—Gasshan!

The sound of liquor bottle shattering echoed in the room.

The room was filled with the odor of alcohol emanating from the amber liquid spreading across the luxurious carpet.

“Why… why…!!”

While roughly scratching his head, Velbutte screamed.

Countless empty glasses and bottles were rolling around him. It was obvious to everyone that the man sitting on the floor was out of his mind.

“Dammit!”

Velbutte cursed while flapping his long legs like a child throwing a tantrum.

Earlier in the day, Velbutte, who returned from the Count Ruth’s residence to escape from Lumina, was informed of the arrests of the count and his wife.

The count, who had recruited many private soldiers and amassed a lot of weapons, was being suspected of trying to incite a rebellion. On the other hand, the countess was suspected of purchasing contraband.

From then on, the two would be severely interrogated in the dungeon of the House of Lords.

The end of the count family was approaching.

“Why do I have to pay—!?”

Afterwards, Velbutte asked the House of Lords if he no longer had to pay anything else aside from the consolation fee. However, they said that that was a different matter.

For him to become engaged with Lumina was nearly impossible now. Above all, he had already established that he, himself, was the most important after fleeing from the injured Lumina.

Yes—he had escaped from the bedridden Lumina.

The feeling of guilt was about to crush his heart, making him go mad.

“Shit, shit—!!!”

Hitting the floor with his fist only hurt his hand.

Still, that was his only method for retaining his sanity.

No matter how much he drank, a corner of his head remained calm. His own stupid, contemptuous, voice rang in his ears.

Scum of a man. Irredeemable human being. Incorrigible crown prince.

As if everything in the world was ridiculing him, his head felt about to split.

If Velbutte were to sell every single one of his properties for the sake of repaying his debt, how many supporters would he have left?

If he were to be suspected of perfidy by the temple and be rumored to have been intimate with his fiancée’s sister, he’d surely lose his position.

His future was pitch-black.

“Lorona…”

He relentlessly called for a name.

It was the name of his beautiful, noble, and perfect fiancée, someone he had also lost.

Why hadn’t he put in more effort in trying to get close to her?

At the same time, had she been kinder, had she been sweeter—there was no way he’d have turned his eyes to Lumina!

His past with Lorona only came to light due to his dark emotions.

The day his heart was thrilled by Lorona&s beauty. The day he was first drawn to her.

She was expressionless, but at the same time, he noticed that her cheeks were faintly dyed with the color of cherry blossoms. Feeling embarrassed, she proceeded to hide her face.

The day he first danced with Lorona after they grew up.

As he welcomed her, he felt excited by the dress she was wearing. It had matched the color of her eyes.

…I wish I could turn back time.

That way, he would avoid making every single one of those mistakes.

He wouldn’t annul their engagement. He wouldn’t look at other women.

He swore to God that he’d fulfil their childhood promise.

“—Are you alright, Your Highness Velbutte?”

“Ah…?”

Called by a terribly gentle voice, he raised his head only to see a silver-haired woman standing beside him.

Velbutte’s eyes immediately opened as he stared at her face. She was anxiously staring at him.

“—Lorona!!”

Velbutte clung to the woman. Her warm, slender, body, along with the softness within his arms suggested that she was real, and Velbutte screamed.

“Lorona! Oh, Lorona! You’re alive! I’m sorry! Everything is my fault! I won’t annul my engagement with you! Let’s start over, together!”

He feared that if he were to let go, Lorona disappeared. No matter what, he had to stay connected with Lorona.

With that intent, Velbutte pinned her to the floor.

“No!! Someone, someone please—!! His Highness is—!!”

“Lorona…?”

Velbutte frowned as the woman within his arms screamed.

Why do you hate me?

Aren’t we engaged?

The sound of the door being opened violently echoed, perhaps in response to the scream.

“Your Highness!! What are you doing!!”

“Call someone! His Highness has gone mad!”

The guards and butlers rushed in, restrained Velbutte, and dragged the crying woman under his arms away.

“What are you guys doing!? Return Lorona…!!”

“Your Highness!! What are you saying!? She isn’t Lady Lorona!!”

“What…?”

Being shouted by the butler, Velbutte stared at the woman he presumed to be Lorona.

Her silvery hair and appearance were very similar to Lorona’s. However, she was wearing a maid uniform.

Her facial features were so plain, it was obvious she wasn’t Lorona. Her face was twisted in horror as she glared at Velbutte. Contempt was apparent in her eyes.

The familiar-looking girl was a maid who had recently been assigned to him.

“Ugh…!!”

Recognizing the mistake he made, Velbutte couldn’t conceal his nausea as he clutched his stomach.

His expression was distorted by the stink of vomit that polluted the floor. His nightmare hadn’t ended yet, as the regurgitated liquor and gastric fluid he puked burned the back of his throat and also his tongue.

---

***T/N: Bahahaha, escaping reality he goes…!!

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