~Chapter 16~
“…What?”
Did I hear him correctly?
‘He said he was first…’
I lifted my head to meet Damien’s eyes.
A cold night breeze blew from the garden, brushing my cheeks.
Damien’s silver hair fluttered slightly in the wind, glinting under the moonlight. The fluttering of the spirit butterflies around him dazzled my eyes.
Everything felt so unreal.
“Damien.”
Suddenly, a thought crossed my mind.
Had there ever been a moment in my life as joyful as this? Was all of this… just a dream?
“Right now… are you an illusion I’m seeing?”
At that moment, Damien’s expression twisted.
Whoosh—
“Ah! Wait!”
A strong wind blew out of nowhere, and the spirit butterflies swarmed before my eyes, blocking my view.
I waved my arms to clear my sight, but it was useless.
When I finally opened my eyes again, Damien was gone.
“Damien?”
Silence surrounded me. Not a single presence.
Only the spirit butterflies remained by my side.
“Damien?”
Hadn’t he just said…
Spirit butterflies sometimes showed people illusions that could deceive them.
Was the Damien standing before me earlier… just an illusion they showed me?
“What… is this?”
As confusion overwhelmed me, a voice suddenly echoed.
“Ruby!”
Damien’s voice came from beyond the wall.
“Damien?”
I knocked on the terrace wall, and he responded.
“Sometimes the mansion and spirit butterflies play tricks together. They moved me beyond the wall.”
I had heard that this mansion occasionally played pranks on its inhabitants.
They had also told me the western wing, where I mainly stayed, was free from such mischief.
This was my first time experiencing the mansion’s trick.
“You’re safe, right?”
“Yes, no injuries. I’ll be back there soon.”
I was relieved he wasn’t hurt.
But the confusion still lingered.
‘So… what was real?’
If he answered me now, then coming to the terrace together was real.
But showing me the spirit butterflies… telling me there were beings who wouldn’t avoid me…
And saying he was the first one to want to be with me.
Were those words real… or just illusions?
“Ah, Ruby. Are you there?”
Hearing his voice beyond the wall, I pressed my ear closer.
“Yes, I’m here!”
“The mansion changed its paths while playing tricks. It’ll take me some time to reach the terrace. Can you wait a bit?”
“Um… should I come to you instead? You might need help…”
“No, you might get caught up in the trickery too.”
He was right. I didn’t know the mansion’s layout well.
If I got lost, it would be harder for me to handle.
“I’ll be there soon, so don’t worry and wait.”
“Okay, I’ll stay here.”
“Good. Stay there for now. It must be cold… hold onto the spirit butterflies for warmth.”
The spirit butterflies gathered around me as if trying to comfort me.
They perched on my hands, rubbing their wings together.
Their faint warmth seeped into me.
“…Thank you.”
Seeing the butterflies clustering to keep me warm calmed my confusion.
Even knowing they might have shown me illusions of Damien, I felt no resentment towards them.
Maybe because I could sense their sincerity in wanting to comfort me.
I stood quietly, feeling their warmth for how long, I didn’t know.
“Ah, wait!”
Suddenly, one butterfly fluttered away from my hand and flew out of the terrace, into the garden.
My gaze followed it without thinking.
At that moment—
Rustle—
A strange sound came from the garden.
‘A curse?’
A black shadow wavered where the sound came from.
It looked… like a person.
‘What should I do?’
If it was a curse, that would be fine.
Curses avoided me, and Damien had explained the mansion’s curses to me.
But if it was a human intruder…
I hadn’t brought any self-defense tools with me. That was the worst scenario.
As the shadow approached, my mind raced.
‘If I don’t have a weapon, I’ll make one.’
Quickly, I bent down and picked up a stone from the garden floor.
If the intruder attacked, I would throw it and run to call someone from the main building.
But then—
“What are you planning to do with that stone?”
Suddenly, a rough hand grabbed my wrist tightly.
Goosebumps erupted across my skin.
‘What? He was over there just a moment ago…’
I had kept my eyes on the shadow. Physically, no human could have reached me so quickly.
“Interesting.”
I looked up to see a man smiling brightly, as if amused.
“Were you planning to hit me with it?”
With a flick of his wrist, the spirit butterflies lost their light and shattered like glass.
“Wait, no…!”
I reached out desperately toward the disappearing butterflies. The man laughed.
“It’s fine. They’ll come back eventually.”
“Who… are you… what do you want…”
Even in the darkness, his golden hair glowed like the sun.
Half-moon eyes curved gracefully, a sharp nose like a blade, and golden eyes that burned with the same light as his hair.
‘Wait…’
I froze as I recognized his face.
A face I had often seen in newspapers.
And those golden eyes, the symbol of royalty.
“…Prince Leonard?”
The man smirked.
“That’s right.”
If he were a curse, he would have reacted upon touching me.
But the grip on my wrist felt firm and real.
He was a human. The real prince.
I immediately knelt and bowed my head.
“Forgive me, Your Highness. I did not recognize you.”
“No, it’s fine. Raise your head.”
With his permission, I lifted my head but kept my knees bent.
He looked down at me with a casual smile.
‘I thought it was an intruder… but it’s Prince Leonard.’
The Maledictus Dukedom carried royal blood. It wasn’t unusual for a prince to visit.
‘He must have used teleportation magic to approach so quickly.’
But one thing didn’t add up.
Why was the prince visiting the duchy at night, without official notice or guards?
‘If there was a notice, Damien wouldn’t have scheduled today’s date.’
“It’s dark, so it’s natural you didn’t recognize me. Stand up.”
Prince Leonard was the most popular among the princes.
Like an embodiment of the sun god, his looks stood out even among royalty.
His benevolent attitude, treating nobles and commoners alike, along with his refreshing personality—
I knew he wouldn’t punish me for my rudeness.
At least… the Prince Leonard I knew from the papers wouldn’t.
“Here, take my hand.”
He extended his hand with a friendly smile.
But… unlike the newspapers, his smile felt—
‘Unsettling.’
Something about it felt off.
My eyes fell to my wrist, still marked red from his grip.
“It’s fine. I can stand up myself.”
“No.”
His hand reached closer.
“Take my hand. It’s okay.”
Feeling uncomfortable, I reluctantly extended my hand.
At that exact moment—
“My lady.”
An all-too-familiar voice spoke by my ear.
Damien appeared silently, stepping between me and the prince.
He held my hand, lifting me up.
“…Damien.”
“I’m sorry I’m late. Your hands are cold.”
He wrapped me in a shawl, never releasing my hand, and turned his cold eyes to the prince.
“So, Your Highness. What business do you have with my wife?”
