"Let's watch this."
Our hands were clasped together tightly.
At that moment, the fireworks burst with a loud crackle outside the attic's window before quickly fading away.
"Beautiful."
"Yes, it's very beautiful."
I nodded, watching the fireworks, when suddenly, I felt Blake's soft lips on my cheeks.
Blake quickly turned away but I saw his face and ears burning red.
It took me a moment to realize what just happened.
"…kiss."
Blake had kissed me just now.
He whispered, "Ancia, I love you."
His voice was muffled by the fireworks, but I still heard him.
"What?"
I pretended to not have heard him.
I wanted to tease him a little bit.
"…I love you."
"I can't hear you."
"I love you…"
"Speak a little louder."
His face gradually turned even redder.
I should probably stop teasing him now.
"I love you, Ancia."
Blake was shy, but he spoke sincerely.
I couldn't make fun of him anymore when I met his gaze.
"Me too. I'm happy I meet you, Blake."
I'm glad I came to this world because I was able to meet him. That was enough for me.
We spent a long time watching the fireworks and fell asleep with our hands intertwined.
I had a dream. Blake and I were walking together in a forest. Blake's hair was sparkling and his sharp nose and jawline were outlined by the moonlight. His skin was flawless with no signs of the curse. He had grown up to become a wonderful man.
I wanted to look at his face more closely, but for some reason, I felt embarrassed.
"…look at me."
"…"
"Come on."
He turned my head towards him.
When I woke up, my eyes were moist. In my dream, Blake had become a wonderful young man and no longer had the curse. The Blake in my dream had black hair, but his face was still the same face.
The cursed inscriptions that covered his face had disappeared.
"Blake…"
"Huh?"
"Blake the cursed inscriptions are gone."
"What?"
Then, Blake checked his hands. He touched his face too.
"It's gone…"
"Yes, it's gone. There's no curse on you anymore!"
He glanced at the window and confirmed that the inscriptions had really disappeared.
"There really isn't. Did I see it wrong?"
"Wait! I'll get the mirror."
As soon as I got up, Blake hugged me.
"Blake…"
"Ancia, I…I… the curse…ah! The curse has been lifted."
He burst into tears.
Blake cried a lot. I'd never seen him cry so much before. But they were all tears of joy.
I hugged Blake in response.
"That's right. It's finally been lifted."
"Ahh! A-ancia…I…I will live…"
I thought I knew Blake's thoughts better than anyone. How hard had it been for him? I burst into tears because I felt so sorry for him.
"I…can s-stay with Ancia…I'll stay with you for a long time…forever!"
He rejoiced that he could be with me because he had been cured.
I was quite selfish. I didn't want to leave Blake behind.
"That's right, we'll be together forever. We'll never be apart."
We hugged each other and cried for a long time.
Startled by the cries from the attic, Melissa opened the door.
Ancia and Blake were hugging each other while crying.
What happened?
Melissa's heart sank. Last night, she went to see the Festival of Light with Hans thanks to Ancia.
It had been a year since they started dating, but it was their first time going out together outside the palace.
"Hans, wait a minute. Listen to that song."
"It's a song about His Highness the Crown Prince. The lyrics are about a girl sent by the Goddess to lift the prince's curse."
It wasn't just that.
The newspapers were also filled with the same story.
"I hope the curse really does get lifted."
"It will. Her Highness is the Heir of Light. Only good things will happen since she's around."
The fireworks lit up the night sky as the two of them prayed that Blake's curse would be lifted soon.
Even though they were outside the palace, they were still concerned about the Crown Prince and Crown Princess.
Melissa and Hans only learned about Frank's incident when they returned to the palace.
They regretted going out, but Melissa was relieved to see the two of them sleeping next to each other peacefully when she came back.
But then, she suddenly heard a loud cry come from the room.
Melissa went to see what was going on, but when she saw Blake's face, she couldn't find any words to speak.
Blake's face was spotless. The sentences of the curse were gone.
The curse had been lifted.
"Oh my goodness!"
"Hans!"
Melissa called out to Hans and he ran over immediately in alarm.
Soon, Hans' eyes also widened at the sight.
"Your Highness, the curse…"
"That's right. It's been lifted."
