The Garden at Midnight
The garden at midnight was breathtakingly beautiful. A symphony of every imaginable flower fragrance swirled together, and the dense, humid night air tickled the skin like a lover’s breath. In that space so peaceful and cozy, the only place radiating a bone-chilling cold was around those two—Draconis and Serena.
“Let’s go, Arkin.” Nefertia tugged at Arkin’s coat hem from behind him, where she had been hiding.
Their voices had dropped sharply, so the conversation’s meaning was hard to catch. Yet Arkin couldn’t pass them by and stopped dead in his tracks.
Serena— the haughty princess of Lakelium, the one who would have you believe bowing your head meant death. The proud, prickly royal who always looked down on others. For her to stand there flustered and restless beside Draconis was utterly alien.
Normally, she would have pierced him with a glare of pure contempt. Now she trembled like a herbivore facing a predator. Why?
“Arkin. We’re late.”
Another hand grabbed his arm, but Arkin only covered his lips with his index finger instead of moving.
“Shh. Just a second.”
The atmosphere between them felt far too strange for lovers’ quarrel. And having Draconis as the other party made it all the more awkward. He needed to hear what they were saying.
“…Just go already.”
Nefertia’s eyes rolled with irritation. She hadn’t even decided whether to enter first, and she didn’t want to sneak glances at Arkin either.
The lingering heat of their earlier moment still hadn’t faded. The pleasant time they had just shared had been ruined because of those two.
With an unhappy expression, she studied Arkin’s profile. Even though a scorching gaze fell on her from the side, Arkin didn’t notice. His sharp eyes alternated between Serena and Draconis with grim intensity.
…Why does he look so worried?
Nefertia’s brows scrunched as she blew a breath across her lips. She had been momentarily distracted by Draconis’s threats, but that was all. In her eyes, Serena was no less troublesome.
Just like us fooling around, there must be something sticky between them too. Maybe they fought…
Irritated, she fiddled with her fingers. Even now Arkin was staring sideways, breath held. He couldn’t hear what they said…
She bit her lip. Fragments of forgotten memories pricked her skin and rose to the surface.
“I warn you—don’t shake him. Stop seducing him so shallowly and don’t damage the prince’s status.”
“He is the one who must sit on Solinar’s throne. If word spreads that the princess of Kepet is keeping company with him here, his throne will be in danger.”
“Arkin is my fiancé. We promised a future to each other since we were children.”
Hearing those words would have left her utterly unmoved. She might have even laughed and told Serena to mind her own business.
Because Arkin never once showed that he cared for Serena. He had distanced himself from her from the start, and later ignored her to the point of not even glancing her way.
But now, the heart that had felt as if it owned the entire world because of Arkin crashed into the deepest darkness.
“Arkin? Let’s go already?”
Nefertia urged him again, firmly prying Arkin’s crossed arms apart and clutching his hand.
She silently begged him: Come with me. Look at me. She squeezed his long, straight fingers, traced the neat shape of her nails, and stroked them gently. She knew Arkin would smile softly and say they should leave while holding her hand tight.
The prince betrayed her expectations. His warm hand gripped hers for a moment, then slipped away. Arkin’s attention remained entirely on the other side, at the princess of Lakelium.
“……”
Nefertia’s eyes flashed with sharp, vicious anger. An arrow had pierced her heart. It hurt far more than when she had seen Amalfi clinging to Arkin’s side during the archery lesson.
We believed our bodies and souls were firmly connected. We never imagined her weak heart would sway at a single glance in another direction. And we never imagined her disappointment would reach the point of tears.
“…Go.”
Nefertia’s irritated hand shoved him away.
“……!”
In the instant their eyes met, Nefertia snapped, voice flat and sharp.
“You make me sick. I don’t want you anymore.”
Without looking back, she stormed off toward the accommodation, chest burning with fever.
***
She had almost reached the entrance to the lodging. She was about to grip the doorknob while catching her breath when a rough hand suddenly seized her wrist from behind.
“…A!”
Her body spun around. Arkin’s face, flushed from sprinting, glowed deathly white under the moonlight.
“What are you doing here?”
Nefertia lowered her voice in panic. Though she was usually so bold, seeing Arkin burst in right at the doorstep left her flustered. Tilly and the other princesses would surely make things awkward if they saw this.
