Chapter 73
“Wuaaaah!”
Like someone sitting in the passenger seat of a sports car going at top speed, I squeezed my eyes shut and clung to Kyle’s waist as if it were my lifeline. The warning the Emperor had given earlier flashed through my mind, sending a chill down my spine.
I have to live. I have to survive!
I hadn’t wanted even the slightest bit of physical contact with the Emperor, but in the face of a threat to my life, likes and dislikes no longer mattered. Acting purely on instinct, I wrapped my arms tightly around him.
How long had we been running? Count Truck suddenly pointed ahead and shouted.
“Your Majesty. It’s over there!”
Up ahead, a plump, large-hipped wild boar was charging madly forward with an arrow stuck in its leg. Bracing himself with his legs on the galloping horse, the Emperor drew his bowstring once more.
Thwung. Thwung.
When two more arrows struck home, the boar’s legs gave out and it collapsed to the ground. The nobles hurriedly reined in their horses, drew the swords at their waists, and stabbed the boar repeatedly. After letting out a final, dying scream, the boar soon breathed its last.
Ugh. I hate this.
Unable to bear the sight, I buried my face against his back. No matter that it was an animal, watching a killing was far from pleasant. Perhaps because I had once treated animals at Okhee’s request, my heart ached even more.
“To take down such a large prey—truly impressive.”
“Your Majesty truly is a master archer. To hit the target three times from a running horse.”
“The young lady will surely fall for you all over again. Ha ha.”
The nobles who had followed along rattled off praises as if on cue.
Only after repeating this three more times did the hunt finally come to an end. All three animals had fallen to arrows shot by the Emperor, making it seem as though the nobles had been brought along merely to play the role of hunting dogs.
The Emperor, whose back I had seen the entire time, let out a deep breath. Leaning against his back, I caught my breath as well.
“You may go on ahead. I have something to say to Aileen.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
At the command, the three nobles spurred their horses forward, tossing out comments about envy and how lovely it was to see. The Emperor deliberately slowed his horse. Once enough distance had opened between us, he finally called my name.
“Aileen.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“How is it, coming along on the hunt?”
“Ah… it’s nice to feel the breeze after so long.”
Not knowing what to say, I gave a vague answer.
In truth, it hadn’t been nice at all, but it wasn’t something I could say honestly.
Perhaps he hadn’t expected much of an answer anyway, because he moved on.
“As you can see today, I am a sharpshooter.”
“So it seems. I learned that for the first time today as well.”
“Then you’d best be careful from now on. Even from far away, I can recognize you and hit my mark—so you shouldn’t dare entertain thoughts of running away from me. Understood?”
The Emperor’s voice and tone were completely different, as though they belonged to someone else. In an instant, goosebumps raced down my spine.
The arm wrapped around his waist felt chilling. It was like holding onto a block of cold ice rather than a human being.
“Why is there no answer?”
He brought the previously leisurely horse to a complete stop. Then he turned, reached out, wrapped an arm around my waist, and pulled me around to the front of him.
Startled by the unexpected movement, I stared at him with wide eyes. Face to face, his expression was utterly twisted, like someone wounded after being rejected in love.
“The forested hunting grounds are this Kyle’s private playground. Every animal here belongs to me. They have lived here from the beginning by my command, so whether I let them live or kill them is entirely up to me. They have no right to choose. They are mine, so it is my freedom. Do you understand?”
“…….”
“That is where your misunderstanding lies. If I say something is mine, then it is mine. Aileen. There is no right of refusal.”
The Emperor grabbed my lowered chin and forcibly lifted it. His venomous gaze stopped right in front of my nose.
“Ghk.”
His grip was so rough that my brows furrowed and a groan slipped from between my lips. Seemingly pleased by my pained expression, the Emperor curled his lips upward, then flung his hand away.
“Still, for now, I am willing to give you a chance. I expect a more obedient look in your eyes next time.”
He turned me back to my original position and turned away. Then he began riding again.
I hated it to death, but if I wanted to live, I had to wrap my arms around his waist again. I hesitated, and as my body wobbled, my arms moved first on instinct. The best I could do was try to keep the area of contact as minimal as possible.
As the sound of hoofbeats filled the surroundings, I mulled over his words from behind his back.
So he doesn’t like the look of forcing someone to come along even after taking them by force?
My teeth trembled at the sheer height of his selfishness. I bit down on my lower lip until it bled.
The three nobles who had gone hunting together returned to their respective estates with the game they had been granted. The Emperor, however, chose a route that passed through the commoners’ village instead of the shortcut back to the palace. Naturally, guards followed behind us.
“Aren’t you curious why we’re taking this road?”
“Why is that?”
