TDSFE 31

chapter 31

2021.05.18

Late in the evening, when everyone was gathered at home for a cozy dinner, a man walked quickly through the dim city streets of the capital. Though spring had arrived and the days had grown longer, daylight still didn’t last very long. The man slipped into a dark alley and stopped in front of a house. He knocked in a prearranged pattern: twice briefly, then once offbeat. The firmly shut door suddenly swung open.

“Viktor.”

The one who had escaped from the running carriage, the black-robed monk, led Viktor inside with anxious eyes. The building, not a place regularly occupied, was chillingly cold. Viktor plopped down onto a chair. A loud, unpleasant creak followed.

“Why are you here? Shouldn’t you be transporting the sacrifice?”

“They’re on our tail.”

“And the sacrifice?”

“It looks like it’ll be taken away.”

Viktor smirked, as if amused at the situation. The monk’s face flushed red and blue, a mix of shame and frustration for not completing her task properly. But the moment she realized they were being pursued, she instinctively knew this mission would fail. Following them were none other than the Valkyrie Knights led by Princess Tethys. That was why she had left without looking back. As for the dark guild members, they had already been paid for the contract, so their survival was their own responsibility.

“You said you’d earn their trust… quite a spectacular result.”

“Don’t mock me. The Valkyrie Knights are on us.”

“Wasn’t this expected from the moment we planned to kidnap one of them?”

“The Prince of Ruwenhart was the unexpected part.”

The situation, which could have been handled quietly with just a little guard disturbance, completely fell apart because Prince Ruwenhart intervened. If the plan had gone as intended, Kroyl would have returned to the knights tomorrow morning as if nothing had happened—though, of course, it would have been someone wearing Kroyl’s appearance.

“Did you at least bring what you were supposed to?”

Viktor silently handed something from his arms: the ID badge he had found in Kroyl’s room. Essential for entering and exiting the royal palace. Despite successfully completing his mission, the monk couldn’t hide her disappointment. With the body discarded, the Valkyrie Knights would realize Kroyl was dead. Her plan to use the body to create a new identity that could freely enter the palace and the knights was now completely ruined.

“What now? All our carefully laid plans are gone to waste.”

“Shut up.”

Viktor leaned forward slowly toward the irritable monk, a faint smirk on his lips.

“If it’s a new identity to enter the knights you need, there are other ways.”

The monk’s gaze sharpened. Soon, their voices mingled in quiet whispers—so secret that no one could hear them.

“Brother! Tongeeng. Let’s play hide-and-seek.”

“I’m busy right now.”

“Eeeh! Play with me!”

Miloshi had come to Ruwenhart’s room, whining for him to play. Miloshi Tiranavan, the legitimate child of King and Queen Tiranavan, was Ruwenhart’s younger seven-year-old brother. Unlike Prince Ruwenhart, who was adopted from a collateral line of the royal family, Miloshi bore a striking resemblance to the king and queen.

“Brother is always busy. Play with me! Play with meee!”

“Alright, Miloshi.”

Ruwenhart finally gave in to his younger brother’s persistence. Miloshi giggled, took Ruwenhart’s hand, and led him out of the room. Behind Ruwenhart’s prince palace was a small building rarely used now. When Ruwenhart was younger, the two often played pranks and hide-and-seek there. It was fun because no one interfered, and there were many hiding spots. Though Ruwenhart was busier now and played less, he took on the role of seeker and faithfully played along with Miloshi.

Soon, Ruwenhart spotted Miloshi hiding under a desk.

“Found you.”

“Eeeh! Why do you always find me so fast?”

“Because I know where you’d hide. Now it’s your turn, Miloshi.”

“Okay. I’ll count. One, two…”

Miloshi turned toward the wall and closed his eyes to count, while Ruwenhart quietly slipped out of the room. His wandering eyes fell on a large wardrobe. Unlocking it and opening the door, he saw an empty space and slipped inside.

“They won’t find me here quickly.”

He planned to stay hidden until Miloshi got tired, then coax him into going for a snack. Unlike Miloshi, Ruwenhart’s day was packed with lessons necessary for a prince. He couldn’t even take a brief rest. Though Miloshi had dragged him out to play, Ruwenhart needed to return quickly to complete his homework for tomorrow morning’s classes.

Holding his breath and listening to Miloshi searching for him, Ruwenhart blinked slowly. Exhausted, he soon fell asleep right there in the wardrobe. About two hours later, he awoke, stretching in the narrow space.

