Noxia was listless.

After parting with Rohel at the observation deck, she felt no desire to do anything, nor any urge to eat.

She knew she ought to review everything she had gathered so far regarding Charles’s murder, but even when she forced herself to open her notebook, the words simply refused to register.

She slept, yet never felt rested. She woke, yet never felt truly awake.

‘Is this heartbreak?’

She hadn’t gone through life completely untouched by affection for someone else. But never before had she held anyone as deeply within her heart as Rohel.

And so, this crushing sense of loss was entirely new to her.

‘…It hurts.’

Unconsciously, Noxia pressed a hand to her chest. Some indescribable place inside ached and yawned with emptiness, as if she might die from it.

Sometimes, she longed for Rohel like a madwoman; other times, memories of his written letter surged through her, igniting fury from the top of her head to the soles of her feet.

This wasn’t like Noxia. These emotions were unmistakably unlike her.

Rohel…

He was the man who made her unlike herself.

Noxia gritted her teeth and endured the pain. She could only believe that, given time, these feelings would eventually fade.

Then came a certain day.

Leaning against the window, lost in thought, Noxia was approached by her closest maid, Laura, who wore a hesitant expression.

“Um, Miss.”

“Hmm? What is it?”

“Well, you see…”

“What’s wrong? Is something the matter?”

Noxia looked at Laura with puzzled curiosity. She couldn’t fathom why the maid was being so hesitant.

After a moment’s hesitation, Laura squeezed her eyes shut as if steeling herself for a great decision and spoke.

“His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has come to visit. He wishes to see you.”

Laura had accompanied Noxia and Rohel during their travels. Therefore, she knew the two were no longer together.

Noxia’s previously hollow expression hardened into icy coldness.

She had clearly conveyed her wishes to him the day they met at the observation deck. She couldn’t understand why he had come here.

Whatever his reason, she had no intention of seeing Rohel again.

“…Tell him to leave.”

“But, Miss—he says he’ll wait until you come out.”

“Then leave him be. He’ll tire of waiting and leave on his own.”

Noxia did not want to see Rohel. If she had to name the one person in the world she least wished to meet right now, it would be him.

Ever since parting at the observation deck, she had deliberately avoided every social event held in the Arwen Empire, fearing even the slightest chance of encountering him.

She could roughly guess why he had come.

Noxia was the noble daughter of House Brellof and a gifted individual with water-related abilities.

Moreover, considering Tanashia, the continent’s premier arms merchant, he surely wouldn’t want to leave things on bad terms. He’d likely prefer to resolve matters amicably.

‘…I can’t bear it anymore.’

But Noxia refused.

Seeing Rohel’s face again was agony.

If she faced him once more, even the fragile composure she’d barely managed to piece together would be ripped apart.

“But, Miss…”

“Enough. I don’t want to hear any more.”

“Understood.”

Laura left the room with a resigned expression. Noxia glanced briefly at her retreating back before turning her gaze once more toward the window.

From here, she couldn’t see the front gate—thankfully, she couldn’t see Rohel.

Three days passed.

Incredibly, Rohel had remained waiting outside the Brellof estate for Noxia all this time.

The servants, having noticed her sour mood, dared not easily mention Rohel’s name.

Noxia pressed a hand to her forehead, plagued by a throbbing headache.

It was already common knowledge that Rohel had spent three full days and nights outside the Brellof mansion. Such behavior was unbecoming of a crown prince.

Just imagining what the gossip-loving nobles might say about it gave her a migraine.

‘Why on earth are you doing this? If I’ve made it clear I don’t want to see you, just leave.’

Rohel’s reason for persisting was obvious—he, as Crown Prince, wished to mend relations amicably.

She no longer wanted to play along with such hollow gestures.

‘If it becomes unbearable, he’ll leave.’

Noxia deliberately suppressed her discomfort and pretended not to notice.

She maintained an even colder demeanor than usual—rising, eating, and passing time as though nothing were amiss.

She went through another day and prepared for bed once more…

Plink. Plink.

Unexpectedly, raindrops tapped against the window.

What began as a light drizzle soon escalated into a torrential downpour.

