Chapter 3

Nephitia tightly gripped the swaying rope ladder and crept down. When she reached the end, her foot slipped, and one of her sandals tumbled down.

“Ah!”

A brown sandal floated and bobbed on the rippling seawater. What if it drifted away like that? Growing anxious, the princess let go of the ladder and jumped down into the sea.

Splash! Water flew as she plunged knee-deep into the ocean. As the cold seawater and white, fine sand burrowed between her toes, an exclamation burst from Nephitia’s lips.

“…Whoa.”

The seawater washed over her calves, tickling them, before flowing away with a swishing sound, over and over. Since it was her first time stepping on sand submerged in the sea, Nephitia stared down at the sparkling turquoise water for a long time.

Snatching the single sandal drifting on the surface, she kicked off her other sandal as well. Walking barefoot on the wet, splashing sand felt so refreshing that she couldn’t stop smiling.

After playing with her feet for a while, something else caught her eye. Huh, what’s that?

Where the white seafoam had slid down, small creatures were busily crawling over the wet ground. When she snatched one up with her bare hands, it wriggled its legs on her palm. It had a hard shell, multiple legs, and one pair was unusually large like a scorpion’s. Like a snail, two horns were twitching and moving incessantly.

“Fascinating. Off you go now.”

When she lowered her hand and released it, the creature sprinted off and ducked neatly into a tiny hole. It was amazing how it found its destination straight away without confusing its route or retracing the path it came from. How could it do that?

Just as she was marveling at the small and humble living thing, Nephitia sensed a presence and raised her head.

Five or six young laborers wearing ragged headscarfs were watching her in a daze. Since they carried ropes and logs and didn’t look like Kepet people, they appeared to be laborers from Credo Island.

Though she wasn’t surprised since the situation wasn’t unfamiliar, she worried that Shadia, who should be on the other side of the ship, might notice.

“How insolent. Step back.”

When Nephitia widened her eyes, they startled and scurried away in a flurry. Their cheeks and the backs of their necks were flushed red, as if they had grown hot.

Profane things! Nephitia furrowed her brow and clicked her tongue. Glancing briefly at the direction where the men had vanished, Nephitia stepped up onto the beach while looking around.

She knew full well that this exact moment was the scenario Shadia had worried about. However, she had zero intention of covering her body just to be mindful of other people’s gazes or reputations.

By nature, humans feel fear when they witness something divine, and such emotions often manifest as a sense of discomfort. It was a simple logic clear enough for a child to understand. Since her body, forged by divinity, was undoubtedly the shape of the most beautiful woman on earth, people were bound to experience various reactions upon seeing her.

…An outer robe, my foot.

Snorting, Nephitia glanced sideways at the opposite side of the hull before heading further up the beach. She thought she faintly heard Shadia’s voice from beyond the stacked wooden crates.

A smile returned to Nephitia’s face. Let her panic a little! Boldly cutting across the sandy beach, the princess stepped into the dense forest.

Nephitia checked her constantly surging emotions as she took steps forward. Cool and damp moss tickled her feet, and the moisture-laced scent of soil was cool and refreshing. It was a sensation she could never feel in Kepet, which was constantly blanketed by dry, sandy winds.

Because of the thickly packed trees, sunlight barely penetrated, but as her eyes gradually grew accustomed to the darkness, an even more mystical world unfolded before her eyes.

Thick-trunked trees large enough for two or three people to encircle, leafy branches extending from them, and vines intertwined to form the ceiling of the forest. The scenery of sunlight leaking through sparsely in between was endlessly beautiful.

…Goodness. Nephitia’s eyes twinkled as she looked around. She reached out to touch a wide, large leaf, and inspected each colorful, pretty flower one by one—completely unaware that she was getting further and further away from the beach…

“Ah.”

Something brushed against her cheek. A butterfly with fluttering blue wings hovered and flew around Nephitia. The princess’s steps, which had been tracking the butterfly’s wingbeats with delight, stopped at a certain point.

…A person?

What faintly showed through the tangled brushwood was definitely a man. With one long leg stretched straight out, he was leaning his back against a massive tree with his eyes closed. Honey-bright golden hair shone white even from afar.

‘Who is he? Someone from another country?’

