We looked around the square again. Many new stalls were built for the festival, but existing stores were also busy preparing for the festival, decorating their storefronts and setting up special events.

We went into the bookstore.

Unlike other places, the bookstore was relatively quiet. Since I wasn't used to reading yet, my attention was naturally drawn to the fairy tale books.

I picked up a fairy tale book that was closest to me.

It was titled "Blessed Princess."

I opened the book, and quickly regretted it.

On the first page was a picture of a blonde girl and a boy with the face of the beast, on their wedding day.

—Once upon a time, a blessed princess and the monstrous prince of a neighbouring country had gotten married.

This was a fairy tale about me and Blake. I tried to put back the book, but I happened to see the last page by mistake.

The prince, freed from the curse, became a handsome man. But in return, the blessed princess lost her life. The fairy tale ended with a scene in which the prince was left all alone as tears streamed down his face.

The image of the boy crying alone was so much like Blake that I was heartbroken.

"What book are you reading?"

I hurriedly shook my head and hid the book.

'It's nothing. Let's get out.'

Other fairy tales also showed many titles like Blessed or Monster. They were all about us.

"Yes, let's get out."

We left the bookstore. After walking silently for a while, Blake pointed at someplace.

"Shall we go over there?"

The place that Blake pointed at was a well-known jewelry store that handled the most expensive jewelry in the empire.

I shook my head in a hurry. When I came to the palace, Blake had given me lots of clothes and jewelry.

I tried to refuse him back then, but I had no choice but to accept it since he had already paid for all of them.

'I told you before. I don't need jewelry.'

I was going to leave anyway, and jewelry was a burden. I didn't want to leave any traces of me behind. I only wanted to quietly disappear.

"Let's just look."

'No.'

That was a lie. As soon as we got in, he would try to buy me anything he could.

"I wanted to buy a present. Help me choose."

'Present?'

"Yes. A present for a woman."

The maids said the rumors of Blake and Diana's marriage were false.

Blake had always been with me ever since we returned to the palace. He stayed with me, except for when he had to help the Emperor with his affairs.

If that was true, there would be a lot to prepare for the wedding announcement, but there had been no such thing.

So I made a vague assumption that it might really be a false rumor like the maids said.

I was sure it was a false rumor when I came to the square with him today, but when I heard that he was giving a present to another woman, I thought that I might've misjudged it.

'...you want to give it to a woman?'

"I don't have a fiancee. It's for my wife."

Blake answered straight away.

'...have you already married again?'

"I already did before. My wife's name is Ancia. Ancia Raelle Geracillion."

He stared at me as he declared in a determined voice,

"There will be no one else."

"......"

Blake took my hand as we went inside.

There was no need to give a gift to his wife. As I was wondering what to say, I saw various rings in front of me.

There were already more than 10 rings in front of me, but the jeweler's staff kept bringing more and placing them in front of me.

It was a luxurious ring embellished with diamonds, and at first glance, it looked like a wedding ring.

"Rose, what do you like best?"

Blake used to touch my ring finger sometimes before and he still did it even now.

After entering Ser's body, my wedding ring disappeared. Now that I had nothing on, he often drew a circle on the spot where the ring used to be with his fingers.

But I couldn't let him buy me a ring. I shook my head quickly.

'None.'

"None?"

'Yes, let's go back. It's too late.'

If this was really a gift for someone else, he wouldn't have asked me to choose, but I couldn't say that either.

However, choosing a gift while pretending not to know was a bad thing.

"Okay. Then I'll have to buy it all."

Blake looked at the owner and said so.

"All..."

He's really going to buy everything! I stopped him in shock.

"Why?"

'You can't.'

"You said you couldn't choose."

'That doesn't mean you have to buy everything!'

"Then go ahead and pick. I wonder which ring Rose will choose."

He smiled beautifully.

Was he really going to be like this? I've never raised Blake to be like this!

I wondered but soon gave up.

It was always like that. I didn't teach him well because I couldn't bear to see him sad.

I always gave him whatever he wanted. Sometimes he was picky, but that was all. And there was never a need to scold him.

Blake was so nice and cute. He didn't act like this before!

