"Retreat! Retreat!"

In the end, Lina, unable to hold out any longer, gave the order to retreat.

Unable to defeat Ravin’s group, Lina’s followers scattered and began fleeing back to the hideout.

“Gotcha! I’ve caught one!”

“Lina! Help me!”

Ravin, cruel as always, made sure to capture one or two kids during every battle. The captured child cried out desperately for Lina, but she ignored them, rationalizing it as a necessary sacrifice for the greater good.

After all, even if they were captured, Ravin didn’t torture them and treated them well. The problem was that the next time they met, that child would be a complete member of Ravin’s group.

“Damn it, we lost again!”

“There was nothing we could do. They outnumber us…”

“Yeah, they outnumber us, and they’re better fighters! We’re going up against kids like that! But do you know what? Who charges into a fight knowing they’re going to lose?!”

The kids protested fiercely, but Lina had no response.

Every time, she charged out boldly, only to be soundly defeated, and her excuses were always the same.

“If Ravin had really wanted to, we’d all be dead. Arsil used to protect us from that.”

“So what do you want me to do?!”

Lina exploded in anger, yelling at the children, who recoiled before glaring at her with contempt.

“I’m going to join them.”

“Me too.”

They turned their backs on her without hesitation and headed in the direction of Ravin. Lin tried desperately to stop them, but they shrugged off his attempts and disappeared into the distance.

The remaining kids, exhausted, also headed to their sleeping places, leaving Lina and Lin alone. Lina collapsed into Lin’s arms, sobbing.

“I’m trying my best too…!”

“I know. You’re doing everything you can, Lina.”

“Effort isn’t enough. I need something more certain.”

“Yeah, it’s tough, but eventually, you’ll find the answer.”

What once seemed like comforting words had now become empty platitudes, excuses that Lina had heard too many times. She wanted to snap and tell him to stop repeating the same thing, but she held back.

What had gone wrong?

She had returned with Lin, trying to seize a new opportunity, and had succeeded in forming a group and becoming its leader.

She had become the leader of the group she had always dreamed of. She had secured Lin, a respected figure, under her command to ensure loyalty, so that no one would dare think of rebellion.

With Arsil gone, she finally had a stage where she could act out her strategies. But she realized too late that the tide had already turned against her.

Lin, who used to come up with decent plans by Arsil’s side, now only uttered stupid and obvious things, and Lina spent most of her time correcting him. She felt the shift in her subordinates' attitudes, but it was short-lived, as they lost every crucial battle.

When they should have been racking their brains together, Lin was leisurely trying to grow crops.

“If I can show that crops can grow, everyone will change their minds.”

Crops?

When will they grow, and when will we be able to eat them?

Did he really believe that even if the crops grew, all of Filthy Alley would become prosperous?

If Lin truly thought that way, Lina saw it as his limit.

And now, she had no choice but to admit that she too had reached her limit.

“What is this? I’ve swallowed my pride and tried to change. I’m clearly making an effort, but no one recognizes it or follows me.”

“I do, Lina.”

But Lin’s recognition wasn’t helping at all.

It would have been better to have Ravin under her command.

In the end, Lina realized that her initial judgment had been correct—there was no one useful around her.

Even as a noble, she had lowered herself, yet the situation hadn’t improved, proving that the problem lay with those around her.

She was sick of these useless people.

“Lina?”

“I want to be alone for a while. I need to clear my head.”

“Alright, just don’t stay too long—it’s dangerous.”

Without a word of protest, Lin withdrew. He was somewhat disappointed that Lina had never called him by his new name after that day, but her attitude had clearly changed, so he told himself to be patient and hoped she would soon come out of her gloom.

“Damn it…!”

Under the moonlight, Lina panted heavily.

How much longer would she have to live like this? How long would she have to endure this wretched existence in this place? The uncertainty of the future filled her with despair.

As she gazed at the white moon, lost in melancholy, an unfamiliar voice reached her ears.

“Lady Linascien.”

A polite, pleasant baritone voice.

But one that was still somewhat youthful.

“Who’s there?!”

Lina’s sharp gaze scanned her surroundings.

The moonlight highlighted her beauty even more.

