Overcast

Roxus could feel someone following her. A man slightly older than her, with blonde hair and sky blue irises. The Crown Prince, Leonid Orto Bertia, kept his distance secretly and kept an eye on her from afar.

Roxus herself was seen running aimlessly, even though she wanted to reach somewhere near the Crown Prince's palace. She came to a large tree with white leaves. It was a legendary tree, an iconic symbol of the Crown Prince's palace that was treated by the Royal Family for hundreds of years.

Roxus stopped, and a soft night wind blew. Roxus's sobs sounded soft and suffocating. Meanwhile, Leonid stood in the distance, looking at the magical sight that captivated his heart.

Roxus's short hair which was coloured like snow and the sky blue dress she wore made her look like a fairy. Dryads who live in the forest, live in a tree with white leaves that are so special compared to other trees. Roxus's long eyelashes were heavy, falling, making her shaded eyes closed and Roxus's plump lips trembling weakly. It would not be an exaggeration to say that that day, he had fallen in love with Lady Croix at first sight.

Unconsciously, his footsteps brought him forward to approach the woman. The wind blew erratically, but softly, causing the white leaves to fall.

Krass.

Roxus turned her head. Leonid accidentally stepped on the fallen leaves and made Roxus notice his existence. The two of them looked at each other, and time felt like it had stopped spinning for Leonid.

Tap tap tap tap.

"Milady!" Roxus and Leonid turned towards the source of the voice.

Lucifer was standing there with Roxus's blue coat in his hand. Roxus quickly wiped her tears and bowed respectfully to Leonid.

"Greetings to His Majesty the Crown Prince of Bertia," she whispered hoarsely.

Lucifer quickly covered Roxus' shoulders with her coat and quickly bowed with the same greeting.

"Hm," Leonid smiled. He then bowed respectfully too. "Good evening to Lady Croix."

There was an awkward silence.

"This is the first time I've seen this knight beside you... did Lord Croix just get a new knight?" he asked. Instead of asking why Roxus was here tonight, he was asking about the man beside Roxus.

"Your Majesty the Crown Prince, I am Lucius, the knight appointed by Lord Croix to be Milady's bodyguard since yesterday," replied Lucifer.

"Hm. You better guard your master well from now on, Sir Lucius," Leonid said coldly.

"Of course, Your Majesty," answered Lucifer in a tone full of respect.

"Then, we will resign, Your Majesty the Crown Prince," said Roxus and gave a gentle bow, along with Lucifer.

Leonid was about to open his mouth, but Roxus quickly turned around and walked away with brisk strides. Of course. Leonid suddenly appeared at Roxus's weakest moment. Anyone will want to quickly escape from that situation. Did Roxus cut her hair that short because of a heartbreak?

Well, Leonid's nurse used to say that hair has a deep meaning to women. Sometimes a woman doesn't cut her hair just because of a broken heart, but also because she wants to start a new beginning by cutting something symbolic of the length of time, such as hair that continues to grow.

Leonid can understand. Roxus's former figure somehow seemed to have disappeared. The new Roxus, the Roxus in front of him, wasn't like everyone else he had met. Of course, as if he didn't know her at first.

The man shook his head. Now, even though after all these years he had known her as a close friend of his damned older sister, he wanted to get to know her a little further.

Moreover; "Return? Lord Ariaster, it looks like you misunderstood. Even if I was reborn, or even though I returned to the past, the fact that you betrayed me will remain in my memory forever. "

"To be honest I would be happier if you didn't give up on your relationship with Miss Daisy and firmly confessed your feelings to my father. That way my father and everyone who knows after your decision will hate you as much as I hate you now!"

"But if I want to do that, I will tell Father about your affair and beg him to cancel our engagement."

"I'm not saying you have to scratch your reputation by declaring Daisy as an affair that you want to marry, but I want you to at least get away from me and not appear in front of me until my love for you has completely disappeared from my heart."

Leonid smiled, and his eyes turned cold. He knew that Lady Croix was a terrible woman like a poisonous snake. Like her father, she is a calculative woman full of tact. But the other side of her that he saw today made him think that Roxus Croix was still a young woman who could fall in love.

If the woman acted cold and rational, she should have ignored Ariaster's affair considering that now the man himself decided not to cancel their engagement. Whatever happened, with her status as the Count's Princess, she would become an official wife, even though Ariaster might have loved the countrywoman and made her a concubine. Roxus Croix will be Roxus Ariaster and a Duchess. She will gain strength and status.

.

Lucifer sighed. Roxus told her father that she still really loved Hamlet Ariaster, and that's why Eoin refused to cancel their engagement. Then she told Hamlet that she loved Lucifer and asked him to break their engagement, making Hamlet falter. And to take advantage of the situation, she caught Leonid's attention and pretended to be a weak woman who was betrayed.

The woman knew this plan would work. So sure, that Lucifer felt the woman might be a psychic who could read people's minds. In the past, it was Roxus who asked her father to cancel the engagement, so her father did not hesitate anymore and cancelled their engagement after seeing Roxus' heart hurt so much.

Then she knew that Ariaster was not displeased with her, only that he felt that Roxus was too difficult to handle, so he preferred Daisy, a more innocent woman. She also knows that their relationship is getting worse and worse because Ariaster slowly realizes that Daisy is not suitable as a Duchess. Of course, all this time the candidate for Duchess was Roxus, a capable, perfect, and rational woman.

And finally, she finds out that the Crown Prince fell in love with Daisy when she started breaking up with Ariaster. The Crown Prince is the son of a non-aristocratic woman, and Daisy is a commoner, like her mother. Add to this the fact that it seems, the Crown Prince likes the "damsel in distress" or the "heartbreak girl" type.

Huh. Lucifer chuckled briefly. "All this time the Crown Prince has known Roxus as an enemy, and suddenly he saw that Roxus could also experience such a downturn."

Even though the effect might not be positive for Roxus' side, what was important was that now Roxus got a special impression and attention from the Crown Prince. The horse Lucifer was riding on snorted.

"Mm, do you agree?" asked Lucifer, and the horse growled again.

But, Lucifer was curious. Does Roxus want to be the Crown Princess? That status will be enough to protect her family. She might as well save Princess Cecilia. Moreover, the Crown Prince had caught Roxus' attention. In the past, when she was going to execute the future Crown Prince...

Lucifer lowered his eyelids. It was true that it was the Crown Prince who killed Roxus' family in the future, but currently, the Crown Prince had not committed any crimes.

The man raised his left hand. Electric sparks ran through the palms of his hands and fingers. While the sound of thunder could be heard growling in the distance. Overcast is coming.