“I heard you often wander around the commoners’ village, so I wondered what charm it holds.”
“…”
He’s suspicious of Raymond and me.
With his repeated threats and probing, my assumptions were steadily turning into certainty.
Before long, the horse’s head entered the outskirts of the village.
Because there had been no official announcement of the Emperor’s procession, the people simply assumed some noble was passing by and went on with their daily lives. Hardly any commoners knew the Emperor’s face.
The village street was crowded, as a market happened to be in session.
Riding a horse through such a narrow alley packed with people was the height of nuisance. But to an Emperor who had grown up being treated as precious without exception, he had to be number one before everyone in the world.
Riding behind him, I clutched my anxious heart, worried that an accident might occur—and sure enough, it did. Someone collided with the Emperor’s horse.
“Oof!”
It was a white-haired old man well over seventy. He seemed unsteady on his feet and, walking slowly, failed to get out of the way in time, colliding with the horse’s body.
“Oh my.”
“How terrible.”
The people around us, myself included, worried about the old man’s condition. He looked so frail that a bad fall might easily break a bone.
When the Emperor pulled the reins, the horse reared and came to a halt.
Looking down, he spoke harshly.
“How dare you block my path and lie sprawled on the ground—are you out of your mind?”
“I—I’m sorry, sir.”
By common sense, the person on horseback would seem to bear responsibility, but in this class-based society, high status erased everything and granted priority above all else.
The old man, having been reprimanded, hurried to get up. But his body didn’t seem to obey him. Each time he tried to stand, his knees buckled and he collapsed again. Seeing this, it seemed he had injured his leg in the collision.
As time dragged on, the Emperor suddenly dismounted.
Why is he getting down? Could it be that he intends to help?
Curious about his reason, I watched—only to see the Emperor draw the longsword from his waist and point it not elsewhere, but at the old man.
“Kyaaak!”
At the sudden appearance of a weapon, people blanched and scrambled backward. My own mouth fell open. I was so shocked that it didn’t feel real.
“S-sir. Please… have mercy….”
“It seems your leg has become useless. In that case, I’ll simply cut it off entirely.”
Despite the old man’s desperate plea, the Emperor didn’t even blink as he raised his sword. Along with the chilling sound of metal tearing into flesh, a scream burst from the old man’s mouth.
“Guhhhh!”
The marketplace, which should have been bustling with the noise of buying and selling, was now enveloped in near silence, save for the old man’s groans. People could only stare at the horrific scene with trembling eyes.
Aware that all eyes were on him, the Emperor lifted his head and looked around. Then he declared:
“I am Kyle Ruslo, Emperor of the Great Prales Empire. From this moment on, anyone who blocks my path will be forgiven for no reason whatsoever.”
After saying this, he turned to look at me.
“Carve it deep into your heart.”
He recited the final sentence while staring as though he would bore holes through my eyes.
That warning was clearly directed at me.
Drawing the sword, cutting down the old man—everything was meant as a warning to me.
To go so far as to stage such a situation and sacrifice an innocent citizen just for that purpose—his nature was truly horrific.
I turned my gaze downward. The old man was losing a great deal of blood. It was a dangerous situation unless something was done quickly, yet the people, frozen in fear, didn’t dare to move.
For the commoners, it was a natural reaction. The tyranny of the previous Emperor was etched vividly into their bloodlines and history. At the very word “Emperor,” everyone was already seized by fear.
The only one who could save that old man here… was me.
Reaching that conclusion, I hurriedly dismounted. Passing by the Emperor, I approached the old man.
“Guhhh…”
“Please endure it just a little longer.”
I pulled the longsword stuck in his thigh free and threw it onto the ground. To stop the bleeding, I took a handkerchief from my pocket and pressed it firmly against the wound. But I knew this alone wouldn’t be enough.
So I gathered a mouthful of saliva and lowered my head deeply so others couldn’t see. My fallen hair blocked the surrounding view. Reassured, I lifted the handkerchief slightly and let all the saliva drip down. At first, the blood that had been spurting out mixed with the saliva, and then within a few seconds, the wound gradually began to close.
It worked…!
Pretending to continue stopping the bleeding, I covered it again with the handkerchief. After a moment, I folded the handkerchief lengthwise and tied it around his leg. The old man, who had been quietly watching my strange actions, looked startled when the pain suddenly subsided. I raised my index finger to my lips and made a “shh” sound. Understanding my secretive gesture, the old man nodded silently.
Thankfully, no one else had seen the treatment.
But there was one person—only one—who had been standing very close and had seen my every move clearly.
The Emperor.
The fact that his furrowed expression was gradually being dyed with surprise was proof enough.