She looked every bit the part of a warrior princess, and the young knight in a hood silently admired her.

“Forgive me for my sudden call. I have come to serve you.”

“Your tone… You must be a noble. But hiding your identity and expecting me to believe you is something even the people of this filthy alley wouldn’t do.”

The knight smiled faintly under his hood.

Growing up rough seemed to have made her different from the pampered daughters of the empire who only cared about appearances.

Her beauty, sharp instincts, and noble lineage made her all the more appealing to him.

The knight removed his hood and knelt on one knee.

“I apologize for the rudeness.”

When the knight raised his head, Lina instinctively held her breath.

His well-groomed blond hair, strong and distinct features—he was undoubtedly the most handsome man she had ever seen.

Lin couldn’t even compare.

“I am Morgan Reinhold, the eldest son of the Reinhold family. I greet Her Highness, the Crown Princess.”

“Are you trying to insult me? A crown princess? Do you even know how many children His Majesty has?”

“Yes, I am aware.”

Children? Her language has become coarse due to her environment.

Reinhold’s unwavering gaze met Lina—no, Linascien’s.

“The only heir to His Majesty, the Emperor, is Linascien Karloon. You are the sole heir.”

“Nonsense! I have more than five siblings.”

“Once, yes. But not anymore.”

“…What do you mean?”

“The First Prince died of illness, the Second Prince fell in battle against the demon army, the Third Princess died in a fall, the Fourth Prince from a horse riding accident, and the Fifth Prince succumbed to the plague that swept through this year.”

Linascien’s eyes widened.

All five of them dead, each by different causes?

Which meant….

“The grief of losing your siblings must be great, but unfortunately, we have no time. This is also the tragedy of the imperial bloodline.”

Reinhold put on a somber expression.

It was more than enough to captivate Linascien.

And he, too, was captivated by Linascien’s beauty.

“For over half a year, I have searched for the sole heir of the Emperor. It seems there was a reason it took so long. To think you would come to a place like this, where few people knew of you, to avoid the assassins—your insight, Princess, is truly admirable.”

“How did you find me?”

“I disguised my men as merchants and had them travel through various places.”

“Merchants?”

“Yes, that’s correct. One of my men was among the outsiders who visited this alley on the day the power shifted here.”

Linascien’s eyebrows shot up.

“They must have seen the state I was in that day! So your man just watched and did nothing?”

Of course.

If she hadn’t been to his liking, she would have been of no value.

But now that he met her, she was exceptional.

She was of the highest quality, enough to please even the most discerning of men.

With a snap of his fingers, ten men in black hoods appeared behind him. One of them pulled out a severed head from his coat.

Linascien flinched but didn’t look away.

She had spent years surviving in Filthy Alley. She wasn’t the type to tremble at the sight of a corpse or a severed head.

That only made Reinhold even more satisfied.

Unlike other noble daughters, she was someone he wanted to keep seeing.

Instead of reprimanding him for his rudeness, Linascien blushed slightly in response to his obvious gaze.

“This is the head of the one who behaved so disgracefully that day.”

“How do I know this is the right person? I didn’t even know who they were.”

“Would you accept all of their heads as proof?”

“Living people are more useful than the dead. I trust you will repay that rudeness over time.”

Linascien’s voice gradually grew stronger.

Yes, subjects who prostrate themselves and beg for mercy before their sovereign.

And she, reigning above them.

This was as it should have been.

This was the stature given to her by birth.

“What will you do with me?”

“I will escort you to the capital and present you to His Majesty the Emperor, and to the entire empire, as the rightful heir.”

“You left the rightful heir to rot in this filthy alley?”

“What are you saying?”

Even at her direct accusation, the knight remained calm.

Bwooooo—!

“What is…?!”

The sound of a horn signaling an external attack.

Only then did Linascien tear her gaze from Reinhold and look toward the hideout.

“Her Highness, the Crown Princess, was never in a filthy place like this.”

From behind Reinhold, far in the distance, flames rose into the sky.

As always, the incident began in a single moment.

Ravin’s group, standing watch at the entrance to the alley, spotted an army approaching in formation.