Melissa smiled and tugged Hans' hands.
"Let's get out of here. We should give them some space."
Tenstheon came running to the palace at once after he heard that Blake's curse had been lifted.
"Blake!"
Tenstheon grabbed Blake's face.
"Ah!"
Blake's cheeks were smooshed as Tenstheon inspected his face carefully.
"It…really worked."
"The curse has been lifted."
"Yes, it was reweased, so your mwajesty, this is a lwittle-"
Blake's face was pressed on both sides, so he spoke with a sloppy pronunciation.
He tried to get out of his father's hold but Tenstheon grabbed on even more strongly.
"Does it hurt? Are you alright?"
"It's alright.. Your Majesty, I'm out of breath."
"Oh, I'm sorry."
"Ancia, you released Blake's curse. Thank you very much."
Tenstheon clasped my hand and thanked me.
"Your Majesty is right! Ancia lifted the curse!"
Blake held my other hand.
The curse of the Goddess had been lifted.
Was this real? It was not a dream.
The warmth in my hands was proof that this was not a dream.
"Thanks, Ancia."
Tenstheon and Blake kept thanking me.
I was also very grateful that the curse had been lifted.
Richard bribed a guard and managed to get into the prison.
"It's all because of you! You should've stopped him when you saw him drinking!"
The Duke of Cassil shouted as soon as he saw Richard.
If there was anything lying around, he would definitely throw it at Richard.
Frank was the one who caused the incident during the ball, but Arnold Cassil still blamed Richard for it.
Richard did not make any excuses and quietly stood with his head bowed.
"I'm sorry, I didn't expect that to happen."
The situation had turned out completely according to his plans, so he didn't find it as unfair.
Despite the protests, the Emperor still visited the Crown Prince's palace. Rumours of the curse being lifted spread rapidly and Arnold Cassil became anxious.
But Frank's thoughts were different.
"Why would you worry about that dying kid? In the end, Bellacian's eldest daughter will be mine."
Rumours spread in the Capital that if the Crown Prince died, Ancia would become a princess and her new husband would become the Emperor.
The children of nobility were impatient and attempted to sway Ancia.
Ironically, at the same time, they believed that the Crown Prince's curse would be lifted.
Despite the fierce competition, Frank was confident.
"It's not that hard to win the heart of a girl who longs for affection. It's a relief that she's pretty. I can finally say goodbye to that ugly Westin girl!"
Frank was supposed to marry the daughter of Marquis Westin.
The Duke of Cassil chose this marriage for him after much consideration.
Frank was dissatisfied with her appearance but they were one of the wealthiest families in the Empire and also had immense influence.
It was impossible to break the marriage because the wedding date had already been set.
Richard looked at his clueless half-brother as he held back his irritation.
But it was an advantage for Richard.
Frank was addicted to gambling, alcohol and drugs. It was Richard's duty to restrain him. He took advantage of that and let Frank get drunk before he took him to the ball.
The Emperor and Duke Cassil were not present at that time. The Duke of Cassil called Tenstheon out to protest him visiting the Crown Prince's palace.
"How dare you disobey me?! I doubt you even got a proper education since you're a fallen count's daughter."
And as Richard expected, Frank caused trouble.
His personality was already very bad, but when he got drunk, he'd become a total scoundrel.
After Frank revealed his true nature in front of everyone, Richard would save Ancia and win her favor.
Everything was going according to his plans.
"That's enough."
Richard was about to intervene but someone unexpectedly intervened before him. Tenstheon appeared.
And the Emperor knocked Frank out with just a few words.
Richard was shocked for a while, but he felt that this wasn't a bad development either.
Although he missed the opportunity to gain Ancia's favor, he was able to eliminate Frank from the list of candidates.
Although he made a controversial remark, he might only be expelled from the family.
But the Duke of Cassil suddenly appeared.
"Your Majesty, stop!"
Besides Frank, there was one more fool in the Cassil family.
It was Arnold Cassil.
He ridiculed the Crown Prince, Imperial family and defended his son's treasonous remarks.
But even that was not enough for him and he yelled at the Emperor.
The Duke of Cassil cared a lot about Frank, but this was just plain stupid.
Tenstheon didn't miss this opportunity.
