Chapter 6
“If a man doesn’t even have that much backbone, it’s no wonder he ends up stuck doing a job like this!”
“You bastard…”
“Hey.”
Just as the argument between the two soldiers was beginning to escalate, Evelyn’s voice rang out from behind the iron door.
Her throat had gone dry from barely speaking all day, leaving her voice rough and cracked.
Both soldiers froze.
The other guard instinctively turned toward the door.
“Which unit are you assigned to?”
“H-Huh?”
Startled, the soldier hurried toward the door and bowed apologetically.
“My apologies, Your Highness. This fool drank too much last night and still hasn’t come to his senses.”
“Hasn’t come to his senses?”
Evelyn’s cold voice drifted through the food slot.
“Since when was insulting a member of the imperial family a crime that could be excused by a hangover?”
Unlike his companion, whose face had turned pale, Jack burst into exaggerated laughter.
“Hah! Sorry about that.”
He smirked.
“I couldn’t help laughing when I heard someone proudly calling herself imperial royalty at the end.”
His eyes narrowed.
“And why are you asking about my unit? You’re locked up in there. What exactly do you think you can do with that information?”
“Hey! Stop it!”
His companion desperately tried to interrupt him, but Jack ignored him.
“This place may be called a tower, but it’s still a prison. No matter what your status was before, once you’re locked up, you’re just a criminal.”
He sneered.
“You knew that, didn’t you? That’s why you’ve stayed quiet all this time. What? Now that there’s a new guard here, has your pride finally been hurt?”
A cruel chuckle escaped him.
“People like you show up every now and then. Criminals who refuse to let go of their pride no matter how much they’re trampled on.”
His boots echoed against the stone floor as he paced.
“Do you know what happens to all of them?”
He stopped.
“If you want to stay alive even a little longer, keep your mouth shut and behave. In here, we’re the ones in charge.”
Silence.
Nothing came from beyond the food slot.
Jack interpreted that silence as submission.
So even royalty is the same after all.
Though he acted confident, his throat bobbed nervously.
It works.
Maybe she can’t hear properly from inside.
Or maybe she’s already accepted her situation.
For days Evelyn had shown no reaction whatsoever.
But now he was certain.
The imperial princess simply couldn’t stand up to him.
Jack had once been famous in his hometown for his skill with weapons.
He wasn’t a genius, but talented enough to earn praise wherever he went.
Confident in his abilities, he had applied to join the Imperial Knights.
And failed.
Refusing to give up, he joined the city guard instead.
It wasn’t what he wanted, but he convinced himself it wasn’t bad.
If he got lucky and ended up stationed at the palace gates, imagine how much influence he could wield.
And if I play my cards right, I could make plenty of money on the side.
But that dream shattered on the very day he enlisted.
“Recruit Jack! Guard duty at the prison!”
A prison.
It was like a bolt from the blue.
Who would ever respect someone whose job was watching criminals?
No glory.
No influence.
Not even extra money.
So Jack vented his frustrations on the prisoners.
Later, when he was transferred to the Imperial Tower, his attitude only became worse.
Anyone imprisoned there was inevitably guilty of a crime grave enough to warrant execution.
By tearing down the pride of people who had once stood far above him, he soothed his own wounded ego.
Most prisoners never dared protest.
No matter how noble their birth, causing trouble would only attract the Emperor’s attention and hasten their deaths.
That was why Jack stood confidently even before Evelyn.
Everything comes down to dominance.
If he shrank back simply because she was royalty, he would lose control.
To be “fair,” he had decided to treat Evelyn no differently.
“Looks like you’ve finally realized your position.”
Of course, all of that was merely an excuse.
The truth was much simpler.
Jack was consumed by inferiority.
And nothing thrilled him more than the fact that he could now look down on someone as exalted as an imperial princess.
Goosebumps spread across his body.
This feels incredible.
For a moment, he even thought he wouldn’t mind spending the rest of his life in the Imperial Tower if he could keep enjoying this sensation.
“Making a scene won’t benefit either of us. You’d be wise to behave.”
At that moment, Evelyn finally spoke again.
“Won’t benefit me?”
“Exactly. If anything happens in the Imperial Tower, His Majesty is informed immediately. Surely Your Highness doesn’t want to draw attention to yourself.”
Standing beyond the iron door, Evelyn slowly curled one corner of her lips upward.
