Rohel joined Regard on the way to the Arwen Imperial Palace. He had remained in the capital to investigate Tanashia’s whereabouts.

Regard bowed slightly to Rohel, speaking with an apologetic tone.

“Your Highness, you have finally returned. I am deeply ashamed that I could not locate Lady Brellof.”

“It’s fine. Where Lady Tanashia is no longer matters.”

“What?”

Regard’s face showed utter confusion at those words, for he knew Rohel had recently suffered a major setback before Emperor Russelion.

Unbeknownst to Regard, Rohel had already heard from Noxia that Tanashia and Helsion would not marry. Yet that did not mean it was irrelevant to him.

Noxia entered Rohel’s thoughts.

During their travels, he had discovered many new sides to her.

She was the warmest, most endearing woman he had ever known. What he once considered arrogance and rudeness was, in truth, unpretentious honesty.

At first, he had been willing to accept a political marriage for the sake of the Arwen Empire. Now, Noxia’s background meant nothing to him.

By objective standards, Tanashia might have been superior. In the past, perhaps—but now, Tanashia clearly possessed more advantages.

That did not mean Noxia was lacking. It simply meant such things held no meaning for Rohel anymore.

‘If the Noxia I came to know during our journey were from a humble baronial family in the countryside instead of House Brellof, I would still choose her.’

He never imagined he would develop such feelings for Noxia, whom he once couldn’t even bear to meet eyes with.

But now, he could not imagine any other woman as his Crown Princess.

The reason Rohel rushed straight to the palace upon arriving in the capital was to seek Russelion’s permission for marriage.

Fortunately, Noxia was one of the candidates Russelion himself had favored, so he would not oppose it.

In truth, not only Russelion but the entire Arwen Imperial family longed for Rohel to marry and settle down soon—they would be overjoyed.

‘Still, every moment counts.’

Nonetheless, Rohel’s heart burned with urgency. He never wanted to part from Noxia again without knowing when they might reunite.

He longed to fall asleep and wake each morning beside her in the same bed.

He wished to always be with Noxia, just as during their travels. He could not bear even a single day apart from her.

Watching Rohel gallop urgently toward the palace, Regard asked with a puzzled expression.

“Your Highness, did you perhaps uncover something regarding Lady Brellof…?”

“It’s not that. I have found the woman I wish to welcome as my Crown Princess, so Lady Tanashia’s whereabouts no longer matter.”

“What? The woman you wish to welcome as Crown Princess? Weren’t you traveling with the younger Miss Brellof all this time? Who on earth did you meet to change your heart so?”

“Do you truly not know who?”

Rohel glanced back at Regard with a smirk as he spurred his horse faster toward the palace.

At that meaningful smile, Regard opened his mouth in disbelief.

“Surely you don’t mean… the younger Miss Brellof? No, I must be mistaken.”

Anyone who knew of the hostile relationship between Rohel and Noxia would have reacted just as Regard did.

But it was true. Astonishingly, Rohel had fallen for none other than Noxia.

Rohel smiled deeply and said,

“What’s there to ask? If I traveled with Lady Noxia, who else could have captured my heart?”

Regard’s face showed he simply could not believe it. He was so stunned he could only gape.

Upon returning to the capital, Rohel spent several days handling numerous matters.

As Crown Prince, his proposal could not be simple. First, he went to the palace to obtain Russelion’s permission, then formally sent a proposal letter to House Brellof according to protocol.

Above all, since his first mention of marriage to Noxia had occurred in an utterly unromantic setting, he paid special attention to selecting the next location.

‘Where would be best? A restaurant? A pleasure boat?’

Rohel pondered more seriously than ever before. Finally, he chose the highest observation deck in the Arwen Empire.

He even rented the entire deck to ensure no one would disturb them, guaranteeing privacy for just the two of them.

Since the observation deck had no dining area, he personally hired chefs from the most renowned restaurant and prepared every detail himself—from tables to chairs.