"You must apologize to him, no matter what you say!"
Richard realized that he had no eye for people.
So far he thought Frank Cassil was the dumbest human being in the Empire.
But Arnold was even dumber than him.
"Your excellency, this is no time to worry about that. You have been accused of treason."
"Treason? What treason?"
The Duke of Cassil was completely unaware of the seriousness of the situation.
"But the Emperor…"
"What about the Emperor?! So what if he's angry?! My Frank didn't say anything wrong. That monster is cursed and won't live very long."
Tenstheon was a very cautious person.
Frank and the Duke were put into prison, but it wasn't simply because they harassed the Crown Princess.
Of course, their words were controversial, but they couldn't be charged with treason with that alone.
The punishment was far too excessive compared to the degree of their offence. There was no way the Emperor didn't know about this.
Still, Tenstheon said they plotted treason. Richard was able to guess Tenstheon's intention.
"The Emperor had declared war on us. We have to come up with a solution."
The Emperor was trying to bring out the Duke's past sins.
They planted spies in the palace, criticized the Emperor, Crown Prince, Crown Princess and spread rumors about the Crown Prince among the public to make a mockery out of him.
Furthermore, Arnold Cassil had plotted to assassinate Tenstheon in the past.
When Blake was cursed, the Duke of Cassil's ambitions grew. He wished to kill Tenstheon and become the Emperor.
But Tenstheon quickly noticed the situation and Arnold was forced to give up his plans.
Besides that, there were many other things they did that hadn't been revealed.
Even though Richard warned him, the Duke remained calm.
"They don't have any evidence anyway. Weren't you responsible for getting rid of it?"
Arnold Cassil entrusted Richard with cleaning up everything.
"No, but there's a very important witness left, isn't there?"
Tenstheon locked Duke Cassil in the West Prison of the Imperial palace while Frank Cassil was sent to the underground East Prison of the Imperial palace.
Frank was locked up in the place that was usually reserved to punish prisoners. There were many tools to torture them and the facilities were poor.
Richard tried to get in and meet Frank, but he failed to bribe the knight guarding the prison.
Frank would definitely go crazy from being locked up in such a place and spill everything. When the Duke of Cassil understood Richard's meaning, he became furious.
"Frank won't betray us!"
"Perhaps he's already betrayed us. He doesn't have any qualms when it comes to betraying people for his own gain. Just put all the blame on him."
The Duke of Cassil slapped Richard.
"You wicked bastard! What are you saying?! You've always had your eye on Frank's place, haven't you?"
"It's not like that. I only suggested it to protect you."
Richard meant it. He had planned to get rid of Frank anyway since the Duke was more important.
Richard hated the Duke and his family, but he needed their power. He wanted everything the Duke of Cassil had.
"Frank is poised to become the future Emperor! He's very precious! Just you wait and see! The nobles are bound to take my side anyway. Even if Tenstheon's influence is strong, he doesn't have any heirs. By now, the appeals demanding justice for me should've already piled up! Marquis Westin would also not stand by and watch his son-in-law be harmed."
He disgraced his daughter, but he believed Marquis Westin would help him?
"Just get out of here! What a disgrace! I will never forgive Tenstheon! He will pay for this!"
"Your Excellency, calm down. You have to put the blame on Frank for your own good."
Richard persuaded him once again.
Arnold hit him again.
"You ungrateful bastard! When you saw Frank in trouble, you should've helped him! Have you forgotten why I took you in? It was to help Frank! You were fed and brought up thanks to Frank, so you must repay him!"
"…"
"Get me and Frank out of here today. Otherwise I'll expel you from the family!"
Richard left the prison without replying.
Did he really think I'd follow his demands? What was the use when the Cassils were about to be wiped out?
Richard returned home in anger. Tenstheon was now holding the Cassils hostage. With the fall of the Duke's family, Richard wouldn't be able to become the Emperor and the Cassils would lose their standing.
'So let's just kill Tenstheon.'
Richard came to that conclusion after agonizing over how to deal with the situation for a long time. If he killed Tenstheon and got rid of Frank, the next Emperor would be Arnold Cassil.
It would be easy for him to become an Emperor if he controlled the incompetent Arnold Cassil from the shadows and took care of Neon.