“What time is it?”

Outside, everything was eerily quiet. Realizing he had slept deeply, he pushed the wardrobe door to leave.

“Huh?”

It wouldn’t budge. Panicked, Ruwenhart tried harder, but only a metallic click sounded; it wouldn’t open. Bang, bang! Small hands pounded the wardrobe furiously.

“Is anyone there? Miloshi! Miloshi!”

He shouted, but no one answered. The building they had been playing in wasn’t the main building—almost abandoned, with no servants present. Night had fallen, the darkness swallowing the building. Inside the wardrobe, it was so dark he couldn’t see his own hand.

“Miloshi! I’m here! Anyone?!”

Fear laced his cries. If he didn’t shout, the silence felt deadly. He yelled and banged on the wardrobe all night until his small hands were red and raw. Exhausted from fear, he eventually passed out inside the wardrobe. It was only the next day that a maid, searching for Miloshi’s lost toy, found him.

“Good heavens!”

Ruwenhart’s body burned with fever. Once moved back to his room, he was sick for three consecutive nights. Later, it was revealed that Miloshi had fallen and injured his knee while searching for him. Panicked, Miloshi cried, and the servants hurried to bring him to a doctor, leaving Ruwenhart in the abandoned building. They assumed he had already returned to the palace.

After recovering, Ruwenhart realized one truth: no one in the Tiranavan palace truly wanted him. He was a presence whose existence didn’t matter. At that time, Ruwenhart was only twelve. The clarity of this realization hit him hard. No matter what he accomplished—blocking a knight’s sword for the first time, receiving praise from his teacher for magic—his new parents barely acknowledged him. He once thought the king and queen’s high expectations explained their behavior, but it wasn’t true. Miloshi, his younger brother and legitimate heir, would clap for him with even a blink of his eyes.

The experience of being trapped in a dark wardrobe for an entire day became a trauma for Ruwenhart—a memory of abandonment. He gave up all his efforts in swordsmanship and magic, focusing instead on survival: becoming a loved prince to avoid being abandoned. With Miloshi present, being an outstanding prince was unnecessary. A cheerful, obedient older brother for the future king was what mattered. Even when sleeping, he instructed that all lights remain on. Over time, this habit eased slightly, but he still couldn’t sleep without small lights.

Late nights and bright social events brought him a sense of calm. There, Ruwenhart was a prince loved by the people, admired by nobles, and a “useful” presence. Yet, even with a charming smile on his young face, he was far from normal. He gave up everything but could not completely abandon magic, pretending to have only modest abilities while secretly studying alone and fighting lonely battles.

“……”

Ruwenhart blinked, his eyes blurred. All the lights suddenly went out, and the trauma he had long buried resurfaced, leaving him momentarily unconscious. He still lay collapsed in the underground plaza, darkness pressing on his heart. Over ten years had passed, yet he still felt trapped in that small wardrobe. He struggled to breathe. Darkness was nothing—he could summon bright light with just magical formulas. But panic clouded his thinking. Memories flashed past: arriving in Estonia, meeting Tethys, trying desperately to win her favor, and ending up as her contracted fiancé.

Should he have stopped there? Before, he would have avoided such dangerous situations. Now, he risked everything just to impress Tethys. Was it truly necessary, even if she was important to him? Ruwenhart was already her most likely candidate.

“Did I really do it for that?”

He questioned himself. Before he could answer, a loud crash rang out:

“Search the underground! From this moment, the upper hall is sealed! Confiscate items, transfer them to the knights, and detain any suspicious persons!”

The voice was all too familiar. A wall collapsed, and Tethys appeared, her pink hair flowing, light behind her like the sun. Ruwenhart’s eyes caught her radiant green gaze.

“Hart!”

Tethys ran to him, cutting all ropes binding him and removing the gag from his mouth.

“Are you alright, Hart?”

Why now? The green eyes before him were pure concern and warmth. Had Ruwenhart ever experienced such genuine feeling since being brought to the royal family? Every other gaze he had known was calculated. Even his birth parents had sought reward from his integration into the royal family. The Tiranavan king and queen always acted as though they cared, but Ruwenhart knew the truth better than anyone.

Trembling, Ruwenhart realized that what he had longed for all this time—acceptance, care, genuine affection—Tethys gave freely. She truly was like the sun, warm and bright.

Ruwenhart understood the answer to his question:

I’m in love… I’ve been in love with Tethys.