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Chapter 06
Five years.
Five years was a very long time.
Clang—
Rosaline’s swordsmanship had improved enough to match my movements.
The sound of metal slicing through the midnight cold palace. Two blades sparkled under the moonlight.
“[Ah! There!]”
The matured Rosaline pointed outside the window as if surprised.
“I won’t fall for it, Your Highness.”
I deflected Rosaline’s trick with the back of my sword.
“[Then this is my final attack! I must win—yaaahhh!]”
Rosaline rushed at me in anger.
Whoosh—
“[Huh?]”
But her decisive attack was easily avoided by my light movement.
Dodging the strike, I cut Rosaline’s hair ribbon with the tip of my sword.
“Princess.”
The hair ribbon split into two pieces. Her long, rich blonde hair swayed in the air.
At the same time, Rosaline lost her balance and was about to fall, but I caught her.
“You lost an earring.”
A dramatic pose, like something from a movie.
I gently touched the empty space where her earring should have been and slowly approached her.
“Shall I help you find it, Your Highness?”
With a deep gaze, I tilted my head and whispered into her ear.
Then, as if I couldn’t hold it anymore, I grabbed her clothes tightly…!
“[Wow.]”
Rosaline made a mysterious expression.
“[I raised a strange creature.]”
Well, I trained for five years with extreme effort.
My strict teacher nodded while supporting my waist.
“[Pass!]”
“[I passed?]”
“[Yes.]”
I happily helped Rosaline stand straight.
Rosaline also looked moved by her own improvement.
“[To think I could turn the sister who was such a total klutz into this!]”
K-klutz?
“[Ha. Now I don’t have to worry anymore.]”
Rosaline picked up a pencil from the desk.
Using the pencil like a hairpin, she tied her hair up and sat cross-legged on the sofa.
“[Rosaline.]”
“[Yes.]”
“[This feels completely like your home living room.]”
Rosaline tilted her head in the middle of the cold palace sofa.
“[Actually, this place is more comfortable than my room.]”
The cold palace where Shabiyan would live.
This place had long become my and Rosaline’s, especially Rosaline’s, hideout.
“[But I’ll have to clear it out soon since Shabiyan will come.]”
She looked around sadly.
Her own collection filled every possible place—old bookshelves, desks, window frames, and shelves.
“[Where should I put my collection?]”
I walked toward the shelf, thinking I should take a look too.
“[But!]”
While looking at the bright red powder stored on the shelf, I was startled by her loud voice and almost dropped the bottle.
“[I’ll finally get to see my second favorite, Shabiyan. I’m so happy!]”
Catching the falling glass bottle, I asked.
“[Your favorite was Shabiyan, right? That’s what you said.]”
“[Ah. It changed. My favorite is someone else now.]”
Who?
I put the bottle back and looked at her.
“[Hmm. There is someone. A very cool person.]”
Rosaline, who was staring at me, just hummed and lay down on the sofa.
“[Anyway!]”
Ah, that scared me.
I pushed the book I was taking from the shelf back in. Just sit down, sit.
“[A war will start soon.]”
“[The war where Shabiyan arrives in the original story?]”
“[Yes.]”
War…
I had heard that it was a stage prepared by Kellian.
“[You don’t need to make such a serious face. It will just pass by quickly.]”
The name “war” is never light.
“[I’m the one in charge of the army. How can I not care?]”
“[Neither Kellian nor Shabiyan will appear in this very small war!]”
Hearing Rosaline pat the sofa, I shifted my gaze to the window.
‘But why do I feel uneasy?’
Past midnight, the night sky was quiet.
Like a night before a storm.
Bahat Empire Imperial Palace
“The one who was the crown prince of Hailen lost his father early and has already become emperor.”
Bahat’s crown prince, Kellian.
Lying on the outdoor terrace, he brushed his black hair back with his hand.
“I have to work hard to sit on the emperor’s throne.”
Kellian stood up and waved his hand lightly.
The prime minister, who had been silent, spoke again.
“How about a war with Hailen as a way to pressure the grand duke and the second prince?”
Kellian had already taken full authority over the emperor’s power.
“Let the enemies fight each other and gain benefits in between. Good idea.”
The only remaining obstacle was the duke who supported the second prince.
If the duke’s power faction was purged, this empire would belong to Kellian.
‘The grand duke is respected by the knights, so it’s better not to move against him carelessly.’
Kellian could personally cut off his head, but attacking the duke who had strong influence in the military might cause political backlash.
“Yes. Start a war with Hailen and defeat the grand duke using dark magic.”
“Then the foolish second prince will lead the army instead.”
The result would be a crushing defeat.
The second prince knew nothing about tactics, so the grand duke’s faction would be torn apart by Hailen’s sword.
‘Since the Berwen ducal house stands at the border…’
Kellian leaned deeply against the terrace railing.
“Prepare it.”
At Kellian’s permission, the prime minister was about to leave but stopped at the sight before him.
“It’s the eighth prince.”
The eighth prince, Shabiyan, had entered the garden with palace attendants.
The prime minister let out an undignified admiration at his beauty.
“Shabiyan becomes more beautiful as days pass.”
“Is that child still alive?”
Kellian cast a bored glance at Shabiyan.
‘How did that weak, backingless child survive?’
Thinking for a moment, Kellian smiled faintly.