As the Duke of Cassil said, Tenstheon's weakness was Blake. If there was a way to solve the curse, Tenstheon could be easily controlled.
Tenstheon spread the rumor that the curse would be lifted. The nobles who were protesting didn't believe it either.
But Tenstheon's words were a double-edged sword.
If the Crown Prince's curse was not lifted in time, there would be a backlash. There was no way Tenstheon was not aware of that. He still spread the rumor even though he knew it. Blake was obviously in a critical condition.
Richard thought of Blake.
Although Blake was cursed, Richard still envied him a little. Afterall, he was loved by Tenstheon and Ancia.
I must kill him this time.
"Domiram."
"Yes, master." Domiram answered as he stood with his head lowered.
"We should create another rumor then. This time the rumor should enter the Emperor's ears. Spread it all over the square."
"Is it okay?"
Domiram noticed that Richard seemed anxious unlike his usual self.
"It's alright. I was too careful last time. Besides, it's the perfect time right now. There's many people who have entered the country from outside to enjoy the festival, so it wouldn't be easy to track the source of the rumor."
"Still, it's a bit dangerous."
"It doesn't matter. I'll kill the Emperor soon anyway."
Richard had to get rid of Tenstheon. He respected Tenstheon, but Tenstheon interfered with his goal, so he couldn't keep him alive.
The door burst open and Richard's servant rushed in.
"Master!"
"What's the matter?"
"The Crown Prince's curse has been lifted!"
"What?"
Richard doubted his ears. The Crown Prince's curse had been lifted?
No way!
Wasn't his curse supposed to be lifted 7 years later according to the rumors?
"It hasn't even been 7 years but it's already lifted?"
"There's a message from John. The Crown Prince's curse has been lifted, so the palace is in a festive mood."
John was a spy that Richard had planted in the Crown Prince's palace.
He was not the type to talk nonsense.
Was it really true then?
What happened?
The curse had been there for many years, but no one was able to lift it.
But now it was suddenly lifted?
Was the rumor that Ancia was sent by the Goddess of Light true?
While Richard was in turmoil, the sound of horses came from outside.
Richard looked at the window immediately.
The knights of the Imperial palace were rushing inside the Cassil's mansion. They were led by Collin, the Emperor's aide.
Frank, that moron, spilled everything in less than a day.
"Master, let's avoid them for now."
"No, I'll go to them."
If I run away right now, it'll be over for me.
The moment the Cassil family collapsed, he would also be dragged down with them.
It was better to die than to live as a fallen noble, a commoner, or a Roum slave.
The Duke of Cassil and Frank were locked up in prison, while the Duchess and Neon hid in the bedroom in terror.
Richard greeted the knights alone as the representative of the family.
"What brings you here?"
Richard decided to buy some time first. They wouldn't be able to investigate him based on Frank's words alone anyway. Of course, it'd happen eventually, but he needed to buy time to hide the evidence left in the mansion.
However, the leader immediately ordered his subordinates without even greeting him.
"Arrest Richard Cassil."
"What is the meaning of this?!"
Richard was very shocked.
Collin, who was standing next to the leader, said, "A report arrived this morning saying that Richard Cassil bribed the guards and attempted to contact a criminal."
Richard saw a smile on Collin's mouth. He had fallen into Tenstheon's trap.
He thought Tenstheon deliberately trapped Frank to get Arnold Cassil. But it was him all along.
Tenstheon set up a trap to capture him, the real mastermind.
He realized it too late.
The Cassil family was done for. Richard closed his eyes tightly.
I looked at Blake's face.
The cursed inscriptions were completely gone so my heart was filled with joy.
I spent many days agonizing over the reason why the curse was suddenly lifted.
As a result, I found the answer I was looking for.
It was the kiss.
He kissed me when we were watching the fireworks. Maybe that was why the curse was lifted.
'The Beast and the Lady' was an R-19 novel that was based on the story of Beauty and the Beast.
The story of a cursed prince or princess and their lover was very common in fairytales.
To lift the curse, they needed a kiss of true love.
The kiss could bring the beast or frog back to their former handsome self in the fairytale world, and even wake up the beautiful princess.
The answer was a 'kiss'
Why did I realize it just now?
