HDBM 01

──୨ৎ──♡  Chapter 01  ♡──୨ৎ──

Imperial Year 997.

With the beheading of the enemy king by Declin Caesar, the Hundred Years’ War finally came to an end.

The castle reeked of blood.

The knights standing in formation held their breath as they stared at the man who had severed the king’s head.

Declin, with his jet-black hair, was as handsome as a god from myth, yet his crimson eyes looked like proof that some evil spirit had taken human form.

The prince trembled violently, knowing he was next.

I don’t want to die. I didn’t do anything wrong!

It was all his father’s fault!

He himself had merely exploited the commoners and filled the bellies of nobles—a perfectly “good prince,” nothing more!

Sobbing uncontrollably, he waited for his turn.

But then—

What?

The demon who had been carrying out the massacre suddenly stood frozen, absentmindedly staring into space.

Not only the prince, but everyone in the castle looked at Declin in confusion as he abruptly stopped moving.

“Ah.”

A low sigh escaped his lips.

That demon… sighed?

“I can’t remember.”

The words he muttered after suddenly halting the slaughter were that he couldn’t remember.

What’s wrong with this lunatic all of a sudden?

As everyone watched in silence, Declin fell deep into thought.

Why had he been so desperate to end the war quickly?

Even while devising battle strategies, even while smashing through the castle gates, even while severing the king’s head…

There had definitely been a reason.

A reason he had needed to end the war in such haste.

A reason he had needed to return so urgently.

And yet now, he could no longer remember it.

What on earth had it been?

—Don’t worry about me and go safely.

At that moment, a voice brushed past his mind.

It was a clear voice, like the song of a lark.

—I’ll wait for you. Please come back safely.

—You mustn’t get hurt, Hugo…

Hearing the mirage-like voice again, he furrowed his brows.

He couldn’t remember anything. No—had such a memory even existed in the first place?

“What was that?”

At his murmur, the prince’s shoulders jerked.

Then Declin’s blood-red eyes turned toward him.

“Ah.”

The demon smiled softly, as though he had only just remembered the prince’s existence.

“S-spare me… guh—!”

But there was no hope.

Swinging his sword, Declin pulled out the thing that had been pressing against his chest throughout the battle.

A locket?

Inside it was a portrait of someone.

He had never carried such a thing before.

Then why had it been found tucked inside his clothes?

Just as he was about to open the pendant—

Drip.

A thick drop of blood fell onto the portrait.

Dark red spread across the paper, swallowing the face completely.

He stood still for a moment, staring at it.

A cold irritation quietly rose within him.

“My lord, as ordered, we have secured all the spoils of war—”

Gasp.

The knight’s words stopped short.

The moment he met Declin’s gaze, the murderous aura in those eyes froze him in place.

“Good. Gather the prisoners and prepare to return.”

Declin wiped the blood from his forehead.

Though his entire body was stained red with the blood of others, the blood running down from his forehead belonged to him alone.

“My lord, your head wound…! Are you alright?”

Ah, so he had injured his head.

When had that happened?

From some point onward, parts of his memory felt as though they had been carved away.

Perhaps that was why it felt like he had forgotten something important.

A sweet fragrance lingered at the tip of his nose, and that lark-like voice echoed faintly in his ears…

But he could not identify their source.

Declin stared at the blood-soaked portrait for a long time before—

Click.

He shut the pendant.

Well, it didn’t matter anyway.

Shiver—

What was this creepy, clammy feeling crawling over her skin?

Lately this keeps happening.

Even though it was midsummer, Prina rubbed her arms against the sudden chill.

“Hey! Why isn’t the food I ordered here yet?!”

“Sir Knight, I’m coming!”

The Daisy Hall, the imperial cafeteria.

Built for the commoner knights and officials of the imperial palace, it was bustling with people today as always.

Perhaps that was why the kitchen was constantly filled with shouting and arguments.

“Scrub harder! Polish those plates until they shine!”

“You think stirring that slowly is acceptable?!”

“Hurry up and serve it! The food’s getting cold!”

As always, Prina was being worked to the bone.

Carrying stacks of plates, she hurried back and forth between the tables over and over.

Haah, I’m exhausted.

She was completely out of breath.

She wanted to rest for just a moment, but for some reason Daisy Hall seemed even busier than usual today.

“Hey, Prina! There’s a hair in my food!”

At that moment, a knight shouted at her.

Pinched between his fingers was a strand of green hair.

Prina stared hard at the knight’s hair.

…The exact same shade of green.

