“.…… this way.”


  Because of the explosion, the path we were supposed to take was blocked, and we ran again.

  I tried to cover my mouth with my hand, but it was to no avail with this thick smoke around us. Whether it was a chain bomb or not, the sound of the explosion was getting much closer to us.

  And……

  Before we could leave, the mansion began to crumble with a loud thud.

  ‘Ah, damn it. This can’t go on.’


  “Have they decided to destroy everything?”


  Another explosion close by, despite the explosions, the soldiers kept coming onto us.

  Why did it seem like the more we ran, the deeper we went into the mess? For the first time, I felt a strange feeling. Was it really okay to do that? There was nothing we could do. There were only two options in the situation—just two things. Follow dad or stop. And I wanted to follow my dad.

  There was a door blocking the corridor in front. Wouldn’t we be able to run away after opening that? From the moment I got caught, I knew that the building wasn’t normal, and when we began to run and tried to get out, I realized that it was an endless maze. The sounds of explosions and shouts of soldiers were everywhere. Strangely, the air around us felt heavier.

  “Is this all?”


  A small word.

  I was holding my hands over my mouth and breathed while looking up. I could see Caitel’s face.

  What was it? This is it?

  The question kept lingering in my head, but my dad’s eyes brought me back to reality. He looked exhausted; it’s been a while since I looked so near. He felt different.

  Man, he’s really handsome.

  He wasn’t as handsome as before, but he had a more mature look on him, which made him seem very attractive.

  I had always seen it since I was young, but Caitel was cool.

  I could see why men found it hard to stay with him and why women were anxious to be around him. I didn’t know it before, but with the sixth prince’s face and my dad’s face, one could tell that they really were brothers.

  Why was I feeling so strange?

  “.…… dad?”


  He seemed to have walked ahead a little.

  I went stiff, realizing that my dad was in shock too.

  “DAD!”


  The floor beneath my feet shook with massive explosions.

  The explosion seemed quite close, and reflexively, I took a few steps back. All of a sudden, Caitel held onto me and turned me around. I could see the debris falling, but strangely, I felt off.

  No, something was weird.

  As I hurriedly lifted my head, my dad was on his knees, and he hugged me tightly. There was a lot of debris that had fallen on Caitel’s body.

  Together……

  “Dad, your head!”


  I was shocked when I looked at my dad’s head.

  As the floor shook considerably, I held onto my dad’s arms, but he kept covering me with his body. I fell to the floor, not being able to push him off me. I felt something rub across my head.

  It hurt, but that wasn’t important. As I raised my head, I saw Caitel fell before me.

  Did he get hit by the explosion?

  Once I got up, I moved near dad.

  “D-dad……!”


  I was crying while looking at my dad, who didn’t seem to be in good condition. Everything around us was in a mess.

  I heard the sound of something heavy dragging. I also knew that the uproar wouldn’t end. I had no intention of fleeing.

  My right thigh was stained with blood. The wound on dad’s head was heavy; there were other minor wounds on his body, but I had no idea what to do, so I didn’t even touch it.

  Ugh, what should I do? What could I even do!

  “.…… Ria.”


  The voice was trying to endure the pain in his low tone.

  My dad’s voice made me choke on tears. I hurriedly grabbed him. I managed to raise his upper body even though he constantly frowned and groaned in pain; we had to see if he could stand up.

  W-what to do?

  “Dad, are you alright?”


  It didn’t look that way, but there was nothing I could do apart from asking that.

  Stupid, I should have learned some common emergency treatment for such situations! I saw the corpses being gotten rid of but never tried to save dying people.

  I really was nothing but a stupid person.

  “Go away.”


  My body went stiff at the words I heard. I couldn’t understand what I heard.

  What did dad just say?

  “Dad!”


  “Go!”


  ‘Where is he even telling me to go!’


  Caitel pushed away my hand since I didn’t back off.

  “Where would I go without you, dad!?”


  Besides, he was injured severely! If I left him like that, I didn’t think he would be able to move. I was asking if the two of us could run away. I couldn’t run alone.

  The problem was my pride.

  Where would one find a child who would run away from their parents?

  Maybe someone else would do that, but I couldn’t. Where could I even go?

  It…… it happened because of me.

  “I can’t go! No, I will never let go of you!”