The original novel was also the problem!
But there was no point in being angry now.
I held Blake's hand firmly and kissed his hands.
"A-Ancia, what's wrong?"
"My husband is so beautiful that I couldn't help myself. Why? Do you hate it?"
"No! I'm just a little embarrassed…"
Blake's face turned red.
He looked even more cuter.
"What are you embarrassed for?"
"You're looking too closely…"
"We see each other everyday though?"
"So it's embarrassing everyday…"
Blake rubbed his cheeks against my hand and looked at me.
He said he was embarrassed but his behaviour indicated otherwise.
I already had a feeling about it, but I realized that my husband's personality might be different from what he showed me.
"…I'm embarrassed ."
I smiled and rubbed his red ears.
Ah… nevermind what I said before. He really is an innocent rabbit.
I lightly patted his fluttering silver hair.
However, there was one thing that was strange.
Before Blake's curse was lifted, I had a dream.
A dream where I was walking into the woods with Blake, who had already become an adult.
His hair was black there.
Why did I dream about that?
It may not mean much because it was just a dream, but somehow, I felt very bothered by it.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door and Melissa came in.
"Your Highness, Viscountess Perion has arrived."
"Okay. Blake, come on. We'll have to get dressed."
Ten days later, a ball would be held to celebrate the lifting of the curse.
There was a lot to be prepared because it would be Blake's official debut into society.
"I greet His Highness the Crown Prince and Her Highness the Crown Princess."
Next to the Viscountess stood a little child.
She was styled extravagantly, as if ready to attend the royal ball.
Who was this?
As I stared, Viscountess Perion smiled brightly and introduced the girl.
"This is my daughter, Sharon. Sharon, go ahead. Greet them."
"H-hello."
Sharon bowed briefly and seemed as if she was unable to take her eyes off of Blake.
Viscountess Perion scolded her, "Sharon! Be polite!"
"Huh?"
"Haha, I'm sorry. Sharon is still young, so she's a bit hard to control."
Sharon would be 10 years old this year. Although she was obviously young, she was old enough to greet us properly.
Moreover, this was the age at which they'd usually get married off.
I was 10 years old when I married Blake.
"When Sharon heard the Crown Prince's curse had been lifted, she wanted to congratulate him. So I brought her here."
Oh my, is that so?
The Viscountess had never brought her daughter even once before.
Although she was a wealthy woman with many social connections due to her beautiful appearance and excellent social skills, according to the rumors, she had spared no efforts in trying to marry her daughter to Neon, Duke Cassil's third son.
But now that Blake's curse had been lifted and the Cassil family was facing a crisis, it seemed as if she had completely abandoned the idea.
She was thinking of getting her daughter involved with Blake.
The nobles once despised Blake for being a cursed monster, but now, Blake's status had changed.
He was now the imposing Crown Prince of the Asteric Empire.
"My Sharon is one year younger than Your Highness. Your Highness, isn't it your first time seeing a girl younger than Her Majesty? Isn't she old?"
"…."
Was she being sarcastic?
Never in my wildest imagination would I have dreamed that I would hear someone say that being 13 was old.
I was left speechless, so I folded my arms and looked at her.
Let's see how far she'd go.
The Viscountess didn't pay attention to my reaction and pushed her daughter to the front.
"Sharon, don't you want to congratulate the Crown Prince?"
"Yes!"
Sharon smiled broadly and rushed towards Blake to hold his hand.
"Your Highness, congratulations! I heard everyone say that you're a monster so I was scared at first, but you look very beautiful in person. I was scared for nothing."
"Lady Sharon…"
No matter how young she was, this was just too much.
I was going to have a word to her, but before I could say anything, Blake shook her hands off.
"Let me go."
"Your Highness, I'm sorry. My child is still young."
Viscountess Perion made a hasty apology, but Blake's irritation was clear on his face and he rubbed his hands on a handkerchief.
"Who gave you permission to touch me?"
"But I like you."
"You're saying that to a married man? Did you not receive any education? I don't want to see you, so get out of here."
Blake said to the crying Sharon.
Viscountess Perion followed her crying daughter out without saying anything.
I was surprised too.
I had never seen Blake being this angry.
"Blake, are you upset?"
