Chapter 118
A dark shadow fell over her face, which had been bathed in the bright spring sunlight.
Yet, even as the terrifying figure of the man loomed right in front of her, Psyche showed no fear. Her eyes, still innocent and pure, gazed up at him. It was the face of someone who couldn’t even imagine that another person might wish her harm.
‘Princess.’
Psyche blinked her large eyes, seemingly surprised that he would address her with such a title. His gaze drifted from her eyes down to her slender neck.
‘If you want that delicate neck to stay where it is…’
His crimson eyes slowly traced her jaw, lips, and nose before finally locking onto her eyes again. He spoke, his voice low and deliberate.
‘It would be wise to remember your status.’
After that, Psyche never approached him again. But whenever he felt a gaze on him and turned around, she was always there.
That was, until the day their mothers passed away on the Bermus Bridge at the same time.
His parents were broken people. To them, their children were nothing more than outlets for their frustrations, mere successors needed to annihilate Mathes—nothing more, nothing less.
Perhaps that’s why Rezus accepted his mother’s death with calm detachment. If anything, he felt a slight sense of relief.
But Psyche, who had grown up showered with love from her parents, was different.
Unlike Rezus, whose daily life remained completely unaffected, the girl who had lost her mother spent nearly three years secluded in her mansion.
She occasionally appeared at official events, but even then, it was only to show her face briefly.
Most notably, she didn’t even set foot in the hunting competitions she had once loved so much.
Psyche returned to the competition the year she turned twenty and he turned twenty-five.
That day, unlike her first competition, the sky was overcast, as if it might pour rain at any moment. It was also the day Arje suffered its first defeat to Mathes in the hunting competition.
For some reason, he couldn’t focus on the competition at all that day. While he was supposed to be chasing prey, he found himself chasing Psyche instead.
Was it because, in the gloomy gray forest, she was the only thing that shone brightly?
Or was it because, at twenty, she was as beautiful as a flower in full bloom?
He didn’t know the reason.
Before he knew it, he was chasing after her. He only realized it when the two of them were left alone deep in the forest.
He let out a hollow laugh, unsure how they had ended up so far in. Just then, Psyche, who had been walking ahead without looking back, suddenly turned around, pulled an arrow from her quiver, and drew her bowstring taut.
Whoosh—! The arrow cut through the air, flying straight toward his eye.
Reflexively, he tilted his head, and swish—! the sharp arrowhead grazed his cheek.
Thud—! The sound of the arrow hitting something echoed, followed by a beast’s roar that made his eardrums tingle.
When he turned around, his eyes widened.
Just two steps away, a bear with an arrow lodged in the center of its forehead was roaring furiously, thrashing about.
How distracted had he been by Psyche that he hadn’t even noticed the beast creeping up behind him?
He stood frozen, unable to believe his own stupidity, when whoosh—! another arrow flew past. This time, it struck the bear’s eye.
The enraged bear slowly lost its strength and collapsed. All he could do was stand there, stiff and expressionless, watching the scene unfold.
Meanwhile, Psyche was already walking away. It was as if cold water had been poured over him, finally snapping him out of his daze. He teleported in front of her, blocking her path.
‘Do you have a death wish? You know you’re not supposed to go any further than this, don’t you?’
She simply stared at him silently, not uttering a word. Unlike the emotionally expressive fourteen-year-old girl she once was, there was no trace of emotion in her eyes as she looked at him now. Slowly, her lips parted.
‘Hunter, know your place.’
For a moment, he doubted whether the radiant girl from back then and this cold woman before him could truly be the same person. Psyche was icy—her gaze, her voice, everything.
‘How dare you speak to me like that now?’
Those two memories were the only times he had ever exchanged words with Psyche.
And yet, every trivial detail from that day—the weather, the clothes she wore, the expression on her face—remained etched in his mind, refusing to fade. Sometimes, they flashed before his eyes so vividly it made him nauseous, so vividly it disgusted him.
What did it even matter? Psyche probably didn’t even remember.
He roughly ran a hand over his face, covering his mouth and shifting only his eyes to look down at the sleeping Psyche.
He couldn’t let himself be swayed by her anymore. But despite his resolve, his emotions ran wild. He wanted to be the only one to see her like this, vulnerable and asleep. He wanted to ensure no one else could lay a hand on her.
It was ridiculous.
This possessiveness—what a joke.
Feeling possessive over Psyche, of all people.
He let out a bitter laugh and covered his eyes with his palm.
To ensure there wasn’t even a glimmer of hope in their relationship, he needed to ruin it further.
Then, these ridiculous feelings would surely disappear, washed away like nothing.
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