Chapter 2: The First Light
The next morning, I made my decision.
If I wanted to survive… I had to meet her.
Not as the feared general.
Not as the future tyrant.
But as she was now—
A lonely, unwanted girl.
"…Prepare the carriage," I ordered, trying to sound as calm as possible.
The servants hesitated for a moment. The Fourth Prince rarely went out, especially not without reason.
But no one dared question me.
As the carriage rolled out of the palace, my heart wouldn't stop pounding.
What if I fail?
What if I say something wrong?
What if… she already hates everyone?
I clenched my hands tightly.
"No… I have to do this."
---
Her residence was far from the lively parts of the capital.
Quiet.
Isolated.
Almost abandoned.
It didn't feel like the home of a general's daughter.
It felt like a place someone had been forgotten.
When I stepped out, the air itself felt heavier.
Even the servants here kept their distance.
No laughter.
No warmth.
Just silence.
"…So this is how she lived."
For a moment, something twisted in my chest.
Then—
I saw her.
A small figure sitting alone under a tree.
White hair, shining under the sunlight.
Red eyes… staring quietly into nothing.
Beautiful.
And yet—
Lonely.
So painfully lonely that it made my chest tighten.
"…Is that her?"
The guards nodded but didn't step any closer.
They were afraid.
Of a child.
I took a slow breath and walked forward.
Each step felt heavier than the last.
When I got close enough, her eyes shifted.
She looked at me.
No emotion.
No curiosity.
Just… emptiness.
"…Who are you?" she asked softly.
Her voice was calm.
Too calm for a child.
"I'm…" I hesitated for a second. "…the Fourth Prince."
Silence.
She didn't bow.
Didn't react.
Just looked at me like it didn't matter.
"…Why are you here?"
A simple question.
But I didn't have a simple answer.
Because I don't want to die?
Because you'll kill me in the future?
Because I know your entire life story?
"…I wanted to meet you," I said instead.
Her brows frowned slightly.
"Why?"
I stepped closer and sat down a short distance away from her.
Not too close.
Not too far.
"I heard you're good at martial arts."
A lie.
Or maybe an excuse.
"…So?"
"So I thought… we could be friends."
The moment I said that—
Something changed.
Not outside.
But in her eyes.
A flicker.
Small.
Almost unnoticeable.
"…Friends?" she repeated.
As if the word itself was unfamiliar.
"…Yes."
Silence fell again.
But this time, it felt different.
She kept staring at me.
Longer than before.
As if trying to understand something.
"…People don't become friends with me," she said.
"I will."
I didn't hesitate.
I couldn't.
Because if I did… I might lose this chance.
"…Why?" she asked again.
This time, her voice was quieter.
I looked at her.
At those red eyes everyone feared.
At the child everyone avoided.
"…Because you look lonely."
Her eyes widened.
Just a little.
That was all.
But it was enough.
---
After that day, I kept coming back.
Again.
And again.
Sometimes I brought sweets.
Sometimes books.
Sometimes I just sat there with her.
We didn't talk much at first.
But slowly… things changed.
She started asking small questions.
"Why do people smile?"
"What is fun?"
"Why do you come here?"
Questions no child should have to ask.
And every time…
I answered.
At first, it was for survival.
I knew what she would become.
I knew what she would do.
If I could stay on her good side—
If I could become someone important to her—
Then maybe… just maybe…
She wouldn't kill me.
But that wasn't the only reason anymore.
Because the more time I spent with her…
The more I understood.
She wasn't born a monster.
She was made into one.
And somehow…
I couldn't ignore that anymore.
"…You should smile more," I told her one day.
"…Why?"
"Because it suits you."
She didn't understand.
But she tried.
An awkward, unfamiliar expression appeared on her face.
A smile.
Small.
Fragile.
But real.
"…Is this correct?" she asked.
"…Yeah."
For a moment—
It felt like I had done something right.
---
But I didn't know.
I didn't understand.
A person who had never known warmth…
Would cling to even the smallest light.
And I—
Had become that light.
Without realizing it.
Without understanding what it meant.
To her—
My presence wasn't just kindness.
It was everything.
The only warmth.
The only connection.
The only light in a dark world.
And in her quiet, twisted thoughts—
If something was that important…
It shouldn't be shared.
It shouldn't be lost.
It should belong—
Only to her.
---
I looked at her as she sat beside me, silently reading the book I brought.
Peaceful.
Calm.
Innocent.
"…Maybe things will turn out fine," I muttered.
I truly believed that.
I thought I was changing the story.
Avoiding the future.
Saving myself.
Saving her.
But I didn't realize—
I had already changed something far more dangerous.
The story I knew…
Was no longer the same.
And the girl beside me—
Was no longer the same villainess from the novel.
---
Without knowing it… I had become the center of her world.