I tossed aside the cravat and reached for the buttons of his shirt, but Kalz caught my hand, stopping me.
“A man can’t have a child. You know that much, don’t you?”
So it really is impossible. Even in a fairy tale, a man can’t bear children. A single tear slipped down my cheek.
“…Then what am I supposed to do? They said it has to be a child. And now—now there’s no time left.”
The tears I’d been holding back came rushing out. They fell like rain, soaking Kalz’s cheek. But his calm expression only made my emotions spiral further. The moment his hand gently stroked my hair, I broke down and buried my face in his chest.
“Sniff… If I were a woman, could I have saved you?”
“Don’t cry.”
“Why wasn’t I born a princess instead of a prince? Why?!”
“Bell, stop. Look at me.”
He gently lifted my chin and used his large hand to carefully wipe away the tears staining my face.
“The one thing I can say for sure—none of this is your fault.”
“…Sniff. But still—!”
“So don’t cry. Look, your eyes are already all red.”
“But if I were a beautiful woman, there wouldn’t be any of these problems. It’s because I’m not—because I’m not her that you’re…”
Kalz, who’d been patiently wiping even the snot from my nose, finally let out a laugh at my stubborn muttering.
“Pfft. I really don’t get why you’re so hung up on being a beauty. Can’t give up the glam no matter what, huh?”
“Well… I already have it. Would be a waste to throw that away…”
“In that case, let me tell you something that might help you stop crying.”
He brushed the hair away from my ear and leaned in close, whispering softly.
“No beauty in the world could ever be more beautiful than you.”
“…I already know that.”
“Hah, do you now?”
He was laughing next to someone who was still crying. Seriously? Still… he wasn’t wrong. I can’t lie and pretend I don’t know the truth.
I let my body relax and sank onto him, wrapping my arms tightly around his waist. His warmth, his heartbeat—it was all real and steady.
“…You know I love you, right?”
“Of course.”
“And you? Do you love me?”
“You’re still asking that? As if you don’t already know.”
Yeah. I know. That’s just how Kalz says I love you. But still… if it were possible, just once, I wanted to hear him say it out loud.
Reluctantly, I pulled myself out of the embrace I never wanted to leave.
“…I’m hungry.”
“Feeling better?”
“Not really. But if I want to survive, I have to eat.”
“That’s the spirit. I like it.”
Kalz ruffled my hair, his face finally easing with relief.
“Try not to worry so much. Like you said, the fruit of love doesn’t have to be a child. You’ve always stood by that, haven’t you? Believe in yourself.”
“…Yeah.”
His gentle touch made the tears well up again, but I swallowed them back.
“I think it’s time we paused the love mission and did some actual work. I’ve been goofing off too much—I can already feel Butler Squawk judging me.”
“Butler Squawk’s giving you the side-eye? Want me to tell him to back off?”
“No thanks. I’d rather not live out the cliché of a workplace romance disaster. I should pull my weight, too. I think I’ll help Mari with some deep cleaning. So… I’ll see you at dinner.”
“Alright. I’ll be waiting.”
After that, dinner was the same as usual. The only difference was that Kalz gave me his slice of dried fig cake for dessert. He said it was because I looked thinner lately, but I knew the truth—he was just being thoughtful, afraid I might spiral again.
After the meal, I went straight to my room. Instead of sitting down to plan the next phase of our mission, I packed my bag. I was leaving more behind than I was taking, but that didn’t matter. The lighter I traveled, the easier it would be.
Easier to move fast. Easier to get far enough that he’d never find me.
I set the bag by the door and lay down on the bed.
When dawn finally came, I left the castle without telling anyone.
***
The first to notice Briel’s absence was Almond.
Last night, he’d been summoned by Kalz—punishment for revealing the curse’s deadline to Briel.
“Why would you say something like that to Bell?!”
“But Briel had a right to know. He’s been too relaxed about it all, not realizing how little time is left. If you just vanish one day, he’ll be the one left behind—devastated.”
