As usual, Rafine sneaked out of the royal castle and passed through the hidden entrance to the forest, heading toward her secret base. Suddenly, a group of sinister-looking grown men blocked the path ahead. Among them, one particularly large man tossed a copper coin to a nearby thug in dirty clothes.
"Thanks for the info. Here is your reward." The bandit said
"Just as the information said, this kid is wearing some pretty high-quality clothes. She must be a very wealthy aristocrat. She's definitely worth squeezing, isn't she?"
The big man's face distorted hideously as a vulgar grin spread across it. The forest near the secret base was close to the royal castle, so they believed no one would spot them. Yet, since Rafine now visited daily instead of just a few times a month, it was only a matter of time before she was noticed.
"Now... hey, brat. Would you like to come with me for a bit?" The big man approached Rafine with menacing steps. "Y-y-'Don't come'!" Rafine desperately invoked her Word Spirit Magic to restrain the large man's body.
"Hmm, what's this? I can't move my body... Hey, you brat! What did you do!" The large man grew confused and barked in a rough tone as his limbs froze. Rafine focused on controlling him to escape the situation, but then a sharp pain exploded in her head.
Gah! A strong blow from behind sent her crumpling to the ground. Her vision blurred and shook as she realized she had been struck.
"It hurts... it hurts..." Confusion overwhelmed her; why was this happening when she had done nothing wrong? At that moment, her magical control slipped, and the Word Spirit Magic on the big man dissolved.
"I was thinking of giving her back once I'd squeezed her as hard as I could, but... I'll stop now. I'll sell this damn brat to a pervert. You won't ever see your mommy or daddy again, okay?" The big man laughed lewdly and ordered his men to gag and bind her.
"No... No no!" Rafine cried out in terror. She struggled to escape, but the adults' strength overpowered her easily; they stuffed a rolled-up cloth into her mouth, silencing her cries. Help... Someone help! She screamed in her mind.
Fear and pain consumed Rafine as tears streamed down her face; she mourned never seeing her father or the servants again. What saddened her most, though, was the thought of never hearing the boy's stories. The men shoved her into a coarse burlap sack, plunging her world into darkness as despair closed in.
"...What are you doing?" She heard the boy's voice pierce the chaos.
"Are you okay? Does anything hurt?" A little while later, after the boy and the big man had shouted at each other and sounds of destruction echoed several times, the boy pulled Rafine from the burlap sack and gently asked her that question. "...My head hurts," she replied, prompting the boy to chant ""Restoration"," and the pain vanished instantly in a glow of high healing magic.
Rafine glanced around to see what had become of the men, but the boy murmured, "It's better not to look," and hugged her tightly, blocking her view. His warmth seeped into her trembling body, melting away the confusion in her heart. "They were a notorious gang of thieves around here; it's karma, so don't worry," he said softly while stroking her head, his hands shaking slightly as if reassuring himself.
"Why... did you help me?" Rafine suddenly asked, puzzled by his actions. The boy responded with a surprised "Huh?" as if the question made no sense. "It's only natural for a hero to help people, right?" he declared simply.
"Ah..." Rafine's heart pounded wildly. The boy's casual certainty that saving her was obvious made him shine brilliantly in her eyes. (What is this... my face is hot... my heart is racing!) A brand-new emotion flooded through her.
Her cheeks flushed crimson, and her pulse thundered so loudly she feared he might hear it. "Hmm... what's wrong? Your temperature seems high... do you have a cold?" the boy asked, pressing his forehead to hers and murmuring, "It's a little hot." Rafine's face burned even brighter, her heart feeling ready to burst.
Later, convinced she had a fever, the boy gave her a piggyback ride toward the castle. "...Big brother... are you a hero?" Rafine whispered while clinging to his back. "No, I'm not a hero yet, but I'll definitely become one—I'll show you, because I have a dream," he answered firmly, staring straight ahead.
At that moment, Rafine recognized the feeling blooming inside her—it was the same love the princess felt in the stories. Clinging tighter to his warm back, she silently vowed to support him. "If the boy defeats the Demon King, maybe I could marry him," she thought, determined from then on to become the ideal princess.
She diligently learned royal etiquette and behavior. To win the citizens' love, she ventured into the city with guards and spoke warmly to everyone. She stopped all pranks on the servants completely.
