Chapter 13
It was a problem that began to manifest as the boy grew up.
“Young master, please don’t be sad. Rocky’s gone to a better place.”
“What does it mean to be sad?”
“Pardon? Rocky, the dog you raised, he died…”
“Yeah. He died. So what?”
“Good heavens…”
It wasn’t just swords or opponents that couldn’t pierce the boy.
He couldn’t truly feel emotions.
He had no interest in anything. Nothing about other people ever settled in his heart.
His mother constantly wept while holding him, but even that the boy couldn’t understand.
“Should we even consider this child alive? He’s attached to nothing. Will he ever develop wants or desires as he grows? Will he ever… love someone?”
“Darling, please calm down.”
“How can I? Take this cursed blessing away! We don’t need it! Give me back my child’s heart!”
What she cried out in sorrow — was not wrong.
What made people laugh, what made them cry…
All of it felt like dull, gray noise to him.
That didn’t mean Gabriel lacked all emotion.
But they were dulled — numb.
Like being wrapped in a thin cloth: never sharp, never clear.
Even his laughter or tears always felt awkward.
Emotions like love or affection felt like things only found in fairy tales.
The only feelings he could clearly recognize were anger and rage.
“Don’t forget what happened today, my lord!”
“Belkius belongs to you alone — don’t forgive those insolent fools!”
Maybe that was why he’d endured all the humiliation from his relatives. Why he’d survived such a dangerous time in his life.
Years of endurance passed.
Finally, the moment arrived:
He became the head of the family and officially claimed the Belkius Duchy as his own.
But even then, Gabriel’s heart remained utterly still.
Watching him in that moment, his lieutenant had asked with a sorrowful expression:
“My lord, are you truly not happy?”
“Why? You don’t understand me either?”
“No, that’s not it. As your lieutenant, I think your composure is admirable. But…”
“But?”
“As someone who cares… it makes me sad.”
That was Gabriel.
Surrounded by things he neither cared for nor found interesting.
The arranged marriage with Hillington? It was just one of those many things.
Bothersome. Unpleasant.
Something to just get rid of.
So he devised a plan:
Steal the engagement token and sever the cumbersome tie.
The Empire’s war draft would be coming soon anyway.
If he cut off the betrothal token, House Hillington would simply look for a new match.
It had all seemed so simple.
Until the night before.
Until he broke into Hillington.
“Why are there so many layers of protective magic?”
Clicking his tongue, he pierced the magical barriers and slipped into the estate.
He headed straight for where the token was likely to be.
Gabriel had already reached the point where human eyes could no longer follow his movements —
With each leap, it felt like space itself folded to carry him forward.
Then, while moving like a flash, something caught his eye.
A flicker of light. A glint in his peripheral vision.
“What was that?”
It was definitely… someone.
If he’d just kept going, they would never have crossed paths.
“…”
And yet… Gabriel turned.
Despite everything, Gabriel stopped moving, completely forgetting that he had snuck in.
‘What… why…?’
Strangely, he couldn’t take another step forward.
It was as if he had turned to stone, his entire body refusing to obey.
And then — as he sensed the other person recoil in fear and try to flee, a strange desperation surged inside him.
No.
Don’t go.
Gabriel was shocked by the urgency — this emotion — that felt so unfamiliar.
‘I… can feel something like this?’
Before he even realized it, his body moved on its own.
Despite having snuck in to steal, he chased after the fleeing figure, grabbed her shoulder, and turned her around to face him.
It was a foolish thing to do.
He even asked, “Who are you?”
The entire situation was so absurd and nonsensical, Gabriel couldn’t help but wonder:
This must be a trick.
That girl must’ve done something to me.
But just then — when she turned to meet his gaze —
Her shimmering silver hair swayed, and her pale face appeared between the strands.
And then, like a switch had been flicked…
Something changed.
Inside Gabriel’s heart.
“…”
“…”
The girl looked… completely ordinary.
She must have been startled by his sudden appearance, yet she remained calm and just stared at him quietly.
Her face — as lovely as a porcelain doll — caught his attention.
Gabriel had never cared about someone’s appearance before. But this girl… felt different.
The moment their eyes met, it felt as if something pierced his heart.
Gabriel clenched his fists.
It was a sensation too overwhelming to endure.
Ah…
What happens when you feel everything you’ve never felt before — all at once?
His numb heart couldn’t handle the overload.
It thudded so violently, it felt like it might burst.
“Ugh!”
Like being struck by lightning, the shock was too much — and everything went black.
He couldn’t remember what happened next.
Because he collapsed right there.
His heart pounded so violently it felt like it would explode —
and then stopped breathing altogether.
For a moment, he truly thought he would die.
“Ugh…”
When he finally regained consciousness, someone was murmuring beside him.
Through his blurry vision, he saw the worried face of a girl —
the same one he had seen before passing out.
He understood now.
‘She… saved me?’
Gabriel’s thoughts drifted in a daze.
That hair… I’m sure of it—
Hillington’s eldest daughter.
This was joy. And it was ecstasy.
‘Strange…’
The moment he saw the girl, Gabriel’s heart began to beat furiously, as if it had finally found its path.
