Their emotionless eyes look down at me.

Two piercing gazes. Next to father is standing my mother, both of whom are casting a cold gaze at me that I never expected to come from them.

I stand in front of them like a frog staring at a snake, forgetting how to breathe.

The only sound in the throne room is the pounding of my heart.

My father sighs sadly and shakes his head. Mother also raises her eyebrows.

“Vincent, I’m disappointed in your weak attitude.”

“Yes, me too. I cannot entrust Elisa* to a man who does not have the courage to declare his love.”

[T/N: Elizabeth.]

Outside, lightning cracks the sky and thunder rumbles through the air. The room suddenly darkens, and only their faces appeare in the darkness.

What is this?

I look around unintentionally, when my father quietly speaks.

“In the name of the King, I break the engagement between you and Elisa.”(King)

“What in the name of the King? I break off your engagement to Elisa.”(Queen)

“We will adopt Elisa as our daughter, and find a man worthy of being the Princess’ husband and our son-in-law from a neighboring kingdom.”(King)

“Yes, for her sake.”(Queen)

“Oh, wait, Father, Mother, no, no… ……!”(Vincent)

“It’s decided.”(Both King and Queen)

With a single voice, an unseen force jerks me backward with a jolt. My outstretched hand wanders through the air, unable to grasp anything.

The throne is slipping away from me, and I am falling into an abyss.

“Elizabeth–……!”

The cry of my beloved’s name was not even voiced fully–.

“……!!!!”

Oh my god!!!!!!!

A shock to the back of my head and back awakens me.

The darkness has been replaced by the bright morning sun, and through the slightly open window, small birds are chirping. The curtains are swaying in the gentle breeze with a slight fluttering sound.

I can feel the hardness of the ground on my back. It seems I am lying on the floor, the wooden plank floor with geometric patterns comes in my vision…….

I got up and mumbled something to assure the situation.

“Dream ……”

I rub the back my head, which still aches, and breathe through my nose. For a moment, I thought, “Thank God I woke up!”. It was such a gut-wrenching dream.

Dream…… It was a dream, right?

Don’t tell me my father and mother will use magic to invade my dream, right?

I’m seriously afraid of them because they seem to do that kind of thing lightly. It seems the spell of “Return of the evil spell” isn’t working properly.

I sit down on the edge of the bed and try to plan the day ahead for a fresh start, and then I realise…… that I am forgetting an important detail.

How in the world did I fall out of bed?

My bed is bigger than a king-size bed because it is made especially only for me, Crown Prince. It has carved pillars and canopies on three sides. The fact that I avoided those pillars and canopies and fell on my back from the foot area, which should have been the hardest part of the bed to fall from, is more than just bad sleeping habits. I think someone from the outside of the bed pulled me down.

I can’t help but remember that tugging sensation in my dream. That realistic floating sensation.

A cold sweat runs down my spine.

I think it’s a warning from them that if things continue to be the way they are and I don’t express my feelings to Elizabeth, they will pull her away from me.

I fell in love with Elizabeth at first sight, and my unrequited love for her has now reached its eighth anniversary and entered its ninth year. It’s no wonder that my father and mother seem to be amused by my unrequited love and are getting impatient with me.

The royal court is in a celebratory mood because Harold, my niece and best friend, and his cousin, Margaret, are engaged. And for some reason, the air of “celebration” is replaced by the silent pressure of “So, what about Vincent?” I am now under a serious pressure.

No, we are already engaged, but I still didn’t……. I have not told Elizabeth how I feel about her, and she doesn’t even feel the same about me. I have had many setbacks without being able to tell Elizabeth how I feel about her.

My parents said, they can’t trust Elizabeth to such a weak-willed and loser man, it is possible that they love Elizabeth more than their own son.

I break the engagement between you and Elizabeth.

Father’s words echoes in my mind.

I can still remember his serious expression and the tone of his voice all so real. The spring break will soon be over. The second semester is about to begin, but this tension is not good.

“…… wait for me, Elizabeth.”

I decide that the next time I see Elizabeth, I will confess my feelings to her.

The previous thousand knocks are not enough.

This time, it’s 10,000 knocks against Elizabeth’s portrait.

****

Elizabeth is dressed in spring attire as she walks through the royal garden. The dress she is wearing is extravagantly ruffled with flowers adorning its bodies and her hair. The two of them, she and Vincent stand side by side in the glorious sunshine, watching the birds chirping and flying around the pond.

As usual, the stage is perfect. All that remains is Vincent’s courage.

“Your Highness Vince, please take a look.”

Elizabeth turns around, her golden curls swaying softly. Her eyes, gently narrows as she points at something.

Yes, Vincent doesn’t want to lose this smile.

He wants to stay by Elizabeth’s side forever. He wantd to be a man worthy of her.

For the last time, Vincent takes a deep breath so that Elizabeth doesn’t notice.

Close your eyes and let your mind go blank.

And when he opens his eyes, he see Elizabeth in front of him with all her glory. She was someone with flesh and blood, alive and beautiful beyond the portrait he has spent dozens of hours looking at yesterday.

Oh, I love it.

“I love you, Liza.”

The words were out of his mouth before he could think of them.

It’s such a natural outpouring of emotion that he wondered why he hasn’t said it before, and then realizes he has said it before, in front of her portrait.

Elizabeth is an angel. He loves Elizabeth. If that is the case, it is not strange for him to tell her that he is in love with her.

Vincent’s cheeks loosens on their own and a smile formes on his face. It’s a simple thing to do but he was hesitating like a stupid.

Knowing and doing together he was enlightened.

Vincent is so happy that he was successful in revealing his feelings that he forgot the most important thing.

He still has to hear Elizabeth’s answer.

With trepidation, he looks at her and sees that she is still smiling the same …… smile she had on her face.

“?”

Vincent can’t help but wonder, was he really able to portray his feelings to her? Elizabeth must have not understood what he meant. Because it’s natural for her for both of them to love each other. Her naturalness is beyond his imagination.

Let’s say it again.

“I love you, Liza. Not because you are my predetermined fiancée, but because I am in love with you, with yourself, with the person of Elisabeth La Monrivere.”

Vincent thought she might not have understood what he meant by “love,” so he added a longer explanation.

Yes, yes, he can’t help talking about herself all the time. Elizabeth may have been confused because she didn’t understand what he wanted to say. After all, her fiancée, whom she didn’t meet that often, suddenly confesses his feelings for her. To her, who is already engaged with him.

“If possible, I want you to like me too. I want to be your lover, not just a husband through political marriage.”

Elizabeth still doesn’t respond. Her expression is as blank as before.

“Can you please, give me a …… response?”

Vincent is sweating, he can feel his heart thundering inside his ribcage. When he looks at Elizabeth’s smiling face, he sees….

BOOM! Elizabeth’s face which was blank a moment ago, turns red, as if she has just understood the meaning of his confession.

“…… eh?”

“So, oh no ……! I’m sorry, Elizabeth ……!

Elizabeth collapses in front of him, her reaction is so unexpected that he couldn’t help but make a dumb noise.

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