Episode 83

Hildebrandt was dreaming. The fake Yvonne had broken the hypnosis that sealed away his feelings for her completely. Now, he faced the memory he feared most.

“What are you doing here?”

Hildebrandt was thirteen, and Yvonne was thirteen as well. Now, he was the only one left in the world who knew they were the same age. To make her his daughter, he had manipulated memories, using his powers on her and everyone around them so no one would remember. He wanted to ensure that even if fragments of her true memories resurfaced, she would consciously deny them. If she heard rumors that contradicted what she knew, she would dismiss them as irrelevant.

“Hilde?”

He turned to her, his hands covered in blood.

“Are you hurt?”

Yvonne, seeing not just his hands but his entire body drenched in blood, gasped in shock and reached for his hands.

With that touch, Hildebrandt seemed to regain his senses and looked at her.

“Ugh…! Hilde?”

Startled, he pushed Yvonne’s hand away, backing away without even realizing it.

“Hilde, you look hurt!”

“Get… get away from me…”

“What?”

“Just go away!”

He was flustered by Yvonne’s approach despite his blood-soaked state. Hildebrandt dropped the small dagger in his hand, as if suddenly aware of its unfamiliarity.

“No, no…”

“Oh…”

“It wasn’t me…!”

He spoke to her desperately, and finally, Yvonne took in the scene around him.

“Oh…”

Surrounding him were the lifeless bodies of the rabbits she had raised. Not a single one had survived, their remains gruesome.

This place was the Marquessate of Le Meredin, and it was the time when Hildebrandt, adopted into the imperial family, was still a prince.

“Why did you do this?”

“I… ugh…”

Hildebrandt tried to respond but couldn’t. It was as if something lodged in his throat, causing sharp, searing pain every time he attempted to speak.

It wasn’t me.

He wanted to say that, but he couldn’t.

“Why did you do this to my rabbits?”

Yvonne didn’t cry. Instead, she approached him calmly and asked again. When he backed up against the wall, leaving no room to retreat, she took his hand gently, trying to reassure him.

“I won’t tell anyone.”

“Ah…”

“Hilde.”

She accepted her fiancé’s strange behavior without much reaction. After all, this wasn’t the first time.

“Hilde.”

“Ugh…”

“Hilde, it’s okay.”

She stroked his tear-streaked cheeks with hands stained with blood from the rabbits. Though his face was smeared with blood, the steady flow of his tears slowly washed some of it away.

“I really… ugh…”

“Yes, it’s okay.”

He still couldn’t speak. But Yvonne reassured him as if she understood even without words. She let him lean against her shoulder, then gently patted his back as she pulled him away from the wall.

“It’s okay, Hilde. It’s okay.”

When he finally broke down, sobbing uncontrollably, she simply patted his back, feeling oddly reassured by his tears.

* * *

Hildebrandt’s father, Duke Ferrite, was originally the emperor, though his reign was brief. He abdicated to his younger brother and served as a duke, working for Hildegard’s benefit. He even named his son Hildebrandt in honor of his brother. The reigning emperor, Hildegard, had offered the name himself as a gesture of goodwill, reflecting the strong bond between the current emperor and the former one.

“What did you say?”

“Release me from this, Uncle.”

The emperor had no children. At times, he would adopt distant relatives into the imperial family. But of all those adopted princes and princesses, none remained.

Except for Hildebrandt.

“Release me from this hold.”

“Haha.”

The emperor was a madman. The way he ascended to the throne from his brother was through deceit. Pretending his ability was a mere illusion-casting power, he revealed his true capabilities at the most critical moment. During a New Year’s ceremony led by the former emperor, Hildegard used his power to show a vision to everyone present.

So everyone knew. His ability was not insignificant but rather a supreme hypnotic power.

Duke Ferrite, a master of manipulating water, had no choice but to yield the throne to Hildegard. Although manipulating water was a powerful skill, it was not suited for an emperor. It was more fitting for a duke or grand duke, supporting the throne.

