Chapter 50
‘He’ll come to save me. Because he loves me. He’ll come, no matter what. Alton will surely recognize where this place is the moment he reads this letter. That foolish knight who abandoned me probably still hasn’t figured it out, but Alton will.’
There could only be one reason why the Emperor hadn’t arrived yet—he didn’t know where this barbarian land was.
It seemed the Emperor had no idea where, amidst the vast lands outside the Empire, she was being held. Otherwise, he would have come for her by now.
Hadn’t she herself arrived here only after two weeks of travel?
That made the math simple. The real issue was this location’s secrecy. Gaiya had to be extremely careful in wording the letter, fearing someone might open it. She twisted her words until her head ached.
Still, she seemed satisfied. Smirking, she deliberately included a phrase that only he would understand at the end. Then she quickly sealed the letter with wax.
She pulled out the seal she had brought with her and pressed it firmly, just in case someone tried to swap the letter.
“Here,” she said.
Only then did Argent rise from his seat and approach her slowly.
“You must’ve had something urgent to say. You were writing like a madwoman. Well, whatever. I’ll send it as is.”
“You’re not… going to open it, right? It’s sealed with my personal stamp. If you open it, you’ll regret it.”
“I won’t,” he replied confidently.
Gaiya’s face turned pale at his words. If she’d known he’d say that, she would’ve written the message plainly. Why had she gone through the trouble of being so cryptic?
Still, she had to be content with the fact that he was sending it at all.
“That’s a relief… but if you change your mind later—”
“I’m not the type to speak out of both sides of my mouth. But if you keep saying things like that, it makes me want to cut off your hand and take the seal.”
The cruel remark made Gaiya go even paler.
“You’re insane…!”
“What now?” he said casually.
Gaiya bit her lip hard. She wanted to argue, but the letter being sent was more important to her than anything. So she forced herself to act like nothing was wrong.
Just then, Argent raised a hand toward the window.
From far away, a sharp cry cut through the sky, and a hawk swooped down toward them.
It wasn’t just any hawk—it flew straight through the open window and landed in front of Gaiya.
“This is…!”
“Strange place, isn’t it? Hawks shouldn’t be flying around here, but I’ve seen a few in the area. I caught them all. Guess this one has something to do with you, Princess? Planning to secretly exchange letters, were you?”
“…”
“Not that it matters. Go ahead and send it.”
“You’re really… letting me send this?”
It was unbelievable. It shouldn’t have been this easy.
She checked the hawk again, wondering if it was a different one, but the cloth tied to its leg confirmed that it was indeed the hawk Itar had given her.
“If you don’t want to, that’s fine too—”
“No! I’ll send it right now!”
This man was definitely insane.
How could he send a letter without knowing what was inside? Or maybe he planned to shoot down the bird after it took off?
With anxious eyes, Gaiya watched as the hawk soared into the sky.
But no one aimed an arrow. No one tried to stop it.
It flew faster and farther, vanishing from sight.
When the bird was no longer visible, her gaze slowly returned to Argent, who was standing with arms crossed, looking relaxed.
“You seem quite curious to see if the messenger hawk makes it to its destination.”
“…”
“Don’t worry. I don’t say one thing and do another. The letter will be delivered.”
“…What is it that you really want?”
“What I want?”
“…Why are you doing this to me?”
“What do you mean, ‘doing this’?”
“If you’re going to act this kindly, then just let me go!”
“Well, you see, this land has never once allowed an outsider to leave peacefully.”
She couldn’t make sense of him.
He didn’t think like a normal person. His logic was so twisted that she eventually gave up trying to understand him.
“You’re truly…”
“If you really want to leave… then die and leave.”
“You’ll regret this.”
“I doubt it. Now we wait for a reply. Let’s read it together when it comes.”
“If you’re going to do that—!”
“If I’m going to what?”
Was that it?
Was he just curious about what kind of reply she’d receive?
In that moment, Gaiya could only hope her clever brother Itar would write something completely meaningless.
“Well, then. I’ll be going.”
“Why did you come here today?”
“Hmm… maybe just to see your face? You’re my wife’s precious guest. I should check in on you often.”