“Look! White cloaks and armor!”

“Could it be the Holy Nation’s?”

The kids immediately called for Ravin.

When they told her that an army from the Holy Nation was approaching, Ravin was shocked and rushed over.

Amid her surprise, she felt a faint glimmer of hope.

That perhaps this was the support Arsil had promised, finally arriving.

“Ravin! It’s been a while.”

“Sir Castie?”

“It’s Sir Castie! Guys, it’s Sir Castie!”

Recognizing Castie, the knight from the Holy Nation who was particularly fond of children, the kids greeted him enthusiastically.

Castie smiled and raised his hand in return.

But at that moment, Ravin noticed something.

In the bright moonlight, the sword at Castie’s waist, unsheathed, gleamed eerily under the moon.

“Sir Castie, why did you come so late? We were so hungry!”

“Sorry. It took longer than expected to prepare.”

“What were you preparing? What kind of meat and bread did you bring this time?”

“Oh dear.”

Castie laughed as if embarrassed by the children’s barrage of questions.

“Lower-class brats like you are the problem. You do something nice for them once, and they think it’s their right.”

“Sir Castie…?”

“Listen carefully, brats.”

There was movement.

Ravin barely ducked in time as a sword swung over her head.

Men in black hoods, armed with weapons, had suddenly approached the children.

“Guh!”

“Ugh…!”

In an instant, the children were grabbed, daggers plunged into their chests and necks, killing them instantly.

“Now, let me apologize once again.”

Castie smiled kindly.

“Cleaning up is simple but not easy, you see? To make sure no dust is left behind requires thorough preparation. Now, let’s clean this place up, nice and tidy!”

Just like Agraeus before, he spread his arms, and the white-cloaked army charged toward Filthy Alley.

“Jack, Lafam! Secure Lee!”

Ravin shouted desperately, but there was no response.

Jack, with his neck torn open, had already positioned himself defensively next to Ravin.

“Jack…?”

“We’ll handle this. Ravin, go to Lee.”

“Lafam! Your stomach…!”

Clutching his spilling guts, Lafam also took up his club.

“Go. Escape with Lee. That’s what you wanted, right?”

“You guys!”

“Go, Ravin.”

Lafam smiled sadly.

“In the end, we’re just the stagnant filth of this alley.”

With that, Lafam’s head fell.

The white-cloaked soldiers who had approached had taken her friend’s life.

Ravin didn’t scream.

Instead, she drank the crimson elixir that she had seen Groom drink on the day of liberation.

“Ghhrrrraaaah!”

Time slowed.

In this world where she moved faster than anything else, her breath couldn’t keep up.

Enduring the burning pain, Ravin ran toward the hideout where Lee was.

Pushing aside the devastation and sorrow, her sole focus was on protecting Lee.

“Lina!!!!”

Lin had already seen the fire spreading from the entrance and was frantically searching for Lina.

He shouldn’t have left her!

Grinding his teeth at his own carelessness, Lin was relieved to find Lina in the place where they had first parted.

But she wasn’t alone.

There were knights in black hoods and a handsome young man with golden hair.

Seeing the weapons, Lin didn’t hesitate—he immediately rushed in to save her.

“Let Lina go!”

And was promptly knocked down by a gauntlet.

Lin fell, the force of the blow heavy and merciless.

But even as he lay on the ground, Lina didn’t flinch.

“Kill him.”

“Wait.”

Reinhold stopped his men and stepped forward.

“Didn’t I tell you? I’m of noble blood.”

“Lina… it’s dangerous….”

“It’s not dangerous. These men are my knights.”

“Knights? I don’t understand.”

“Well, with your dull mind, it would be hard.”

See? This useless fool can’t even touch his own subordinates.

It was the difference in the caliber of those they served.

“I’m different from you. I’m going to rise to a higher level and achieve great things. And when that day comes, I’ll personally grant you the favor of rewarding you.”

“What are you saying? You said we were equals! That we’d stand by each other’s side and support each other!”

“You? Stand by me? Oh!”

Linascien clapped her hands and then extended one toward him.

“Alright. If that’s what you want, I’ll appoint you as my chief steward. Then you can stay by my side and serve me, protecting me in times of need. Right?”

