Iankar, with his arms crossed, raised one hand to stroke his chin. He silently observed Iella cutting through the garden.

Somehow, even her gait seemed different. She wasn’t a tomboy, but she used to act according to her mood, unlike the careful steps she was taking now.

He could further confirm the changes in her personality, tone, and behavior through the butler’s words.

Moreover, at a time when the wedding had been canceled, he thought she should have already turned the house upside down.

She wasn’t even causing a commotion about going to see the Second Prince.

“She’s too calm. How can a person change so suddenly?”

They say people change when they’re about to die—is that really true? Maybe she’s seriously ill.

The head of the family, who had been muttering to himself, received agreement from the butler.

“I understand what you mean.”

He also thought Iella Roberos was very strange.

When she gave him instructions to redecorate her room, her momentary appearance, which even seemed dignified, was so surprising.

The butler narrowed his eyes until wrinkles formed around them and then asked what was on his mind.

“Do you think Miss Iella has had a change of heart?”

“A change of heart? That might be it.”

Though he agreed, Iankar spoke as if he had never considered it before.

It was natural, as he had believed like an immutable truth that his immature sister would never change.

No matter how much her attitude changed now, how long would it last? The Iella he knew wasn’t a character with such strong patience.

However, the circumstances were suspicious, which was maddening. If, as the butler suggested, she had a change of heart, that would be troublesome in its own way.

Iankar unconsciously narrowed his brows.

Could she be thinking she’s already the Second Prince’s consort, even though the wedding ceremony wasn’t held?

If so, this change might be somewhat understandable. Iella was certainly a child who could think that way and more.

‘Ha! This is ridiculous.’

Finding it amusing even to himself, Iankar exhaled his held breath.

While the signs of change were certainly not bad, he couldn’t shake off his unease.

※※※

At a glance, my daily life wasn’t different from before. I breathed regularly, ate meals on time, and surrendered to sleep when night came.

After waking up, I thought about the broken engagement with Allen and added some concern for my father, who still hadn’t returned from the Imperial Palace.

But when did it start? Probably from the day I heard rumors about the evil dragon.

The throbbing heart that visited whenever I was about to forget tormented me for minutes or hours before leaving.

“Until when.”

Without realizing it, I crumpled what I was holding in my hand due to my increasingly rapid breathing.

“What do you want from me?”

Not knowing the reason made it even more frustrating.

Eventually, Enya, unable to bear seeing me like this, informed my brother, causing a commotion in the household.

My brother immediately called the family doctor to examine my condition, but no clear cause was found.

No matter how much I complained about the pain in my heart, I was told it was strong and there was nothing to worry about.

As a result, my brother dismissed it as a child’s feigned illness seeking attention and harshly rebuked me.