What the empire needed was a powerful emperor—one that none could challenge, a figure so terrifying that none would dare to raise their heads.

During a time of constant war, such an emperor was exactly what the people desired.

* * *

“Prince, are you suggesting that I placed a spell on you?”

“…Your Majesty, please…”

“You waited until the council session ended just to say such nonsense?”

“…”

“Leave.”

“Your Majesty, please…!”

“Take the prince to his chambers.”

“Your Majesty!”

Even as he was dragged away, Hildebrandt pleaded desperately with the emperor, but all he received in return was a mocking laugh.

Hildebrandt knew why he had become like this.

It all started after he entered the palace. More precisely, it was after he had tea alone with the emperor.

He didn’t know what kind of hypnosis had been placed on him, but ever since, he had become obsessed with killing anything that had golden fur.

Not just dark or dull gold—only those with platinum shades.

“Your Majesty…”

Hildebrandt was terrified of this obsession, especially because it was platinum.

That color was the same as his fiancée’s hair, and he feared that he might one day lose control and try to kill her too.

He couldn’t understand why the emperor would place such a spell on him.

Or was there even a reason at all?

Hildebrandt knew well enough. The emperor never needed a reason for his madness. At first, he took pleasure in seeing his once-proud older brother kneel and beg before him.

But that amusement was short-lived. The emperor’s initial interest lay in seeing his superior brother grovel before him, and he achieved that easily. There was no need for hypnosis, as Duke Ferrite had already submitted to the emperor’s authority, even offering up his own son.

So when that thrill wore off, the emperor sought out new forms of amusement.

For example, making a prince kill his own pets and possibly even his fiancée.

Hildebrandt wasn’t ignorant of this.

He was sharp and perceptive, having grown up constantly reading the atmosphere around him.

He knew from the very first moment the hypnosis took hold that the emperor’s ultimate wish was for him to take Yvonne’s life with his own hands.

* * *

Back in his room, Hildebrandt loathed the helplessness that only allowed him to cry.

What if he could die before he ever hurt Yvonne?

But he quickly dismissed the thought as futile.

The emperor’s spells on him were countless. Just as a game animal cannot escape from its cage, the emperor had taken precautions, ensuring that Hildebrandt couldn’t even take his own life.

Knock, knock.

“Hilde.”

Hildebrandt recognized the voice.

How could he not?

Just hearing her voice made his heart clench, and his vision blurred with tears.

“Hilde, it’s me. Please, open the door.”

“Go away.”

His heart pounded painfully at the sound of her voice. He knew all too well that it wasn’t only fear that made his heart race like this.

“His Majesty told me you called for me. He said you seemed troubled again.”

“I said, go away.”

“Then can I at least see your face before I leave?”

Yvonne’s voice from beyond the door was cheerful. No matter how many times he turned her away, she always approached him as if it didn’t matter.

He felt both relieved and afraid that she had come to see him.

“I thought you might hate my hair… so I wore a hat.”

“…”

“But if you still don’t like it, I can get a potion from a shape-shifter and…”

Click.

With that sound, the door creaked open. Hildebrandt sighed in relief when he saw Yvonne with a bonnet covering her hair.

Yvonne beamed, delighted that he had opened the door, and wedged her foot in so he couldn’t close it, slipping inside.

“You said you’d leave after seeing my face.”

“Well, that’s how it goes. Usually, you see the face, then you want to hold hands, then if you’re holding hands, you want to hug, and if you’re hugging…”

“If you’re hugging?”

“You want to get married, of course.”

Yvonne replied shamelessly, taking his hand and stepping further into the room.

“Do you want to hug me now?”

“Yes.”

Hearing her easy agreement, Hildebrandt began to forget just how tense he’d been, unable to even breathe properly moments ago.

“Yvonne, it’s time for you to go.”

“Let me give you a hug.”

Hildebrandt thought there was something strange about her. Even after he had killed all the rabbits in her garden, she hadn’t asked him anything about it since that day.

“If I hug you, will you leave?”