“If I’m being ignored just because I sent a letter, then I can just go there myself, right?”
It was something easily resolved by becoming the messenger himself—handing over the letter directly and receiving the reply right away.
Such a simple and easy task, yet he’d wasted so much time letting others handle it foolishly until now.
‘If I’m lucky, I might even get to see Seiana that day.’
Once he made up his mind, there was no hesitation.
He wanted to go to the Count’s mansion the moment he opened his eyes that morning, but worried that Seiana might see him as a brute if he appeared too early, he held back and decided to go between breakfast and lunch.
It was only natural that the Count’s household was thrown into chaos when Raymund suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
As he made his way through the panicked servants, Raymund locked eyes with the Count, who was staring at him with a stiff face from afar.
Just as he took a step forward to hand over the letter directly—The Count suddenly shut his eyes tight and bolted off in the opposite direction.
“Huh?”
Raymund, never expecting the Count to run away, could only stare dumbfounded.
Usually, people either collapsed in fear at the sight of him or attacked to survive.
But soon Raymund realized that the Count hadn’t fled out of fear.
“Hah…!”
He ran simply because he didn’t want to receive the letter.
No matter how rudely the Count had ignored things before, he couldn’t blatantly ignore Raymund himself.
When Raymund realized this, he immediately chased after the Count, but the Count was so desperate to flee that he couldn’t catch him.
“This is ridiculous…”
Raymund couldn’t hide his disbelief, but he couldn’t stop someone who had already disappeared over the horizon.
‘No choice, then. If I can’t get the Count, I’ll meet the Countess.’
Intending to get a definite answer from the Countess instead, he entered the mansion—but she had chosen to hide rather than flee.
She had locked herself in the bathroom.
“Th-the Madam is not feeling well…”
The servant trembled but managed to explain.
Because she was of the opposite sex and in a private space, even Raymund couldn’t barge in.
He let out a helpless chuckle at the absurdity of both husband and wife hiding.
At that moment, he saw two people on horseback dashing out of the mansion grounds—Seiana’s older brothers.
Seeing the entire family trying to avoid his letter, he could only laugh.
Their actions were so far removed from common sense that he couldn’t even be angry.
Was he supposed to wait for the Countess to come out?
As Raymund debated, another brilliant idea passed through his mind.
‘The Count and her brothers fled, and the Countess is holed up… which means, there’s no one left to stop me from meeting Seiana, right?’
Then I’ll just go find her myself.
Without hesitation, Raymund walked forward.
He didn’t know exactly where Seiana was, but his soul was drawn toward a certain place.
When he suddenly began to move, the servants tried to block his path—but only briefly.
Overcome by fear, they were quickly overpowered.
They tried to hurry and hide Seiana, but by coincidence, she wasn’t in her room.
Ultimately, guided by his soul, Raymund found her.
“Found you.”
Like a mischievous child, Seiana peeked her head out from the bushes, and her gaze met his as she slowly raised her head.
‘Ah…’
The moment their eyes met, Raymund felt his once-empty heart begin to fill.
His chest tightened as though it would burst any second.
While waiting for the Count’s response, all Raymund could do was imagine what kind of expression Seiana would make when they reunited.
Would she smile like she did the last time?
Would she be happy to see him again?
In all of his imaginings, Seiana never reacted negatively.
Naturally, because that was what Raymund hoped for.
But reality was cold.
Her gaze wavered without direction, then darkened.
It was clear she wasn’t welcoming him—and Raymund’s heart shattered.
The oasis he had found was merely a mirage.
‘Please, don’t.’
He didn’t need her to welcome him—he just begged that she wouldn’t be afraid of him.
But the words that came out of Seiana’s mouth tore Raymund’s heart to pieces.
“I-I’m sorry.”
“Please spare me.”
Ha… What was I even expecting?
Raymund’s expression vanished in an instant.
He shouldn’t have hoped for anything in the first place.
He was someone cursed—he had dreamed too sweetly.
This moment, waking from the dream, was more painful than the betrayal of his guards.
‘Let’s go back.’
