"Get up, Princess. Marching is ultimately a battle of will. Do you understand?"
Thud.
Medea, who had fallen to the ground, opened her eyes only after the thick cloud of dust had slowly settled.
"Ha..."
She sighed, not knowing whether it was a relief at being alive or a sigh at failing to land safely, and got up.
The moment the beast pounced on her, Medea thrust a poisoned dagger into the beast's neck.
And together they were pushed and fell off the cliff.
Fortunately, the dense growth of trees near the cliff served as a cushion to cushion the impact of the falling wolf.
'The hunting grounds must have been turned upside down by now. They must have noticed that I was gone.'
Medea raised her head.
She could see the cliff of a very high valley from which she had fallen.
To forget the pain that was slowly spreading through her body from the shock of the fall, Medea chewed and swallowed several painkillers she had hidden away.
The bitter taste of the pills woke up her distant mind.
'Time is running out. We have to move before the pursuers arrive.'
The empty wind could not escape the steep valley and only made an eerie howl.
Medea could see trees densely packed on both sides.
In fact, Valdina was a harsh mountainous country known for its dense forests and wilderness.
Because it was a clean land, there were countless places untouched by human hands or demons.
The reason they only hunted in the royal hunting grounds was because it was realistically impossible to manage the entire vast, densely packed mountain with limited resources.
'So, it's a good place to hide for a few days.'
Medea expected that her uncle would target her.
Not only did she ruin all their ambitious plans, but she also became a national hero, so the Regent couldn't just sit by and watch.
"Don't worry, Dea. Just trust me. I will definitely keep you safe."
"What about safety."
"You mean you're going to kill me for sure among these swarms?"
Medea sneered.
"Claudio. This is a gift you have prepared for me, so I will accept it."
Her uncle will have no choice but to desperately search for her to avoid the suspicion that Samon killed the Princess. He desperately hopes that his niece, whom he tried to get rid of with his own hands, will now live.
Medea was determined not to leave the mountain until they were completely drained of blood. The longer the time passes when her own safety is uncertain, the deeper the Queen Dowager and others' suspicions and anger toward his uncle will become.
Medea, who had erased the traces of her fall, walked with her heavy body.
Soon, her figure disappeared into the bushes.
The valley became deadly quiet again as if nothing had happened.
***
Rose Mansion, District 2.
After the Queen Mother took over as official consort, Facade was able to enter and exit the palace more frequently.
Silent shadows roamed the palace in search of the chief's antidote.
"However, I haven't found the dawn's droplet yet. It's moving slowly because it's trying to avoid surveillance."
Gallo furrowed his eyebrows. He grabbed his cheeks in impatience and said.
"It might be a little easier if the Regent rebels and the palace is turned upside down...? But if I say that, then I'm such a piece of trash, right?"
"..."
"Hey, why aren't you both answering? I'm joking!"
Terence glanced at his friend, ignoring Gallo's useless jokes.
Although he still exudes a relaxed and languid air, he notices that Cesare's vitality is slowly fading away.
This is because the spells of curses have become more frequent.
'There really isn't much time left. If the dawn's droplet is not found, Cesare will have no more chances.'
A ray of anxiety rose in everyone's hearts.
But no one said anything out loud.
Because the moment they vented their anxiety, they knew that an indescribable despair would crush them.
They were focused solely on finding the dawn's droplet, the one and only cure.
And so, another day passed by with not much time left.
At that moment, Alpha came in with a letter. His steps were unexpectedly urgent.
"This is a message from Zeta. Princess Medea has disappeared."
"..."
In the dark of the night, Cesare stood under the zelkova tree where Simon had been found.
Princess' dead horse had fallen.
The still vivid traces of blood in the dark red stains gave an idea of the urgency of the tragedy at the time.
"My lord. The royal investigation team found dead horses and wolves near the cliff. It seems that the Princess was chased and fell off the cliff..."
A cynicism hovered over the statuesque face beneath the mask.
"Her Highness's cape was found torn to pieces, and if she was injured and fell from a thousand-foot cliff... There is widespread talk that she is hopeless."
"No way."
A low murmur rang out as if answering Alpha in the flashback.
So easy? Of all people, Medea herself?
Cesare didn't believe it.
Medea, who had been targeting the regent by setting traps one by one until now, is giving up on herself so easily?
Knowing the current state of affairs in Valdina, which is in danger of falling into the hands of the Regent if she dies?
But his clear reason told him that sometimes human life can fade away so quickly.
Even people who are as strong and sturdy as a wall that doesn't shake no matter how much wind or rain blows, sometimes make choices that don't suit them at all.
"Cesare, you are not my son. You are the illegitimate offspring of my husband and the late Empress. From the moment he threw you into my arms, I have never stopped hating you."
"If you do, you must live and see me die with your own two eyes, Your Majesty the Empress. Isn't that what you wanted?"
It was as if his stepmother, who had been so noble and unruffled, had given up her life for just one moment.
"Cesare, I can't stand it any longer."
"No."
The Princess is different. She is not the stepmother who withers away like a doll day by day with indifferent eyes.
Cesare hummed softly.
"She's different from my mother. She's a person just like me."
He saw an undying fire in the Princess's eyes. She would not give up until the blazing flames had completely engulfed her target.
Cesare was convinced.
So....
At that moment, something faintly sparkled under the azalea tree. Cesare bent down.
"...It's a needle."
To be exact, it was hidden in the cat brooch he gave to Medea.
When he ordered this piece of jewelry, he had the craftsman mark the pin so that it would be recognizable as his own.
The faint, rough mark that remains when you touch the tip of a needle.
'Stay alive.'
When he discovered it, Cesare let out a sigh without realizing it, without realizing that a faint sense of relief was coming out of it.
'Simon fell into the Princess's trap.'
Cesare took a step forward.
***
Beneath the black valley illuminated by moonlight.
Cesare, who was about to take a step as a pain in his heart and grimaced.
Crimson veins ran through his fingertips and up his forearms.
"...Fuck."
A crude curse leaked out from between his elegant lips.
Just as the tip of his finger began to spread into a dark blue color, a hideous black discoloration had already appeared on Cesare's left chest, where his heart was.
But he couldn't stop. Cesare spat out the clot of blood and started walking again. The trail continued deeper and deeper into the forest.
How can a Princess who grew up in a greenhouse go this deep? How can she survive for several days in a forest like this, avoiding wild animals and beasts?
Could this trace he's chasing really be that of the Princess?
His confidence that she was alive was fading away.
How much longer did he walk?
Cesare stopped. The trail was cut off.
He raised his head. He saw deep mountains and small caves where they could hide from the beasts and rain.
There were many fallen leaves in front of the cave. Cesare went inside.
There were traces of a bonfire. However, there were only ashes and not a single spark left, so it was difficult to be certain.
At the moment when a question mark of "what if" came to mind, Cesare, who narrowly avoided the crossbow that grazed his nape, turned around in the darkness.
"Show your face."
The same voice as usual. Still the same round face. Small figure.
The green-eyed girl he had been searching for was standing before him.
With the crossbow aimed at him.
Next to her was a rabbit lying around, probably having just come from hunting.
The Princess stopped in her tracks when she recognized the white half-mask worn by Cesare.
"Acares? How is this-"
For a moment, it felt like his sense of reason was cut off.
The moment he faced the Princess who was staring at him alive, it felt like all the reason and innocence that had been floating around in his head was completely erased.
"Medea."
He walked with brisk strides.
And he held Medea in his arms as if crushing her.
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