Chapter 15
In the middle of the night, Lucius received a secret message.
More precisely, it was from his stepmother, the mother of Prince Hart, his rival.
<We have something to discuss alone. Come to the northern forest before dawn.>
The handwriting was unmistakably hers.
Hero warned him it was an obvious trap and begged him not to go, but Lucius ignored the advice.
He knew perfectly well it was a trap, yet he wanted to show them that he was no longer the kind of person who avoided thorns or fire.
“Hero, I can’t keep acting like I’m already dead just to stay alive, like I did in those days, can I?”
In the dark forest he visited, as expected, numerous assassins lay in hiding.
“There’s no fun when everything is this predictable.”
Lucius laughed loudly as he cut down the assassins one after another.
His stepmother and half-brother were trying to eliminate him, the one who fought enemies every day on the frontier.
“It seems the crown is that tempting.”
Lucius stabbed a man who leapt from a tree aiming for his neck and severed the arm of another who crept up behind him.
He mocked his former weak self while swinging his sword.
His opponents were not on his level.
The blood of others flowed down his arm, staining the ground.
After felling every enemy, Lucius leaned on his long sword, breathing heavily.
In the past, Lucius had not understood the circumstances around him.
He was too young to grasp divorce, disinheritance, or succession issues.
The sudden appearance of a stepmother and a new brother felt strange.
Yet, foolishly, he had been happy at the thought of finally having a family.
“How stupid I was.”
Lucius muttered coldly as he sheathed his sword.
“Since things have come this far, I will become emperor, no matter the cost.”
He walked through a forest full of corpses, then passed a barren field on his way back to the camp.
Once he crossed the hill, the dreary tents would come into view.
“What is this…?”
On top of the hill, despite the dim light, he could clearly see that woman.
The woman who had dared splash him with water and had shown pity for his scars.
“You’ve got nerve.”
Lucius’s steps, already unsteady from exhaustion, began to falter.
He reeked of the blood that soaked him.
I can’t collapse here.
As his consciousness faded, he heard a voice calling him.
“Your Highness Lucius.”
The woman was touching his body with trembling hands, searching for his wounds.
She showed no fear.
He hadn’t felt a caring touch in a very long time.
Lucius felt embarrassed by this unexpected moment.
She seemed to be tearing her own clothes and pressing them against his waist.
If Hero saw this, he would protest about infection.
Why doesn’t this touch bother me?
Normally, he would never allow it.
Perhaps because of tonight’s exhaustion.
When a severe headache struck, Lucius collapsed onto her shoulder.
* * *
After emptying the ashes behind the tent, Freya leaned against a tree.
The wind blew from the opposite direction, making her loose clothes flutter.
She lifted her eyes and looked into the distance.
Below this hill lay the border of the frontier.
A few more steps beyond that was open land—the battlefield.
Even seeing the wounded and the dead, it didn’t feel real.
“I used to think there was no hell worse than the orphanage…”
The brothel districts of the capital and this battlefield were alike.
It was as if the world would never grant her even a scrap of warmth.
“Yet I’ve been holding on pretty well.”
Freya had no noble motives like the warriors who roamed the battlefield to protect and bring prosperity to the Morsiani Empire.
“I’ll meet Lottie again, we’ll eat cake until we’re full, and maybe even raise a cat if things get better.”
That was a grand enough goal in her eyes.
After calming her turbulent thoughts, her mind felt clearer.
“What’s that?”
Below the hill, she saw something like fur moving, then a man appeared.
“Your Highness Lucius.”
Startled, Freya tried to hide behind a large tree.
She hesitated to face Lucius again.
But when she peeked, she saw his white shirt, face, and hands stained with blood.
Is he hurt…?
Suddenly, Lucius stumbled as if he were about to collapse.
Without hesitation, Freya rushed over and supported him.
Yet she wasn’t sure if she was even allowed to touch him, so she stammered.
“Your Highness, I—”
She felt something hot and raised her voice.
“Blood, blood…”
She hated blood, but she couldn’t abandon an injured person.
She rubbed her bloodstained hands on her clothes and dragged him from behind.
I’ll lay him down here.
She quickly sat him near a tree.
She confirmed blood was seeping through his shirt.
“First, this…”
Freya tore her trousers, balled them up, and pressed them against the bleeding spot.
Remembering how she had cared for a bleeding child at the orphanage, her hands shook.
That child never got up again…
But why is no one with him?
She had expected knights or servants to follow him, but no one appeared.
This is going to be a huge problem.
When Lucius’s face grew pale, Freya decided to call a physician.
“Your Highness, I’ll go get someone.”
As she started to stand, Lucius, breathing heavily, spoke.
“…Be quiet.”
“What?”
Was it her fault for not ignoring someone about to collapse?
Feeling wronged, sheake almost spoke up, but Lucius collapsed onto her shoulder, cutting her off.
His large arm wrapped around her neck and waist, and his blond hair swayed against her shoulder.
“Your Highness?”
Freya tried to push him away, but he didn’t budge.
He’s not dead, right?
Fortunately, she could feel his irregular heartbeat through his skin.
I was so scared I thought I might die.
She had never been this close to anyone before, especially a man.
Calm down, Freya.
But beneath the foul smell of blood, she caught a pleasant scent.
Funny… it feels familiar.
While a distant memory flickered in her mind, she heard the voice of an armored soldier nearby.
“Your Highness! Your Highness!”
Suddenly, a heavily armored knight appeared and pointed his sword at Freya’s throat.
The sharp tip looked ready to slice her neck at any moment.
Terror choked her; she could only breathe roughly.
“Ah…”
The knight shouted fiercely.
“What have you done to His Highness?!”
Freya raised her hands to proclaim her innocence.
“No—I—he suddenly collapsed into my arms…”
“You vile woman! You took advantage of his injury to do this!”
It seemed the knight had misunderstood her torn trousers.
“Sir knight, I’m innocent—I was trying to help…”
Freya could barely speak from the shock of the situation.
She gently shook Lucius’s shoulder.
“Your Highness, wake up and explain that this isn’t true.”
But Lucius collapsed sideways this time.
“Oh my God…!”
Freya imagined her head being cut off as the prince’s assassin.
“I’ll fetch a stretcher at once!”
The knight checked beneath Lucius’s nose, then shouted.
“Take His Highness to the physician and the mage immediately—and take this person away separately!”
“Why are you doing this?!”
Freya’s desperate scream filled the hill.
Her arms were bound, and she struggled, but it was no use.
“There’s definitely a misunderstanding!”
But the knight paid her no heed.
It’ll be okay, Freya.
She reassured herself as they dragged her away, but the fear on her pale face did not fade.
Freya was locked inside a dark tent.
“Guard the entrance well.”
The knight gave orders and left.
Freya was forced inside and chained to an iron chair.
“It’s so cold…”
The weight of the chains pulled her toward the ground.
She looked around in panic.
Unknown hair and bloodstains littered the floor, and terrifying weapons hung on the walls.
“I’m scared…”
Her clothes and face were smeared with blood and stains, and she trembled from extreme tension.
Unconsciously, she bit her lips hard, and the smell of blood crept into her nose.
