"Ed, what are you—"
"Stay back," Ed growled.
His voice was cold—colder than I'd ever heard it.
The other two elves rushed him, but Ed didn't hesitate.
He moved like a shadow, faster than I thought possible.
Slash. One fell.
Snap. The other's arm twisted unnaturally before Ed drove his sword through his chest.
It was over in seconds.
The humans stared at him in stunned silence.
But Ed wasn't finished.
He staggered back a step, breathing heavily. And then—
He muttered sothing under his breath.
I didn't catch the words, but the mont he spoke them, the air shifted.
The ground trembled beneath my feet.
And then they ca.
Monsters—dozens of them—appearing from thin air.
Wolves with jagged teeth. Goblins.
The creatures stood silently behind Ed.
He didn't even look at them.
He just turned to us—face pale, breath shallow—and muttered,
"Let's go."
And the monsters followed.
.
I didn't speak to Ed that night.
I couldn't.
I kept replaying the scene in my mind—the coldness in his eyes, the blood dripping from his blade.
The summoned monster.
I thought I knew him.
I thought he was... safe.
But I was wrong.
That night, for the first ti, I felt sothing other than obsession.
I felt fear.
.
We returned ho after few days.
I wanted to talk to him—to ask him what happened, to demand why he kept that power hidden.
But Ed avoided .
.
When I heard the news—when Zareth told Ed had vanished—I thought it was a mistake.
Maybe he had gone for a walk. Maybe he was avoiding after our argunt.
But as hours turned into s day... reality settled in.
He wasn't coming back.
I barely left my room for a one days.
Food sat untouched on my table. My handmaids worried, but I ignored them.
I couldn't stop thinking about him—the way he smiled at during our journey, the way he laughed softly when I teased him, the way he always—always—seed to brush things off like they didn't hurt him.
But they did.
I knew they did.
I couldn't take it anymore.
I stord into my mother's study, demanding answers.
"I need to know why Ed left," I said, my voice sharp.
Mother sighed, rubbing her temples. "There's nothing to tell. He left on his own."
"Why?" My voice cracked. "He wouldn't just leave like that."
My mother stared at for a long mont, then reached into her drawer and pulled out a file.
"Read this."
I wasn't prepared for what I found.
I stared at the papers—at the na written across the top.
Caspian Arcwright.
The na hit like a hamr.
The Arcwright family—one of the most powerful human noble houses, known for their influence in politics, trade, and war. Ruthless. Cold. Proud.
And Ed...
He wasn't just so commoner.
He was their son.
Piece by piece, the truth unraveled.
He was the youngest child of the Arcwright family—the one no one spoke about.
His siblings were well-known; his family's reputation was built on strength and power.
But Ed—Caspian—wasn't like them.
I read reports about him—about how his own father had beaten him for failing to et expectations.
About how his siblings humiliated him.
About how he was abandoned, cast aside like a mistake they didn't want to acknowledge.
He had lived in that house for years, enduring everything they did to him.
And then... he ran away.
He vanished, leaving behind his family na.
I felt sick.
I rembered the way I had treated him.
The tis I mocked him for being weak.
The way I ignored him, insulted him, brushed him off like he was nothing.
And yet... he never hated for it.
He smiled.
Even when I embarrassed him. Even when I humiliated him.
He smiled.
Why?
Why didn't he fight back? Why didn't he tell ?
Why didn't he trust ?
Was I not special to him?
Because he was special to .
I couldn't stop the tears.
I bit my lip, trying to swallow the sobs.
"He never... even told ..." I muttered. My voice barely escaped my throat.
I clutched the papers tighter.
"Why... why didn't he say anything?"
"Because he knew you wouldn't understand," Mother said coldly.
"No." I shook my head. "That's not true."
I would have understood. I could have helped him.
Couldn't I...?
"Your Majesty, we've obtained the cara footage and flight details, as requested." A servant said.
Security team reviewed footage, scoured the area for clues. Hours passed.
Finally, a trail erged—an airship ticket.
He had gone to the Reyes Duchy.
