Hearing the phrase 'my red rose' tickled her conscience. She was not property, and she had no owner. And even if someone wanted to claim her as his own, then that person would be her future husband.
Oh, husband? How could she think of a husband when she was on the verge of death? Her face grew paler as time went by, and Princess Ievna knew that today would be her last day on Earth if no one helped her.
Even her body felt very weak, and she had to lean against the closed door so she would not fall onto the marble floor. The prince glared at her with his pair of golden eyes, and it didn't make her feel any better.
Perhaps she should beg for help from the prince if she still wanted to stay alive.
"I... I didn't steal the red rose. The rose isn't yours in the first place."
Princess Ievna knew that she must not offend the prince if she still wanted to live, but her pride did not allow the prince to claim her as his own. That was why she still insisted on saying that she was not the prince's rose even in this situation.
On the other hand, Prince Reigen was furious as he brought his long legs towards the silver-eyed princess again. Once again, he stopped walking when he was two feet away from the princess.
The distance was kind of dangerous, and the princess attached her body to the door so that the distance between them wouldn't increase even just an inch.
"I'm not a gentleman," the prince spoke in a cold tone. "If you don't want to hand the red rose over to me, then I won't hesitate to search your body!"
One warning was enough to widen Princess Ievna's eyes. Her hands could only grip her green dress tightly, and she was so afraid that the prince would touch her body for real. She had no other choice but to try to prove her innocence again.
"I am indeed Princess Ievna of Shovalon, and I am indeed a red rose! If you don't believe me, then you will have to wait until dusk to see my transformation!"
Princess Ievna looked desperate as she revealed another secret related to the curse, but Prince Reigen once again saw the revelation as a ridiculous excuse.
However, the prince decided to play along when he asked, "What transformation? You will change into another form at dusk?"
Princess Ievna had very little energy left in her body, but she had to explain everything to the prince if she wanted to stay alive.
"I was cursed by Sharass fourteen years ago, and I turned into a red rose because of the curse. However, I will be able to change into my human form during the Spring. My red rose form will automatically change to my human form at dawn, and I will return to my red rose form at dusk."
It was the first time the princess had revealed her secret to others. For fourteen years, she could only keep the secret to herself because she was locked up by the witches. The only living things who would visit her every day were the witches, and she didn't have to reveal her secret to them because the witches had known about it.
Those witches were different from Prince Reigen, who knew nothing about the curse. Now the prince looked startled upon hearing her explanation, and Princess Ievna hoped that the prince would believe her words.
"Let's say that you were indeed cursed by Sharass," Prince Reigen finally found his voice back and immediately replied to the princess' explanation. "Did that happen when Wemor conquered Shovalon? Then, what about the rest of the Shovalon royal family? Were they also cursed by witches?"
Prince Reigen only heard stories about the end of Shovalon, and he heard that the royal family of Shovalon met their end at the hands of Sharass.
But, if the girl did tell the truth about the curse, the rest of the royal family might just be cursed and still be alive, right?
The prince expected the princess to say 'yes,' but the princess suddenly turned her gaze to look at the marble floor, and her face turned grim.
"Sharass has burned my parents to ashes, and I'm the only Shovalon royal family that is still alive today."
Prince Reigen was taken aback again by the girl's confession. The red-haired girl said that her family was burned to ashes by the strongest witch, and it was the same as the story he heard about the tragic end of the royal family.
Now the prince was the one who had complicated feelings in his heart. He couldn't immediately believe the girl's words because there was no valid proof of the story, but the girl didn't seem to be lying to him.
He wasn't very good at reading people's expressions, but the girl's expression looked very gloomy, and it was almost impossible for the girl to lie using such an expression.
Prince Reigen couldn't decide, so he just sighed before turning around. He walked to the nightstand and put the glass vase back on it.
"Let's wait until dusk before I can make a decision," the prince spoke, and Princess Ievna could heave a sigh of relief.
Even if the black-haired prince didn't want to believe her right away, she was still pleased because the prince was willing to give her one chance. She just needed to wait until dusk to prove her innocent, and that wouldn't be difficult, right―
The princess suddenly fell on the cold floor, and she finally realized that waiting until dusk would be difficult for her.
Prince Reigen heard the thud, and he reflexively turned to the source of the sound. He widened his golden eyes when he saw the red-haired girl fall to the ground and was now in her sitting position.
He strode towards the girl and was about to help her up, but the girl's scream stopped him from moving.
"Don't touch me!"