“Then let’s test that.”
Her voice was calm.
“Bring the captain of the guard here immediately.”
Jack frowned.
“Did you not understand what I said? Causing a disturbance will only hurt—”
“Haa…”
Her sigh cut him off.
The sheer annoyance in it made the veins on Jack’s forehead twitch.
That woman doesn’t know her place…!
Just as anger surged inside him—
Clack.
Clack.
The sound of boots echoed from the staircase.
Jack stiffened.
The footsteps climbed steadily up the stone stairs.
Then their owner appeared.
“What is going on here?”
“C-Captain!”
Jack’s eyes widened.
How?
How had the princess known the captain would come?
No—why was he here at all?
Since Jack’s arrival at the tower, Captain Marone Lake had never once visited this floor.
Yet now he stood before them.
As Jack’s body gradually turned rigid with panic, Marone reached the top of the tower.
“Hm?”
His sharp gaze moved between the two soldiers.
“Why are you standing here?”
His expression hardened.
“Your assigned post is over there.”
“W-Well, Captain, the thing is—”
Before the other soldier could finish his excuse, Evelyn’s voice emerged from the food slot.
“Captain.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Marone immediately straightened and approached the iron door.
Though he could not see her face, he bowed respectfully.
Unlike the others, he never neglected proper courtesy toward a member of the imperial family.
“Thank you for granting my request.”
Marone instinctively bowed deeper before realizing she couldn’t see him.
“Of course.”
A brief silence followed.
Then Evelyn spoke again.
“There is something I wish to confirm.”
“Please ask.”
“When someone is assigned to the Imperial Tower, is their rank automatically lowered?”
Her voice remained calm.
“Are these soldiers permitted to treat an imperial princess however they please?”
The atmosphere around Marone changed instantly.
A terrifying pressure filled the air.
This was not the bravado of a small-town tough.
This was genuine killing intent forged on real battlefields.
Slowly, Marone turned around.
The moment his gaze met theirs, Jack and his companion felt as though invisible hands were crushing their throats.
“Ugh…”
Turning back toward the door, Marone answered calmly.
“No, Your Highness.”
His voice was steady.
“Unless His Majesty formally strips Your Highness of your title, you remain a member of the imperial family.”
“I see.”
Evelyn’s tone remained unchanged.
“Then what of the crime of insulting royalty?”
“C-Captain…!”
Jack desperately forced out the words.
But Marone ignored him completely.
“The offender would be reported to His Majesty and severely punished.”
His eyes narrowed.
“Alternatively, Your Highness may personally issue summary judgment.”
“Summary judgment?”
“It means the offender may be executed immediately.”
“Mm. I see.”
The soldiers’ jaws trembled violently.
Unlike the two men who looked moments away from collapse, Evelyn and Marone remained perfectly calm.
At last, Evelyn delivered her verdict.
“Then report the matter to His Majesty.”
Her voice was cold.
“A guard has insulted me.”
“N-No! Your Highness!”
Jack threw himself forward and crashed to his knees.
“Please forgive me! Just once! I was foolish! I made a mistake!”
His forehead slammed against the stone floor repeatedly.
Blood began trickling from the torn skin.
“It will never happen again! Never!”
But from behind the iron door, Evelyn could not see him.
Several days earlier—
After hearing that Evelyn had stopped eating entirely, Marone had come to visit her.
“Do you truly intend to starve yourself?”
“Your Highness.”
He had watched Evelyn grow up since childhood.
Though she had long since reached adulthood, she still seemed like a young girl in his eyes.
Seeing her lose her parents and younger brother one after another before being imprisoned by her own half-sister had pained him deeply.
“You must eat.”
What if she truly starved to death?
Filled with concern, Marone had rushed to the tower and pleaded through the iron door.
For a long time there was no response.
Then, finally, the food slot opened.
“Captain.”
“You must eat, Your Highness. Please…”
Instead of answering his concern, Evelyn spoke softly.
“I have a favor to ask.”
“Anything.”
“One week from now, after the evening meal, come and see me again.”
There was a brief pause.
“There is something I wish to show you.”
“…Understood.”
Marone had expected her to beg for freedom.
Or ask him to persuade the Emperor.
Instead, her request had been something entirely unexpected.
But he asked no further questions.
Her weak voice, already fragile enough without the burden she carried, stirred a paternal sympathy within the childless captain.