"Yes, they looked down on my wife. I don't want to see them again."
He had never even gotten angry even when he heard people call him a monster. I hugged him.
"You know, there will be a lot of girls like Sharon who like you now."
"I'm already married."
"Blake, you're the Crown Prince. There will be a lot of people who want a position next to you, even if it is as a concubine."
Besides, it wasn't uncommon for the Crown Princess to change.
Since they hadn't registered their marriage yet, the Crown Princess position could change anytime, depending on the Crown Prince or a political calculation.
Of course, Blake wouldn't betray me.
"I don't want that. I only want Ancia."
"Really? There are a lot of girls who are much prettier than me."
"Ancia's the prettiest."
"Tsk, you can't change your mind, okay?"
"I won't. I only like you."
Blake said without hesitation.
I trusted Blake too. I smiled and ruffled his hair, when suddenly, I heard someone screaming.
[Save me! Save me! I'm scared!]
I turned around in astonishment.
"Ancia, what's wrong?"
"Didn't you hear the sound just now?"
"No?"
What was it?
I looked around, but I didn't see anything suspicious.
"I must've misheard it."
Tenstheon was probably busy everyday, uncovering the Cassil family's sins and punishing the nobles that supported the Cassils.
However, he still didn't forget to visit Amoria palace and practice sword fighting with Blake despite his heavy workload.
"Let's call it a day."
Tenstheon hugged the exhausted Blake,
Blake naturally wrapped his hands around Tenstheon's neck.
"You're not pushing me away now."
"Anyway, you're going to continue to do it even if I push you away."
"Do you want me to carry you back?"
"Yes, my legs hurt."
Tenstheon smiled at his son acting childish.
If Ancia showed up, he'd beg Tenstheon to put him down.
Blake wanted to look mature in front of Ancia.
But when Ancia wasn't there, he would act childishly in front of Tenstheon.
Just like now. Edon approached them while Blake was still in Tenstheon's arms.
"Is Your Highness done with the training?"
"Yes, he seems to be improving these days thanks to your training."
"No, His Highness is already very talented. I haven't done much."
"No! Edon is a good teacher."
Edon looked at Blake gratefully and Blake smiled in response.
"But Your Majesty, is it okay for you to come here everyday? I heard that you're very busy…"
Blake had heard about the Cassils' incident, so he asked Tenstheon.
"It's alright. Collin is taking care of it."
"Um, is Sir Collin okay?"
"Don't worry. I pay him a lot of money."
"Wouldn't he have no time to spend the money even if he is paid a lot of it?"
Blake had met Collin occasionally because he would visit the Crown Prince's palace sometimes.
Blake recalled Collin's dark circles deepening with every visit.
"You're right."
"Hehe."
"….."
Edon was silent as he listened to the father and son's conversation.
Collin was a noble. He was handsome and smart and even paid a high salary.
But at the moment, Edon only felt pity for Collin.
Collin would probably be overworked by the Emperor all his life.
Indeed, it was not so good to be so talented.
Putting aside his pity for the overworked Collin, Edon looked at the father and son smiling at each other.
It was fortunate that the relationship between the two got better. If it weren't for Ancia, even if the curse had been lifted, it wouldn't be easy for their relationship to recover.
"Why don't you hang out with kids your age before the ball? It would be helpful to build friendships."
"Well…"
Blake's response to my friendly advice was rather lukewarm.
"Edon, what do you know about kids my age?"
"Haha, what do I know? If I think about my days in the academy, all the kids were a little rough. They'd run about with a sword in their hands all day and no one was as cute as you. Oh my, I'm sorry."
Edon remembered that Blake wanted to look mature so he quickly apologized.
"Yes, I'm cute."
Blake responded rather indifferently. He always heard from Ancia that he was cute, so it had become ingrained in his mind.
There used to be times when he thought of himself as a monster before, but not anymore.
Rather, he accepted the fact that he was cute.
Now, he had no complexes about his appearance.
That's why he was glad that the curse had been lifted.
Tenstheon smiled warmly at Blake, seeing that he now had confidence in himself.
It was all thanks to Ancia that Blake was able to grow into this confident man.
"Your Majesty, will you invite some of the children to the palace?"
"I guess so."