Gaiya glared at him for twisting his words, but Argent had already left.
Later that day, just before lunchtime, Free woke up. After a simple meal, she stretched out lazily.
“That was the best sleep I’ve had in a long time.”
“I’m glad you rested well. I was worried you wouldn’t wake up and nearly fetched Lord Zeren, the court physician.”
“Seth, you worry too much.”
Free smiled, acting as she usually did.
“You’ve never slept this late before, Your Grace.”
“I suppose that’s true… Still, it really felt good.”
Was it just from chatting last night? It was odd how deeply she had slept.
“I’ll have your meal prepared right away.”
“Thank you.”
Yet something felt off about Seth. Even as she ordered food through Cassie, her expression hinted she was holding something back.
Watching her closely, Free eventually asked with growing suspicion, “Seth, is something wrong?”
“No, not at all.”
“If there’s something to say, go ahead.”
“It’s nothing urgent… I was going to tell you after your meal.”
So there was something.
“Just say it now. You’ve made me too curious to eat.”
“…Very well. His Majesty said he has something to show you and requested your presence.”
“Something to show me?”
“Yes. But I hesitated to bring it up, thinking it might make you uncomfortable…”
Normally, Free would’ve brushed it off with a smile. But today, something compelled her to confront it.
“Seth.”
“Yes, Your Grace?”
“You know I’m uncomfortable around him, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Then didn’t it seem strange to you? I mean, it’s the Emperor. Me being uneasy around him must mean…”
“I don’t know what kind of answer you’re hoping for, Your Grace. But I believe it’s perfectly reasonable for you to feel uncomfortable around the Emperor.”
Free gave her a faint smile. She was so logical, so direct—it left no room for further argument.
“If I’m uncomfortable with him and he doesn’t like me either… it reflects poorly on the maids, doesn’t it? In my homeland, a maid’s power came from the one she served.”
That was why Zell, who served her back then, had always been so weak and bullied.
Even when Free told others to stop, it had no effect—because the power behind those maids was too strong.
But Seth only blinked, as if she didn’t understand.
“Perhaps that’s true elsewhere. But not here.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Whatever you think of His Majesty or however he treats you, it doesn’t matter. I don’t serve him. I serve you. Only your thoughts matter to me.”
Looking at Seth’s warm smile, as gentle as spring sunshine, Free could say nothing more.
She thought to herself, Could there be a more perfect answer?
“Thank you.”
“It’s nothing, Your Grace.”
By then, Cassie entered with another maid to bring in the food.
Lunch tended to be a heavier meal than breakfast. Since it was already nearly midday, Free expected a large spread—but she was surprised yet again.
“Since it’s both breakfast and lunch, I tried something new.”
“I see. It’s my first time trying this kind of meal. Thank you—I’ll enjoy it.”
Free smiled and lifted her utensils.
“Seth, then… I suppose I’ll go see him after I eat?”
“Yes. He specifically asked that you come.”
Strange. If it were truly important, he should’ve come in person.
Is he being considerate? Because I was still asleep?
But the thought faded as quickly as it came. He wouldn’t worry about her. Gaiya, on the other hand, would be far more likely to worry.
So Free let the matter go and focused on eating.
After finishing, she had some tea and prepared to leave.
As always, Ian came to fetch her. But today, he looked completely dejected—like a man who’d committed a grave sin.
“Lady Free…”
“Ian, did something happen?”
Noticing the change in him, she glanced at Seth, who quickly caught on and left the room with Cassie.
The door shut with a thud.
“What’s wrong, Ian?”
“…I’m truly sorry, Lady Free.”
“Why? What’s going on?”
“Yesterday… my mother…”
“Oh, she seemed like a kind woman. We had such a pleasant conversation. I ended up sleeping in because of it.”
“No, that’s not what I meant…”
Ian seemed hesitant to speak.
His cheeks flushed, and his hands trembled.
“If that’s not it, did something happen to her?”
“No… It’s just… I think she said things she shouldn’t have. I think she may have upset you…”
“Upset me? I don’t think she meant any harm. How could that be upsetting?”