From this vantage, the capital of the Arwen Empire sprawled beneath them, offering magnificent views by day and breathtaking nightscapes after dusk.

The location, chosen after deep deliberation by Rohel, was more special than any other.

Though he would eventually receive a reply to the proposal letter sent to House Brellof, he first wished to properly discuss their future married life with Noxia.

Clichéd as it might be, he prepared a bouquet of roses and a ring passed down through generations of the Imperial family.

If Noxia formally accepted his proposal, he intended to place the ring upon her slender finger as a promise of marriage.

On this day, he would convey all the sincere emotions he had previously kept hidden.

Having completed all preparations, Rohel sent word to Noxia, inviting her to meet at the observation deck. Her reply came swiftly: she agreed.

For this special occasion, Rohel carefully selected formal attire and arrived early at the observation deck to await Noxia.

The crimson sky at sunset was beautiful—perhaps even more so because he knew he would propose to Noxia here today.

As the appointed time arrived, the steady click of heels announced Noxia’s arrival at the observation deck.

For some reason, she surveyed Rohel’s romantically arranged setting with an indifferent expression.

Though Rohel had agonized over choosing this place, her lack of reaction was slightly disappointing—but ultimately, it didn’t matter.

Rohel pulled out a chair for her and spoke gently.

“Lady Noxia, please sit here.”

“Yes.”

Strangely, Noxia’s demeanor was stiff, unlike during their travels.

Slightly puzzled but unconcerned, Rohel sat across from her.

“Lady Noxia, you must have already heard—I sent a proposal letter to House Brellof. Though marriage cannot be decided by our will alone, I wished to speak with you privately about our future.”

When he first decided to formally arrange this meeting, he had considered inviting both Imperial relatives and members of House Brellof.

But he soon changed his mind. Inevitably, both the Imperial family and House Brellof would have a say in their marriage.

Thus, for this formal proposal, he wanted only Noxia beside him.

If he had viewed this merely as a political marriage, such a meeting would have been unnecessary. It was arranged because Rohel had genuinely come to care for Noxia.

“Lady Noxia, I…”

Rohel was just about to confess.

Noxia silently withdrew a letter and placed it on the table.

Bewildered, Rohel picked up the letter she had brought. As he read its contents absentmindedly, cold sweat trickled down his spine.

It was the letter he had written early in their travels, filled with harsh criticisms of Noxia.

Originally, he should have sent it to Regard, the intended recipient—but the next day, torrential rains nearly breached the village’s dam, and while helping with emergency efforts, he completely forgot to post it.

Moreover, from that day onward, his feelings toward Noxia had changed, and the letter had slipped entirely from his memory.

“How did Lady Noxia come to have this…?”

Rohel muttered in dismay. Noxia finally spoke.

“It was inside Your Highness’s jacket, left in the carriage. A maid discovered it while preparing it for laundering and passed it to me. As you can see, the letter had no envelope—I happened to read it by accident.”

“…I see.”

“I hope Your Highness does not resent me for reading it without permission. Circumstances led me to it, and for me, it was truly fortunate to have seen it.”

The word “fortunate” that Noxia uttered at the end pierced Rohel’s ears.

“Why do you call it fortunate?”

“Had I not read the letter, I might have accepted your proposal without knowing your true feelings.”

“My true feelings? Oh no. This letter does not reflect my heart.”

“Surely you are not claiming you did not write this letter?”

Before coming here, Noxia had already suspected forgery and personally verified the handwriting against known samples of Rohel’s.

Unfortunately, the handwriting was unmistakably his.

Part of her had even hoped Rohel would deny writing it right here—though she knew she could never believe such a denial.

“…I won’t lie to you, Lady Noxia. Yes, I wrote that letter.”

Creeeak. Noxia rose from her seat.

She had attended this meeting only out of lingering doubt. If Rohel truly had written that letter, she had no reason to remain.

All this time, Rohel had deceived her, pretending sincerity.

He had only sought to secure a political marriage for the sake of the Arwen Empire.

