1. Prologue (His Past) - 10. Irrational

The morning sun shone through the thin curtains woke Angel from his sleep. His eyes stared at the ceiling of his room with a frown.
'What happened? Why did I sleep on the sofa? '

He got up slowly, his hand holding his head that still felt heavy and tried to remember what had happened last night.
"Ngghh ..." he flinched and let out a slight groan as the pain in his back reminded him of his wound. Then he remembered everything, how she took him to his room, treated him and kissed him ...

He touched his lips, his heart started beating hard.
'That weird woman ... She even didn't tell me her name ...'

Suddenly he remembered what she said last night.
'If you want to know my name, meet me at the hunting competition tomorrow and win that competition for me.'

A smile began to appear on his face as a strange feeling began to dominate his heart, a feeling he had never felt before.
"How could I forget?" he muttered.

He quickly got up and got ready. The wound on his back pierced his body yet he ignored it and moved as if he was unharmed, he even kept smiling all the time. After he was done, he left his room in a hurry and ran towards the hunting ground's gate where the competition was being held. He always lived by the rules, the law, his uncle's order and never let his emotions dominate him but this was the first time he felt his emotions so overwhelming. It was weird and foreign feelings for him but somehow this gave something new to his life.

In front of the gate, many people had gathered and he quickly searched for her among the crowd.

"Angel!"

He turned his gaze towards the origin of the voice and saw Ophelia waving at him.

"Who are you looking for?" she said, walking towards him with a smile.

"I'm looking for a friend, she said she would meet me here but it looks like she hasn't arrived yet," he answered as he continued to search her among the crowd.

Ophelia stared at him in a puzzled expression.
"You have a new friend? No wonder you seem very happy today."

He looked away, trying to cover up his smile.
"Do I look that happy?"

She was silent for a moment as if she realized something. She knew Angel always kept his distance from other people and he hardly let his emotions show on his face, but today ... He acted completely different.
"Yes ... I've never seen you like this before ..." she said as she kept staring at him. An uneasy feeling seized her heart, it was like someone would snatch him away from her.

Suddenly a guard approached him.
"Your Highness, Prince Ilex is waiting for you at the hunting gate pavilion."

Angel turned his gaze towards the pavilion near them and saw Ilex already standing there, staring sharply at him. He let out a heavy sigh because he could already guess what Ilex wanted. He returned his gaze to Ophelia.
"I will excuse myself."

"What do you want?" said Angel straight to the point, his feet moved to approach Ilex.

Ilex still stared at him sharply with an unpleasant expression.
"Angelus Raizel! How dare you seduce my sister?!" he said in an emphatic tone.

He returned Ilex's sharp stare with another sharp stare.
"Ilex Ferris, when did I seduce your sister?"

"When did you say? Didn't you just approach her and smile stupidly at her ?!" said Ilex angrily.

He smirked.
"Approach her? She's the one who came to me, and that stupid smile ... take it easy it's not for her." He turned around and about to leave, but Ilex stopped him.

"Wait!" shouted Ilex.

He stopped his steps.

"I hope you don't forget my father's order to let me win," added Ilex.

Angel let out a sigh as he moved his feet again. Of course, he remembered that order clearly. He knew today's hunting competition was the Kingdom of Asteria's tradition to determine for the crown prince position. But he had no interest in getting it because, with his questionable identity, it would only bring about the dissatisfaction that would divide the aristocrats and the people that eventually led Asteria to civil war. That's why, rather than putting his ambition and ego first, he chose to follow his uncle's orders to help Ilex become the crown prince.