The End of First Love - Chapter 15

Finally. Finally, I have her.

Heinz gazed at Elizabeth, who was sleeping like a log beside him, and let himself be consumed by the joy of his long-awaited love coming true.

Fifteen years of hardship—he had spared no effort to reach this moment. Yet, he had also learned that effort alone was not always enough to fulfill one’s dreams.

(How many times did I think about giving up on Elizabeth?)

Each time, he was forced to realize the depth of his obsession—an obsession so strong it bordered on despair.

(Why did I love her so much?)

His fateful encounter with Elizabeth had changed everything.

Fifteen years ago, Heinz had already been a close friend of the crown prince and was studying at the royal palace as a candidate for his future retinue.

As the heir of a duke and a potential aide to the future king, he had become the target of relentless marriage proposals from noble families with daughters of a suitable age.

At the time, even the crown prince’s fiancée had yet to be decided. With no certainty about the future, the competition among noble daughters grew fiercer by the day, their parents adding pressure in the hopes of securing favorable connections. Worse still, the position of the Schwein Ducal House at the time only served to fuel the flames.

Despite its prestigious title, the Schwein Ducal House was little more than a decorative title—a noble house without real political power. The Duke of Schwein, Heinz’s father, had no interest in politics, rarely appearing in the royal capital.

Normally, a noble head was expected to reside in the capital while delegating the management of their domain to a steward. However, the Duke of Schwein, being an artist at heart, detested politics and chose to remain in the countryside, rarely showing his face at court.

Without its head’s presence in the capital, the Schwein Ducal House had no voice in politics and was thus dismissed by the other noble families. This only encouraged ambitious aristocrats to push their daughters toward Heinz, believing that securing an engagement with him would be easy.

Tired of the never-ending flood of marriage proposals, the Duke of Schwein finally summoned Heinz back to their territory. Heinz gladly accepted.

Life in the countryside was nothing like the tense, cutthroat atmosphere of the royal palace.

He spent his days riding his beloved horse across the land, fishing at the spring, or losing himself in books until night fell without him noticing. He no longer had to deal with the scheming noble daughters vying for his attention, nor did he have to endure the constant pressure of being a retinue candidate.

Time passed peacefully.

Just when he had begun to seriously consider never returning to the capital, Heinz met Elizabeth.

That day, he had gone to the spring with a single attendant, intending to take a nap.

The secluded spring, hidden within the forest, was surrounded by ample shade and was so isolated that not even animals wandered near. It was the perfect spot to rest.

Leaning against his favorite tree, he gazed at the water absentmindedly—until a young girl suddenly appeared on the opposite bank.

Heinz had never encountered another person at this spring before. Instinctively, his eyes followed her movements.

She walked straight toward the water, and Heinz’s unease began to grow.

Glancing around, he saw no accompanying adults. A bad feeling settled in his chest, and the next moment, he found himself rushing toward the opposite bank.

With a loud splash, the girl fell into the spring.

Before he even had time to think, he dove in.

He stretched his hand toward the sinking girl, grasping onto her clothes just in time. With the help of his attendant, who had jumped in after him, he managed to pull her back onto dry land.

But the real struggle began after that.

Though the girl had regained consciousness, she remained unresponsive to anything he said. Her vacant eyes reflected nothing—not even him.

As she repeatedly tried to return to the water, completely ignoring his presence, frustration boiled over inside him.

Enraged by her disregard for the life he had just saved, he raised his hand.

He no longer remembered what he had said to her at that moment. But he would never forget the way she looked at him afterward—clutching her reddened cheek, her gaze finally meeting his.

For the first time, her lifeless eyes reflected him.

And in that moment, Heinz fell in love.

From that day forward, he returned to the spring again and again, but the girl never appeared.

Consumed by a growing sense of urgency, he began searching for her. That was how he learned of the rumors surrounding the “Emotionless Princess” who lived in the Baker Ducal House on the other side of the spring.

The moment he heard the rumors, he knew.

She was the girl he had met.

He had never imagined she was a noble. A noble lady would never wander into the woods alone, without an escort. He had spent all this time searching for a commoner, which was why he had never found her.

But if she was a noble, things would be simpler.

As the heir of the Schwein Ducal House, his marriage proposal could not be dismissed outright, even if she was a duke’s daughter.

Overcome with joy, he had yet to realize one crucial fact—that a marriage between two ducal houses was impossible.

He had cursed his status countless times.

He had cursed the powerless Schwein Ducal House.

But the one thing he could never do was abandon his love for Elizabeth.

He had done everything he could in these fifteen years.

He had risen from the crown prince’s schoolmate to his closest retainer, becoming his right-hand man. The once powerless Schwein Ducal House had grown into a political powerhouse, capable of swaying the court.

Yet even with all his efforts, he had been unable to change the one rule that forbade a marriage between two ducal heirs.

(Perhaps it was that despair that taught me—dreams cannot be realized through righteousness alone.)

Elizabeth’s engagement to the hedonistic Prince William had driven Heinz to the depths of darkness.

How many times had he wanted to kill William, who brazenly held Elizabeth’s hand?

He had barely contained his urge to scream that Elizabeth belonged to him. The only thing that had kept him sane was the realization that her engagement would eventually become his greatest weapon.

No, he was already insane.

Now that Elizabeth and William’s engagement had been officially annulled, he was one step away from claiming everything. He had laid all the necessary groundwork.

(I made her suffer, but the rumors tarnishing her reputation have spread. All that’s left is to set the final trap…)

Prince William—just a little longer, and you will dance in the palm of my hand.

“Elizabeth, I love you.”

His words did not reach the sleeping Elizabeth.

“It’s your fault. Saying such unlovable things, like how you had no feelings for me… I had to be a little rough, didn’t I?”

A smile played on Heinz’s lips as he recalled Elizabeth’s helpless cries from the previous night.

If he admitted how much her inexperience had aroused his sadistic side, she would only hate him more.

Elizabeth had been engaged to William for ten years. Heinz had braced himself for the worst, assuming she had already been touched. But her reaction had been a delightful surprise.

Even a mere kiss had turned her cheeks crimson.

It was safe to say William had never laid a hand on her.

(That depraved prince only desires women who appear unfortunate. And most of them were merely pretending to be helpless—he was too much of a fool to notice.)

Had William realized Elizabeth’s beauty, he would have devoured her instantly.

“I suppose I should be grateful to that foolish prince for leaving Elizabeth untouched.”

Heinz let out a sigh as he gazed at Elizabeth, whose disheveled hair did nothing to diminish her beauty.

As he stroked her moonlit silver locks, he recalled the striking blue of her eyes—eyes that had once been empty but now reflected him.

That moment of exhilaration, when she first saw him, would never fade.

A wet, obscene sound echoed briefly in the silent room before disappearing.