Chapter 23
“But you know… when you came here, you should’ve brought the Emperor, not just a slip of paper. That way, I might’ve had a reason to let you live, don’t you think?”
The warmth from earlier had completely vanished.
In an instant, he brought his hand to Gaia’s neck. The murderous intent that radiated from him, unlike anything she’d ever felt, made Gaia instinctively try to step back. But he was faster.
Her knights hurriedly raised their swords, but Argent’s knights emerged from the shadows even faster, swiftly subduing Gaia’s men.
“Go ahead and keep up that pitiful expression.”
“Are… are you threatening me?!”
“Of course.”
“D-Do you even know who I am?!”
“Who else? A herbivore that walked straight into a predator’s den.”
His eyes glinted coldly.
The look in his eyes was so chilling, her knees nearly gave out—it truly felt like he saw her as prey.
“But I suppose I can’t kill you.”
Only after a while did he finally loosen his grip. Gaia, who had been choking so badly she couldn’t even make a sound, had to cough for quite some time to recover.
He tried to kill me…!
Where else could something like this happen?
How could anyone—let alone someone like him—treat her this way?
“If it were up to me, I’d kill you right now and present your head to my little brother. But that wouldn’t be much fun.”
“…Y-You’ll regret this!”
“I highly doubt that. In fact, it’ll be you who bitterly regrets ever stepping foot in this place.”
Gaia clenched her fists.
What had happened to the man who’d been so polite in front of Free?
Only now did she fully grasp where she had walked into—the maw of a beast.
Her eyes hardened.
“I won’t leave until I’ve gotten what I came for. And aren’t you going to read this document? If not, you’ll regret that too.”
With something clearly up her sleeve, Gaia regained her confident smile.
“Do you really think this piece of paper will guarantee your life?”
“Of course.”
Gaia pretended to be confident, but her trembling legs betrayed her.
She had little faith the document would save her, but people with nothing to lose must act bold.
Argent, who had been silently watching her, finally glanced down at the paper she held out.
It was a decree from the Emperor of Behfort, requesting the safe return of the kidnapped princess from the Ezan Kingdom and a guarantee of safety.
“And I’m supposed to honor this decree?”
“It’s a request for cooperation. You know better than anyone that crossing the Empire brings no benefits.”
This kind of reasoning might have worked in some backwater barbarian village.
But this wasn’t just any place. This was a nation that rivaled the Empire in size and strength. Gaia knew even as she spoke that her words wouldn’t work here.
Still, she spoke them as if reading from a script.
“Is this supposed to be a joke?”
Argent’s lip curled in a smirk.
“…A joke?”
“You think this nation—this nation we built—is afraid of Behfort?”
“……”
Gaia opened her mouth to refute him, but her rational mind stopped her.
“If you have eyes, use them properly. And for the record, this is exactly what I want—to have my little brother come here himself. So go ahead, cause a stir and contact him.”
Argent’s eyes drifted casually to the knight behind Gaia. At his signal, his knights withdrew their swords.
“You, the one pretending to be Princess Gaia’s knight. Get out. Go and deliver this message—tell them exactly where this land is. And if you see my little brother, tell him this: if he wants anything, he should come himself.”
The knight, who had followed Gaia as part of the Emperor’s escort, turned and left without hesitation. Gaia, flustered, turned red.
“W-Where are you going?!”
Panicked, Gaia shouted after him, but the man, who had never intended to protect her in the first place, was already gone.
“What a loyal knight, huh? Abandoning the very one he serves.”
“……”
Gaia clenched her fists so tightly her palms turned red.
She had suffered great losses.
Her face hardened cruelly. This couldn’t be happening. The journey here had been perilous—many of her knights had fallen along the way. They’d even been ambushed on flat ground.
The few remaining knights were stopped at the gates.
All she had left were the two who rode in the carriage with her. Besides them, no one remained to protect her.
And now the Emperor’s knight had left. She’d taken a risk, trusting only in that man. He had seemed dependable.
“If you harm me, Free won’t sit still.”
“And?”
“What do you mean, and?! That means you’ll have to protect me!”
“Interesting. But you see—”
His large hand roughly grabbed Gaia’s cheek.
“I never had any intention of killing you in the first place.”
