Chapter 3

14 Years Later

Winter had returned, the animals were preparing for hibernation, and there were lights all over town. It was a lovely winter night.

Plenty of white rose petals were scattered on the balcony of Mellakou's house, which was bathed in a violet afterglow from the night. They were about to bloom fully.

Those precious white roses could only bloom in the mansion for unknown reasons. It was the only species capable of achieving such a pure, silky white coloration.

The vibrant leaves were a lovely color, and the buds on their necks glowed at night.

Previously, an expert who came to inspect the white roses discovered that it was a rose of winter night genealogy—flowers that only ever bloomed at night.

They never grew beyond the pale, gray-green forest crystal balcony. The fog had engulfed the garden below.

The night sky was clear, with sparkling stars adorning it—at first glance, the sky appeared to be a jet-black veil, with the stars as jewels decorating it.

Winter blossoms were in full bloom, despite the fact that the house's gardens were already covered in snow.

"...Even though the festival is only a few days away, it appears that you can't wait for these few days to pass."

Rosaria Mellakou, the young lady, wondered if she muttered so much because she was anxious—her heart was both uneasy and lonely.

To swallow the pain as you were abandoned in cruelty—it was such a miserable thing, she thought, that her throat ached.

Then, on the day of the festival, they would light a candle that had been blessed at a temple mass and spend their night with family and close friends, having a feast.

The courtyard of the house had also been beautifully and magnificently decorated with ornamental trees. A large wreath hung in front of the main gate, but smaller ones were also placed on doors here and there.

Most people had finished wrapping their gifts.

Rosaria found herself alone just a few days before the holiday.

"Please forgive me, Rosaria. Would you mind if I ended my engagement with you?"

Rosaria's engagement to Earl Matthew was called off.

It was a conversation that ended with mutual consent, but in truth, the royal contract that was the engagement between the two of them had already been dissolved before the talk. As such, it would be more precise to say that she had been abandoned.

Moreover, the person whom was both the fiancé and Rosaria's fated suitor had decided on a new engagement with a woman he said he loved.

Rosaria saw them once—the two of them were walking side by side in the garden of the Royal Palace ball , as she peeked, she was out of words when the two were kissing and making love out in the open in the secret garden.

That moment, she already knew that she would soon lost her fiancé.

When she saw the woman for the first time, she remembered her heart ached more because of the woman's unreasonable beauty and intellect rather than because she was being deprived of her fiancé. Fate had smiled upon that woman, bestowing upon her a path to attain what she deserved in life.

Even though those people already have many things…

…yet again, tonight, as if it was only natural, another promise—another hope was torn away from Rosaria's hand.

Rosaria had no family to spent the festival with as Marquees Henry who was the one who cared her after her mother's death and had died during the accident leaving her alone as a misfit in the house of Mellakou.

Up to now, she had spent the holiday night with her fiance and his family. It seemed that that year, such wouldn't happen.

Of course, as long as she was still a member of the Mellakou family, the servants would take good care of her. However, she didn't want to spend any more time looking at her ex-fiancé gazing at another woman.

But, she also couldn't help but think;

"I've been looking forward to that beautiful festival day! Why couldn't you put a lid on those feelings of yours for a little longer and let me enjoy that day!? Unforgiveable!"

Her heart being crushed by misery, Rosaria permitted herself to indulge in such thoughts, regardless of how unreasonable it sounded.

As childish as it sounded, considering her age, Rosaria loved festivals. She thought she had the luxury of having a delicious dinner with someone.

"Still, you can't deny the appeal of an annulled engagement these days."

At such nonchalant words, Rosaria sighed at him.

Apparently, without a care towards the person whom had just been dumped, nor a shred of consideration that the annulment would hurt Rosaria—he, the party that wouldn't be inconvenienced whatsoever, shrugged it off as if it happened merely because of misfortune.

On that chilly night, As she started drinking to ease her frustration, a tall man stood beside Rosaria on her balcony.

His jet-black cape swayed in the wind, bleeding into the darkness halfway through—as if stating that his noble, knightly, outfit was not of the human realm.

Unfortunately, he wasn't a gentle person that worried about Rosaria's cause, of she whom had just been abandoned, but a mean person who came just to observe a pitiful person that had lost everything in her desecration.

When she turned at him in drunk state, she could see his purple eyes which reflected the night's glow. The edge of his lips were lifted, replicating a gorgeous smile—however, there was no warmth there.