“Your Highness.”

“Morgan, this is my decision.”

“Linascien.”

It hadn’t been long, yet the two were already on a first-name basis.

They looked good together, even from Lin’s perspective.

If it weren’t for the way she was treating him, he would have had no choice but to acknowledge his defeat and step aside.

“You should choose wisely.”

Reinhold’s threat made Lin stand up.

Blood dripped from his mouth, but he didn’t feel the pain.

His heart pounded for a different reason than before.

“You haven’t changed at all! You’ve been holding onto your arrogance, just waiting for this moment!”

“It’s been a long, long time of patience. Did you see? In the end, the world was on my side.”

“I’ve always been on your side!”

“You were a useless ally. At least you’re good at menial tasks, so I’m offering you the more than generous position of chief steward. Only someone of verified status can hold that position. And how bold it is to have a male steward for a noblewoman—you wouldn’t understand.”

“Yeah, I don’t understand. I never knew what kind of person you really were!”

Even as Lin raged with anger, Linascien didn’t flinch.

She was no longer the Lina from before.

She was the Crown Princess Linascien Karloon.

“Are you really going to reject my offer?”

“I’d rather die than be your servant! Just wait—I’ll become someone who can stand on equal footing with you! I’ll become someone higher than these knights you call your servants, and I’ll face you proudly!”

“Sigh.”

Linascien sighed and approached him, gently stroking his cheek with the hand she had extended.

This was her first act of genuine kindness since coming to Filthy Alley.

Stab

“Then die.”

“…Lina?”

A sharp sensation pierced his gut.

“A noblewoman always carries a silver dagger to protect her virtue.”

Linascien explained kindly to the fallen Lin.

“This is my final mercy. For being my only ally in this place, I’ll acknowledge you. You were my best companion here, but ultimately, you were useless.”

I’ll call you by that name you wanted to hear one last time.

“Goodbye, my Lin.”

Lin couldn’t move.

A deep sense of despair and frustration weighed him down.

Reinhold gazed at his lifeless eyes and whispered to him.

“Since Her Highness calls this her final mercy, I’ll let it slide. But I’ve memorized your face, even though I doubt you’ll amount to much.”

End.

From the moment she stabbed him, Lin’s relationship with Linascien was over.

Though he wouldn’t die from just a silver dagger, the pain it inflicted gave him a deep sense of regret and anger for all the days he had spent with Lina.

Did I like her?

“Yes!”

Yes, very much.

“They’re all dead… Jack… Lafam…!”

So was it a foolish love?

“I saw Lina at the hideout with the men who killed Jack and Lafam!”

It was unrequited. More than foolish, it was naive.

“She said it herself. She ordered them to kill everyone in the alley!”

He had been too young to understand his own feelings, too young to stand firm in the face of unrequited love.

“We have to run. There’s no hope left here. Get up, Lee!”

It was my first love.

“Please, get up… I checked… We’re the only ones left….”

And now she’s the sworn enemy who killed my friends.

Lin stood up, clutching his stomach where blood was slowly seeping out.

Looking around, he realized they were no longer in the same place where he had fallen.

Ravin must have carried him and run from the soldiers.

“This is where we part.”

“Lee?”

“I have something I must do.”

He shouldn’t have foolishly sided with Arsil because of Lina.

“Let’s go together!”

“They’ve seen my face. It’s dangerous if we stay together.”

“I’ll protect you! Lee, I’ll protect you! Please, please!”

For the first time, Lin looked at Ravin.

She was bleeding from her nose and mouth, tears streaming down her face.

“You’re all I have left, Lee….”

Her words pained him, but Lin turned away.

“Lee!”

“I have something I must do.”

I have to get revenge on Lina, that girl.

“Lee! Let’s just disappear together. We can live a simple life somewhere, just the two of us. Peacefully! Just like you wanted!”

Peace? There was a time when I wanted that.

“Ravin. I have something I must do.”

Revenge. I have to become powerful, make Lina regret, and demand an apology and payment.

Though he didn’t say it aloud, Ravin could guess.

The once gentle boy now wanted the most destructive path.

