"Just a little further. Just a little more."

Anna had seen countless sunsets during her 18 years of life.

Yet today, Anna walked, and then ran, as if today's sunset was her only salvation. She didn’t even notice when one of her shoes slipped off or when thorns grazed her skin.

A flood of light hit her vision, focused solely ahead, in an instant.

“...Wow.” The words escaped her lips as the sea breeze brushed past.

She had emerged from the forest, and all around her was the sea. The slowly sinking sun beneath the gently rippling waves was achingly beautiful.

Anna, who had paused momentarily, reached out her hand, only to pull it back when she realized it cast a shadow.

For this moment, at least, she wanted no shadow over her. Just for now, just this moment, please.

“It’s so beautiful.”

Her eyes stung.

Anna, who had been gazing blankly at the view beyond the cliff, closed her eyes. As if engraving the scene onto her eyelids, she slowly took a step forward, one foot after the other.

If she could choose where it would end, this would be the place. Anna didn’t stop the thought, long buried deep inside, from surfacing.

Beautiful, quiet... “Hey.”

The silence was broken, and Anna opened her eyes.

There were only a few steps left to the edge of the cliff. With a sigh that was too sharp to be relief and too heavy to be regret, Anna turned around.

At the edge of the windbreak, which she hadn't noticed before, stood a stranger.

“You’re blocking my light.”

If the pages of the book he held in one hand hadn’t been turning slowly, Anna might have believed the man in the black shirt was a painting.

Though Anna' shadow, stretched long by the sunset, didn't reach the man seated in a long deck chair, he still claimed ownership of the light, yet not a single ray had been stolen from him.

Is this private property? Anna wondered briefly before replying curtly. “Maybe the land is yours, but not the light.”

The man, still staring at his book, replied in a voice thick and languid.

“Yes, quite a romantic notion for someone trespassing on that land.”

Anna, eyeing the title of the book in his hand, responded clearly and concisely.

“If you don't like sharing, you could at least make a donation.”

Distribution Theory.

The man lowered the book, revealing his entire face for the first time.

His hair, black as ebony, was neatly swept back, and his eyes were a deep red, like the glow of embers. However, much like the sunset he seemed to command, the warmth in his gaze was insufficient to dispel the coldness that veiled his face.

The man's appearance was the most poised and simultaneously the most striking Anna had ever seen.

“A donation, you say?”

He swept a hand over his face and, for some reason, let out a lowchuckle.

“What about your shoe?”

Anna, who had wondered if he was mocking her, suddenly realized she was missing one shoe. She hadn’t noticed because it didn’t hurt.

As she glanced down at her scratched and bruised left foot, which had been cut by stones and thorns, the man strode toward her.

“Put it up.”

And then, without hesitation, he knelt on one knee.

Anna, who hadn’t been startled by the scenery, the distance to the cliff, or his sudden address, was taken aback for the first time by this unknown man's gesture.

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

The man, with an expression as unyielding as a blade that would bend before it broke, had no hesitation in lowering himself.

Whether or not he noticed her confusion, the man calmly added, “I’m telling you to place your injured foot on my knee.”

“No.”

Even with her reflexive refusal, the man simply nodded.

“If you want me to lower myself further.”

Though Anna had not meant that at all, the man replied as if he would gladly do so, making light of the situation.

Flustered, Anna sat down abruptly, fearing the man might actually lower himself further.

The man's face was suddenly close as they sat across from each other. His sharp, clear eyes curved playfully.

“I didn’t expect you to just sit down like that. Usually, when I do this, people give in.”

"The man, despite using words of submission, wore an expression entirely devoid of subservience.

Dazed by the disconnect, Anna quickly regained her senses when the sea breeze blew against her back. She pulled away from the lingering bitterness of his laughter and his broad, fragrant presence, shaking her head.

'It’s fine. There's no need.'

'You never know,' he responded. 'I might be able to gift you a pair of decent shoes. Ones that actually fit you, unlike the oversized ones you're wearing now.'

The man was right. Her shoes were too large and didn’t fit her properly.

But Anna was also right. There was no need for this strange man to do any of this for her. It was excessive kindness to show to someone he'd just met. For a moment, Anna wondered if all this was a dream. However, the man’s deliberate, slow speech, as if carving each word into her ears, brought her back to reality.

'You asked for a donation.'

Yes, that made sense, if it was charity.

