Chapter 14

Chapter 14: I Stole Yooju's First Love

Daniel and Andrew helped Tatiana into the lounge. Being caught by Freya, the owner of the magic tower, must have been a huge shock. However, what hurt her most might have been the humiliation she suffered in front of so many people. After all, nobles are proud creatures.

“Tatiana, are you okay?”

“Daniel, I’m not okay. How could you do this to me?”

Tatiana looked up at him with teary eyes. Every time Daniel saw those blue eyes, he felt a twinge of guilt. He always felt a strong desire to do something for her whenever he saw her eyes.

“You know how Freya is. Even His Majesty couldn’t stop her. We should be glad it ended this way, okay?”

“No, it’s not about Freya. You could have persuaded His Majesty to let me dance with him earlier.”

Daniel was taken aback by Tatiana’s anger, which was completely different from what he expected. He thought she would be hurt by the owner of the magic tower’s behavior.

“Well, that... that’s a decision for His Majesty to make.”

“That’s too much. So, it’s fine with you if I can’t dance with the person I want?”

Not knowing what to say, Daniel looked at Andrew. As Tatiana’s husband, he might be angry in this situation. However, Andrew’s expression didn’t change at all. Moreover, Tatiana was pleading with him as if Andrew didn’t exist.

‘What’s going on? Is this how Tatiana usually acts?’

Daniel felt a sense of distance from Tatiana again. When Daniel fell silent, Tatiana frowned slightly. She fiddled with the bracelet on her wrist, noticing that his reaction was different from before.

Daniel saw this and Tatiana quickly removed her hand from the bracelet.

‘How much did you hear of my conversation with Karina?’

It would be troublesome if Daniel found out about the bracelet. Tatiana looked at Andrew for help.

“Why don’t you leave now?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Thinking he had a chance, Daniel quickly left the room. His mind was in turmoil. That day, after Tatiana and Karina fought, a crack appeared in his once-solid world. Although he didn’t get the person he loved, he was content just being by her side. However, after that day, he began to doubt whether it was right to be by Tatiana’s side as a friend.

‘I need to talk to Karina.’

He ran into the ballroom to find her. After Daniel left, the lounge was filled with silence. Tatiana glanced at Andrew nervously.

“Andy, are you angry?”

“Angry? Angry about what?”

Seeing Andrew’s twisted smile, Tatiana closed her eyes tightly. He was really angry.

“I’m sorry for suddenly wanting to dance with His Majesty...”

“No, Titi. Do you still think I care who you dance with?”

Hearing his cold voice, Tatiana fell silent. He was serious.

“The bracelet... it’s been acting strange lately. I’ve been seeing blurry visions.”

“That’s not my concern. Just remember, if you don’t keep your promise, your position and life won’t be guaranteed.”

His deep purple eyes were filled with hatred and anger. Tatiana deliberately shed tears.

“I’ll do better. Sniff, I won’t make the same mistake again. Andy.”

Despite this, Andrew didn’t flinch and continued.

“I won’t say this again. If you want to live, finish what you promised to do.”

Tatiana bit her lip. She slowly nodded, and Andrew sighed before leaving the room. Once Andrew was gone, Tatiana lifted her head, her expression blank.

“Sigh.”

She felt exhausted. It felt like standing on a sharp blade. She fiddled with the bracelet she took off.

“What’s wrong with you?”

She had obtained this bracelet by chance. It was something she begged Daniel to give her, a gift he intended for Karina. Though it looked simple, it was quite valuable, and she wanted it.

The bracelet’s power was incredible.

‘It’s a good thing Karina only thinks it shows affection. If it did something else, things would have gotten complicated.’

The bracelet, which had made her life luxurious and perfect, was now a headache. It seemed to be malfunctioning, not showing the clear visions it used to.

‘Is it because Andy found out? Or...’

While pondering, Tatiana noticed a sweet fragrance in the air. Recognizing the soft floral scent and the petals swirling around, she realized who had arrived.

“Ray!”

Raymond appeared through the petals, still looking at Tatiana with love in his eyes. He hugged her like a teddy bear and rubbed his face against her hair.

“I missed you, Titi. How have you been?”

“Um, I’ve been fine. How about you?”

“Always fine. Except for not seeing you every day.”

They sat down. Raymond brought cookies and drinks from a corner of the lounge and offered them to Tatiana.

“Titi, when did the Duke start treating you like this?”

“Oh... no. He’s usually very kind, just sometimes... sometimes.”

“So, this has happened before. Titi, if the Duke scares you, tell me. I’ll help you.”

Feeling relieved by Raymond’s firm grip on her hand, Tatiana thought, ‘Yes, this is still my world.’

Regaining her composure, she smiled softly and patted his hand.

“No, Andy and I are doing well.”

“If you say so. But Titi, remember I’m always here for you. If you’re in trouble, tell me.”

“Um, actually, there’s something I need to ask you.”

Tatiana smiled prettily and looked up at Raymond. He felt entranced every time he looked into her eyes, as if he had discovered the truth of the world.

She was captivating and addictive. Her red lips curved into a smile.

“There’s something bothering me. It’s about Karina. Can you do me a favor?”

* * *

Aster and I headed to the garden. He was excited like a child, eager to show me something.

“It’s an honor to show this to a princess.”

“What exactly are you going to show me?”

He just smiled in response to my question. We arrived at a garden within the garden, at its deepest point. Aster placed his hand on a closed iron gate. Red magic spread from his wrist, seeping into the gate, which creaked open.

“Go in first.”

Lifting my skirt slightly, I walked through the vine-covered path, and a white snowfield unfolded before me.

“Wow.”

The place, covered in snow despite the season, was filled with gemstone flowers. Each flower was enchanted, sparkling and glowing on its own, making it feel like another world.

“Wow, it’s so beautiful.”

“It’s a garden my father gave to my mother. She was a winter mage. He wanted to give her flowers that wouldn’t wither in winter, so he made all these flowers out of gems.”

“He was quite romantic.”

Aster smiled bitterly and muttered, “He was deeply saddened by losing my mother.”

“Oh...”

His mother was a winter mage, and Aster was a summer mage. Because they had opposing elements, and he had such strong magic, she became very weak during her pregnancy. During that time, a poisoning incident occurred.

Under normal circumstances, the poison wouldn’t have affected her. However, it was a significant blow to the already weakened Aster’s mother. She passed away a year after giving birth to Aster.

The late emperor blamed Aster for everything. He placed him on the throne as the crown prince, saying it was the last thing he could do for him, and then left him alone.

Aster had to kill all his siblings because his position was too weak. I found this unfair.

“However, Aster, to be honest, the late emperor was cowardly.”

Aster looked at me in surprise. I hesitated for a moment but decided to finish what I started.

“Aster’s mother’s death was an unavoidable accident. And honestly, he had many illegitimate children.”

“Haha, ha.”

Aster laughed as if amused. His breath formed small clouds in the dark sky. He gently stroked my cold fingertips.

“You’re the first to tell me such a story, Karin.”

Was it because the air was colder than usual? Aster’s face seemed to be glowing.

His kind and affectionate eyes, and his red lips, which looked dreamy due to the white breath, made him look almost ethereal.

‘What am I thinking?’

Yet, I couldn’t look away from his face.

“Karin.”

The way he said my name was perfect. We slowly moved closer. My heart began to race. Is this okay?