‘I don’t understand.’
Everything around him — once dull and colorless — now bloomed with vivid color, as if the whole world had come alive.
“What is this?”
Her shimmering silver hair, pale face, cheeks tinged pink from… what? Fatigue? Emotion?
Her breath, warm and visible in the night air.
Those clear red eyes.
Without knowing why, Gabriel tried to greedily memorize every detail, as if committing a dream to memory before waking.
He wanted to speak — to say something — but his tongue wouldn’t cooperate.
And then he didn’t get the chance.
The girl, without hesitation, pushed him into some kind of space — a portal, perhaps — and sent him away.
‘Wait—’
His consciousness cut out again.
When he opened his eyes, the location had changed.
“Ugh…”
“My lord! You’re awake?”
Gabriel was surrounded by the anxious faces of his knights.
“My lord — no, how can this be — what happened inside? Were you attacked? Y-Your face—”
“What?”
Gabriel had no idea…
…that his face was as red as a tomato.
He slowly placed a hand over his chest.
His heartbeat — pounding so wildly it felt like it would burst — was unfamiliar.
His hands trembled.
It felt like he was walking on clouds.
And in his mind, the girl kept appearing.
In the past, he had thought that imagining someone over and over was just a waste of time.
But now —
he wouldn’t mind watching her all day.
Gabriel placed a hand to his chest and shook his head.
What is this feeling?
What the hell is this insane sensation?
Am I going mad?
“…An angel.”
“Excuse me?”
“There was… an angel.”
“…I beg your pardon?”
As he tried to sort through his memories, breathing slowly, Gabriel noticed his knights exchanging nervous glances — as if wondering if their lord had gone mad.
Then Gabriel said:
“The plan must change.”
“Change… sir? How?”
Gabriel hesitated.
“Hillington’s…”
Saying it aloud made him feel… shy.
So this was what shyness felt like.
He rubbed his chest again, and smiled faintly.
“I’ll marry the eldest daughter.”
“…Pardon?”
As he came out of his memory and opened his eyes, Gabriel was met with the bewildered face of his lieutenant.
“Everything happened so suddenly. Suddenly pushing for a marriage alliance… As you must know, my lord, everyone finds it rather strange.”
“Yes. I imagine they would. But…”
The lieutenant waited quietly for his answer. Gabriel gave a faint laugh.
“I don’t know either. Don’t ask me why. There isn’t a reason. I just… wanted to. So I acted.”
Yes, it had been nothing short of an impulse.
The lieutenant stared at Gabriel as if wondering whether he’d gone completely mad. His expression contorted oddly.
“My lord… you’ve really changed. Just in a matter of days.”
“Like I was struck by lightning?”
“Yes. That’s exactly what it’s like.”
Gabriel chuckled softly.
“Well, maybe that meeting was a lightning strike.”
After all, he had nearly died.
“Pardon? What do you mean by that?”
Gabriel didn’t answer directly.
What he did know was this:
He was curious about the eldest daughter of Hillington.
He wanted to be near her.
He wanted to approach her.
He didn’t know why. But this was the first desire he had ever recognized and experienced — and he was utterly overwhelmed by it.
As the youngest Duke in history, with immense blessing and power under his name as the heir of Belkius, no one could stop him now.
And so, everything that followed happened in a blur, like beans roasting over lightning — fast and unstoppable.
He went straight to the emperor and gave a firm confirmation.
But despite having pushed for the marriage himself, the emperor was suspicious when Gabriel suddenly agreed.
“Why the sudden change of heart, Gabriel?”
“Must there be a reason, Your Majesty?”
There was no political strategy or hidden motive — at least not the kind the emperor expected. Gabriel didn’t feel the need to explain further.
“As I’ve said. Proceed with the arrangements.”
And with that one sentence, he turned and left.
He heard the emperor chuckle in disbelief behind him, but Gabriel had already made up his mind.
There wasn’t enough time.
‘I have to head to the battlefield.’
What once felt like a clean escape to the warfront now seemed like a bothersome inconvenience.
He bit his lip. Ignoring the protests of his subordinates, he pressed ahead toward Hillington.
He knew the proper procedure should have been followed more cautiously, but his body moved independently of reason.
Gabriel was too curious.
What did that night mean to her?
Did she feel the same shock he did?
Did her heart pound the same way?
Did she… want to marry him, too?
And if she didn’t—
Just imagining the latter…
His eyelids trembled.
“Feels like I’ll die.”
“Sir?”
He suddenly felt as though he might cry.
Thinking back to Hildea’s cold expression today, the confidence that had soared in him began to deflate.
He had been so sure of everything.
But in front of Hildea, he had become small.
He remembered that her expression hadn’t brightened once during their conversation — and that made his heart ache all over again.
Does she… hate me?
“It’s a complete mess.”
“My lord…?”
Gabriel looked down, clenching his fist.
“I’ll say it again. There’s no reason. No political gain, no secret plot. I just… want to marry her.”
The lieutenant stared in horror.
“Oh, my god… My lord. Don’t tell me—”
If only I’d made a better first impression.
“You’ve fallen for her, haven’t you?”
