Chapter 6
“Look at me.”
The authority of the imperial bloodline manifests through gaze and voice.
It doesn’t matter whether the target is conscious or not. As long as they possess the physical organs to perceive, it works. My gaze dug into his mind.
Forcing someone into submission without consent is no easy task. Under normal circumstances, controlling a hero known as the treasure of Lohengrin would be impossible.
But right now, not only his body and mind, but even his mana core had been completely shattered.
“Ugh……”
Even after pouring in all the potions, a stream of tears ran from his left eye.
Those involuntary tears were likely the extent of his feeble resistance.
I confirmed the small symbol that flickered briefly in his left eye before disappearing.
I removed the hand holding his eyelid open and wiped away his tears.
“It’s over now. You did well enduring it—it must have been painful.”
And then—
“I’m sorry.”
He would surely come to hate me. But since the one trying to harm him was himself, I had no better option than this.
My first command was simple.
“Stay alive, Regen.”
✦
Regenhardt Lohengrin. The third prince of the Kingdom of Lohengrin, and a core pillar of the Eastern Allied Forces.
His final battlefield was the snow-covered Grand Canyon. Towering cliffs rose steeply on both sides, while behind him stood the last fortress with its iron gates firmly shut.
With no retreat, he faced the imperial army alone.
—Reinforcements will arrive in two days, Prince Regen. Just two days—please hold out for that long.
The one who said this was his most trusted friend, a brilliant strategist who had protected the kingdom all this time. Regen understood the desperate situation—there was no room left for tactics.
—This is the best option under the circumstances.
—If I hold out for two days, do we stand a chance?
—You know me. I only make the best choices.
There were very few who could actually fight. In battles between knights, ordinary soldiers held little meaning as combat power.
Regen decided to go alone.
It didn’t matter. As a prince, he had always fulfilled his duty. He lived with the mission of protecting the weak and kind, those who were fragile and precious.
If anything, not having to watch others die beside him made it easier.
For two long days, a single man fought against an entire army.
No matter how brilliant the imperial strategists were, it didn’t matter. His raw strength surpassed the level of battle itself, rendering tactics meaningless.
—Th-the butcher of Lohengrin!
—Die! Hiiik!
The one called a treasure in his homeland was known as a demon in enemy lands.
As if driven by instinct alone, he cut down countless enemies with his sword.
Like wildflowers losing their heads in a harsh wind, imperial soldiers fell uselessly. Then white death descended from the sky, covering their corpses like burial shrouds.
The freezing cold threatened to rupture his veins, while the heat from his overworked heart twisted his entire body. Just as his battered body began to reach its limit, he saw a flag through the snowfall.
He thought it was reinforcements.
But what came into view bore the blue eagle—the symbol of the empire.
What truly drove him into despair came next.
The last fortress, which should have held firm, opened its gates defenselessly.
—No!
He had fought, burning his life away, to protect that gate. All that effort collapsed in an instant.
Soon after, someone walked onto the battlefield, escorted by soldiers, holding a royal hostage.
—Wouldn’t it have been better to die before witnessing something this disgraceful, Your Highness?
It was his trusted friend—the kingdom’s strategist.
—What are you doing…?
—You know me. I always choose the best option.
—This… is your best?
—I acknowledge that we differ in perspective. I simply chose what’s best for me, not for you. And right now, the best choice is—
A blade pierced through Regen’s right chest.
—Treason.
A week later, the third prince of Lohengrin was officially declared dead.
✦
The moment Regen opened his eyes, a thought crossed his mind.
‘I still have eyes left to open?’
One of his eyes was perfectly fine. As if it had never been injured, it retained the sharp vision of a hawk.
He moved his gaze to examine his surroundings. A ceiling painted with elaborate designs, luxurious drapes and bedding, elegant patterns decorating the walls, and flower vases placed throughout the room—it was an utterly unfamiliar space.
For the first time in a long while, he could think clearly. Until now, the aftereffects of battle and torture had left him feverish, his consciousness flickering in and out.
But now, his mind was not just clear—it was sharp.
Fragmented memories began to piece themselves together like a mosaic.
The snow-covered canyon.
Two days of battle.
His friend’s betrayal.
Capture.
Torture.
Execution.
At that point, a question arose.
‘Why am I alive?’
Eradicating a royal bloodline completes a conquest. If the empire were sane, they would never leave a royal alive. And yet, his head remained attached, functioning perfectly.
He tried to recall what had happened, but a splitting headache—like shards of ice digging into his brain—interrupted him. He assumed it was a side effect of torture.
Aside from that missing chunk, his memory gradually returned.
He had been dragged before the emperor, chained together with other prisoners like a slave. He heard talk of spoils and rewards—and the voices of women.
Among them, one voice stood out vividly.
—You belong to me.
A sharp sensation, as if something was burrowing deep inside him, made him flinch.
“You’re awake?”
“….”
Drawn by that familiar voice, he turned his head. Behind a gently swaying curtain, the silhouette of a woman appeared.
She gracefully drew the curtain aside and revealed herself.
She reminded him of a beautiful white sandy beach he had seen as a child. Her long platinum hair gleamed like fine sand under sunlight.
Her pale sky-blue eyes were cold and clear like icy water, perfectly matching her calm, expressionless face.
A woman like a winter beach.
That was his first impression.
Once that brief thought passed, his rational mind resumed.
A beauty so perfect she seemed to have stepped out of a painting.
In the imperial palace, a woman like her could only be one of two things:
Either one of the emperor’s many concubines—
Or one of the eight surviving imperial princesses.
“Y-you are…?”
His voice came out rough, scraping against his throat. She calmly filled a glass with water and handed it to him.
“I am Rosacia Trinity Magnaroad, the sixth imperial princess of the empire.”
The emperor’s daughter.
He wasn’t particularly surprised by her introduction, delivered as casually as handing over a glass of water.
He sat up and took the glass, wetting his throat just enough. His voice became smoother.
“So you’re the one who received me.”
“…That’s not an entirely inaccurate way to remember it.”
Her tone was slightly strange, but not enough to draw his attention.
He got out of bed. His legs moved without pain.
He checked the rest of his body—aside from his right eye, he was mostly recovered.
Even after placing the empty glass back on the bedside table himself, he continued to walk slowly around the room, hoping to appear as though he was simply curiously observing the place.
The princess didn’t seem to care. She merely sipped her tea, neither watching nor monitoring him.
“This is my first time in an imperial princess’s bedroom.”
“It’s my first time bringing a man into it.”
She said such things without hesitation. He couldn’t read her at all.
With her silent permission, he stepped out onto the balcony. A grand garden and fountain spread out before him, and to the right stood what appeared to be the main palace.
A cold wind brushed past him, tousling his white hair as he gripped the marble railing.
It felt like the winter wind had come from the northeastern canyon where he had spilled so much blood—it even seemed to carry a faint metallic scent.
He stood there for a while, taking in the scenery. To an observer, he might have looked like someone realizing he had stepped into the heart of the empire.
“…Second floor.”
“Yes. Just the second floor.”
At the immediate reply, he turned toward her.
Still calmly enjoying her tea, she didn’t even meet his gaze as she continued.
“Even if you jump, you won’t die.”
“….”
She had seen right through his desire to die.