As I recalled the past, I glanced at the adult Blake. Blake tilted his head slightly to the side and looked at me innocently.

"Rose, pick one for me."

"......."

"If you don't like it, shall we go somewhere else?"

'No, I'll choose.'

***

They said they would make a new ring and send it to the palace. This is why I didn't want to go into the store in the first place.

Blake forced me to go to many stores as he tried to buy things for me.

"I wanted to return the favor, since you helped me choose a gift."

Blake wouldn't get out of the store until he gave me a present.

'It's okay. It's late. Let's go back.'

The mere purchase of the ring weighed heavily on my mind. I didn't want anything else.

"Okay. Let's go back."

Blake grabbed my hand again.

***

"Where is His Highness, Melissa?"

Hans asked Melissa.

"Miss Rose and His Highness went to the square."

"His Highness is in the square?"

Hans was surprised.

Blake going to the square came as a surprise to him.

Except for important events, political affairs, and information about Ancia, he had never gone out for personal reasons. Did he go out to show Miss Rose around the square?

Whatever the reason, he was overjoyed.

Hans was actually very worried.

Blake was told that the door of darkness had disappeared so he headed for the valley of chaos.

At that time, Blake had a pale face as he stood before him, right before he left the palace.

He looked similar to when he heard that Ancia went missing seven years ago.

And the Crown Prince didn't return to the palace for more than three months, so Hans was worried that he might fall into even deeper despair.

But now Blake was at the palace, and he was smiling broadly.

Of course, the only time he smiled like that was when he looked at Rose, but Hans was still happy. Besides, he had gone to the square today.

Did His Highness finally come to his senses?

But unlike Hans, who was happy, Melissa's expression was grim.

"Melissa, are you worried about something?"

"Hans, did His Highness put Miss Rose in his heart?"

"Maybe."

Melissa breathed as she recalled Blake and Rose.

The Crown Prince suffered for a long time.

Only when his curse was lifted, did he escape the looks of contempt.

But he hadn't even properly enjoyed it, and spent all his days searching for Ancia until now.

Like Hans, Melissa also wanted Blake to come out of his grief. They wanted to see Blake smile again.

A lot of time had passed. Now, they wanted Blake to forget about Ancia, meet a good woman and live happily.

But Miss Rose wasn't the right person.

"I think Miss Rose is a good person. I see why he's so nice to her but.."

"We didn't know her identity, and she couldn't speak. Not to mention, her scars were severe. If Blake chooses her, people will definitely gossip about them."

Even Professor Kendall, who was highly educated and treated students fairly regardless of whether they were aristocrats or commoners, was verbally abusive when she saw Rose.

Not to mention anyone else. It was obvious that she would be ridiculed as a monster because of her looks,

If Blake chose to be with Rose, everyone would pretend to be worried but gossip about the recurrence of the curse.

"I want him to continue living nicely."

Melissa hoped Blake would not be ridiculed and suffer under the people's contempt again.

She didn't hate Rose. Rose was nice and pretty.

She didn't know what Rose had been through in the past, but she felt sorry for her because she couldn't speak and even suffered severe burns.

But if Blake chose Rose, His Highness would certainly go through many things he didn't have to go through.

"Hans, I'm too selfish...."

When Blake was cursed, she thought that people who discriminated against appearances were bad.

But now she didn't approve of Rose because of her appearance.

"I know what you are upset about."

Hans touched her shoulder as he comforted her.

"How nice it would have been if Her Highness had been here."

"We didn't want anything more than that..."

When Blake's curse was lifted, Hans, a servant, was honored for his contribution to the crown prince. Melissa also became his wife.

Edon was also given a title of his own.

But they couldn't be happy. The Crown Princess, whom everyone loved, was not here. Ancia's vacancy remained a great wound not only for Blake but also for others.

If Ancia hadn't disappeared, they would have been a pair that made the masses envious.

Melissa sobbed as she imagined the image of Ancia and Blake if they became adults together.

Melissa thought Ancia had passed away, so she hoped that Blake would meet another woman and find happiness again. But when she saw him being nice to another woman, she was upset for Ancia.

"In fact, I haven't let Her Highness go yet."

Melissa realized her feelings and wiped away the tears that flowed with her handkerchief.