Andreas.

When the war finally ended, our kingdom had fallen.

Of all the warriors, I alone remained alive—the commander of my nation.

The battlefield was drowned in blood.

Corpses lay scattered everywhere.

I had lost my brother-in-arms, my only true friend.

As I knelt beside his lifeless body, crying like a broken man, I suddenly felt cold steel pressed against my throat.

It was the enemy kingdom.

A voice whispered near my ear,

You are the only one left.

They dragged me away and took me to their fortress, forcing me to kneel before their king.

He was old—twice my age, his hair white with years and cruelty.

He stepped close, grabbed my hair, and said with a twisted smile,

You will spend the rest of your life in this land… as a starving prisoner.

Then he laughed cruelly and walked away.

When I turned my head, I saw a woman standing behind a pillar, watching me.

The moment our eyes met, she ran away.

I couldn’t see her face clearly,

yet something about her felt strangely familiar—as if I had seen her somewhere long ago.

They dragged me away again and threw me into a prison cell.

Iron shackles were locked around my hands and feet.

I had not eaten for four days since the war.

My head began to spin.

They didn’t even give me a single drop of water.

Half-conscious, I collapsed onto the cold stone floor.

I heard the prison door open—but I had no strength to lift my head.

Between the rusted iron bars and the damp stone walls,

I sensed the soft scent of lavender.

I closed my eyes.

Someone gently lifted my head and placed it on their lap.

A delicate hand brushed my face.

Andreas…

A soft, trembling voice—one I knew too well.

I opened my eyes, and my heart nearly stopped.

Catherine…

I whispered.

I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.

She was my former lover.

The daughter of a flower merchant.

When she used to come to the forest to gather flowers,

I had come hunting with the king of my land.

That was when I first saw her.

That was when we fell in love.

After years together, when we decided to marry,

her father betrayed her—selling her to an old man for money.

That old man…

was the king of this very kingdom.

I looked at her face clearly.

The beautiful face I once knew was no longer untouched.

Bruises and deep scratches scarred her skin, as if cruelty had carved its name into her.

The eyes I had fallen in love with were no longer the same.

The life that once burned within them was gone—

they were hollow, extinguished.

Her hands trembled against my face.

In that moment, I didn’t need anyone to tell me who had done this.

The truth was painfully clear.

The old king.