Shinju was lying on the cool grass.
> "Lying on the grass… what a wonderful feeling," he murmured.
"The air feels so fresh. That suffocating heaviness… it's completely gone."
Koharu, sitting beside him, smiled quietly.
Shinju turned his head to look at her.
> "Koharu… you're not mad at me for destroying the shield, are you?"
Koharu replied with a faint smile on her lips.
> "I was exiled because I said that shield was cursed in the first place."
"You did well to destroy it.
You should see this place when the flowers bloom—it becomes a paradise."
Shinju fell silent for a moment, then asked curiously:
> "So, how did you know the shield was cursed?"
Koharu lifted her gaze to the sky.
The wind brushed through her hair.
> "Everyone in the royal family has a unique ability," she said softly.
"Mine is the ability to see the essence of all things.
Beneath that bright, pure-looking surface of the shield… there was a dark sigil."
She paused, her eyes distant.
> "My family calls themselves 'the angelic bloodline,' yet the color of their hearts is the same as that sigil—pitch black."
Then she turned to Shinju and smiled.
> "Yours, however… it's a pure white mark. Very rare."
Shinju flinched.
> "W–wait… did you say princess?"
He immediately sat up and brushed himself off.
> "I'm sorry if I was disrespectful…"
Koharu waved her hand and laughed lightly.
> "Relax. I'm just an exiled princess now."
"No one treated me kindly in the palace."
"Here… for the first time, I actually feel at peace."
Shinju looked at her.
There was a brief silence.
He lay back on the grass again, closing his eyes.
Only two sounds filled the air: the rustle of the wind…
and their rumbling stomachs.
Koharu sat beside him, pressing her hands to her stomach.
> "I think… I'm hungry."
Without opening his eyes, Shinju murmured:
> "Me too."
They stayed quiet for a while.
Then Shinju turned his head toward the nearby swamp.
> "There's moss over there."
Koharu instantly grimaced.
> "Don't even mention that moss… I still remember the taste."
Shinju stood up.
> "Hunger is stronger than the stomach itself."
He stepped toward the swamp, reached into the water, and pulled out a handful of dark green strands.
Without hesitation, he tossed them into his mouth.
Koharu watched in disgust.
> "You're seriously eating that?"
Shinju chewed and nodded contentedly.
> "Mmm… it actually tastes pretty good."
Koharu raised an eyebrow.
> "You're saying it tastes good?"
Shinju replied calmly:
> "Yes. Maybe the flavor of the earth changed after that suffocating energy disappeared."
Koharu sighed deeply and finally gave in.
> "Fine… maybe I'll try a little."
She bent down, trembling fingers picking a small piece.
Slowly, she brought it to her mouth.
She chewed once… and her face immediately twisted.
> "This is what you call good?" she cried.
"It's metallic, bitter, disgusting—!"
Shinju shrugged.
> "It's a matter of getting used to it. For me, it's a daily meal."
Koharu covered her mouth, gasping.
> "Your stomach deserves a medal."
Shinju smiled, gazing up at the sky.
> To us, this is a god's meal, he thought. I wonder what you angels used to eat in your kingdom.
Koharu closed her eyes, pressing her stomach and groaning.
> "If this counts as food… I'd rather starve."
Shinju chuckled.
> "Suit yourself. I'll eat your share too."
After filling his stomach, Shinju lay back down on the grass.
Koharu was still clutching her belly.
> "Because of your moss, I don't even want to hear the word 'food' again," she grumbled.
Shinju smiled, placing his hands behind his head.
> "I'm satisfied. Actually, I feel quite full."
Koharu sighed tiredly.
> "It's been a long day… I think I'll sleep like a rock."
Shinju closed his eyes.
> "Good idea. Maybe when morning comes, the flowers really will bloom."
Koharu lay down beside him, gazing at the stars above.
For a while, silence filled the night.
The wind whispered softly through the grass.
> "Strange," Koharu said quietly.
"Here, I feel safer than I ever did in the palace."
Without turning his head, Shinju murmured:
> "Maybe it's not the shield protecting you anymore… but the sky."
Koharu smiled.
> "I like that."
After a while, her breathing slowed.
Her eyelids grew heavy, and she began to snore softly.
Shinju glanced at her from the corner of his eye and smiled faintly.
> "She's really asleep…"
With the peace of having destroyed the golden shield that had haunted him for years, Shinju finally closed his eyes—
and drifted into a deep, quiet sleep.