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nWhile looking for medicinal herbs for a while, Kaizen called Astelle again.

n“I think I found it here.”

nAstelle ran to Kaizen again, trying to pick herbs.

nWhat Kaizen was holding was a small white flower.

nIt was similar to the flower Astelle was looking for, but the spout was a little longer and the petals were too small.

nKaizen lowered his hand when seeing Astelle’s pale green eyes feeling disappointed.

n“… Is it not? Again?”

n“It is not.”

nDisappointment and embarrassment struck Kaizen’s face.

nAstelle comforted such Kaizen.

n“It is because there are many similar flowers.”

nVellian came with both hands full of Gurren grass and approached, watching Kaizen standing silently.

n“Well, Your Majesty, I can help…”

n“Not needed.”

nIt was a cold voice that seemed to be frosty.

nVelian finds the herb Astelle had asked for, and Kaizen looked angry that he kept looking for the wrong herbs.

n‘Well, I’ve been into the forest a lot, but it’s the first time I’ve ever looked for medicinal herbs.’

nAs he failed one after another, Kaizen wasn’t happy with his mood.

nHe seemed to have a black shadow only around him.

nVellian handed the herbs he brought to Astelle’s basket, and he quickly ran away.

nKaizen, who had been searching through the grass for a long time, asked with a low sigh and complaining.

n“When did you learn this?”

n“There is a pharmacist living near my grandfather’s mansion. Somehow I got to know and learned to make medicine.”

n“Why did you learn that?”

nAstelle replied with a glance asking why he asked for such a natural thing.

n“Well, of course, we have a young child and an elderly grandfather in our mansion.”

nEven a simple cold can be fatal to young children and the elderly.

nOf course, the most vulnerable to disease are the elderly.

nTheor and her grandfather are both very healthy, but Astelle hoped they would never get sick.

nIn her spare time, she learned to make herbs and potions from Gretel.

nApart from eye medicines, she had to make other medicines in case anyone gets sick while Gretel was away.

nGretel praised Astelle for being talented when she making medicines.

n‘Because of your meticulous personality, you learn quickly. You certainly seem to have talents too.’

nGretel praised her and said she could accept her as a student if she wanted, but Astelle politely refused.

nThere was not enough time.

nInstead, she learned to grow medicinal herbs, and planted medicinal herbs in the garden.

nShe earned a living by selling it every year.

nAstelle replied without much meaning, but Kaizen became confused again when he heard her words.

n‘Was it so difficult to make a living?’

nKaizen walked on the grasses.

nEven though he had been to the forest, it was the first time he had passed through the bush like this.

nEverywhere he went, there was a smell of moist dirt and crispy grass.

nHe now looked up at the silver sky.

nIt was embroidered in a light purple sky over the setting sun over a reddish sunset.

nThere was Astelle three or four steps ahead.

nDressed in a plain dress, Astelle was holding a basket and picking up an unknown herb.

nSuddenly I thought of the old days.

n‘It turns out that I was in the forest with Astelle like this before.’

nThe memory of Astelle was always a beautifully decorated doll-like figure.

nThe background was a place like an imperial palace or a banquet hall of a gorgeous mansion.

nHowever, he had only entered the forest with Astelle once.

nIt was an old memory, like a page in a dusty book.

nKaizen shakes off the accumulated dust in his memories that he had forgotten.

n“I remember the old days.”

nAstelle turned to his calm voice.

nKaizen looked at her and talked to her.

n“We went hunting together on my birthday in the forest. Do you remember?”

nAstelle clearly remembered it.

n“Are you referring to the time I went into the lake trying to save Your Majesty?”

nIt was a cool tone, but it was right.

n“… Yes, about that.”

n“Yes, there was a time.”

nAstelle said nothing more.

nThere was no emotion in her dry voice.

n‘Well, it wasn’t a good memory.’

nKaizen silently recalled the memories of that day.

n* * *

nIt was winter at that time.

nIt was when he went hunting in the forest a little far from the capital on Kaizen’s 18th birthday.

nUsually, women were not taken to the hunting grounds, but on that day the Crown Prince’s fiancee, Astelle, attended the hunt on the orders of the emperor.

