The Moonlight Princess's Fate: A Forbidden Love Blooming in the Royal Capital - A Midnight Confession and the Vanished Record

The sound of the Moonlight River's murmur drifted in from beyond the window. Luna lay in bed with her eyes open, staring at the ceiling. It was a sleepless night. She spread the map of the Crepusculum Ruins in her mind over and over—folding it, unfolding it again. The path through the Great Forest of Verde, the provisions needed, the detour routes around restricted zones—there was too much to think about. Her mind wouldn't quiet down. (Sordan's curse might reach its limit in half a year. And I haven't even finished the list yet.) She felt like sneaking into the library at midnight and pulling out documents. No—she needed to calm down a little. She could investigate again tomorrow. Then the window trembled slightly. It wasn't the wind. Something was wedged in the corner of the window frame. A thin slip of paper. Luna sat up and reached for it. Short characters were scrawled across it. *The Moonlight Tower. Now.* There was no signature. But she recognized the handwriting. A brief memo left in the library documents—Sordan's. (Now? It's the middle of the night, you know?) Luna muttered this to herself as she pulled on her robe. But her feet were already moving. ✦ The stairs of the Moonlight Tower were cold even in the dead of night. As she climbed with her hand against the stone wall, faint light leaked from the top. The moment she pushed the door open, Luna stopped. Sordan was on his knees on the floor. His right arm was drawn against his chest, one hand pressed to the stone floor. His hair—a deep crimson close to jet black—clung to his forehead with sweat. The Solar Mark—the golden ritual pattern that usually glowed pale blue and quiet—was now flickering red-black, bright and dim in rapid succession. A seizure. Luna understood immediately. Much stronger than before. "…You came," His voice was hoarse. She could tell he was trying to maintain his dignity. But his body wasn't obeying him. Luna quickly knelt beside him. In her mind, she desperately pulled up the passages she'd read in the library. A solar curse seizure—body temperature spikes, magical flow runs wild. Cool the body without overdoing it. Steady the breathing. Calm the magical flow. Don't let him sit directly on the cold stone. Don't rush him. (Let's see, next I need to guide the breathing to settle the magical disturbance…) "…What are you muttering about?" His eyes narrowed. Even in the middle of a seizure, he could hear her clearly. "I'm confirming the procedure. Please be quiet," "Procedure," "It was in a book," Sordan looked like he wanted to say something, but Luna was already moving. She placed her hand gently on his back and guided him with a low, quiet voice. "Breathe in. Slowly. Exhale. That's right. One more time," Thirty seconds. One minute. Two minutes. The red-black flickering gradually calmed. His breathing steadied. Luna kept her hand in place, maintaining the pace of her voice. Her chest was pounding the whole time, but that didn't matter now. Eventually the Solar Mark returned to its pale blue glow. Sordan slowly raised his face. "…The third time," "I saw. The third time," Sordan laughed bitterly. "Seen again," The two of them sat side by side on the cold stone floor. Moonlight from the Moonlight River streamed through the tower window, creating silver stripes on the floor. It was an odd silence. ✦ For a while, neither of them said anything. The wind blew. Luna looked toward the Moonlight River while adjusting her robe. Sordan rested his right arm on his knee, watching the Solar Mark's light return to normal. Then—for the first time, Sordan spoke first. "Four years ago," Luna didn't move. She listened. "During a mission near the border, I received it from an unknown caster. The Solar Mark has been weakening every month. If this continues…within half a year, it will be difficult to continue as captain," His voice was composed. But Luna could tell he was using all his strength to maintain that composure. "If the knights find out, they'll panic. If the Crown Prince learns of it, I'll be immediately removed from duty. Because I'm royalty, there's nowhere to show weakness. That's all it's ever been," The last words sank quietly into the tower. Nowhere to show weakness. That's all it's ever been. Luna looked at her own left hand. The pale bluish mark hidden beneath her robe's sleeve. Something she'd carried on the inside of her arm since that day fourteen years ago. (I understand what this person is saying. I understand it too well. It hurts a little.) Luna slowly rolled up her sleeve. In the moonlight, the mark at the base of her fingers became visible. Sordan's gaze turned toward it. He was looking at it properly for the first time. She'd shown it to him once before, but it had been dark then—he probably hadn't seen it clearly. "I've been carrying my burden alone too," Her voice trembled slightly. But she continued. "I know in my head that it would be easier if I could tell someone. But I just couldn't say it. For five years, that's been it," Sordan said nothing. He just listened. "So…I think I can carry some of your weight. You don't have to be alone. Let's find the answer together, the two of us," She held out her hand. It was shaking, but she didn't pull it back. After a long silence, Sordan didn't take her hand. But he looked at it intently. Something wavered in those golden eyes. "…Do as you please," He looked away, and the corner of his mouth rose slightly. Luna lowered her hand and let out a relieved breath. She understood what that meant now. (Good.) The moment that relief spread through her chest—Luna said out loud what she was thinking. "Then starting tomorrow, I'll make a list for travel preparations. First, provisions—Your Highness, do you have any food preferences?" Sordan froze. "…Are you talking about that now?" "I think it's a high priority," Watching Sordan put his hand to his forehead, Luna laughed a little on the inside. ✦ The next morning, the library was quiet. Most of the librarian staff hadn't arrived yet, and only the head librarian Darius was rustling