Henry hates humans. They can’t be trusted.

A few months ago, he was a prince living in luxuries. The one and only successor to the throne, not anymore. Circumstances change, and there is suddenly no more kingdom to rule.

It’s unthinkable how he has been sleeping with an enemy spy for years and not notice anything until it’s too late to act. The damage is already done. There is nothing he can do about it. Poking a bullet-sized hole through that woman’s head is satisfying, but it doesn’t solve the problem.

Henry’s wife never loved him. She only loved his status. Even as a royalty, Henry’s physical appearance is above average at best. He has brown hair and blue eyes, a trait shared by many of his fellow countrymen. The only thing that stands out of Henry is that he’s tall, lean, and muscular. Someone as enticing as that woman can get a better-looking husband if she chooses to.

If only he didn’t fall for her lies, would his kingdom still stand? He made a fatal mistake that day, annulling his engagement with his fiance and exiling her for false charges. 

Catherine faced her punishment with dignity and wished Henry and the woman-who-should-not-be-named a joyful life together. Before vanishing from the face of the earth.

The Allfather didn’t grant her selfless wish. If someone deserved a happy life, it’s Catherine. Knowing her, she must be enjoying her slow life somewhere in the countryside now while Henry struggles to survive.

Henry shook his head. He doesn’t want to think about Catherine and the bittersweet memories associated with her, especially in the middle of a forest. He couldn’t afford to let his guard down. His pursuer, the emperor’s watchdogs, could be here at any moment trying to finish their job—the eradication of an entire bloodline.

The Fiore Woods is rumoured to house a monster with an insatiable appetite for man’s flesh. Only a suicidal person dared to venture here. None returned. However, it’s the only place where Henry can cross the border without getting shot.

Unlike the humans, the animals keep their promise to leave him alone as long as he didn’t bother them—yet another fantastic reason to despise human.

Something is wrong. Henry has walked this path before. It’s getting dark, and he hasn’t reached the other side. Spending the night getting lost in a forest is the last thing he wants to do. Other than dying.

He can’t avenge his parents and take back his kingdom if he dies. Also, he hasn’t apologized to Catherine for shattering her heart.

Silence reigned inside the forest for a moment. Even the wind seems to have lost all desire to stir the forest. It almost feels as though time has stopped. Everything is entirely still. And then, suddenly, someone appears from behind the tree. It’s a youthful woman wearing a modest dress.

She had straight red hairs that stopped at her waist, the moonlight giving her skin a radiant glow. Her face was pleasant, with kind golden eyes and a bright smile played on her lips.

“Excuse me, sir? Are you lost?” asked the friendly, familiar face.

Henry’s hearts skipped a beat. He had not thought he’d ever see her again. She looked as beautiful as the day he loses her.

“No, I’m fine, thank you. I’m just passing by.” He answered with false confidence.

It must be a coincidence. That woman couldn’t be Catherine. A distant relative, perhaps? The odds of meeting an exiled duke’s daughter inside a forest are slim to none.

“Don’t you know how dangerous it to be walking alone at night around here? Something might eat you. It’s safer to wait until sunrise. Follow me.”

At first, he seemed reluctant and unsure, but he didn’t argue. The woman led Henry to a small house in the middle of a clearing. The door of the house was locked. She opened it.

“Welcome to my place.”

Henry looked around. There wasn’t much more than a few aged furniture, and a kitchen with some rusty appliances. A small, old, wood table and two chairs were on the ground, and a window looked out to the forest beyond the clearing. The two were sitting at opposite ends of the table.

“A cup of tea now?” she offered and handed him a small cup of steaming brown liquid. He accepted and drank deeply, beggars can’t be choosers. The tea tasted like a leaf juice.

“You’re safe here. The empire has no power in Oren’s territory.” She said, placing the teacup down on the table.

The Fiore Woods is named after the two kingdoms it separated, Fion and Oren. But now that Fion is part of the Gram Empire, Henry wondered if the name of the forest will change. Probably not. No one cared about it before. It’s a breeding ground for dangerous beasts hiding in the night.

