About

It was only when my cheek touched the cold marble floor that the stench of blood hit me. Spitting out a mouthful of blood, I blinked my blurred eyes open and shut. In the center of my vision stood a man holding a blood-stained sword—Taylon de Valentine, the Crown Prince known as the Little Sun of the Empire. His dark black hair looked cruelly darker than usual today. And the woman he was shielding, Rizelyn Setiar. What was so special about that lowly daughter of a mere viscount? I couldn't understand why I, the noble queen of high society, had to crawl on the ground because of such an insignificant being. I hated Rizelyn. I bullied her, insulted her, and tried to bury her from society entirely. There was only one reason. Because the Crown Prince, whom I loved with all my heart, looked only at that worthless woman, not me. Jealousy and deficiency turned me into the villainess of society, and the price was the Crown Prince's cold blade currently piercing my heart. "...This should dry Rizelyn's tears." The Crown Prince's voice was as cold as ice. There wasn't a shred of pity in his red eyes as he looked down at me. I felt suffocated by the sense of injustice and betrayal. The moments I spent trying to dedicate my family, my honor, and everything to him flashed by like a kaleidoscope. Just as I was about to close my eyes for the last time while watching the two of them together, I heard the sound of horse hooves violently shaking the earth from afar. A man was seen galloping like smoke from the distance, pulling the reins at a maddening speed. As the distance closed, the man's face became clear. Alister von Rosend. The Empire's only Grand Duke and my dry fiancé, bound to me by a political arrangement between our families. He was always a silent and cold man. Even when I was pointed at as a villainess in society, even when I made a fool of myself clinging to the Crown Prince, he was a colorless man who just watched me silently from a step behind. That man was now charging forward like a madman, breaking through even the barriers of the Imperial Palace's forbidden garden while driving his warhorse. "No...!! You can't, please...!!" Alister, falling off his horse as if tumbling, crawled toward me. His golden hair was tangled with sweat and dust, and his deep green eyes, which always maintained composure, were miserably broken. The Crown Prince's and Rizelyn's soldiers pointed their swords to block him, but he didn't even care. He stumbled toward only me and gathered my blood-stained body into his arms. "Stay with me, please... Open your eyes, Guest...!" His hands were trembling minutely. Hot tears dripped onto my cheek from his rough palms cupping my face. The monster of the North, who had never once shown emotion, was wailing like a beast in front of the Crown Prince, his army, and the nobles standing with Rizelyn, discarding all dignity and family prestige. Looking at his face as he sobbed and called my name until his throat burst, a strange emotion bloomed in a corner of my heart. In that fleeting moment as my heart was stopping, I finally realized. 'Ah... this man loved me.' The unconditional love I had craved so much was right beside me. Because I was struggling to win the heart of that trashy Crown Prince, I failed to see the person who loved me more than his own life. Regret and apology washed over me, but it was already too late. My vision went completely dark. My last memory was Alister's wet voice, crying as if the world had collapsed while holding me in his arms. "My lady, please wake up!! If you're late again today, the Marquis will be truly angry!" …My lady?