TDOWD Episode 131

Episode 131

At the unusually serious voice, I automatically turned my head.

Theodore was gazing up at the white moon.

His determined eyes and tightly pressed lips seemed to reflect his inner resolve.

“I like you, Sierra.”

“……”

The low voice scattered into the darkness of the night.

The chirping of birds and the cries of insects grew louder, almost as if trying to cover up his trembling voice.

“Your Highness, I…”

Had I really not known that Theodore liked me?

No, I had vaguely sensed it.

The way his voice softened around me, the slight changes in his behavior, and how he had gambled on things with no benefit to himself just for my sake.

Until he said it out loud, maybe I had wanted to pretend not to notice, relying on his kindness.

After all, having Prince Theodore acting in my favor was a huge advantage.

“I’m sorry.”

In the end, all I could do was let him go with a few simple words.

If Theodore now turned around and reported that it was me the monster had targeted, suggesting that the Imperial Family could use me as bait to catch the culprit — I wouldn’t even be able to complain.

Theodore looked up at the moon for a moment, then let out a soft laugh.

“I like your honesty, Sierra. You’re not even leaving me any false hope — but in a way, that’s your kindness too, isn’t it?”

“Your Highness…”

“It’s that very kindness of yours that got under my skin. If there weren’t already a beast circling around you, I wouldn’t be giving up so easily.”

I knew right away who he meant.

“It’s because it’s Ludwig Karsian that I’m stepping back. If it were someone I found lacking, I wouldn’t have been able to give up.”

I leaned against the terrace railing and shifted my gaze toward the forest shrouded in darkness.

The night breeze blew gently.

“Thank you for your feelings, Your Highness. I’m nothing special… and yet you’ve given me so much.”

“Whether you’re ‘nothing special’ or as dazzling as a jewel — that’s for me to decide. And it was my own selfishness, so please don’t feel burdened. Also…”

Theodore paused before continuing.

“Besides the feelings of affection, I also carry a sense of guilt toward you.”

“Guilt?”

Had Theodore ever wronged me?

I looked at him, puzzled.

Theodore exhaled quietly and, as if confessing his sins, began to speak.

“Do you remember what I once said to you here in the Imperial City? About being wary of my brother — the Crown Prince.”

“I do.”

I nodded, recalling that moment.

[Be careful of His Highness the Crown Prince. That man… your mother…]

He had started to say something like that but had suddenly shut his mouth as if he had made a mistake.

[My mother?]

[No, forget it. I’ll tell you later. It’s not certain yet. Just remember my warning.]

At the time, I had noticed that he was deliberately trying to change the subject, so I hadn’t pressed further.

Now, looking at him, I could see he was about to finally speak about it, his expression heavier than ever.

“It happened seventeen years ago. On a day just like today — during the Founding Festival. Lady Sionna was walking through the Imperial gardens, carrying infant Sierra in her arms. Sierra had been crying nonstop at the banquet because she didn’t like being around strangers.”

Theodore spoke as if recalling a distant memory.

“I too had slipped out of the boring banquet and was strolling through the garden when I spotted Lady Sionna. I was so happy to see her that I was about to run over and greet her.”

As he spoke, his brow furrowed and he shut his eyes tightly.

“If I had moved just a little faster, maybe everything would have turned out differently. Before I could even say hello, Lady Sionna stumbled when a sudden gust of wind blew through and fell straight into the deep lake.”

“……!”

“Lady Sionna struggled desperately, trying to save baby Sierra in her arms. By the time I rushed over, Sierra had already been pulled onto land, but Lady Sionna had sunk deep into the lake.”

His face twisted as if the memory itself was too painful to bear.

I realized my hands, gripping the terrace railing, were trembling.

“Sir Serkhan, hearing the commotion, immediately dove into the lake and pulled Lady Sionna out. She barely survived. But unfortunately, Lady Sionna, who had always been frail, became even weaker after that and didn’t live beyond a year.”

“……This is the first time I’m hearing about this.”

At Drenihan, everyone had always been tight-lipped about my mother.

So I had grown up believing she had died early from some incurable illness.

The truth was, she had sacrificed herself trying to save me from the freezing water.

It felt like I had been struck in the head.

Now I understood — why Father’s gaze had always been so cold, why the servants treated me so coldly.

The sun of Drenihan had died saving me.

It wasn’t my fault, but hatred was instinctive.

Time had dulled it, but even now, for Drenihan, it was a deep, unhealed scar.
That’s why I had only now, after so many years, heard the truth from someone else.

As I struggled to process this, Theodore let out a low sigh and said,

“I wanted to keep it hidden too. I knew it would hurt you. But there’s something you need to know.”

Theodore covered his face with his hands, his voice sharpening.

“There’s a possibility it wasn’t just an accident — that it was caused intentionally.”

“What do you mean? Caused intentionally?”

“I also saw my brother there that day. He was summoning a red magic circle, aiming it toward Lady Sionna.”

“Your Highness, are you saying…”

“On a day when there wasn’t even a breeze, a sudden wind strong enough to throw a person off balance — it was unnatural.”

Theodore let out another deep sigh.

“I still don’t know the true nature of that magic circle. Why he was there, what he did to Lady Sionna — it’s unclear. But I truly believe my brother was behind that tragedy.”

Crown Prince Lucion — he was known for his genius swordsmanship and overwhelming abilities, but he wasn’t supposed to be able to use magic.

The Imperial Family had always been distant from magic.

And yet… he had summoned a ‘magic circle’?

And if it was a red magic circle, then it had to have been dark magic.

I turned toward Theodore.

He looked burdened with guilt as he recalled that day.

“I was scared to speak about it. It was only my suspicion, and I feared it would come back to strangle me instead. I’m sorry, Sierra, for only telling you the truth now.”

“……It’s not something to blame Your Highness for.”

Before he reached adulthood, Theodore had survived countless assassination attempts from the Crown Prince’s faction.

It was a miracle he was still alive.

He had had to hide away in this secluded annex just to stay alive.

Simply “witnessing” something wasn’t enough to shake the Crown Prince’s power.

More likely, he would’ve been framed and destroyed instead.

“Thank you for telling me now. There’s just one thing I need to ask… you’re sure it was a red magic circle?”

Theodore nodded.

“I couldn’t believe it myself — that my brother could use magic. And after that day, I never once saw him use magic again. Sometimes I doubted what I saw. But I’m certain of what I witnessed.”

His voice was full of conviction.

“The reason I’m bringing this up now is because it connects to what you went through today.”

“You suspect His Highness the Crown Prince is behind the monster gate incident.”

“That’s right.”

Theodore looked at me and said,

“I’m not worthy of harboring feelings for you. I’ll just watch from afar.”

“Your Highness Theodore…”

“But I swear this — no matter what happens, I will always stand on Sierra’s side.”

He spoke like it was the only way he could atone.

Whatever the Crown Prince’s motives were, it was clear he had targeted both my mother and me.

Maybe even to this very day.

My hands, gripping the terrace railing, were trembling again.

Not from fear of being targeted — but from anger, from the fury of having something precious stolen from me.

‘Mother…….’

Her face, as I had once seen it in her portrait, floated up in my mind.

I had to know why she had to meet such a fate.