CHAPTER 2
Kaen suddenly realized that the person standing before him was a princess.
He was shocked when he finally understood that the woman in front of him was the princess of the kingdom. Because of that, Kaen immediately bowed and excused himself.
"Ah, my apologies, Princess. Haha… I'll be leaving now."
Deep inside, Kaen had only one thought—he absolutely did not want to get into trouble just because of a princess.
"Wait. Just a moment."
Kaen froze when he heard the princess speak.
"The spear you're holding… it belonged to a veteran soldier from our palace. How did you obtain it?"
Hearing this, Kaen looked at the spear in his hand.
"Ah, this one? It belonged to my father. He was once a knight who has now retired."
At that moment, the princess stepped closer to Kaen.
"What is your name?"
Kaen was confused by the princess's cold and emotionless aura.
"Ah… my name is Kaen."
He immediately knelt down and bowed his head.
"It is an honor to meet you in person, Princess Isabella."
When Isabella heard his words, her expression turned serious.
"Hm… so you already know who I am."
She looked at Kaen with cold eyes.
"Yes. Almost everyone in the village knows you as the most beautiful princess in the kingdom."
Suddenly, Kaen felt something strange.
Without warning, he stood up and ran straight into the forest.
Isabella was stunned by Kaen's sudden departure.
"Hey! Kaen! Where are you going?!"
Without hesitation, Isabella used mana to chase after him.
However, she soon noticed that Kaen's presence was slowly disappearing from her senses.
Then suddenly—
"ROOOAARR!"
Isabella froze when she heard the roar of an orc.
Fear filled her heart.
Meanwhile, Kaen was already fighting the orc, attacking it repeatedly with his spear.
"Hehe… I'm strong now. Do you really think I'd still be scared of you?"
Kaen's eyes widened when he suddenly saw the orc's massive fist rushing toward his face.
But at that instant, Kaen's eyes glowed blue, and the orc's movements slowed down.
Taking advantage of the moment, Kaen swiftly dodged and stabbed the orc's arms repeatedly with his spear.
The orc screamed in pain.
A few seconds later, the blue glow in Kaen's eyes faded, and he immediately retreated when he noticed the world around him returning to normal speed.
When Kaen saw that the orc was weakening from its wounds, he charged forward once more.
The moment he got close, Kaen vanished.
Suddenly, multiple spears pierced the orc's legs, forcing it to kneel.
Before it could react, another spear pierced straight through its head, destroying its brain.
The orc fell lifeless.
Isabella, who had been hiding behind a tree, watched everything in shock.
She couldn't believe how skilled Kaen was.
Kaen chuckled to himself.
"Hmhm… so this is all an orc can do. I guess I was just too much of a coward to fear them before."
He then looked toward the tree where Isabella was hiding.
"Princess, you can come out now. I know you're there. There's no danger anymore."
Isabella slowly stepped out, staring at Kaen.
Without realizing it, she felt a growing sense of admiration toward him.
But she quickly frowned at herself.
"Damn it… what am I feeling?"
"I'm a princess. I must be strong. I can't fall for someone like him."
Suddenly, Isabella was startled when Kaen appeared right in front of her.
"Hey, Princess Isabella. Are you okay? Why are you spacing out? What are you thinking about?"
Isabella froze.
Her cheeks flushed red, and her heart began to beat rapidly because Kaen's face was so close to hers.
Startled, she pushed him away.
"Don't come so close to me like that!"
Kaen laughed loudly.
"Haha! Why are you blushing? What's wrong, Princess?"
Annoyed, Isabella snapped back.
"What are you laughing at?!"
Kaen continued laughing.
"Hahaha! Earlier you looked so cold, but now you're all flustered. Your emotions change so fast, Princess!"
Isabella felt embarrassed.
She reminded herself that as a princess, she must always remain cold and dominant.
Kaen then turned around and started walking away.
"Haha, I'll be leaving now, Princess. You should return to the village. I saw knights entering earlier—probably your soldiers. They're surely looking for you."
Hearing this, Isabella quickly walked toward Kaen.
"Wait. Can I come with you?"
Kaen stopped in his tracks.
