It was bad enough that I fell, but I also ended up covered in muddy water from a puddle on the ground.

The Crown Prince looked at me with an incredulous expression.

My face burned with embarrassment, thinking I had provided him with a good spectacle.

‘Damn it.’

As I hurriedly tried to get up, I nearly slipped again on the mud, but the Crown Prince quickly caught me.

He didn’t hide his disdainful look as he pretended to be impressed.

“Truly amazing.”

“Th-thank you.”

“No need for thanks. You brought spare clothes, right?”

Of course not.

“I didn’t expect to ruin my clothes…”

“Sigh.”

I pretended not to hear his sneer and repeatedly reminded myself of the purpose of coming here.

“Um…”

“There’s a house over there. You should ask if you can get some clothes to change into. Even if they’re old, it’s better than wearing wet ones.”

As if he had read my mind, the Crown Prince said exactly what I wanted to say.

I looked in the direction he pointed and cheered inwardly.

It was Lina’s house.

Finally, the breakup was within reach!

Though my body was a mess of mud, my heart felt as light as a feather.

To avoid startling Lina and her family, I had the guards wait at a distance and personally knocked on the hut’s door.

“Excuse me.”

After a while, an old woman appeared. She looked us up and down and frowned.

“Who are you?”

I was a bit taken aback by her combative attitude.

‘In the novel, she was described as a very kind grandmother…’

I hid my surprise and greeted her politely.

“Hello. We’re travelers passing by, and our clothes got wet. Could we possibly get some spare clothes? We will compensate you.”

The old woman immediately held out her wrinkled palm in front of my face.

“What?”

When I blinked in confusion, she shook her hand up and down impatiently.

Realizing her intention, I quickly handed over a pouch of gold coins.

After checking the amount, the old woman swiftly put the pouch in her pocket.

‘Is this what they call experience…?’

The pouch contained enough money to buy a ball gown, but she didn’t say a word about it.

Instead, she beckoned me with her finger.

“Hey, young lady, come inside alone.”

“What? Why just me…?”

“My old man isn’t here right now, so it’s just me and my daughter in this house. I can’t let a strange man in carelessly.”

I looked up at the Crown Prince, who gestured with his chin for me to finish quickly and come out.

No, this isn’t right…?

“What are you standing there for? Aren’t you coming in?”

“No, no.”

As soon as I stepped into the hut, the door slammed shut.

Just as I was bewildered by the unexpected turn of events, a clear voice suddenly spoke.

“Is it a guest, Mother?”

And soon, a woman appeared.

I stared at her with my mouth agape.

No introduction or explanation was needed. No matter how you looked at her, she was the heroine.

Long black hair down to her thighs, jet-black eyes resembling the universe, thin double eyelids, and delicate features. Besides her unique exotic beauty, Lina had an irresistible charm.

“She’ll be leaving soon. If you have any spare clothes, give this young lady a set.”

“That’s not difficult, but they’re just shabby clothes. Is that okay? She seems to be from a noble family…”

Snapping back to my senses, I nodded, trying not to look too foolish. I thought I was only weak against handsome men, but now I realize I was also weak against beautiful women.

“Oh, any clothes will do.”

“That’s a relief.”

Lina smiled brightly and soon brought a clean and neat blouse and skirt.

Since the hut was a single room, I had no choice but to change clothes in a corner of the kitchen. Fortunately, Lina brought a large cloth to cover me.

I worried that the grandmother might nag about why we were making such a fuss between women, but surprisingly, she was silent.

“Mother is actually quite shy.”

Lina answered as though she had read my mind. Thanks to her, I could change clothes safely without exposing a single strand of hair outside the cloth.

“I see…”

Fortunately, the clothes fit me perfectly, as if they were tailored for me.

“I knew they would fit well.”

“Are you giving me your cherished clothes? The quality is very good.”

“It’s okay. You paid generously.”

That was true.

Perhaps because I was a commoner in my past life, I still didn’t like spending money for no reason. If it weren’t for Lina’s adoptive parents, the amount would have been unthinkable to begin with.

‘But how does Lina know that?’

As I felt a sense of wonder, the quiet grandmother suddenly shouted.

“Generous, my foot! It wasn’t even enough to cover the crafting cost!”

Her voice was so loud that I instinctively covered my ears and looked outside.

It would be troublesome if the Crown Prince or the guards rushed into the hut after hearing the loud noise and messed things up.

Even amidst this, another question arose from the grandmother’s words.

‘Crafting cost?’

I was about to ask what she meant, but the grandmother’s piercing glare sent shivers down my spine.

“If it weren’t for Lina, I wouldn’t have bothered with you. Be grateful to her, human.”

“Pardon? What do you mean by that–”

At that moment, the grandmother suddenly began to melt.

I was so horrified by the grotesque sight that I couldn’t even scream and froze in place.

“Um, excuse me…”

I called out desperately to Lina, but she didn’t look at me.

She was gazing at the melting grandmother with a blissful expression, her cheeks flushed red.

“Isn’t it so beautiful?”

“What kind of crazy talk is that!”

‘She’s not normal!’

Realizing the situation, I tried to rush out of the hut, but for some reason, the door wouldn’t open.

I frantically called out to my detestable fiancé, standing outside.

“Your Highness! Crown Prince! Are you there? Pinion, Pin! I know you’re there, help me!”

“He cannot hear you.”

Suddenly, a large hand reached out from behind and roughly pulled me away from the doorknob I was desperately clinging to.

I ended up sitting on the floor, slowly turning around.

The jelly-like grandmother had disappeared, and instead, a gigantic man whose head nearly touched the ceiling stood there.

Even to my eyes, accustomed to the Crown Prince’s exceptional beauty, his red-gold hair and bronzed skin were strikingly beautiful. While the Crown Prince was cool like the moon, he was intense like the sun.

Unfortunately, I had no time to admire his appearance.

I instinctively realized that he was a being far beyond human.

Despite the still air inside, the man’s hair swayed gently as if they had a life on their own.

The man spoke again.

“I know why you came here. Lou Dronay, you cunning human.”

Hearing him say my name, I nearly fainted.

“Wh-who are you…?”

Lina answered my question.

“Sorry for the late introduction. I’m Lina, the heroine of this novel. And this is my mate, Enril. I thought you’d come to find me as soon as you regained your memories, but you were later than I expected.”

“Enril…? You don’t mean Enril the Storm Dragon, do you?”

“Yes, that’s correct. Enril has lived alone for so long that he’s a bit lacking in social skills. Please understand even if you’re offended. I’ll apologize on his behalf.”

“What are you talking about…?”

‘Please tell me this is a dream…’

With unbelievable events happening one after another, my mind was in turmoil.

Moreover, just looking at the dragon’s eyes, with their vertically slit pupils, made my legs tremble. To make matters worse, his irises were blood-red.

‘Have I been kidnapped? Or am I about to become a dragon’s meal…!’

“Enril, you’re scaring Lou.”

“Do I need to care about the feelings of a worthless human?”

“I’m human too, Enril. And I’ve told you repeatedly that you need to adapt to human standards if you want to live with me.”

“…I’m trying.”

I desperately hoped the Crown Prince would notice something was wrong and come into the hut, but that didn’t happen.

Meanwhile, Enril and Lina’s argument continued.

“If you keep doing this, I’ll be very upset, Enril.”

“Sorry. You know I didn’t mean it that way. Please don’t say you won’t kiss me anymore.”

“If you keep acting like this, I can’t guarantee it.”