Nephitia stopped blankly and watched him. It was like a picture out of a storybook. He was a beauty so stunning she simply couldn’t walk past him. Was this the kind of feeling the men who looked at her had experienced?

Enchanted, Nephitia parted the branches and approached the soundly sleeping man. Seen up close, compared to his disheveled posture, he was a neatly proportioned beauty as if measured with a ruler. A high nose bridge, slightly parted red lips, and eyelashes densely resting on closed eyelids. A flawless appearance…

And yet… why was a man like this sleeping here? Is he sick?

Nephitia carefully examined the man’s pale face. Beads of sweat clustered densely on his smooth forehead, and the strands of hair spilling over his brow were wet with sweat.

…Is he hot?

The man’s attire was unfamiliar to Nephitia, but at a single glance, it looked far too hot to wear here. The blue tunic embroidered with silver thread, the brown bottoms, and the leather boots. To make matters worse, he even wore a red cape. She wondered if loosening the cape might help and touched it, but a leaf-shaped silver brooch was fastened tightly, so she couldn’t help him.

What should she do? Growing flustered, Nephitia looked around, but could find no one else. There was only this handsome man all by himself, breathing heavily and panting as if he had dropped straight out of the sky. If he had no attendants with him, he probably wasn’t a noble or royalty. If so, should she find his companions instead?

Nephitia found what appeared to be the man’s longsword beside a tree stump. No prominent gold decorations or jewels were visible. After closely examining the crude-looking scabbard and hilt, Nephitia nodded.

As expected. If a mere leaf-shaped brooch was his sole ornament, he certainly wasn’t royalty. Just some handsome low-ranking retainer, probably. Since he wouldn’t be from Credo Island, he must have entered the strange forest and gotten lost.

“…Ugh.”

Suddenly, the man groaned. His long, golden eyelashes twitched violently as he began to pant and suffer. Whatever the issue was, he looked in agonizing pain.

Poor thing… Nephitia approached the man without hesitation. She didn’t know what country this retainer came from, but with the Sun God’s blessing, maybe she could help him just a little…

It was precisely the moment Nephitia’s fingertips touched the man’s cheek.

“Ah…!”

Her hand clung to him tightly, and in an instant, a force so intense it made her head spin surged up through her finger, her hand, and her arm all the way to her chest. Startled out of her wits, Nephitia hastily pulled her hand away from him. What was that just now…

“What is this?”

She was so shocked she even forgot to breathe. Barely regaining her composure, Nephitia first scanned her surroundings. Nephitia alone was engulfed in shock, while the surroundings remained dead silent. The forest was quiet, and the man was still asleep… but he looked a little less in pain than before. As if he had truly been “healed.”

“How strange…?”

Dazed, Nephitia flipped her palms back and forth. What was that feeling from just a moment ago?

Gathering her courage, she brought her hand back over his white cheek. The moment she touched him, ‘it’ entered through her finger once more. As something formless surged, she kept running out of breath. How should she describe this? A refreshing… ball of fire?

One thing for certain was that it wasn’t an unpleasant sensation. Rather, it was a good feeling that stirred her senses. It felt similar to the clear, pristine, cold, and crisp air she had felt when first entering this forest. As if scooping up cold moonlight with her hands and bundling it together…

Fascinating. Nephitia touched and removed her hand from the man’s cheek, pondering deeply over what this mystical power could be. Then, her thumb lightly brushed over his red lips.

“…Ugh.”

Helplessly, Nephitia was swept away by an intense and mystical sensation. A nameless pleasure tossed and turned playfully inside Nephitia, tightly squeezed her wildly pounding heart, and finally wrapped around her body once before slipping neatly out through her fingertips.

“Whoa.”

The previous sensation was startling enough to make sweat bead on her forehead. Who on earth was this man? It was then that something flashed across Nephitia’s mind as she stared intently at him. This sensation she had felt just a moment ago. The startling and wondrous fluttering that had covered and shaken her entire body. Could this feeling, perhaps…

At that moment, the man’s eyelids opened slowly. As his closed eyes opened, calm and composed blue pupils hazily gazed at her.

“……”

“……”

The two simply stared at each other in silence for a long time. The flawlessly handsome man neither smiled nor frowned. He merely sat frozen, as if unable to comprehend this situation.

“…Who are you?”

After a long silence, it was Nephitia who spoke first.