IPWDP 03

“I’m really not her. Why do I have to prove that I’m not?”

Why couldn’t he believe this woman who insisted so strongly that she wasn’t Ephelia?
Did he want her to be Ephelia? He couldn’t understand himself.

Then Regios suddenly remembered something important—something that could never be erased. Why hadn’t he thought of it sooner?

Rip! Regios tore at his uniform with a rough motion. The jeweled buttons flew off and scattered across the floor. He even ripped open his shirt, baring his chest. There, engraved on his skin, was a beautiful pattern.

“W–what are you doing?”

“Look at me.”

Regios spoke firmly. The woman still kept her eyes shut tight.
It was only natural—having a strange man suddenly expose his chest was frightening.
But Regios wasn’t in the right state of mind to think about that.

“You have a mark on your chest, don’t you? You must have the same one.
It means you are my destined one.”

The woman slowly opened her eyes.
Her gaze fell upon his chest—no, upon the mark of fate etched right over his heart.

“You mean the Mark of Destiny?”

“Yes. The same mark on my chest is on yours.”

For those chosen by the gods, destined partners, the same symbol would appear on both their bodies—at the exact same spot.

That was the very proof Regios had once loathed—the mark that bound him to Ephelia.
And now, it was the proof that this woman, who had lost her memories, was Ephelia herself.

“They say destiny always brings two souls together.
I found you because we are fated to meet.”

“I don’t understand what you’re talking about. I don’t have anything like that.”

“What?”

“I said, I don’t have such a thing. I don’t have a destined partner.”

“You don’t?”

Regios asked, feeling as though the air had been knocked from his lungs.

“No.”

Could she really not be Ephelia? He didn’t know whether to believe her claim that she bore no mark.
If she was telling the truth, then this woman wasn’t Ephelia—only someone who resembled her.
But then… what was this feeling inside him? Just lingering regret?

“Are you… His Highness, the Crown Prince?”

Senaren asked hesitantly, her voice trembling with caution.

“…Why do you think that?”

It was common knowledge throughout the Empire that the missing Lady Ephelia’s destined partner was the Crown Prince. If he had such a mark, the truth was obvious.

“Because if you’re the lady’s destined one, then you must be His Highness the Crown Prince.
But why would the Crown Prince be here, in a place like this?”

There was subtle suspicion in her voice. And it was reasonable. A prince, wandering alone without attendants in some remote village—how could that make sense?

At her words, Regios finally came to his senses.

I must have lost my mind.

He realized how insane he’d been—so convinced that this woman was Ephelia that he’d grabbed her, restrained her, and demanded proof.

Even though reason had returned, he still couldn’t let go. It felt as if something in his head had cracked.

“Do you doubt me?”

“…I think it’s a fair question.”

“If I were to prove my identity, could you even verify it?”

“Well, no, I suppose not.”

A bitter taste filled Regios’s mouth. He looked at her again.
Her snow-white hair was dry and frizzy. Her clothes were clean but worn.
Her frightened face… resembled Ephelia’s so much that if Ephelia were still alive, she might look just like this.

“It seems I mistook you for someone else. You live in that village?”

“…I live inside the forest.”

“With your parents?”

“Yes.”

“And why were you in the village?”

“Why do you ask?”

“I don’t think it’s an unreasonable question.”

After a moment of hesitation, Senaren answered honestly.

“I work in the village.”

“I see. I’ve behaved rudely today. I’ll make amends for it later.”

“There’s no need.”

She refused lightly. For some reason, Regios found that strangely disappointing.

Why did every small thing about this woman bother him so much?
He couldn’t understand it himself.

Still, there was something undeniably curious about her.
He wasn’t sure if she actually believed he was the Crown Prince—but her reaction didn’t feel like that of an ordinary villager.

“May you find your destiny,” she said quietly, bowing her head.
Then she disappeared into the forest like a small squirrel, swift and graceful.
It almost felt as though she were running away from him, and Regios felt a strange impulse to reach out and stop her again.

He was exhausted.
The emotional turmoil from that brief encounter had shaken him more than an entire imperial tour.

Regios returned to his lodgings. More than once, he found himself half-tempted to turn around and chase her through the woods.
If only she had claimed to be Ephelia—then perhaps this torment would’ve been easier to bear.

When he arrived, his attendant Tail was waiting and took his coat.

“Did you enjoy your walk, Your Highness?”

“Not particularly.”

Regios sank onto the sofa, crossing one leg over the other, lost in thought.

“We’ve finished preparations to depart tomorrow,” Tail said.

“Good. You’ve done well.”

“Shall I have your meal brought in?”

“I’ve no appetite.”

“Did something happen outside?” Tail asked, worried.
This village hadn’t even been on the official route. Regios had stopped here spontaneously, weary of the endless flattery and pomp that followed him on his imperial tour.

After a long silence, Regios spoke.

“I saw someone who looked like Ephelia.”

At that name, Tail froze. No one had witnessed the Crown Prince’s collapse more closely than he had when Lady Ephelia disappeared.

He still regretted that day deeply. He shouldn’t have let her go alone.
If he had been there to protect her, that tragedy might never have happened.

No one could truly understand what it meant to lose one’s destined partner.
But every person who had lost theirs said the same thing:
It felt as if all the light in the world had gone out, as if they had lost themselves entirely.

“If she only resembled her, then it couldn’t have been her, could it?”
If it really were Ephelia, the prince would never have come back so calmly.

“She said she wasn’t Ephelia.”

“I see.”

Over the years, countless false reports had come in—women claiming to have her hair, her eyes, her features.
But for the prince himself to say this one looked like her, yet deny being her—it was curious indeed.

“Yes. But why do I still feel… like I met her?”

He closed his eyes. “You said preparations were done?”

“Yes, Your Highness. Shall we proceed as planned?”

“I think we’ll delay. We’ll stay here a while longer.”

“Y–Your Highness? The Emperor and the Lady are waiting for you!”

He knew that.
In fact, it wasn’t the Emperor who awaited him most—but the Lady.

The Duke’s house had another daughter, younger than Ephelia.
After Ephelia’s disappearance, she had been chosen as his next fiancée—an attempt to comfort mutual grief with a hollow sense of duty.

Regios hadn’t cared either way. Had today not happened, he would have returned and married her without much thought.

But then he met her.

“They can wait a little longer,” he said calmly.

“Your Highness!”

“I just need to confirm something. Then we’ll leave.”

Tail felt a bad premonition.
The next city on their route was the capital itself—the end of their tour.
After that came his coronation.
And yet, now, the prince wanted to stop everything.

“Wouldn’t it be wiser to look into it after we return to the palace?”

Regios laughed softly. It was a beautiful smile—but Tail knew it wasn’t a cheerful one.
When it came to Ephelia, no one could stop him. Not before her disappearance, and even less so after.

Who could restrain a man who had lost his destiny?

“Her name is Senaren. She lives in the forest near this village.
Her parents are Ena and Joey.”

Tail understood at once.
He was to investigate this woman and her parents.
Regios would not leave until he was absolutely sure she was not Lady Ephelia.

Realistically, the chances were low. After years of searching, everyone believed she was dead—including Tail.

But this would likely be the prince’s last act of defiance.
Once he ascended the throne and took a new empress, even he would have no choice but to move on.

Still, Tail would obey. He was, after all, the prince’s most loyal aide.

“I’ll report back soon, Your Highness.”

Until he was certain that woman was not Ephelia,
Regios would not leave this village.