“Prime minister. Do you know this fact?”
“Yes?”
“The Bahat imperial family does not keep useless people as royalty. Now I understand why that child is alive. There will be a use for him.”
The prime minister immediately understood Kellian’s intention.
Kellian planned to sell Shabiyan somewhere at a high price.
“…Where do you plan to send him?”
“Well. How about the Tohor tribe?”
The prime minister jumped in shock.
“To those barbarians!”
The Tohor tribe was a barbarian group growing in power along the Bahat border.
They were sufficiently threatening and could become troublesome later if they joined hands with the grand duke.
But—
‘If that weak prince is given to those barbarians, he will die within half a month.’
More importantly, this was also related to imperial honor. Barbarians!
“No! No matter what, he is still a prince. At least….”
He should be sent somewhere where he can live like a human.
The prime minister swallowed the rest of his words.
“Then how about the Hailen Empire? This war is a war we must lose anyway. Send the eighth prince there as a hostage.”
He added something that might tempt Kellian.
“There are old rumors that the Hailen princess and the Duke of Berwen are close.”
“The princess and?”
Kellian’s thick eyebrows rose in displeasure.
“That’s troublesome. An alliance marriage between the Hailen royal family and the Berwen ducal house. That cannot be allowed.”
“Yes. So send him to the Hailen Empire.”
Kellian rubbed his lips and fell into thought.
“Yes, let it be Hailen. If not, we can throw him to the Tohor tribe.”
Kellian’s black eyes turned toward the flower garden.
‘He will be useful.’
A beauty that would shake the continent.
That was the public opinion about Shabiyan.
If that child deliberately tried to seduce someone, who would not fall for him?
“Then to whom will you send the eighth prince?”
“The emperor is fine, and the Duke of Berwen is also fine. Maybe both would be fine.”
The goal was to widen the gap between the Hailen royal family and the Berwen ducal house.
Shabiyan’s appearance could make that possible.
‘He couldn’t have learned useless things in the imperial palace.’
Shabiyan was originally raised to be used like this.
“But still.”
Kellian lifted his reddened lips.
“If possible, I would prefer the Duke of Berwen.”
“……”
“Who knows? Maybe that child could bewitch the duke and make him defect to Bahat?”
The Duke of Berwen.
The only knight Kellian acknowledged across the continent.
“I would like to see his face once.”
“Who are you referring to…? Do you mean the Duke of Berwen?”
“Yes.”
A faint light flickered in Kellian’s bored eyes.
“You don’t mean you intend to go to war personally, do you?”
The sharp-minded prime minister hurriedly blocked him.
“Your Highness cannot go. This is a war that the second prince must lose! If you go carelessly, the fire may reach Your Highness.”
“Can’t I just go secretly?”
At Kellian’s playful words, the prime minister shook his head violently.
Kellian neither confirmed nor denied, then tilted his head to look at him.
“Your Highness. The crown prince is turning his head this way.”
And that was torture for Shabiyan.
His long eyelashes trembled as he opened his clear blue eyes.
Shabiyan blinked anxiously and tried to soothe the palace attendants.
“Loha. Don’t turn your head. As long as you don’t provoke big brother’s mood, it will be fine.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
The palace attendants wanted to cry.
‘That mood changes every minute!’
But what could they do? They were the ones who brought Shabiyan here.
The attendants tried to calm their nerves by moving their hands busily.
Soon, a flower crown was placed on Shabiyan’s silver hair.
“Oh! It suits you perfectly!”
“You must be the most beautiful person in the continent, Your Highness Shabiyan!”
Shabiyan lowered his head shyly.
He touched the wildflowers and muttered softly.
“I heard that the Duke of Berwen of the Hailen Empire is also very beautiful… and even brave.”
Hands soft like a living doll, without a single callus.
Shabiyan felt embarrassed by this, like he was just a decorative flower.
“Your Highness is still more….”
“Loha. You were the one who couldn’t sleep for a while after seeing that person’s portrait last time!”
“I, I never did!”
The palace attendant stammered, caught in the truth.
Shabiyan saved the embarrassed attendant.
“…There is a portrait of that person?”
“Yes!”
The attendant, energized by Shabiyan’s interest, nodded strongly.
“Since he is a knight of an enemy country, it is very rare, but I have seen it secretly circulating among the maids.”
“Unfortunately, the head maid confiscated it.”
The palace attendant added sadly.
“What kind of person is he? The Duke of Berwen.”
Shabiyan, who inwardly admired the duke, subtly asked the maids about him.
“His story is famous even here in Bahat!”
“It is said that the duke rescued the Hailen princess who fainted after falling in the forest, and the princess fell in love at first sight and even recovered from her illness!”
“That’s not all. They say the two created secret signals and whispered love to each other. How romantic!”
Contrary to expectations, only love stories poured out.
‘I prefer heroic stories.’
The attendants didn’t know, but Shabiyan preferred heroic tales rather than romance.
But he didn’t say it out loud, afraid of being laughed at.
‘What hero would I be?’
Just a monster who clouds the hero’s eyes.
That was probably his role and destiny.
‘The Duke of Berwen must be very strong.’
Shabiyan just habitually nodded at the maids’ words.
A butterfly landed on the swaying flower crown.
‘I want to meet him once.’
Shabiyan blinked, making a naive wish.
Not knowing how much that would twist his fate.