"What are you looking at?"

The man just stared and looked at her, " I was lost and I was just roaming around admiring the nature"

*Hiccup* "It's better to admire cheating people than admiring mother nature, how Pitiful people are they"

The Man looks at her and grabs the glass from her head, " My lady, you look drunk, may I escort you to your chambers"

She looks at him and grabs the bottle and starts glupping it"

He grabs hold her hand, "Miss please stop, I hear you are a sick lady recieving treatment every month"

" It's better to die than to live, no father, no mother, no love, broken engagement and relatives who are hunger for my power"

"Don't give up hope"

"My predicament isn't an entertainment, so hold your tongue. Other than that, if you've come to play, I doubt you will get any leeway tonight."

"…I've been thinking about this, but you, do you think I'm some kind of forest beast, or something?"

"You came out of the forest to seek amusement, and that's the definition right there."

Listening to Rosaria's words, he threw his gaze somewhere far away. Then, the beautiful outsider sighed.

So he can make that kind of face, too? He wasn't human, as such—well, let's leave him to his own desecration.

"Anyway, so, did you dress up fancily like that just to be dumped? Humans are strange."

"He is the prince of this kingdom, and until yesterday, my fiancé— ostensibly. I assumed this is what was required of my position."

She didn't know how this outsider had lived until now, but there was a hierarchy in human society.

Even if she knew the purpose of her fiancé's visitation was to annul the engagement, Rosaria was still obliged to dress appropriately, she thought.

However, it was true that the wide hem of her dress made some distasteful rustling sounds and that her beautiful dress was both heavy and tormenting to the body.

Her fingertips, which was exposed to the wintry night breeze were frozen stiff. Nevertheless, the coldness helped in clearing her anxious and disappointed mind.

With little time left, Rosaria had a lot to do…

"If you stay like this, at the Royal Palace ball held the next day after the festival, you'll end up being killed by the people of this kingdom?"

To the low, sweet, voice of that man who laughed happily, Rosaria grasped her fingertips tightly.

The strange outsider with a terrible smile looked at her way had no care whatsoever—after all, to him, Rosaria's life was but a speckle of dust. As such, even if her tiny life was crumpled, she doubted he would even feel a tinge of sadness.

Despite so, for a creature that commands the night,she can't deny how beautiful he looks.

Said outsider was the one who controlled the night in this kingdom.

At the face of the cruel demise that awaited her, just like the night, he remained indifferent—basking in his own beauty and luster, and because of the bordering winter, he exuded a dignified, glorious, aura.

She considered it a luxury for someone of her disposition to be able to mingle with such creature. However, if she stood too close, wouldn't her miserableness of someone whom had just been thrown away be apparent?

"I have nothing left."

Her hands were empty.

There was no one to help her; no one to protect her; no one to love her; no one to even snuggle with in that cold—

—what was there left for her to do?

She could feel her eyes getting hot—as such, she closed it under the guise of pondering. In her mind, she could picture the handsome prince dancing right underneath the chandelier of crystals on the festive night. The surrounding walls glittered due to the light.

In the hall, people wore beautiful attire and danced happily. In the middle of the circle, the prince was also dancing with someone.

Elegant steps that spun around; the rustling of dresses being spread elegantly—

—the ceiling was incredibly high. Music played by the orchestra. The glasses of drink would sparkle when people toasted.

Recalling his dazzling smile felt heartbreaking—it seemed that Rosaria still harbored some feelings towards him.

…what a foolish person I am, to be lovesick like this…

Rosaria turned away from the peering eyes of the outsider whom was drawn by her expression.

"Tonight, I'm retiring early…"

"…Ha?"

"As of now, I'm not only feeling miserable, but also tired… if they want to kill me, fine, I still have a few days to spare. Because I only have a few days left, I choose to do nothing. All I can do tonight is sleep. On the contrary, even if were still energized, I would still opt to go to bed due to the irate feeling… I'm going to bed."

"…as usual, you don't spare a thought regarding your own life."

To the other party who uttered so, she ignored him and went to bed despite his frosty glance. Rosaria giggled in her heart.

Instead, I wish I could be greedy.

However, such a pitiful, fleeting, wish was pushed deep into the corner of Rosaria's heart. She laughed while walking and facing the wall and suddenly lost consciousness and fainted as the maids who saw the young lady and came running to aid her.