around in the back room. Luna had decided to systematically re-examine the documents related to the Dual Light Resonance as preparation for the journey. She wanted to gather as much information as possible before heading to the Crepusculum Ruins. She pulled a document from the shelf. Then another. And another. Before she knew it, materials were spread across the floor in a fan shape. "Luna," Darius poked his head out from the back room door. The fifty-eight-year-old head librarian saw the disaster at Luna's feet and pushed his glasses up. "This isn't a competition arena," "…I'm sorry. I'll clean it up right away," Darius withdrew with an exasperated expression. Luna knelt down and rearranged the materials while continuing to turn pages. And then—she found it. (This is strange.) In multiple documents, only the passages about Dual Light Resonance had been cleanly cut out. She'd noticed this before. But this time, when she cross-referenced it with the checkout ledger—the record of who borrowed which documents and when—something didn't add up. The checkout records for the relevant documents were completely blacked out. The ink color was different. It had been added later. And—when she checked the handwriting of the person who managed the ledger, the handwriting of the blacking-out didn't match. Someone else had altered it afterward. (An internal person is doing this intentionally…?) Luna flipped through the ledger and checked the responsible manager's column. The name written there made Luna pause for a moment. Beldor. The royal palace's document administrator. The person who had been quietly observing her interaction with Sordan in the library the other day. (It's not a coincidental gap. Someone is intentionally erasing information about the Dual Light Resonance.) Who, and why—she didn't have those answers yet. But this was a discovery she had to report to Sordan. Luna opened her notebook and quickly jotted down notes. The state of the ledger, the difference in handwriting, Beldor's position. She absolutely had to report this before they left on the journey. ✦ In the early afternoon, Sordan came to the library. In his black Heliogard uniform—the uniform of the Solar Knights, who protected the Luceria Continent—his figure was so imposing it seemed out of place in the library. But lately the librarians had grown accustomed to it, and his comings and goings no longer caused much of a stir. Familiarity was a frightening thing. Luna called Sordan to a secluded corner of the shelves and showed him the ledger notes. "Look at this. The checkout records for documents related to Dual Light Resonance have been blacked out for the past several years. And the handwriting doesn't match the manager's. Someone altered it afterward," Sordan's eyes fell on the notes. His golden eyes narrowed. "The manager is Beldor. The document administrator," "Yes. And—the person who was observing us in this library the other day," A brief silence. "Intentional tampering, then," "I can't say for certain. But it's too consistent to be coincidence," Sordan crossed his arms. The Solar Mark on his right arm glowed with a calm pale blue light. The seizure from last night seemed like a lie—today it was quiet. "Understood. I'll investigate Beldor's movements," Luna nodded. Then she spread out a map. There was one more thing she needed to discuss. "About the route to the Crepusculum Ruins…we'll have to pass through the restricted zone of the Great Forest of Verde. Not only ordinary people, but even knights can't enter without a military requisition," "I can get through if I make it an official mission under the name of ruins investigation," "But I'm a librarian in the royal palace now. If I leave on a journey, I'll be abandoning my position as a librarian," Sordan was silent for a while. Luna was silent too. The two of them gazed at the map. "…Then I'll submit a request to the library for ancient language translation assistance. You can accompany me as a task," "That's…a good idea," She started to say something, then immediately realized. "But if the captain of the knights is personally taking around a librarian without a light…it's definitely going to cause strange rumors," "Shut up," He didn't deny it. Luna didn't press further. The two of them discussed the journey procedures in hushed voices. The amount of provisions, rest points, resupply in Rendel Village—the village at the entrance to the Great Forest of Verde, where there should be an inn for travelers called the "Green Shade Lodge." According to the documents, five guides were stationed there permanently. Before she realized it, Luna was sitting next to Sordan, spreading out the map. (…Wait, when did I sit down?) The distance was close. Close enough that their shoulders might touch. Luna felt heat gathering in her cheeks as she kept her eyes on the map, unable to move. Sordan seemed completely unconcerned, calmly studying the map. This person's obliviousness was a talent. From an outside perspective—and there Luna stopped herself. She didn't want to think about it. It absolutely, completely looked like a suspicious secret meeting. But the parties involved were entirely serious. They were discussing a mission. (It's serious. This is mission discussion. Please understand it that way.) Telling herself this in her mind, Luna continued writing notes on the itinerary. ✦ When night fell, Luna headed to the Moonlight Tower with her preparation notes. Sordan was already there. He leaned against the railing, looking down at the Moonlight River. The night wind swayed his deep crimson hair. The Solar Mark on his right arm glowed quietly in the moonlight. "Here's the travel preparation list. I've written out the breakdown of provisions and equipment, and a rough budget e

日本語

What is Novelia? →

Episode 3

Name: The Moonlight Princess's Fate: A Forbidden Love Blooming in the Royal Capital
Author: Novelia

What is Novelia?

Novelia is an AI-powered platform to read original light novels and fan fiction, create your own in just a few taps, and chat with the characters. New, illustrated episodes arrive daily — free to start.

Learn more about Novelia →New sign-ups get 5,000pt