No girl could stop a man who had made up his mind.

“Then I’ll create a place for you to return to. After you finish what you need to do, I’ll make sure you have a peaceful, simple life waiting for you. Wherever you hear my name, say the words we used to say. Only you can say them to me. Then I’ll come to meet you.”

“…I’ll hold you to that.”

Those were their final words to each other.

Ravin couldn’t muster the courage to stop him as he dragged his body away, slowly moving until he disappeared into the distance.

As she watched him become a distant dot, Ravin broke down and cried.

Lin’s heart ached at hearing Ravin’s sobs for the first time, but he had to keep going.

It wasn’t until five years later that Ravin was able to reunite with him in Valtercroua.

By then, he had become a man whose heart was dead.

“Alright, that’s the end. It was quite long, wasn’t it?”

Only a short time had passed from night until dawn, but somehow, Lucy, who had been listening, felt as if it had been a long time.

Her own childhood, born as a fallen noble and scraping by with just a sword, couldn’t compare.

Now Lucy understood.

The look Lin had when he gazed at Linascien wasn’t love—it was resentment.

“I’ll give you one compliment.”

Ravin brushed Lin’s hair as he slept.

His deeply slumbering face was adorable.

“Thanks to your idea of having him wear a mask, Lin didn’t get recognized by Reinhold.”

Lucy flinched because she knew it hadn’t been pure kindness that had prompted her to suggest the mask.

Now that she had heard about Lin’s past, she felt even guiltier for her actions.

“For the first three years, Lin just wandered from city to city, doing odd jobs. Haha, I guess because of that, the spy who was watching him was sent elsewhere. There must have been a shortage of people, because that spy ended up working as a servant for an enemy of the royal family.”

Even Ravin, who knew every move Lin had made since the fall of Filthy Alley, felt a chill down her spine.

“Then one day, someone offered Lin a spot as a porter for the hero’s party. I mean, who offers a spot in a hero’s party like they’re putting up a quest at the guild? But Lin saw it as an opportunity and grabbed it. After all, he needed a title if he was going to become equal to Lina, just like he had told her.”

By now, Lucy had quietly knelt down, listening attentively.

The bond between Ravin and Lin was something she couldn’t even hope to surpass, and it made her feel small.

“As you know better than anyone, at that time, the hero’s party was only known by their jobs until they achieved great feats. Shield Knight, Hero, Mage, Archer, Saintess—those were the roles. So Lin didn’t know that the Shield Knight was Reinhold when he joined the party.”

By now, all of Lucy’s lingering questions had been answered.

“Does Arsil… not know any of this?”

“What would that slum girl know? She was probably just pushed around.”

Unlike her concern for Lin, Ravin spoke of Arsil with complete indifference.

Petty as it was, Lucy felt a little relieved knowing that Arsil was ignorant of all this.

But Ravin didn’t miss that opening.

“What are you sitting there feeling relieved for?”

“Huh?”

“Are you relieved because Arsil is ignorant?”

“That’s not what I….”

“Luciena Estelle. Do you even realize what situation you’re in right now?”

Ravin suddenly sharpened her tone, causing Lucy to panic, unable to respond properly.

“If the Lin I know is still the same, he must loathe Reinhold. He knew the guy’s true face from the start.”

Lucy froze completely.

“How do you think Lin feels about you, the one who cozied up to Reinhold?”

Her whole body started trembling like a leaf.

“You’ve committed every possible mistake, and now you’re doing all this for Lin? Lina already did that in Filthy Alley.”

She couldn’t breathe.

“Luciena, did you know that what you did in the City of Romance has become a famous love song among the bards?”

“Ah….”

“If you really want to stay by Lin’s side, you’d better think hard about it. From where I stand, if you were just someone who pulled him out of the gutter, he would have treated you like everyone else. Whether it was Arsil or some other random man.”

“That’s not…!”

“Hey.”

Ravin held Lin’s head close to her chest.

“Lin belongs to me.”

A bandit’s declaration, firm and full of hostility.

Lucy sat frozen like a statue until Ravin fell asleep and the sun began to rise.

Not a single movement until Lin woke up and called out to her.