After Putting the Slayer of the Night to Sleep, I Ran Away - Chapter 19

Even though her words could have sounded insulting, Ayla continued to speak with calm confidence.

“It would benefit you.”

“And why is that?”

“Because I will divorce you when the time comes.”

“Divorce?”

“Yes. This marriage was likely announced suddenly because of His Majesty the Emperor. But there are not many women who would willingly marry the First Prince and move to the North.”

“You do not think that is a dangerous thing to say?”

“It is the truth. And it is the card I have to play.”

“Then what you are saying is that you are willing to go to the North with me?”

“Yes. And I will agree to a divorce whenever you wish. I am even willing to sign a contract. In return, I would like enough compensation to settle down and live independently in the North.”

“That sounds like a very selfish proposal.”

“That is for Your Highness to decide.”

“No. I believe you already had a reason when you spent the night with me, Princess.”

“That was…”

“Was it because you thought marrying some useless man would be worse, and that even a powerless prince might at least give you enough alimony after a divorce?”

His sharp accusations pierced her like blades.

“That is not…”

“Then what is it? Do you hate the man you are supposed to marry, but your father, Marcus Everett, refuses to allow a broken engagement? That does sound like him. He is not the type to risk his dignity for the sake of his daughter. So are you trying to replace your fiancé with someone your father cannot argue with? And when the First Prince suddenly appeared, did he seem like the perfect solution? As long as he stays out of the power struggle for the throne, you thought it would all work out. Is that it? Princess, do you not think you are being far too obvious?”

Ayla pressed her lips together.

At first, it felt like he had seen straight through her, and she wanted to disappear into the ground. But as the accusations kept coming, her sense of injustice began to burn inside her.

“So what if I am a little obvious?”

“What?”

“Everyone wants to be happy. If you can see that you are walking straight into unhappiness, are you supposed to go along with it anyway? Even if I am a little obvious, I am just trying to escape a miserable fate and build something that benefits both sides. Is that something I should be condemned for?”

“A relationship that benefits both sides? Are you serious?”

“Is the reason you refuse to believe in this because of my family name?”

“You are more perceptive than I thought.”

“You are being foolish.”

Ayla held back her rising anger and spoke clearly to Leo.

“I have nothing more to say. I will take my leave now. But please be sure to deliver my proposal to His Highness.”

“I do not see how that would change anything.”

“If His Highness is as short-sighted as you, then I am not interested either. But…”

Ayla’s eyes, filled with both resentment and determination, locked with Leo’s cold gaze.

“If His Highness is someone who sees the person and not the family, and if he is willing to consider my proposal sincerely…”

Leo remained silent.

“Then please tell him to act quickly.”

Shortly after Ayla left, Leo walked to the window and silently watched her figure as she exited through the front gates. He could feel the cold looks the knights were giving the unwanted visitor even from here.

“Marriage, she said.”

It was an idea not even worth considering. But her last words kept bothering him.

“What did she mean, act quickly?”

Leo sighed and brushed his hand across his eyes.

“Cro.”

At his call, the shadows at his feet stirred, and a dark creature emerged. It was a crow with jet-black feathers and glowing red eyes.

This was Cro, one of Leo’s familiars.

“Follow her.”

Leo pointed toward Ayla, now visible in the distance. Cro let out a loud caw and instantly flew into the sky, flapping his wings as he began trailing her.

Leo closed his eyes and began to share his vision with Cro.

It was a unique ability of his. He could see through his familiars, though it often felt more like a curse than a gift.

He watched as Ayla climbed into a hired carriage. Then he felt someone approaching and ended the vision, opening his eyes.

Just as he stepped away from the window, a knock came at the door. Dex Hanover entered the room.

“Did you confirm it?”

Leo reached inside the collar of his shirt.

He pulled out a leather cord with a pendant attached to it.

“It’s black.”

Dex repeated Leo’s words with a displeased tone, clicking his tongue in frustration.

“Are you sure there isn’t some other condition we missed?”

“What kind of condition are you talking about?”

“That night… didn’t you have physical contact with her?”

“That’s enough.”

Leo cut him off and turned away, making it clear he did not want to continue the conversation.

But Dex could not let it go.

“We still need to confirm it properly.”

“This is already enough.”

“You know this isn’t something we can just brush off. This could be a clue to breaking the curse.”

“Don’t fool yourself. If there had ever been a way out of this curse, I would have escaped it long ago.”

“Then explain it.”

Leo remained silent.

“Explain why the artifact changed color on the same night you spent with her.”

Sometimes, Dex found himself thinking about the first time he met Leo.

He remembered it clearly. They were climbing the snowy mountain together with his father when they discovered Leo lying in the snow, looking like he had barely survived.

“Leave me. That’s an order.”

That was what Leo had said with gritted teeth. His voice was weak, his body frozen and trembling, but his eyes were sharp and full of fire.

“An order? You are not going to die out here, no matter what you say.”

Dex’s father, Count Hanover, was a strong and cheerful man, typical of a Northerner.

Ignoring Leo’s threats, he lifted him onto his back and carried him down the mountain.

Then, without asking for permission, he kept Leo confined in the estate until he had recovered both physically and emotionally.

Dex had been twelve years old at the time. He was curious about Leo, who was the same age.

He often wandered near the annex where Leo stayed. One day, he overheard the adults talking.

He learned that Leo’s mother was the last princess of Eisenfelt, which had once been an independent kingdom in the North. She had died recently while protecting Leo.

That story had left a deep impression on him.

Dex eventually stole the key to Leo’s room and sneaked inside.

He opened the door quietly. The room was dark, without even a lamp lit.

In the center stood Leo, his expression completely blank, like something important had been taken from him.

“It’s not fair.”

Dex felt tears rising to his eyes. He could tell what had been lost just by looking at that empty face.

He walked over and hugged Leo tightly.

Leo did not respond. He did not show any emotion at all, and that only made Dex feel worse.

Dex could not hold back his tears any longer and cried as he shouted.

“This wasn’t our fault. They said it was an accident.”

Dex had also watched his mother die.

No one could have known that a flying monster would appear in the sky above the hill he had begged his mother to visit with him.

Like a hawk swooping down for its prey, the monster had flown straight toward Dex. But instead of him, it was his mother who had been impaled by its claws after pushing him out of the way.

Maybe it was because they shared the same kind of pain.

Dex began to take care of Leo, who was one year younger. And slowly, Leo started to open up to him.

One year later, Count Hanover, who still remembered the princess of Eisenfelt, reported to the Imperial Court that the First Prince had survived. Until then, everyone had believed Leo was dead.

From that moment, the Count became Leo’s official guardian and shield.

They lived together as brothers and friends for eleven years.

Dex knew all about Leo’s powers, and he knew about the curse as well.

He still hoped that one day, somehow, they could break it.

If there was even the smallest chance, Dex wanted to help Leo get back what had been stolen from him.

Leo had told him that ever since the day his mother died, it felt like the night had been taken away from him. He had not been able to sleep, neither during the day nor at night.

Dex had cried for him many times in secret, watching as Leo lived every single day without rest.

Then they came across an ancient artifact called the Bloodstone.

The Bloodstone had the power to kill and extract something from its victim, storing it within itself.

That was the reason Leo roamed the mountains at night, slaying monsters.

He was trying to reclaim the night he had lost.

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