"Huh?? Princess, please don't joke around. I know you sneaked out—you were hiding your face when you left. Your soldiers are definitely searching for you. Please don't drag me into this."
Isabella was shocked.
Back in the kingdom, countless men would offer her help without hesitation, constantly seeking her attention.
Yet here was Kaen—completely uninterested in her, despite her beauty.
She was deep in thought when Kaen spoke again.
"Princess, it's better if you go back. No matter how beautiful you are, I won't be interested in protecting you."
Isabella clenched her teeth and grabbed Kaen's hand.
"I'm coming with you. I can fight."
Kaen let out a sigh.
"Fine. If that's what you want, I'll allow it."
He smirked.
Isabella frowned.
"Hey, Kaen. Why are you smirking? Are you planning something?"
"Nothing much, Princess. But if you can keep up with me, then you might be worthy of being my companion."
Before Isabella could respond, Kaen suddenly ran forward at incredible speed.
"HEY KAEN! WAIT FOR ME!"
Isabella immediately infused mana into her legs and leaped high to follow him.
Still, she struggled to keep up.
"Kaen! Slow down!"
Kaen smiled.
"Hahaha! I thought you said you could fight? Prove it! If you're this slow, you're too weak to be my companion!"
Kaen sped up even more.
With no other choice, Isabella used all the remaining mana in her legs to move faster.
Kaen was shocked when he noticed that Isabella was still keeping up.
"Oh? You're not bad, Princess. I thought you were just a spoiled noble."
Their chase eventually led them to a steep mountain.
Isabella was exhausted.
"Kaen… don't tell me you're planning to climb that?!"
Kaen smiled.
"Yes, Princess. We're climbing it. The view at the top is beautiful. I always come here when I enter the forest."
Isabella was horrified.
"W-Wait! Are you serious?! That's insane!"
She fell silent when she saw Kaen already jumping from rock to rock, climbing the steep mountain effortlessly.
Isabella realized something shocking—
Kaen was a mage.
He could use mana.
She had assumed he was an aura user, like most knights.
Aura users were warriors who relied on their own strength, while mages were rare and far more powerful, drawing mana from nature itself.
Aura users could fight endlessly, but mages would weaken once their mana was depleted.
Yet Kaen could use both aura and mana—
At only sixteen years old.
Isabella couldn't believe it.
"This… this is impossible. He's stronger than me."
"I'm a princess. I was trained by elite warriors since childhood."
Fueled by pride, Isabella began climbing the steep mountain herself.
"Wait for me, Kaen! I'll catch up!"
But as she climbed higher, Kaen only grew farther away.
Panic filled her heart as she realized her mana was nearly depleted.
If her mana ran out, she would fall—and die.
She looked down.
She was already terrifyingly high above the ground.
"D-Damn it… I shouldn't have climbed. If my mana runs out…"
Suddenly, the mana in her legs vanished.
Her feet lost their grip.
Tears streamed down her face as fear overwhelmed her.
"I'm going to fall…"
Suddenly, someone grabbed her.
But Isabella couldn't see who it was.
The fear was too much.
She lost consciousness.
Kaen caught her and laughed.
"Haha… you're actually a coward. That's what you get for being so prideful."
As Isabella slept, she dreamed of her past.
She saw how difficult her life had been as a princess—burdened by endless expectations.
As the only child, the entire kingdom's hopes rested on her shoulders.
She had faced countless fake friends and opportunists.
Then—
She woke up.
A deep sense of peace filled her heart.
She sat up and saw a breathtaking view at the mountain's peak.
Kaen stood with his back to her, eating an apple.
Annoyed, Isabella stood up—
But froze when she truly took in the scenery.
For the first time in her life, she felt true peace.
She looked at Kaen and saw the calm expression on his face.
Noticing that she was awake, Kaen smiled.
"Good, you're awake, Princess. Haha. I didn't expect you to be that scared."
He split the apple in half.
"Catch."
He tossed one half to her.
Isabella caught it.
"Eat. It's good."
She took a bite.
For the first time, Isabella felt at peace with a man—
And she never expected that feeling to come from man someone her own age.