Yet Arkin showed no sign of leaving. He spoke only what he wanted to say, eyes cold.
“What was that just now?”
Nefertia, still struggling to free her wrist, stared at him blankly. Who was angry at whom?
“Nefertia. You threw me away and said you don’t want me anymore.”
She didn’t want to talk to Arkin right now. Anger and hurt surged to her throat. If she spoke, tears might fall. She only tried to yank her hand free.
“Let go. We can’t do this here.”
“I won’t.”
Arkin’s gaze turned savage. He kept a firm grip on her wrist while speaking through gritted teeth.
“We were so good earlier. You and I… doing that….”
“……”
“You came without saying why you were angry and just left.”
“You stood there staring off somewhere instead of moving or answering me, even though we were late.”
Nefertia’s voice cracked with barely contained sobs. “Nefertia.”
Detecting her choked sobs, Arkin’s fierce demeanor softened a little. But he still couldn’t understand her.
“It wasn’t some other girl. It was Draconis and Serena. You were staring for a long time.”
“So… you’re saying you don’t like that.”
“Hah… I don’t understand, Nefertia. Did I hurt your heart so much that you’re furious with me? You throw it back at me now and leave. Why?”
“My point is… Arkin, you, Serena—”
She felt a pang of sorrow. Head lowered, she clenched her fist. Did she have to hear it spoken aloud? How pitiful…
“Arkin kept staring at Serena. As if he would save her the moment something happened… with that intense… look….”
As soon as the dam broke, the flood of hurt poured out. Her throat burned, and the sound of weeping escaped.
“Even if he is your fiancé, you know there’s no chance of marriage. So stop caring about whatever Serena does. Let Draconis handle it!”
“Wait—what?”
Arkin’s expression shifted strangely. Avoiding his gaze, Nefertia shot back.
“From now on, don’t look at Serena. Don’t talk to her, don’t give her any eye contact. It feels like she’s stealing what’s mine, and it makes me furious.”
“…Don’t look at her?”
Arkin asked quietly, no longer carrying anger. But Nefertia couldn’t calm her raging emotions yet. Words she would be ashamed of later spilled out.
“Yeah. Don’t look. We’ve already met plenty when we were kids. Now there’s no need.”
“Hah…”
A short sigh escaped Arkin. He stared at her for a long moment as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing, then ran a hand through his hair several times and finally spoke.
“You’re jealous because I’m looking at Serena?”
A hint of amusement laced the end of his sentence. But the blue eyes fixed on Nefertia suddenly turned pitch black.
Nefertia’s lips pressed tightly shut. The way Arkin looked at her—demanding she answer even though she knew it—made her insides boil.
“Why can’t you speak? Tell me. Huh?”
A large hand seized her chin. Arkin tilted his head and grinned.
“You. When I was shooting arrows earlier, you ran over. You knew how to shoot. You were jealous because Amalfi was beside me. Right?”
Arkin looked strangely exhilarated. Almost… dangerous. The smile he wore now carried a warmth that felt like heat, not tenderness.
“How upset were you? How did it feel?”
The towering presence pressed down on Nefertia like an overwhelming force. She tried to back away in panic, but Arkin pulled her into his arms.
“Why are you asking that? Do I have to say it?”
Nefertia shrank back, muttering. No matter how she thought, Arkin was acting strangely. Though his first impression had been a bit sharp, this wasn’t the Arkin she knew.
The clean, model prince who had resisted her relentless courtship, who had drawn lines and crossed them with restraint.
That pristine Arkin had vanished, and a rough man with a wicked smile pulled her deep into his chest.
“It felt like you were stolen from me?”
Her heart was like a boat adrift on the stormy night sea, completely losing its way. Her eyes had turned bloodshot with jealousy, her fury had burned like wildfire, but now her chest pounded with an unbearable, overwhelming feeling.
“…Yeah.”
After a long hesitation, she nodded. The arms wrapped around her waist and shoulders tightened fiercely once more. A strange voice floated above her head.
“Ah. You feel a little better now.”
Arkin lingered a moment longer, then finally loosened his arms with obvious reluctance. As he slowly stepped back, a fresh, invigorating smile graced his face.