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Chapter 01
The Way to Change a Childhood Friend’s Heart
Prologue
“Did you know? I used to like you.”
At the bright, bold confession, the blond young man in a neatly pressed uniform flinched and blinked.
A pure white uniform, from head to toe, tightly wrapped around his well-built frame.
Broad shoulders and lean, firm muscles that every woman in the kingdom had once dreamed of throwing herself into. And above all—his face.
A dazzling appearance that made “blessed by the gods” sound fitting. Many women had suffered heartache over him, and some had even tried to seduce him under the excuse of a light flirtation. But he had firmly rejected every single one.
Dante Igniel.
The second son of the Marquis House of Igniel, and a man called the kingdom’s greatest genius knight.
His face, usually unfazed by anything, had stiffened awkwardly. The one who had just spoken—his childhood friend—let out a quiet laugh.
“Guess you really didn’t know.”
“…Not at all.”
There was a reason Dante had been so shocked.
“What’s so surprising? I said I used to like you.”
“Ah.”
“Don’t worry. It was only for a very short time.”
The beautiful woman in a blue dress curved her lips into a soft smile.
Her black hair, smooth like obsidian, flowed loosely down her back. A ring engraved with the royal emblem of the kingdom sparkled on her finger, surrounded by jewels.
Faye Lorensia.
The third princess of the Lorensia Kingdom—and his childhood friend, now twenty-two years old.
And tomorrow, she would leave across the sea for the Benzel Kingdom, where she would be married.
“Ahh, I feel so much better now!”
Unlike the confused Dante, Faye stretched her arms with a cheerful laugh.
Flowers carefully tended by the marquis estate’s gardeners were in full bloom, swaying gently in the spring breeze at their feet.
It was an unbelievably beautiful, refreshing scene. Not something that should belong to a farewell.
“I still wanted to confess at least once. I felt like if I didn’t do it now, I’d never be able to say it.”
Not that she would have been able to say it later either. Or even see him again. Once she became a foreign queen consort in the Benzel Kingdom, even casual outings would become restricted.
“Why aren’t you saying anything?”
“Sorry… I was just surprised.”
“What, that I liked you?”
“…I just wondered what someone like me did to deserve that.”
At his honest words, Faye stared at him like she was dumbfounded, then let out a long sigh.
“Dante, you really never change. You still don’t understand yourself at all.”
“But didn’t you once say I was a boring, stiff man?”
“That’s—!”
She started to speak, then stopped, her cheeks turning faintly red. Dante tilted his head slightly, and Faye shook hers.
“Anyway, I’ve already let go of those feelings, so it’s fine to say this now. But starting tomorrow, don’t say things like this carelessly. It’ll cause serious trouble.”
Watching her act so unconcerned made something in his chest feel slightly tight. Just as Dante was lost in thought, Faye suddenly held out her hand.
“Dante, let’s play together!”
Like back in their childhood, she offered her hand. Dante just stared at it blankly.
Faye teased him.
“You’re not going to take it?”
“Ah… right.”
He grasped her hand almost reflexively. Faye smiled brightly and winked.
“Let’s dance for one song.”
“Dance?”
Not in a banquet hall, but right here in the middle of the garden?
“So what? You skipped your graduation party, didn’t you? And then you went straight back to the temple.”
“That… I still regret that.”
“Too late for that now. Anyway, since things turned out like this, I’m going to do everything I’ve ever wanted to do before I leave. And for the record—you don’t get a say.”
“…Even if I did, I wouldn’t refuse if it’s your request.”
As he spoke sincerely, a complicated emotion flickered across Faye’s eyes. Regret, longing—and something deeper, long buried.
But only for a moment, she smiled brightly and stepped forward.
And so, against the backdrop of the midday garden, the two of them danced.
A perfect, graceful dance, as expected of those well-versed in etiquette. Her dress fluttered beautifully in the wind.
Dante suddenly thought—had Faye always been this delicate?
She had always been strong, bright, and unshakable. As a child, he had struggled just to keep up with her energy.
So even after she became smaller than him, he had never thought of her as fragile.
And yet, why now—was his gaze drawn to her lowered height, her pale neck, her faintly lonely expression?
An unfamiliar emotion kept urging him on. To push away the distraction, he forced himself not to look directly at her.
When the dance ended, Faye stepped back and lightly touched his hand.
“So, this is truly goodbye.”
“…I guess so.”
“You have to live well without me, okay?”
At those slightly worried words, Dante pressed his lips together.
A heavy emotion pressed against his eyes. It felt as if something inside his chest had gone hollow.
But instead of naming that feeling, he simply nodded slowly.
“Yeah.”
Even after she got married and left, Faye continued to send him letters regularly.
About once a month, the letters contained her updates and stories about the Benzel Kingdom.
He was relieved that she seemed well, but his feelings were not entirely pleasant. Still, Dante chose to respond only once for every three letters.
No matter how close they had been, frequent correspondence from a foreign prince’s wife could only cause unnecessary trouble.
Even he, raised in near total devotion to the gods and unfamiliar with worldly affairs, understood that much.
But at some point, Faye’s letters began to decrease. What had been once every two weeks became once a month, and then sometimes only once every three months.
He noticed it was strange, but instead of asking, Dante remained silent. Perhaps she had simply grown tired of keeping in touch with a childhood friend far away.
“…What is this.”
And so three years passed—until a dreadful piece of news arrived in the Lorensia Kingdom.