“I wasn’t planning to keep it from him forever. But that’s not something you spring on him behind my back.”
“…I’m sorry. I panicked. The deadline’s so close, I just couldn’t keep it in anymore.”
“He’s doing his best in his own way, Almond. You know that. And besides, we don’t even know if the ‘fruit of love’ has to be a child. That’s still just speculation.”
From Kalz’s relatively calm reaction, it was clear Briel hadn’t told him everything. If he had, there’s no way it would’ve ended with just a quiet talk.
Almond felt a quiet sense of relief. Asking Briel to leave the castle hadn’t been easy on him either. Maybe not to the same degree as Kalz, but he had grown genuinely attached to the boy. Every bit of his support and care had been real.
At sunrise, he returned to Briel’s room to apologize for what he’d said the night before.
Knock knock.
“Briel, it’s me. May I come in?”
No answer. Maybe he was still asleep. Or maybe he hadn’t forgiven him yet.
Either way, all Almond could do was wait, knocking gently.
But the longer he stood there, unanswered, the more unsettled he felt. A lot of time passed—and still, no sound from inside. Finally, Almond opened the door without permission.
“Briel? Are you still sleeping?”
The bed was empty. Had he gone off to work already?
No… something felt off.
Almond opened the wardrobe and drawers. At first glance, everything seemed untouched—but a few clothes were gone. And so was one of the bags.
He left.
As he turned to report the news to Kalz, Almond stopped outside his master’s bedroom.
Isn’t this what I wanted?
Briel was gone. Now Kalz might finally have the chance to meet someone new. That was the whole reason Almond had asked him to leave in the first place, wasn’t it?
If he stayed quiet… if he just bought Briel a little more time to get farther away…
Almond clamped his beak shut.
Knock knock.
“Come in.”
Kalz was still on the bed when Almond entered. Sitting on the edge of the mattress, he looked a little more tired than usual.
“There you are.”
“Yes, Master.”
“Good timing. I was just about to call for you.”
“What is it, sir?”
“It’s about Briel.”
Almond flinched. Had he already figured it out?
But Kalz’s expression remained calm. Too calm.
“His eyes are probably swollen from all the crying yesterday. Go get an ice pack from the kitchen. Not that it matters—he still looks good, even puffy.”
A smile soft as the garden at sunrise.
Had Kalz ever smiled like that before? Not the Kalz Almond knew.
His master had always been like a child—yearning for love from the world while not understanding what love even meant. A wounded beast who rejected the very emotion he craved, who scorned and feared love like a curse.
And now, just the thought of Briel could bring that kind of warmth to his face.
It’s already too late.
Whether Briel was in the castle or not didn’t matter anymore. He was the only one who could move Kalz’s heart. Kalz’s love belonged to Briel, and Briel alone.
This is as far as it goes.
Almond let out a soft, dry laugh as the truth settled in. There was only one thing left he could do: help make his master’s remaining happy moments last just a little longer.
“Master, this isn’t the time for idle talk. Briel’s left the castle.”
“What did you say?”
“His room is empty. His things are gone.”
“…Contact Grill right now. Have him track Briel’s movements. Alert every castle staff member—we’re searching everywhere. If it’s not dangerous, I don’t care if they go past the mountains. I want to know exactly where Bell went. No matter what it takes.”
“Yes, sir.”
Before Almond could even finish speaking, Kalz had already thrown on his cloak and mask. The next second, he burst out of the castle like a man possessed.
The sound of his footsteps carried everything—worry, desperation, fury, sorrow, regret, and guilt.
Why didn’t I suspect something sooner?
Even if Briel was a bit naïve, there’s no way he would’ve accepted a situation where Kalz’s life was at risk so easily. If only I’d looked past his calm exterior. If only I’d taken a moment to see what he was really feeling.
Even if they were always fated to part someday… this wasn’t how it was supposed to end.
I will find him.
Kalz pounded the earth beneath his feet and took off running.