"Well…"
Tenstheon smiled and dropped Blake off when he saw Ancia coming over from a distance.
As soon as Tenstheon put Blake on the ground, he ran to Ancia.
"Ancia!"
"Blake, did you enjoy the training today?"
"Yes!"
"Wow, really? That's great!"
"I will catch a dragon for Ancia later!"
"Hey it's dangerous! Don't do it."
"Nothing is dangerous."
Blake bluffed in front of Ancia. Tenstheon looked at the interaction between his son and daughter-in-law with a smile.
"Oh, the designers will come soon."
"Did they have to come?"
"Why not? You don't want to meet them?"
"I'm just embarrassed because a lot of people will be looking at me."
"Well, the designers do have a lot of subordinates to make it convenient because you need to try a lot of clothes and shoes."
"I want to be alone with Ancia…there will be too many people."
Tenstheon was confused when he saw Blake acting shy and cute in front of Ancia.
"Edon."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Does the Crown Prince always act like this in front of Ancia?"
Edon was puzzled, unable to understand his question.
"Doesn't Blake want to look mature in front of Ancia?"
"Yes, he does."
"So why is he acting like that?"
Tenstheon looked at Blake who was still acting cute in front of Ancia.
Only then did Edon understand Tenstheon's question and burst out laughing.
"He's doing that to make himself look better."
"He won't look mature acting that way."
"But Ancia likes that cute side of Blake. He wanted to act mature in front of Ancia, but he would rather please Ancia more with his cute side."
"I see…"
"Haha, isn't that what love is all about?"
Tenstheon stared at Edon. Edon was a man of talent and he graduated as the best from the knights academy.
Moreover, he was good natured, did not have any ambitions nor prejudice against the Heir to the Curse.
Tenstheon had observed Edon for a while and judged that he was reliable before placing him in the Crown Prince's palace.
However, Edon went beyond Tenstheon's expectations. He became Blake's loyal knight and teacher.
Edon was a great man, but unfortunately, he was still single and had no experience in dating.
"Ah, young love. Spring has come and flowers are everywhere."
"….."
Tenstheon was astonished when he heard Edon speak as if he was a true master of love.
He wanted to ask him if he had any experience with love, but he didn't do so.
Tenstheon quietly turned his head and looked at Blake and Ancia.
They were hugging each other tightly.
"Ah! Blake is very cute!"
"And cool?"
"Cute!"
Did he want to look cute and cool?
Tenstheon had a vague idea about what Edon meant.
Blake and Ancia adored each other so they tried to adapt to each other's preferences.
Despite struggling with the curse, they both grew up well.
Tenstheon cheered for the two and gave them all of his support to ensure they had a bright future ahead of them.
Frank Cassil spoke about all of the Cassils' misdeeds less than a day after he was imprisoned.
The Duke of Cassil and Richard didn't say anything but the evidence was piling up because Frank told them everything.
There were even more evil deeds they did that were not mentioned in the original novel.
After Blake was born, the Duke of Cassil called in a Black Mage to help him.
He told them to make Blake the Heir to the Curse and wanted Tenstheon to die as soon as possible.
After searching through the mansion, they found all the mages.
All the spies planted in the palace were also discovered.
With all the crimes revealed, the Duke of Cassil wouldn't be able to avoid death anymore.
In addition, Blake's curse had been lifted, so the possibility of reviving the Cassil family had completely disappeared.
Everyone began to turn their backs on the Cassils and complained about their evil deeds.
They had many kinds of complaints, ranging from threatening the nobles, illegally increasing his wealth, and using violence against commoners.
Endless reports about how the Cassils condemned and ridiculed the Imperial family poured in.
"How can they say that to the Crown Prince?"
"They're so heartless."
"Even though he was cursed, aren't they still his relatives? How could they bully him?"
All the people sided with Blake.
It was a hundred times better than them accusing him of being a monster.
In any case, the Cassils were doomed, and even their words from 20 years ago had been revealed.
There had been no revelation about their deeds in the original novel.
They had chosen their subordinates thoroughly based on their ability to keep things secret and they had already dealt with the untrustworthy ones.
But it was different this time.
"Have you caught Domiram?"
"Not yet."
"If we catch that mage, we'll be able to find out what Richard Cassil has done so far."