From now on, I’ll hole myself up in the prince’s palace and never come out.
Never rely on anyone again.
If I don’t hope, at least I won’t have to experience the crash from falling.
As he turned to leave with that thought—“So… I really am just going to be taken away like this, right?”
Raymund was choked up by those words.
Did he look like such a brute that he would forcibly drag along someone he disliked?
But the words that followed made him tilt his head slightly.
“Then just take me. My family did nothing wrong. Burning the letter was my fault alone. The sin is mine only.”
“…I don’t understand what you’re saying.”
“Huh?”
As the conversation missed its mark, they simply blinked at each other while maintaining eye contact.
Raymund realized that unlike earlier, he no longer sensed fear on Seiana’s face.
Even as she held his gaze directly.
‘I shouldn’t get my hopes up.’
He had just told himself not to expect anything from others, and yet, Seiana’s eyes, which looked straight at him, made his heart pound.
Was she not afraid of him?
Could she really look at him like this?
‘Could she… hold my hand again?’
Raymund carefully extended his hand, as if offering to help her up.
Seiana glanced at it warily, then slowly reached out and took his hand.
From the warmth he felt through her palm, there wasn’t a trace of rejection.
‘Ah…!’
It felt like he had fallen into hell and then risen back to heaven in an instant.
Right now, he felt as though he could do anything.
If Seiana wanted it, he would even hand her the crown of the empire.
‘No. I can’t rush this.’
To Seiana, this might be nothing more than a casual touch.
If Raymund acted on his desires, it might startle her.
She might run away.
That must not happen.
As he helped Seiana to her feet with a gentle but firm grip, Raymund smiled kindly with an innocent look.
When he saw the faint wariness disappear from her face, he asked softly,
“Why would I need to take you away, Seiana?”
“Uh… because… I touched Your Highness without permission?”
“For speaking informally?”
Seeing her uncertain expression as she answered, it was clear she had scared herself with a wild assumption.
Because it wasn’t fear of his curse that had made her afraid, Raymund couldn’t help but feel overjoyed.
“Why would that matter? I’m doing the same thing.”
He was holding her hand, and speaking informally too.
Should he be taken away as well?
He laughed, and Seiana’s face twisted with confusion.
But soon, her brows drooped as if realizing they were not the same.
“…But you’re the Prince. When I do it, it’s rude, but when you do, it’s different.”
“That’s not true. Seiana, you’re my savior. So whatever you do, it’s all forgiven.”
“Savior?”
“Yeah. You protected me from scary people. You helped me escape.”
You held onto me when I was trapped by this cursed power.
Raymund truly felt that he could forgive Seiana for anything.
Even if she were to kill someone, he could not only forgive her but clean up after her, too.
“It wasn’t anything special…”
“That ‘nothing special’ saved me. I should be thanking you, not punishing you. If anything, you deserve a reward.”
With Raymund’s repeated reassurances, all traces of anxiety disappeared from Seiana’s face.
She smiled gently, finally appearing relieved.
Seeing a smile directed at him, Raymund found himself once again captivated.
‘I really want her.’
He wanted to be the only one who could see that smile.
He wanted to hide it away, keep it all to himself.
A deep longing swelled within him, but Raymund barely managed to suppress it.
If Seiana ever found out about these dark feelings, she might recoil and run away.
After meeting Seiana, Raymund’s greatest fear had become the possibility of her fleeing from him.
So he had to keep up the facade of harmlessness.
She must never know that a monstrous being stood before her.
***
Ray—no, the prince—was a better person than expected.
Even though her father had burned the letters she sent, he graciously accepted it, understanding it was possible.
“The Count must have done it because you’re his only daughter. He had no choice. If you keep meeting me, you might be in danger again.”
A sorrowful look shimmered in his eyes, and his lips trembled.
Tears welled up beneath his eyes, ready to fall at any moment.
“The truth is… the people who attacked us that day… were my bodyguards.”
“Bodyguards…?”
Yeah. They were the ones I trusted with my life. I never thought they’d betray me like that.
And worse, because of me, you were put in danger too.
So it makes sense the Count would be cautious…”