Chapter 0

Clatter, clatter!

Louisville rode his horse out of the imperial palace, which was so massive that it was hard to take in all at once. His horse had shiny black fur and was of a fine breed, so it ran without hesitation. The Imperial Knights naturally followed behind the emperor’s horse.

Louisville rushed toward the field on the west side of the palace. His shining golden hair flew in the wind, and his blue eyes sparkled like the sea.

His horse ran steadily toward the setting sun. But suddenly, it began to speed up wildly. No matter how hard Louisville pulled the reins, the horse wouldn’t stop.

Then Louisville noticed the white foam dripping from the horse’s mouth. He realized it right away.

It was a drug. Someone had definitely drugged the horse.

Louisville thought for a moment about jumping off but gave up. He had experienced this kind of situation before. From his experience, falling off by accident was less painful than jumping off on purpose. When you jump off, you have to find the right moment, but when you fall, the timing happens naturally, making it easier to land safely.

At some point, the horse, which had been running wildly, suddenly raised its front legs.

Whoosh—

Neigh!

Louisville’s whole body flew high into the air, and his back arched like a bow. He had never been thrown this high before. Part of him wanted to die like this. Another part didn’t.

But then—

Grab—

Someone caught him as he was falling and rolled over with him.

“Ugh…”

When Louisville came to his senses, he saw a woman with red hair brighter than the sunset and pitch-black eyes lying on top of him.

“Thank goodness…”

The woman who saved him, Anier, whispered softly. Louisville’s neat eyebrows twitched.

“I did it…”

Anier held his shoulders with both hands and checked his face to see if he was hurt. Her eyes were full of tears.

“…You’re heavy.”

Louisville slid his arm under his head like a pillow and said bluntly.

Only then did Anier blush and get off him. Louisville also quickly stood up and brushed himself off.

“That was unnecessary. If you had just left me alone, you could’ve watched my perfect landing.”

Standing tall, Louisville looked at Anier with a proud expression. Anier licked her lips and scratched her temple.

“Pardon me for saying this, but… I think you would’ve failed.”

“I’ve never failed before.”

“Then it would’ve been your first time.”

Just then, a gentle breeze blew between the two of them. Louisville’s black cloak and Anier’s long dress fluttered.

“You speak in an unusual way,”

Louisville said, lifting one corner of his mouth and asking,

“Are you a prophet, by any chance?”

Anier made a strange face. She clearly hesitated, unsure how to answer.

At that moment, knights on horseback came riding up to them.

“Your Majesty!”

“Are you alright, Your Majesty?”

Anier stepped back, startled by the knights. Louisville silently raised his long, elegant hand into the air. His hand pointed toward the black horse he had been riding.

Just a single gesture.

Swish—

That was all it took. The captain of the knights, who had the biggest build among them, drew his sword and slashed at the horse.

The black horse collapsed, spraying red blood. Anier gasped in shock and fell to the ground.

“Your Majesty, what should we do with this person?”

The blood-stained sword now pointed at Anier. Louisville folded his arms and stared at her.

To be honest, he admitted that she saved his life. But she was also suspicious.

How did she know exactly where he would fall? Was she really a prophet? Then why didn’t she answer earlier?

His instincts of doubt and caution—which had helped him survive many life-threatening situations—kicked in once again.

“Do as you please.”

Anier looked at Louisville in disbelief, as if to say, Didn’t I just save your life? But Louisville simply snorted and turned away.

Then, the knight captain raised his sword high.

Swish—

The cold blade glinted in the sunlight. Anier grabbed the hem of her long dress tightly. Then she shouted at Louisville’s broad back.

“I saw Your Majesty fall from the horse in advance!”

Louisville stopped walking.

Anier quickly stood up from the ground and brushed off her clothes. As he turned around, Anier revealed her identity.

“I am Anier, a prophet who sees visions through dreams.”