Blake's curse had been lifted and Tenstheon did not die.
Eunhan returned to his country, while Diana entered the knights academy.
The course of events had changed completely from the original novel.
Richard had a tragic past. It would be nice if he reflected and started a new life. But this Richard was very stubborn and ambitious.
When Blake was ill, rumors about black magic that could transfer the Curse of the Goddess to another body had spread secretly.
The source of the rumor was clearly Richard.
He still attempted to assassinate Tenstheon like in the original novel.
He crossed a line that he shouldn't have crossed.
I couldn't forgive him for trying to kill my father.
I informed Tenstheon about everything I knew.
As it turned out, Tenstheon had also been suspecting Richard since the rumors began to circulate.
Since I repeatedly told Tenstheon to be careful about Richard and black magic, he immediately suspected Richard as soon as he heard the rumors.
"Don't worry. We're tracking the mage's movements."
"Yes, I'm not worried about that. I trust you."
Tenstheon smiled and stroked my head.
"Ancia, I have something to give you."
He handed me a box made of gold.
"What is it?"
"Tears of Light."
"Tears of Light?"
'Tears of Light' was a tool used for determining the 'Heir to the Light' from the Bellacian family.
But it had slowly disappeared over time.
Tenstheon had also asked me about it once before, but I couldn't find any trace of it.
I opened the gold box that he gave me.
Inside it was a necklace that had a jewel in the shape of a glass bead.
This was the 'Tears of Light'.
As soon as I picked up the necklace, the jewel began to glow.
"It has recognized the Heir to the Light."
"Yes, I guess I'm the real heir."
Seeing the Tears of Light sparkling, I realized that I really was the Heir to the Light.
I wish I had found it a little sooner.
When the curse was lifted, Blake's eyes were filled with tears and it broke my heart.
Then suddenly, my mind went blank, and I heard the desperate screams of a woman.
[Save me! Laontel! Laontel! I'm here! Please save me! It's very hot! Too hot!]
The voice kept getting louder and louder and I thought that I'd really be sucked in, but then I heard Tenstheon's voice, "Ancia!"
"Oh? Oh, yes…"
I finally came back to my senses.
The 'Tears of Light' was still twinkling in my hands as the woman's voice faded away.
It was happening again.
Ever since Blake's curse had been lifted, I'd hear the sound of a woman screaming occasionally.
"What's wrong?"
"No, nothing."
I shook my head reflexively. In the past, I'd also seen some scenes from a thousand years ago.
For that reason, I went all the way to the Tenlarn Palace with Eunhan's help. But in the end, I still couldn't figure out anything.
Moreover, Blake was seriously ill.
I didn't want to worry Tenstheon or Blake over nothing.
"That you very much for giving me this."
"I should've found it earlier. I'm sorry."
"But how did you find it?"
"I found it in the Cassils' mansion."
"So the Duke of Cassil had it?"
This was not mentioned anywhere in the original novel.
In the first place, this incident didn't happen at all.
If a 'Tears of Light' existed in the original story, there would've been a scene where Richard used it to woo Diana.
So, the Duke of Cassil had it without Richard knowing about it?
Tenstheon shook his head.
"No, Arnold Cassil didn't know about this."
"Then how…?"
"When we searched the mansion, we found a secret space hidden underground. The mansion was originally a part of the Imperial palace. It's the Empire's secret storage."
"So, are there other items too?"
"There are books about black magic, history and much more. It's a warehouse that was used to seal dangerous items that couldn't be destroyed. It seems that no one had found it for hundreds of years. It was secretly managed and forgotten at some point."
But the 'Tears of Light' was not a thing worthy of being sealed there. It couldn't even cause a disaster in the country.
Rather, it was an important clue for solving the curse.
But why was it sealed in there along with black magic and dangerous monsters?
"Was the Duke really unaware of its existence?"
"It was a secret warehouse that could only be opened using the Emperor's ring. Even if the people there knew about it, they wouldn't be able to open it unless they had the ring."
Someone had hidden the existence of the warehouse by disguising it as a plain wall and handing a protective barrier in front of it.
It had the same structure as the golden room in the Tenlarn Palace.
Did Phillip build that warehouse?
