Chapter 26
‘This is…’
He remembered. Bella had tried to give him this earlier.
If she had pushed her fevered body just to deliver it, it had to be important. But he didn’t know what it was for.
‘Could it be…?’
Following a sudden thought, he put the key into the shackle on his neck.
Click.
“!”
The shackle unlocked.
But the first thing he felt wasn’t freedom.
“Ugh…!”
A crushing headache struck, so strong he could barely stand.
Memories that had been sealed by the shackle came flooding back.
[Your Highness…!]
[This way, please.]
[Stand aside! If you want to get to the prince, you’ll have to get past me first!]
[If you value the lives of your subordinates, you must move carefully.]
[Indeed, wise of you.]
Voices of those who wanted to harm him and those trying to protect him filled his head.
He was not a slave. He was not Ahfwyn.
His true name was Armian Hybrion Euclide, the only son of the Empress and second in line to the throne after his older sister, the Crown Princess.
Even as he staggered from the memories, he held himself upright.
“I can’t… fall…”
Bella was still in his arms. If he collapsed, she would fall to the floor and get hurt.
He endured until every memory returned, even the ones from when he was a child learning to walk.
Finally, he exhaled heavily and sat down.
His memories told him what he once had and what he must do.
‘I need to return to the imperial palace.’
Only then could he end this life as a slave and reclaim his place as a prince.
‘And I have to find out who put that magical shackle on me and sold me to the slavers.’
He couldn’t clearly recall the face of the one who kidnapped him, but he didn’t care. He already had a prime suspect.
When he was taken, the Emperor had just died and the throne was empty.
His sister should have naturally become Empress, but because he had a stronger claim to the throne, many people supported him.
‘The culprit wanted me out of the palace to eliminate any trouble during the succession ceremony.’
And there was one man who would absolutely do such a thing:
‘Marquis Blansia.’
He was his sister’s longtime lover and supporter.
‘If he’s behind this, he’ll have covered his tracks well. It won’t be easy to throw him in prison right away.’
But that didn’t matter. He could find out the truth by going after the marquis’s underlings.
As he planned his next steps, he called out softly:
“Bella.”
No response.
But she was breathing. She was still alive in his arms.
He would wait for her to wake up.
He didn’t know the layout of this mansion at all, but Bella did.
She had brought him the key to free him; she must have also thought of a way to escape.
She was strong enough to drive out that demon, Charlotte.
He would ask her what to do when she woke up.
And he had no intention of letting her use her weak body for anything—he would do all the heavy work.
At some point, he found himself picturing escaping the mansion with Bella in his arms.
He didn’t ask her opinion, but he was sure she wanted to leave too. She had always hated this place.
‘What will we do after we leave together?’
His imagination became more vivid.
First, he would take Bella to a doctor.
She had never had a proper check-up, so he would make sure there were no hidden illnesses.
Then he would feed her well, until her thin, fragile body was healthy and strong.
Finally, he would use his immense wealth and high status to fulfill her every wish and keep her by his side.
But maybe saying that outright would scare her away.
‘It might be better to give her expensive gifts and watch her reaction. Seeing her struggle to decide if she should accept them would be amusing.’
At some point, he realized he was smiling and that his plans for the future revolved more around Bella than around revenge.
‘That’s fine.’
If not for Bella, he would never have made it out alive.
‘She risked everything to bring me the key.’
Fortunately, Bella woke up before dawn.
“Are you awake?”
He looked at her with both relief and worry, but—
“Go alone.”
Cold as ever, she crushed his expectations the moment she opened her eyes.
“What are you saying?”
She might have opened her eyes, but her condition hadn’t improved at all.
Leaving someone this sick behind was no different than leaving them to die.
“I won’t listen to—”
“I can’t go.”
“Why not?!”
“Because I’m a Rohiltern.”
Ahfwyn froze as he was about to stand up with her in his arms.
“My name is Bella Rohiltern. I’m not a maid. I’m a noblewoman with the blood of the former Count in my veins, and my name is in the family registry. I know it’s hard to believe looking like this, but it’s true.”
She smiled bitterly. She had expected him to react this way.
“If you escape as a slave, the Count’s family won’t chase you.”
They couldn’t. Keeping a slave was illegal.
“But I’m different. Until I marry and change my name, I’m considered the Rohiltern family’s property.”
Noble daughters were considered assets because they could be sold off in political marriages.
Hearing this harsh reality made Ahfwyn’s heart sink.
“But…”
“Don’t you understand? If I disappear with you, I’ll give the Count a reason to hunt you down. The Count’s knights will come for you.”
He bit his lip hard.
Even if the Rohiltern family was powerful, they couldn’t outmatch the imperial family.
But no one knew he was Prince Armian.
Until he could prove his lineage, he would have to protect Bella while on the run.
‘And can I keep her condition from getting worse during that time? Honestly, I doubt it.’
In the end, there was nothing he could do.
‘So even if you’re beaten here alone, all I can do is run.’
The weight of his helplessness was crushing.
But before he could say anything, she held his hand.
“All I want is for you to leave this mansion without anyone noticing.”
Her gentle warmth lifted his head.
“Can you do that?”
Her soft smile pierced his heart.
At that moment, he realized:
‘You never asked me for anything.’
If he hadn’t insisted on taking her with him, Bella would never have revealed her true identity.
Even if he learned it later, she would never cling to him, demanding a reward.
She only wanted a clean goodbye.
“…No.”
He would not do exactly as she wished.
“I’ll come back for you.”
No matter when, he would return to take her away.
“Do you understand? I will come back here and take you with me.”
This was a vow, a new chain binding him in place of the broken shackle.
“So please wait for me.”
Don’t die.
Did she understand? He couldn’t tell.
All he saw was—
“Alright.”
She answered obediently and stepped out of his arms, standing on her own.
He felt a pang as her warmth slipped away, but at the same time, he was relieved.
‘She’s strong enough to stand. She won’t die so easily.’
She was the woman who had survived everything and kept her vows.
She would be fine.
“Then… I’ll go.”
He turned to leave, taking one last, deep look at Bella.
But he didn’t know…
It would take much longer than he thought to see Bella again.
And when he did, she would no longer be the same as the girl he remembered.