Unconsciously, Noxia stared out into the darkened window. Perhaps due to the rain, tonight felt unusually chilly.

‘Surely he’s not still out there…’

She tried to ignore it and sleep, but no matter how tightly she shut her eyes or how still she lay, restlessness plagued her, and sleep refused to come.

Finally, Noxia rose from bed. Draping a shawl over her shoulders, she stepped out into the garden where she could see the front gate.

‘I’m just checking briefly. I’ll look to see if His Highness is still there, then go right back in.’

She told herself this as justification. She believed that once she confirmed whether he was there or not, her mind would settle and she could finally sleep.

She could have called a maid to inquire about Rohel’s whereabouts, but lately, the servants had been whispering cautiously around her, avoiding any mention of him. She didn’t want them to see her like this.

As she walked toward the gate, umbrella in hand…

She spotted a dark, solitary figure standing motionless. He held no umbrella, sought no shelter—simply stood, drenched by the pouring rain.

That figure was Rohel. Noxia recognized him instantly, even without anyone telling her.

Her heart sank like a stone.

Simultaneously, an uncontrollable surge of anger flared within her.

‘Why go to such extremes?’

She didn’t want to see him anymore.

Truly, she just wanted the pain to stop.

At first, Noxia stood frozen, rigid with resolve. But soon, she began slowly walking toward where he stood.

She had lost.

Seeing him like this with her own eyes, she couldn’t turn back.

Splash. Splash. Hearing her footsteps approach through the rain, Rohel turned his head.

Naturally, their gazes met in midair.

Up close, Noxia was inwardly startled by his appearance.

He looked utterly haggard—pale complexion, lips drained of color, stubble unevenly scattered across his jaw. This was not the composed, dignified man she knew.

“Your Highness…”

Unconsciously, Noxia’s voice trailed off.

She had never imagined Rohel would wait for her in such a state. No one had told her this.

He smiled as he watched Noxia draw nearer. In that single smile, more emotion was conveyed than a thousand words could express.

Noxia ignored the pang in her heart. She refused to be swayed by him again.

“You’ve waited long enough. You should understand by now. I don’t want to see you. Please, just go.”

“You may speak coldly, but you came out because you were worried about me.”

“No. I simply dislike how people are whispering about your behavior. There’s nothing good in this for you either. Have you considered what the nobles will say if they see you like this?”

“If I cared about such things, I wouldn’t be standing here at all.”

“So please, just stop—!”

“I only wish to hold onto you.”

Rohel gazed at Noxia with desperate, pleading eyes. The pain visible in his expression was no less than the suffering she herself had endured.

His voice, hoarse and heavy with emotion, continued.

“Didn’t I say? I asked how I could make you believe my sincerity. I stand here not as Crown Prince, but as a man who loves Miss Noxia.”

After parting with her, Rohel had spent days lost in thought.

He understood the pain that had driven Noxia to end things. He could even guess how deeply she must have felt betrayed.

Though he considered himself innocent, he also knew how difficult it would be for her to believe him.

Precisely because he understood her position, holding onto her became even harder.

At first, he intended to let her go. He even tried to forget her.

But it didn’t work. Before knowing Noxia, he had been fine—but now, time without her felt unbearably empty.

“I wanted to show you my sincerity, but this was the only way I could think of—to wait within reach, where you could stretch out your hand and touch me.”

Seeing Rohel standing alone in the rain, so heartbreakingly pitiful, Noxia’s resolve softened.

Yet she could not forget the letter.

If she met him again, that letter would surely haunt her every time things grew difficult.

[If by some chance I truly end up marrying Miss Noxia in the future, the thought of what kind of married life awaits already fills me with dread.]

Whether she wanted it or not, seeds of distrust had taken root in Noxia’s heart.

House Brellof, her water-related abilities, Tanashia—the continent’s greatest arms merchant—and being her twin…

She would inevitably suspect whether he had approached her for those reasons alone.

She did not wish to walk through that hell.

Even with unwavering belief in love, marriage was difficult. Moreover, Noxia dreamed of a love as steadfast and unchanging as her parents’.

Believing in Rohel’s uncertain affection and building a future together was simply too much to ask.