---
I always knew there was sothing about him.
From the mont we first t, I knew Ed wasn't like the others.
He wasn't the strongest. He wasn't the smartest.
He wasn't born with the natural grace and power of an elf.
But he never stopped.
No matter how many tis I crushed him, no matter how hard I tried to remind him of his place... he never stopped.
And sowhere along the way... I started to admire that.
I never said it out loud. I never showed it.
Instead, I clung to my pride—my obsession with winning.
I wanted to apologize to him when i et him.
.
We et at The Entrance Exam.
I don't know when that feeling started—maybe it was after that banquet when I saved him from those arrogant nobles by dancing with him, or maybe it was when I watched him laugh with Zareth like they'd known each other forever.
But I wanted to say sothing—to tell him that I regretted how I treated him back then.
I never should have mocked him for being human.
I never should have tried to keep him away from my brother.
But I couldn't say it—not with the caras watching.
The invisible lenses captured everything during the exam. The only ti they shut off was during rest periods.
If I apologized... if I showed weakness... it wouldn't be a mont between just us.
It would beco sothing for the entire world to see—a princess humbling herself before a commoner.
I can't do that, I told myself. Not now... maybe later.
.
I knew he was strong. I had seen him fight before.
But when I watched him battle Darian—when I saw how he stood up again and again, even when his arm was torn from his body—I realized he was far stronger than I had ever imagined.
He didn't win by sheer power or overwhelming talent.
He won because he refused to lose.
He endured, adapted, and kept fighting until Darian finally fell.
And then... he faced Lyrius.
I barely had the strength to move.
I was exhausted—my mana reserves were completely drained.
My fingers throbbed in agony, every bone in my hand fractured from pushing myself too far.
I knew I couldn't fight anymore.
But I still watched him.
And when he landed that final punch on Lyrius—when Lyrius's body hit the ground, motionless—I knew...
I was next.
I felt it before my mind even understood what it was—fear.
I knew I couldn't win.
I had nothing left—no mana, no strength. My body could barely stand.
But as Caspian stand there, breathing heavily, his face bruised and bloody... sothing inside scread.
If I lose here... I'll never catch up to him again.
I had never lost—not once in my life.
And so part of believed that if I lost this fight, I would always be one step behind him.
The gap would grow wider.
He wouldn't need anymore.
He would leave behind.
I knew I was going to lose.
I knew Caspian was stronger now.
But I couldn't let it happen.
I couldn't let him win—not like this.
My body moved on instinct.
Before I could think, my hand reached for my dagger—the one I always kept hidden beneath my sleeve.
Caspian turned away for just a second—just long enough for to strike.
SLASH!
His body tensed. Blood sprayed across the dirt.
He staggered forward, then turned his head—his face filled not with anger... but disappointnt.
My heart stopped.
He fell to his knees.
And then—his body collapsed.
I stared at his motionless form. Blood pooled beneath him. His breathing faded.
I stood there, frozen, my dagger still in my hand.
I had won.
But...
Why did it feel like I had lost everything?
I don't rember how long I stood there.
I only rember staring at his body... and feeling nothing.
No pride.
No relief.
No joy.
Just... emptiness.
I had killed him.
I knew it wasn't real—I knew they would revive him outside—but that didn't matter.
Because it wasn't just the ga I had ruined.
It was us.
I knew it then—Caspian was never going to look at the sa way again.
I hadn't beaten him because I was stronger.
I had beaten him because I was afraid.
Because I couldn't bear to see him rise higher than .
Because I was terrified he wouldn't need anymore.
I wanted him to rely on .
But now I realized...
He never did.
He fought alone.
He endured alone.
He had survived everything without .
And in the end... I had only pushed him farther away.
For the first ti in my life, I felt powerless.
I kept thinking about that mont—when his body hit the ground.
I kept thinking about his eyes—how they didn't show fear or pain... just disappointnt.
I couldn't hold back the tears anymore.
I had hurt him.
I had betrayed him.
And worst of all...
I didn't know if I'd ever get the chance to make things right.
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