'Look at me now…'

With disheveled hair, a pale face, a wrinkled dress, and only one oversized shoe left, who wouldn’t see her as someone in disarray?

Instead of denying it, a bitter smile crossed her lips. Shaking her head at the man who was still watching her, Anna stood up.

'Letting me stay here for a while was enough.'

'Is that so?' The man didn’t press further, surprisingly.

Just as he had approached her suddenly, he now turned away just as lightly. He returned to his original spot and picked up his book, as if no unwelcome guest had ever interrupted his quiet retreat.

Anna was the one who had intruded, yet she oddly felt as though she were the one being left behind.

Watching the man light a cigar, Anna hesitated for a moment before walking away. The sun was setting, and that meant her time was running out as well.

The salty breeze, mixed with the smell of smoke, seemed to push her forward.

Just as she was about to step back into the thorny woods, she heard a voice.

'Farewell.'

Was the man looking at his book or watching her? Anna suddenly felt curious, but she didn’t look back.

'Yes, take care.'

That farewell clarified everything. He was the one staying, and she was the one leaving. It was the end of a fleeting, unfamiliar moment, never to be revisited. Yet, for some reason, the warmth of that simple goodbye felt strangely different.

Reflecting on the word “farewell,” Anna crossed through the thorny woods. In the distance, the anxious coachman spotted her emerging from the forest and jumped in surprise.

'My lady! Where on earth have you been? If the Duke finds out…!'

'I’m sorry, Raul. The sunset beyond was so beautiful. I thought I’d take advantage of the brief moment you were away.'

'Good heavens!'

'It was even more beautiful up close.'

It was so beautiful that, for a moment, I thought this could be the edge of the world. I didn’t want to come back.

Swallowing the rest of her thoughts, Anna smiled.

'But I came back, didn’t I?'

Raul, who had been about to say something, couldn’t bring himself to scold the impulsive actions of the smiling lady. Even when he noticed her missing shoe, he kept his mouth shut.

Glancing back over the thorny woods where dusk had now settled, Raul snapped the reins. The old carriage of the Savier duchy rattled as it began to move.

Anna' legs, thin and covered in small cuts, trembled weakly. Her feet still didn’t hurt.

'Once more, tell me.'

'I bought a book at the bookstore. I stopped to look at apples at a street stall and then boarded the carriage. By the time I returned, it was…'

This was the tenth time she had repeated the same question and answer.

Wine splashed across her face.

'...it was this time.'

Anna bowed her head as she finished speaking.

The maid, watching anxiously from a distance, didn’t know what to do. She wanted to urge Anna to quickly apologize and beg for forgiveness. Though the maid’s voice seemed to echo in her mind, Anna stood still as if frozen.

'Did I ever permit you to browse the market?'

'No, Father.'

'Did I ever allow you to be late returning?'

'No, Father.'

The Duke smiled warmly.

'Anna, my one and only daughter. You knew better, and yet you made a mistake. Well, everyone makes mistakes. I understand that. But…'

The Duke’s wrinkled hand took hold of Anna's hand tenderly.

Then he squeezed it tightly.

'But a father who worries about his inadequate daughter…'

With each word, he pressed down on one of her finger joints.

'Doesn’t quite feel the same.'

It was a method meant to inflict pain without leaving a mark. Although it must have hurt terribly, Anna didn’t make a sound.

After twisting three of her knuckles, the Duke asked softly, 'Isn’t that right, my daughter?'

'...'

'Hm?'

When he twisted the remaining knuckles in one swift motion, a small voice finally escaped her lips.

'I’m sorry. I won’t do it again.'

'Yes, that’s what I thought.'

The Duke, who had been staring steadily at his daughter, now soaked in wine like a drenched rat, gave a

small nod.

'Go wash up. If the wine stains, it’ll be a problem.'

'Yes.'

'Why is it that you only listen after all this? What a waste of wine.'

'Yes, I’m sorry.'

He had said, 'If it stains.' It wasn’t something one would usually say to a person.

Yet Anna, as if accustomed to such treatment, left without reaction. Her maid, Estelle, hurriedly followed her, still in a state of anxiety.

'What are we going to do? Are you all right, my lady?'

'Yes, I’m fine. But Estelle, I have something to ask you.'

Taking the cloth from Estelle, Anais asked quietly.

'It seems the person who’s come to take me away has finally arrived, hasn’t he?'"