She didn’t want to hurt him—but she didn’t want to be hurt either.

“Your Highness, no matter what you do, nothing will change. As I’ve said, our paths have already diverged. We cannot turn back.”

“No. If fate decrees we must part, then I refuse to believe in such a thing.”

No matter how hard Noxia pushed him away, Rohel remained resolute.

Honestly, she hadn’t expected him to cling to her so desperately. From everything she’d seen of him before, she thought he’d simply turn and walk away without a word.

He carried great pride in being Crown Prince. And noble daughters eager to become Crown Princess of Arwen were plentiful.

He could easily find another woman to support him—Noxia wasn’t indispensable.

Then why…

Why go to such lengths?

Noxia stared at Rohel with eyes full of incomprehension.

Even amid all this, seeing him still standing in the rain troubled her. Reluctantly, she offered him her umbrella.

“Please, just go. If you collapse here, the capital will be buzzing with gossip about you tomorrow.”

When Noxia handed him her umbrella and stepped back into the rain, Rohel frowned and hastily pulled her back under its cover.

“Ah!”

Suddenly, they stood together beneath the same umbrella.

The proximity startled Noxia, and she tried to pull away—but Rohel urgently held her in place, murmuring softly.

“I’ve already been a wretched fool who hurt you. I can’t bear to watch you stand right before me, getting drenched in the rain.”

Rohel, his hand soaked from the rain, pressed the umbrella handle back into Noxia’s grasp. Despite his own visibly poor condition, he spoke with concern for her.

“If your heart still hasn’t softened, then go. I’ll wait as long as it takes—until you believe in my sincerity.”

At his words, Noxia’s anger flared.

Judging by his appearance, Rohel had clearly spent three full days and nights waiting here without moving.

If he continued standing like this without food or rest, he might truly collapse.

“Don’t say such nonsense. If I never forgive you, will you really stand here until you die?”

Rohel responded with a bitter smile—one that somehow looked sorrowful.

“Since childhood, I’ve studied royal governance. I’ve had it drilled into me how heavy the words of a Crown Prince must be. If doing this makes you believe my sincerity, then I’ll do it.”

“Why go to such extremes? There are countless women who would gladly become Crown Princess. If Your Highness wishes…”

“Miss Noxia, it has to be you.”

No matter how much she thought about it, Noxia couldn’t understand. Rohel might be mindful of House Brellof’s influence, but ultimately, he was still Crown Prince.

He had no need to humble himself to this degree.

“I truly… don’t understand your heart, Your Highness.”

“Believe in me. If you ever feel uncertain, I’ll remind you—just as I am now—how deeply I love you. I know this method seems reckless, but it’s better than losing you. Nothing compares to having you gone from my side.”

To any listener, it was a profoundly earnest confession.

Unconsciously, Noxia gazed up at Rohel’s haggard face. The longing she had so stubbornly suppressed surged through her heart like a rising tide.

Rohel looked at her with desperate, pleading eyes and begged once more.

“If, as you say, fate demands we part, then I will change that fate. Please, Miss Noxia—give me just one more chance.”

Earlier, when Rohel had handed the umbrella back to Noxia, their hands had briefly overlapped.

Noxia noticed how intensely warm Rohel’s hand felt over hers—as if she were touching a burning hearth.

After a moment’s hesitation, she shook her head.

Her mind was tangled. This was not a decision she could make right now.

“I understand what you’re saying. For now… please go.”

“Miss Noxia…”

“Go, Your Highness.”

Noxia turned away, fixing him with the coldest gaze she could muster.

She resolved that if he didn’t leave now, she would call for someone.

At that moment—

Thud.

Before she had taken more than a few steps, she heard something collapse behind her.

Turning in alarm, she saw Rohel lying unconscious on the ground.

Rushing to his side, she stared down at him—drenched, motionless—and her heart clenched violently.

“Your Highness!”

She reached out to rouse him, then recoiled in shock again.

Rohel’s entire body burned like fire. The warmth she’d felt in his hand earlier? It had been fever.

Frantically scanning her surroundings, Noxia shouted at the top of her lungs.

“Is anyone there? Someone, please help!”