Synopsis

The greatest nation on the continent was the Kingdom of Terrosa.

Souls were the beings that were discriminated against the regular folk of the kingdom.

Lesaric, who was the strongest Soul, fulfilled his responsibility as the chief commander and led the final battle to victory. He was then sentenced to death by the king.

He would have welcomed death if he had not been saved by the fourth princess, the most powerless member of the royal family.

“Why did you save me?” Lesaric had asked.

Delmore had shrugged. “I thought it would be unfair if you died that way.” She was vastly different from the other royals who lived terrible and corrupt lives.

Lesaric knew that she, being the director of the laboratory, was planning something dangerous without the knowledge of anyone else. He also knew that each time he saw Delmore’s beautiful green eyes, he felt something for her, something entirely new.

“Use me,” he had told her. “I’m pretty useful when you need me to be.”

Delmore had smiled.

And there they were, the princess who longed for something greater and the knight that would let it all go for her. The two of them, together.

***

Prologue

Lesaric Horn walked rapidly, his whole body covered in someone else’s blood. Then, unable to bear it any longer, he began to run.

He’d heard the news and he was convinced it was all false.

He arrived at the fourth floor of Libron and walked to the farthest room. The young knight who was stomping nervously in front of the door paled and lowered his head as he approached.

“Sir Lesaric,” he said in greeting.

Ignoring the knight, Lesaric marched ahead and threw the door open. He didn’t know what he expected to see on the other side, but he knew that he hadn’t expected the emptiness that met his eyes.

Lesaric clenched his teeth.

“Join the intelligence department,” he said as he heard the footfalls of knights behind him. “She couldn’t have gone far.”

The knights all hurried away.

Lesirac slowly neared the bed. A foolish thought occurred to him, the thought that maybe she was just hiding behind the drapes.

“Lesaric, are you surprised?” he would hear her giggle. Then, he would come to her and make her feel at ease.

He grabbed the soft curtains to the point of tearing them and pushed them to the side. Of course, she wasn’t there. She had never been.

He slid his hand over the bedsheet, as if there was nothing he could believe at this point. The bed that had been warm with her body just yesterday was now cold.

“You’ll win, Lesaric,” he could almost hear her whisper. “I love you.”

Lesaric’s gaze went from the bed to the carpet. His breath caught as he felt something surge from within himself.

“Lesaric, they say there are traces of someone using the underground passageways—” Boris Delta, who had come to report their findings, stopped in his tracks at the sight of Lesaric.

His face was one of distress, eyes red and cheeks wet. But his voice was calm as he said, “Boris, I have to find her.”

For a moment, he could feel himself waver. His breathing grew shallow and his hands trembled. The thought of something happening to her tore him up inside.

He searched the room for something to ground him but, as he slowly began to see what was around him, he felt his hope shatter.

The room was as perfect as could be. It was pristine, just as she had left it. Just as she had planned.

In that moment, Lesaric realized that we would never be able to catch her, and so he wept.