“That’s your hair, Sir Knight…”

“Ahem. Just be more careful!”

…Me?

Terrible customers were practically a bonus.

Still, agreeing with them was the fastest way to end it.

“I’m sorry, Sir Knight. I’ll be more careful next time.”

“Good, Prina. I’m forgiving you because I’m kind.”

Prina forced the corners of her lips upward.

Just endure it while thinking about the paycheck coming soon.

Still, because it’s the imperial palace, the pay is pretty decent.

The workload was intense, but this was easily the best place she’d ever worked.

Soon, the knights who had finished eating poured out like an ebbing tide.

Only then did she finally have a chance to catch her breath, but today she couldn’t relax as she usually would.

The problem that had been bothering her for days resurfaced again.

“Prina, you don’t look well. Are you sick?”

“Seriously, you seem especially strange today.”

Seeing Prina looking more drained than usual, her coworkers approached with worried expressions.

“Mmh, I’m okay. Just a little tired today…”

She forced a smile, but she was far from okay.

Because…

Today is the day Hugo is supposed to come back! What do I do?!

Prina’s lover, Hugo.

Black hair, red eyes, and a beauty mark near his eye like the finishing touch on a masterpiece. He was beautiful.

And it had already been a year since they had last seen each other.

He said he was guarding some noble, didn’t he?

Hugo was a knight.

He had left to protect his master, and they had spent the past year apart.

And today, at last, was the day they were supposed to reunite.

But Prina…

How am I supposed to tell him I want to break up?

She had decided to end things with Hugo.

Can I really tell my boyfriend of one year that I want to break up the moment we reunite?

But pretending everything’s fine and then breaking up later would be weird too…

“Hey! How long are you going to stand around resting over there?!”

Right then—

The head chef stormed out of the kitchen, yelling at the sprawled-out workers.

Everyone jolted upright in panic.

“Prina! Get over here and do the dishes! They’re piled up sky-high!”

Lost in thought, Prina finally turned her head.

Wow, he’s right.

The dirty dishes really had piled up like a mountain.

“……”

For now, she’d finish work first and think later!

Shuffle.

A walking corpse trudged slowly down the dark night road.

Ugh, I’m dying.

Whenever her shift at Daisy Hall ended, it felt like her body was falling apart.

And it was cold!

The night air was chillier than expected. Trembling, Prina arrived at the meeting place.

Layton Bridge.

A famous dating spot for lovers.

There was an old saying that couples reunited there would remain in love forever.

Ah.

…That wouldn’t do.

Because they were supposed to break up.

Hugo had too many secrets. And if Prina’s instincts were correct, they weren’t harmless secrets.

“…Anyway, raising younger siblings really brings all kinds of problems. Speaking of which, what were you like when you were little, Hugo?”

“I’m more curious about your stories, Prina.”

Whenever she asked about his past, he would smile gently and smoothly evade the question as naturally as flowing water.

And that wasn’t all.

“Oh right, Hugo, I wanted to send you a letter, but I don’t even know where you live.”

His residence, his family, his past.

Hugo never told her any of it.

Why?

Unless he was some kind of criminal, why would he hide everything?

The suspicion slowly began to grow, and then one day—

“I’ll come back as soon as I can, Prina.”

Hugo held her hand and spoke with sorrowful eyes.

“So don’t go meeting some other guy while I’m gone.”

“D-don’t worry, Hugo.”

“I’m afraid you’ll forget me. Don’t abandon me, Prina.”

“I won’t… aband—abandon you.”

“You’ll abandon me?”

“Huh?”

His gaze deepened as he stared at her while holding both her hands tightly.

“You really mustn’t abandon me. And you must never forget how much I love you.”

As he pulled Prina into his arms, Hugo repeated it over and over as though it were the most important thing in the world.

But did he know?

That on that very day…

Prina had originally intended to break up with him.

Yet when faced with a man leaving for a dangerous mission, the words simply wouldn’t come out.

And so, a year passed.

And before leaving, we agreed to meet today at Layton Bridge.

She wondered whether it was really okay to break up with a man returning after so long, but she felt she couldn’t postpone it any longer.

Right. I’ll tell him clearly.

When Hugo arrives!

So Prina waited for him.

But even after two hours, Hugo never came.

Right. Hugo is a busy person. It makes sense.

He was returning from a distant land, after all.

Surely he’d come tomorrow.

But the next day, and the day after that, he still never appeared.

A week vanished in the blink of an eye.

Huh?

…Wait, don’t tell me this is a ghosting breakup?