Gradually, those around her began to change. Though still awkward, servants started speaking to her, and townsfolk greeted her on walks. King Pilar doted on her even more, while her sisters grew colder.
As usual, she sneaked out to meet the boy, telling curious servants she was playing hide-and-seek. Months passed in this happy routine. Then one day, humming on her way to the secret base, Rafine froze at a horrifying sight.
"--!?" The boy lay crumpled on the ground, drenched in blood. His body was shredded with countless wounds, three massive dark-red gashes clawing across his chest as if from monstrous talons. His breathing was faint, exhaustion making him seem moments from death.
Rafine raced back to the castle, persuading reluctant soldiers to help carry the outsider to the treatment room. Royal white mages tried healing him repeatedly, but some interfering magic erased their spells just before activation. With no treatment possible, Rafine could only pray desperately for the half-dead boy hovering between life and death.
(God... please, I'll do anything—save him!) Her plea seemed answered when the boy miraculously survived injuries that should have killed him. His astonishing resilience shortened a year's rehabilitation to one week, and soon he could tell stories again. Rafine rejoiced, believing their time together would continue as before.
"I won't be coming here from tomorrow onwards." The sudden farewell shattered her joy. Rafine begged—"Why? Don't go! Stay here!"—but the boy's resolve held firm.
"I have to go; there's a very important battle." Looking sadly at the sky, he made it clear he was leaving to defeat the Demon King. Though he lacked the holy seal yet, his strong justice drove him to ease the people's fears quickly; the seal would surely appear on his journey.
"Then... take Rafine too!" she pleaded in third person, confident she could help. Her Word Spirit Magic now affected up to five people, and she had learned various other spells—beginner level, but useful. "No, you're a burden; don't follow me," the boy replied coldly.
"......Eh?" The words stunned her; she couldn't comprehend being rejected by someone so kind. Her mind blanked in shock. Seeing her distress, the boy rummaged in his pocket and pulled out something.
"You can't keep up... so I'm doing this." He placed a ring-like object in her hand. "... A ring?" Rafine murmured, confused.
"Ah, the magical item 'Protagonist Ring'—I'll give it to you." It was a simple band, but its purpose eluded her at first. Then realization dawned, turning her face scarlet was this was his proposal?
The boy must havebknown all along she was a princess; his stories often ended with heroes becoming kings, hinting he wanted to marry her. "I will definitely win, so you just have to be patient," he said, meaning he would defeat the Demon King and bring peace. The ring was an engagement token to wait for his return.
"No matter how many people there are, I will definitely win—yes, absolutely." Multiple heroes could bear the holy seal. "No matter how many Demon Kings appear, I'll defeat them myself and marry Rafine," his words promised without doubt—at least to her hopeful heart.
"I've been waiting... for a long time!" She imagined the boy shouting, patting her head with a gentle laugh.
Then he vanished from the secret base forever. From the next day, Rafine threw herself into lessons and hobbies.
Dreaming of a future marriage, she mastered cooking, etiquette, finances; everything for their life together. Heroes who saved the world could choose any kingdom to rule and any princess to wed. Even if unlikely, he might pick her sisters, so she strove to become the perfect princess, ladylike, refined, and kind to all.
She honed her magic relentlessly: Word Spirit, Life, Support, Five Elements, and especially Detection to find him. A year passed with no news of the Demon King's defeat. Two years—another hero emerged, but without black hair.
Three years—the citizens rioted, but Pilar quelled it. Four, five years flew by; finally, nine years had passed since the boy's departure. Rafine had blossomed into a beautiful, beloved girl.
Citizens greeted her warmly on streets; castle servants swore loyalty, she was the ideal storybook princess. Yet none of it mattered without the boy's approval. Mastering Detection to its pinnacle of Clairvoyance, she still couldn't locate him.
"Why, why can't I find him?! The conditions are right...!" Dread crept in, but she shook it away... he was too strong to die. She scoured for any black-haired person, all in vain. Anxiety gnawed daily, wearing her down until she neared her limit.
Just as exhaustion consumed her, news arrived. "A black-haired hero has appeared in the neighboring country of Etal." Rafine's world ignited with hope.