“Rea…”
She started to ask if he was serious but bit her tongue. She didn’t want to look weak—so she simply stared back, putting on a stronger front.
“I have no desire to dirty my hands. So let me ask you just one thing. Why exactly did you come here? To follow the Emperor’s orders, or to find your sister?”
His next move clearly depended on her answer. But Gaia couldn’t quite gauge what he wanted.
“Whatever the case, it doesn’t matter. Let me give you a warning: there will be much you’ll need to protect here. One of them is this—never let Free find out why you came. You must say you’re only here as a guest.”
“W-What?”
“That is the only way you’ll survive. I know you came here to take Free away and boost your own reputation. Don’t think I don’t know.”
“And you expect me to follow your—”
“Won’t listen? Then go ahead and die.”
Her slender neck fit perfectly in his palm, already completely enveloped by his hand.
If he decided to apply force, it would snap easily. Knowing this, Gaia could only bite her lip.
“Is this a threat?”
“A threat? No. It’s a proposal—for cooperation.”
“…If you keep threatening me, it won’t end well for you. I’m part of an official diplomatic envoy.”
“A diplomatic envoy? Don’t make me laugh.”
“……”
“And one more thing. If you want to live, you’d better act like we’re getting along in front of Free.”
At that moment—
A neatly dressed woman approached them.
“Your Majesty.”
“Perfect timing. From today, she’ll be your maid and shadow. She’ll monitor your every move.”
“…W-What did you say?”
“Your knights, your servants—they’re not allowed in here. They’re useless to you now.”
“What?! That’s outrageous! I came here as part of an official delegation, and under international law, all diplomatic missions are guaranteed minimal—”
“This is the land of barbarians. I am the law. Whatever treaties or peace agreements you refer to—those mean nothing to me. Obey, or die.”
Gaia was not particularly bright.
She was born a noble princess, raised without want. As the firstborn, she had everything she desired, and thanks to her permissive father, she was the law within the Ezan Kingdom.
So she had never needed to read the room. And now, this situation was maddening to her.
If only it weren’t for the Empress’s seat…
The seat of Empress, her ticket to the wider world.
She had achieved everything in Ezan. Now it was time to conquer the Empire. That was her only goal. So, of course, she had no choice but to follow the orders of her fiancé, the Emperor of Behfort.
She believed he loved her enough not to let her die—and she trusted the many knights he had sent to her.
“Your answer?”
“…I’ll comply for now.”
“Good. But remember this: if your true purpose is exposed, your pretty little head will become nothing more than fancy garbage sent back to your Emperor. Don’t forget it.”
“……”
“From now on, treat Princess Gaia, elder sister of Empress Free, with the utmost care.”
At Argent’s mocking words, the waiting maid grabbed Gaia’s arm roughly.
“Yes, Your Majesty. Please come with me.”
There was no decorum. Though she was told to treat Gaia well, the maid yanked her along with enough force to hurt.
“Let go of me!”
“I cannot. I’ve been ordered to care for you, and so I shall.”
Three knights followed behind her as well.
“…You’ll regret this.”
“No. You will regret ever coming here.”
That was the end.
Argent turned away, indifferent as if she no longer existed.
The man who once held Free’s hand so gently in front of her was gone.
As if it had all been prearranged, the ones taking Gaia to the castle led her away without hesitation.
“Where is she?”
“Her Majesty is still… at the same place.”
“Why?”
“We don’t know exactly…”
A servant, who had rushed forward, bowed his head in response to Argent’s question.
As if something urgent was on his mind, Argent’s eyes turned uneasy, and he quickly headed toward the place where Gaia had stepped out of the carriage.
The servant had been right.
Free stood there, motionless, like someone whose soul had left her body.
“What are you doing?”
At the unfamiliar voice, a spark of awareness returned to Free’s eyes.
“Oh. You’re back?”
“I just escorted your sister to her quarters. So—how does it feel to see her after so long?”
“…Just… not great. It felt like she hates me.”
Her expression had been blank, like a doll, but her eyes trembled faintly.
Free had known Gaia didn’t like her. But she hadn’t expected it to be this bad. She had at least hoped her sister would be glad to see her after such a long time. Just a small bit of warmth.
Even that tiny hope had been crushed.