nHis birthday hunt, which should be enjoyable, was uncomfortable from the start because of Astelle.

n‘That’s annoying.’

nHowever, his father, the emperor, sent her with him, so he could not even drive her away.

nAt the time, Kaizen was indifferent but was pretending to be a polite fiance.

nEven without the emperor’s request, she would not have been able to ignore Astelle.

nHe was more annoyed at the thought that he couldn’t do it himself.

nHe was forced to stay in the nearby castle for about a day and try to hunt, but that night a second misfortune struck.

nIt started to snow in the evening.

nSnowflakes that were falling one by one before dawn came and the whole area turned white.

nAs soon as the day dawned, Kaizen put on his coat and walked out.

nThe castle’s backyard was connected with a wide forest.

nHe rode the horse with the party and went out through the door.

nAgainst the backdrop of the bluish dawn sky, a darkly shaded forest spread over the snowy field.

nIn the middle, someone told a legend about the lake in this forest.

nThere is a lake in this forest, and it is a legend that if you go there and ask for love to come true, the spirit of the forest will grant you your wish.

n“That’s bull**.”

nThe man who was explaining the forest legend stopped speaking at Kaizen’s voice.

nKaizen looked around the snow-covered forest road and was laughing at him.

n“That’s ridiculous to say that a lake makes your wish come true.”

nKaizen laughed at someone who seriously spoke of such a ridiculous legend.

nOn the other hand, Astelle, who listened to his explanation, seemed to like the story.

n“Still, it’s a beautiful story.”

nShe wore a luxurious indigo hunting suit and a fur coat, and Astelle on a horse was as beautiful as the goddess of the forest.

nHowever, no matter how beautiful Astelle was, she was like a stone passing by to Kaizen at that time.

nKaizen replied bluntly.

n“I didn’t know my fiancee liked this superstition.”

nAstelle risked her embarrassment and spoke her words to Kaizen again.

n“Still, this forest is very beautiful. It’s morning, so the air is refreshing. It would be nice if there was a forest like this near the waterway.”

n“Yes, that’s okay. It’s probably because there isn’t a lot of people in and out. If people go here and there, the scenery is ruined.”

nKaizen turned his horsehead to her side and spit out.

n“Especially if people who don’t even know how to hunt come in and out, the hunting ground will be ruined.”

nKaizen said he didn’t want to talk to Astelle anymore, so he went into the forest leaving Astelle.

nKaizen loved hunting very much. But he preferred to go out of the imperial palace and run through the forest rather than hunting itself.

nBecause he was able to take off his pretense and act as he pleased at that time.

nKaizen had been walking in the forest for a long time, and he chased his prey.

nHe never met Astelle during the hours he had passed.

nHe didn’t even care where she was.

nHe didn’t know if Astelle liked this hunt or if she had ever hunted.

nHow long has he been gone around?

nIt was the first time when he came to the center of the forest.

nThere was a snow-covered board among the dense trees.

nKaizen turned the direction towards it.

nBut the moment he stepped on the snowfield, he suddenly had an unexpected situation.

nAs soon as he stepped, the floor collapsed.

nAs the ice broke, cold water sprang up. The black water swallowed him like a deep bog.

n“Waah…”

nThe cry of a surprising word resounded like a sharp scream.

nDrowned in the water, Kaizen quickly sank to the bottom of the water.

nFrozen water stabbed him all over his body.

nKaizen desperately reached out to hold on to the ice.

nHowever, his thick coat of fur clung heavily to his whole body, and his body slowly sinking.

nThe broken ice was in front of him, but his hand was out of reach.

nAt that time, an urgent voice was heard from above.

n“Your Majesty!”

nSomeone reached out to him. Kaizen managed to hold the hand.

nThe master of the voice grabbed him and pulled him away.

nIt was when Kaizen grabbed the ice and barely climbed to the surface.

nThe ice next to it cracked and this time the person who caught Kaizen fell into the water.

n“… Astelle?”

nKaizen, who barely climbed up the ice, realized that it was Astelle who pulled him up.

nThis time, on the contrary, he reached out to Astelle.

nAstelle, who had been struggling for a long time, took Kaizen’s hand.

n