The first thing that filled the forest was that disgusting fish-like stench.

Then I saw them—the filthy black feathers emerging from between the trees.

In the dim light of the forest, those golden eyes became increasingly distinct.

One of the monsters the cloaked man had saved me from stood directly before me.

As the creature charged toward me at full speed, I reached for my green pouch instead of running away.

There were roughly seven spheres inside.

I grabbed one and threw it at the monster just as the cloaked man had done.

"Just my luck."

My amateur throw, unsurprisingly, missed its target.

The sphere landed several meters away from the creature and immediately dissolved into green mist upon touching the ground.

The monster lowered its head toward it.

The moment it caught the scent, its gaze sharpened.

Our eyes met.

The human-faced creature pulled back its lips, exposing its teeth in a grotesque grin.

Fortunately, before it could leap at me, I had already taken out a second sphere.

This time, I aimed directly for its forehead.

The sphere struck the creature's slimy black nose.

With a savage roar, the monster instantly crumbled into ashes.

"Finally."

I leaned against a nearby tree to catch my breath.

My chest rose and fell like a bellows, and my heart pounded as if it were about to burst out of my chest.

Still...

I was alive.

As I gradually recovered, more growls began echoing from nearby.

There were more of them.

I quickly checked my pouch and felt horror wash over me.

The pale green fabric felt noticeably lighter.

Two spheres were gone.

Only five remained.

As the sounds of the monsters drew closer and closer, it became painfully obvious that, with my magnificent throwing skills, running was my only option.

I shoved the pouch back into my pocket and bolted.

The high heels Sarah had stubbornly forced me to wear caused me to stumble repeatedly along the uneven forest path. The skirts of my dress snagged on branches and tore apart.

I didn't have the luxury of worrying about appearances.

With one violent kick, I threw off my shoes.

Gathering the ruby-red skirts in my hands, I ran.

Sharp stones cut into my bare feet.

Branches caught my hair and ripped strands free.

Tears stung my eyes from the pain.

But I couldn't stop.

Ahead, I could see a clearing beyond the trees.

If I could just reach it...

Then I tripped over a rock.

"Damn it!"

"Lady Beatrice?"

"What?!"

I looked up in shock.

Standing there was Crown Prince Liam Dawn, staring at me with equal surprise.

Behind him, a massive black stallion pawed impatiently at the ground.

"Y-Your Highness?"

For someone who usually acted so indifferent toward me, Liam crossed the distance between us almost instantly.

He grabbed my bruised arms.

"Who did this to you?" he hissed.

His face was twisted with anger.

"Your Highness, we need to leave! Right now!"

"I asked who did this to you."

It was as though he hadn't heard a single word I'd said.

Finally losing patience, I yanked my arm away from his claw-like grip.

"That doesn't matter, you idiot! If you don't want to die, you need to run!"

Liam blinked.

"Idiot? Me?" he murmured.

Ignoring the very real possibility that he could have me executed for that slip of the tongue, I continued.

"There are monsters in the forest. They're coming this way. We have to go."

"The monsters you're talking about..." Liam replied with a grin, "...are they a barefoot dwarf with messy blonde hair, green eyes, and a height of four-foot-seven?"

"I'm five-foot-three!" I screeched. "And that's not the point! I'm serious! There are creatures—"

"Shhh."

Without warning, Liam pressed his cold, ungloved hand over my mouth.

He leaned closer.

The scent of sweat and expensive cologne overwhelmed my senses.

A devilish smile spread across his face.

"You don't actually think I've forgotten all your wonderful scandals, do you?" he whispered. "Why should I trust you?"

His words hit me like a kick to the stomach.

He was right.

He had no reason to trust me.

Just as I had no reason to save him.

I suddenly pulled his hand away and marched straight toward the black stallion behind him.

"Hey! What are you doing?"

By the time Liam asked, I was already struggling to climb onto his horse.

The animal was just as difficult as its owner and kept shifting restlessly beneath me.

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I recognized that I was trying to steal the Crown Prince's horse.

I simply didn't care.

If that idiot insisted on staying here, at least I wasn't going to die in this cursed world because of him.

"Lady Beatrice!"

As the horse attempted to kick me away, Liam grabbed me around the waist and pulled me back.

Before he could say another word, a growl echoed through the forest.

"What the hell is that?!" Liam hissed as he spotted the black humanoid figure emerging from the trees.

"That's what I was talking about," I muttered.

"You were right."

For once, Liam wasn't mocking me.

It was a first.

Unfortunately, I didn't have time to enjoy it.

I watched him instinctively reach toward his waist where his sword should have been.

It wasn't there.

"We need to run," I whispered as the creatures slowly surrounded us.

Liam nodded without arguing.

Then, to my surprise, he lifted me into his arms and placed me on the horse.

A moment later, he mounted behind me.

As his arms wrapped around me to grab the reins, I felt his body heat surrounding me.

The creatures realized we were escaping.

Without hesitation, they lunged.

Fortunately, Liam handled the horse with remarkable skill and steered us away from them.

We were doing it.

We were escaping.

Just as I finally began to relax, I felt something slip out of my pocket.

Panicked, I turned my head.

The green pouch containing the Fire Blossom had flown into the air and was sailing directly toward the monsters.

Without thinking—

Without even understanding what I was doing—

I tore myself free from Liam's arms and jumped after it.

When Beatrice locked herself in her room to prepare, Duke Willow sought refuge in his study.

Seated behind his desk, hands folded together, he sank into thought.

"Exactly... exactly like Lilith," he murmured.

Lilith had betrayed him cruelly.

She had never loved him.

Yet despite everything, the old Duke still carried deep regret and longing for the wife he had executed years ago.

Women had always been temporary amusements to him.

When his first wife, Bianca, became bedridden with a severe illness, he had felt nothing.

When he later discovered that Lilith had betrayed him, however, his heart had shattered.

Whether he admitted it or not—

Whether he even realized it—

Lilith had been different.

Even Rowena, the young and beautiful woman who came afterward, had never managed to fill the emptiness she left behind.

The Duke often suffered from nightmares that left him waking in cold sweat.

In most of them, Lilith stood before him, weeping and cursing his name.

And every time he awoke, he found himself thinking of her again.

Then there was Beatrice.

From her appearance to her mannerisms, she was the very image of her mother.

Sometimes the resemblance was so strong that he could hardly bear to look at her.

Yet he couldn't forget that moment from earlier today.

When he had handed Beatrice that red flower, she had smiled at him for the first time.

"Even their interests are the same," he thought.

"Perhaps I should have a greenhouse built for her as a wedding gift."

Then realization struck him.

The engagement delegation would arrive soon.

Before greeting them, there was someone he wanted to see.

Lilith.

He quickly opened a desk drawer.

From within, he retrieved a familiar white sphere and placed it upon the desk.

As the silhouette of his former wife slowly appeared within the misty glass, Duke Willow simply sat and watched.