  Sighing, Caitel tried to get up from the ground. He shouldn’t do that. There was a lot of blood oozing from his thighs. I wanted to ask him to be quiet, but I went silent when I made eye contact with Caitel.

  I couldn’t do it.

  It seemed like it would be the day where I would see my dad cry out in pain.

  It seemed like everything was coming to an end.

  Right, it looked like dad was losing energy.

  I held his hands tightly, and Caitel looked at me. His gaze was the same eyes as ever, only darker this time. It seemed like his eyes were falling into the abyss.

  ‘What the hell is with his eyes? What was happening?’


  He seemed sad. It felt like this would be the expression I would never forget.

  “Someday……”


  A voice that broke down the silence between us entered my ears.

  “I was worried that I would ruin things for you with my hands.”


  He took my hand.

  His hands were stained with blood. It was the first time I hated seeing blood on his hands. Sadness was taking over me. I didn’t like what I was seeing. I just wished dad wouldn’t say anything and rest.

  “Even then, I was anxious not to let go of you. Even when you would break, I thought that it would be better if you had me by your side……”


  I was hurting.

  With a frown, dad pulled me close to him. I didn’t want him to move, but dad was trying to, and I couldn’t help but move along with him. There were heavy sounds of something being dragged around. We soon found ourselves standing in front of a half-closed door, our way to the hallway.

  “I am sorry.”


  “Dad!”


  I was turning unstable.

  What was it? Why was he acting like it?

  Was it strange that I felt myself going mad at his sweet voice?

  Caitel’s hand stroked my head, and soon, I felt his soft lips touch my forehead.

  It was a kiss I always received. I closed my eyes reflexively.

  “I love you, my daughter.”


  A small whisper.

  I opened my eyes. At that moment, I felt my body fall back a few feet.

  Uh, uh?

  “Dad?”


  At that moment, I felt fascinated by my dad’s love for the first time.

  The door, which was half-opened till then, shut between us with my dad on the other side. I got up and stood right in front of the door.

  What was happening?

  “Dad! Dad!”


  I shook the bloody door, but it wouldn’t budge even for a little.

  It had got to be a lie! It was open a moment back! He can’t; it wasn’t like the door had a key attached to it! So why?!

  No, he couldn’t do that! I couldn’t go!

  I could only feel my body telling me not to leave my dad; if I did, I knew that I would never see him again.

  “Dad! Open the door! Dad!”


  Nonsense.

  ‘Dad! Dad! You shouldn’t be doing this!’


  ” Caitel! Open the bloody door!!!”


  Why was he doing this to me!

  Tears began to flow out of my eyes. Looking at the tightly shut door, I could feel myself falling into despair.

  What was it? What the hell was going on?

  What the bloody hell?!

  Caitel pushed me away, telling me to go, but I couldn’t move. I was stuck in front of the door.

  No. I should be right beside my dad. If I left, it would feel like I was doing what my dad wanted……

  I would never see Caitel again.

  “.…… you shouldn’t do this.”


  Despite the situation, the explosions still bombarded us. Fortunately, there was no explosion close to us, but I didn’t know when it would explode.

  I didn’t know anything anymore. My dad always told me what to do!

  “Princess!!”


  Somewhere, I heard a familiar voice.

  I looked at the voice. Shockingly it was the voice of my guardian knight.

  Thank god. Really! Thank the god!

  “Assisi, dad, dad is……”


  “Princess, we need to run away.”


  Assisi was panting while looking at me, trying to figure out if I was hurt.

  “But Assisi, dad is……”


  I looked back at the door, and it was still closed.

  Suddenly, I felt my body lifting off the ground. I was shocked.

  “Assisi, put me down! Wait a minute! Dad is over there……Dad is inside!”


  Since I didn’t want to move, Assisi lifted me and moved.

  No, wait!

  He shouldn’t do that!

  I knew that he was trying to save me, but I didn’t want it.

  It was unacceptable!

  “Put me down! This is an order, Assisi! Put me down this instant!”


  I shouted, but he didn’t listen. I struggled, but I couldn’t beat a man with such tremendous strength. I screamed, but we didn’t see any more of the sixth prince’s soldiers anywhere.

  I couldn’t hold on.

  My tears were flowing down, and the taste of blood in my mouth made me miserable. All I remembered was the sound of the explosion and the smell of gunpowder.