It doesn’t come into a surprise that the woman recognized Henry as the prince even without him introducing himself. He has no time to disguise himself. The two talked for some little time longer until Henry realized the woman hadn’t told him her name yet.

When he was about to ask, his gaze fell to the necklace around her neck, and he froze. There was an indescribable feeling in his chest that wasn’t there before, a feeling that he couldn’t ignore. He looked up at her. She was staring into him, her face a blank canvas.

Then her smile returned, and the smile grew even more profound, and his throat started to tighten even more when he saw how she was smiling. Something in his chest began to expand, the pressure was increasing, and it was like the air was pulling itself out of his lungs. It felt like his heart was going to explode out of his chest. But it didn’t.

Instead, he felt as if his whole body felt weightless. He felt like he was experiencing the sensation of floating on water or air. His mind was no longer focused on any thought other than his first love.

“Oh? You still remember this?” she said, holding up the rose quartz stone necklace that radiates a faint, calming aura—the very same object he gave to Catherine as a gift for her 18th birthday.

“Is that you, Catherine?”

“Took you long enough. Who else? Miss Man-eating Monster?”

The moment they were finally together again, Henry knew what he must do.

“Catherine, I’m sorry for doubting you back then.”

“It’s okay, Henry. I forgive you.”

He could feel the tension dissipating as she looked him over. Her gaze was like the gaze of a person who already expected this kind of development. 

“It’s alright. Everything is just a misunderstanding. No harm is done. You have suffered worse.”

“You never changed, Catherine. I can’t believe I got a chance to see you again.”

Henry and Catherine held each other’s hands, and the two exchanged kisses while embracing each other’s body. He felt her breasts as they pressed to his chest and the hot wet feeling that she had against his body.

Their skin was hot, but the temperature had no relation to the sweat that flowed from their faces. It was only that. The two’s breath was hot on their skin. That was why it felt pleasant to touch each other like this.

Catherine whispered into Henry’s ear: “We shouldn’t be doing this. Unprotected hand-holding is too lewd.” At that moment, Henry’s face turned red from embarrassment.

“You look pale, rest here for a while. You can use the bed. I can sleep in the chair. Good night.”

The bed creaked a little under his weight. He was so tired that he fell asleep instantly. Henry’s pale face was calm, his eyes closed, and Catherine could see his regular breathing. She dared not to make a sound for fear of waking him. Some individuals have trouble falling asleep while others are prone to waking during the night.

In the morning, after the sun had risen, the first thing Henry did was to check if his heartfelt reunion with Catherine wasn’t some kind of a cruel dream by performing a series of reality checks. Catherine was still there, much to his relief.

They shared the first meal of the day, a bowl of soup, for breakfast. He was still watching her intently, his meal nearly forgotten. The rest of the meal was taken up with light conversations about the forest and the animals. When the meal was over, Henry finally gathered the courage to start another heart to heart conversation with her.

“Let’s start a new life, just the two of us. Together.”

His heart was pounding, and he almost couldn’t feel it. He knew Catherine would take it in stride, but he knew he couldn’t go back to being her prince charming anymore. He had failed her once, and at the least convenient time when she needed him the most.

They stood together for a long time, just standing, looking into each other’s faces. Henry knew it wasn’t right, but he would do it anyway. Henry’s heart heaved. The feeling was so hard to put into words. He felt so nervous and awkward. He didn’t know what to do if the woman he loved rejected his proposal.

Catherine frowned, a ripple of something else crossing her porcelain features, giving her a more ethereal appearance than the rest of the room. 

“Under one condition.”

“Anything for you, my dear.”

“Give me your heart.”

Catherine’s face changed from kind and gentle to predatory with a flash of a grin. It wasn’t a friendly grin. It was a mouth-splitting grin revealing sharply pointed canines. The sunlight that slid through the curtains exposed her inhuman nature. Without hesitation, Catherine plunged her hands on Henry’s chest—ripping his heart out.

The man collapsed to the floor, bleeding profusely from the gaping hole in the place where his heart is supposed to be. His face was contorted in an expression of utter disbelief as life left him.

“Thanks for the meal, my prince. I couldn’t ask for a better breakfast. Say hi to Catherine for me on the other side.”