She had believed Rohel was drawn to her as a person—not for House Brellof’s status or her water-related abilities.

Had he bluntly told her he felt nothing for her but still wished to marry, she would not have been so wounded.

Long ago, Noxia had thought Rohel a man whose exterior and interior did not match. During their travels, she believed she had been wrong about him.

But now…?

She understood nothing.

She could no longer discern what kind of man Rohel truly was, or what his true intentions were.

“Lady Noxia!”

Rohel swiftly grabbed her wrist. Startled by the strength of his grip, she pulled away.

Rubbing her captured wrist with her other hand, Noxia spoke coldly.

“Is there anything left for us to say?”

“It may sound like an excuse, but please hear me out. Yes, I wrote the letter. But what it contains is not my true heart. I told you before—I was still searching for Lady Tanashia’s whereabouts at that time.”

“I know. I heard you say that.”

“My initial intentions toward you were indeed impure. But our relationship was hardly amicable. Naturally, I had no desire to cling to someone who kept pushing me away.”

“So that’s why you wrote such a letter?”

“Yes. But my heart then is not my heart now. I pursued this because I sincerely wish to marry you, Lady Noxia.”

Rohel felt as if his heart were burning to ashes.

He did not want to part from Noxia under such misunderstanding.

His feelings were genuine—he desperately wanted her to believe him.

If he could, he would tear open his chest to show her his heart.

But…?

Noxia, who had been suppressing her emotions, began to cry.

Tears welled in her blue eyes, then streamed silently down her cheeks.

“You expect me… to believe you, even after seeing this letter?”

Had the letter contained only harsh words about Noxia, she might have dismissed them as old emotions and trusted Rohel.

But the letter clearly stated Rohel’s thoughts on marriage:

[Though rage sometimes overwhelms me when I look at her, I grit my teeth and endure—for the sake of the Arwen Empire, I may have no choice but to proceed with a political marriage.]

Clearly, Rohel had viewed Noxia as a political match from the very beginning. He even described enduring unpleasant feelings for that purpose.

And it did not end there.

[If by some chance I truly marry Lady Noxia in the future, I already dread the kind of married life that awaits.]

The letter declared that marriage to Noxia would be dreadful.

Once, Noxia had certainly disliked Rohel too. Her feelings had changed over time—perhaps his had as well.

But after reading this, she could no longer believe him. She could not help but lose all trust in Rohel.

“Lady Noxia…”

Rohel raised his hand helplessly toward Noxia, who wept openly before him, then let it fall again.

Noxia wiped her tears fiercely with the back of her hand. She had not wanted him to see her like this, but her emotions surged uncontrollably.

“I don’t know whether your words are true or false. What matters is that I can no longer trust you.”

“I will do anything if you will trust me again. Tell me—what must I do for you to believe my sincerity?”

“No, Your Highness.”

Noxia shook her head.

Every time she looked at Rohel, the letter’s contents would return to her. She had cared for him, but she did not wish to endure such an unhappy marriage.

For both their sakes, it was right to end things before their feelings deepened further.

“I don’t know how I could ever trust you again. It seems to me our connection ends here.”

“My heart already holds you—how can you ask me to stop here?”

“Perhaps this is simply our fate. A fate that demands we remain forever apart.”

Even when Rohel and Noxia first met, it had been so. Tanashia had tried every method to push them together, to no avail.

Unbeknownst to them, the same was true in the novel .

In the novel, the Arwen Empire fell. Rohel struggled to rebuild it, while Noxia was taken to the Karua Empire.

Despite their earnest wishes, the two could scarcely be united.

Though the story now flowed along a path entirely divergent from the original, this one rule seemed inescapable once more.

Noxia gazed at Rohel with sorrowful eyes and said,

“Farewell, Your Highness.”

It was a goodbye.

Her farewell to her first love.

“…”

Rohel stood frozen, unable to reach out to Noxia as she wept before him.

Thus, Noxia descended from the observation deck, leaving Rohel alone.

It was a parting.