CTMA 6

Chapter 6

At the same time, I stayed fully alert, watching how Arpad would react — particularly to my blood.

But Arpad just seemed surprised I had thrown myself at him, possibly dying in the process.

He didn’t react to the blood itself.

“Good. That means… it’s not time yet.”

It confirmed for me that he hadn’t yet fully descended into madness.

The Crown Prince, unaware of why I was studying him so closely, simply looked at me as if I were insane.

“I’ve never heard anything about madness running in House Delphin.”

“That’s because we’re just ordinary humans. Nothing to go insane over.”

That was my way of saying:

“Unlike your royal family, we didn’t inherit dragon blood that makes us lose our minds.”

I basically slapped him across the face with that comment.

“Well, what can he say? He did pull a sword on me first.”

Besides, his actions already made it clear:

“He didn’t truly intend to kill me. If he had, he wouldn’t have stopped me from throwing myself onto the blade.”

So at the very least, he was curious about why I was doing this.

And maybe… just a little bit interested in my offer.

Arpad frowned.

Even with his face twisted in annoyance, his otherworldly beauty was sculptural.

Must be nice to be born like that… or maybe not — he did go insane and die three times.

“So, Miss Bold-and-Brazen, how exactly do you plan to keep the ‘Mad Crown Prince’ from going mad?”

Interesting — he knows he’s thought of as mad.

“Surprisingly self-aware.”

“No one’s ever cured the royal family’s madness. If you explain your method, I’ll let you live.”

“What, just like that? For free?”

He was speechless.

I gave him a sweet smile.

“If I told you everything right now, wouldn’t you just kill me after?”

“…Not denying it? Really?”

Chills ran down my back, but I played it off.

Then came a more blatant threat:

“…Maybe I should just kidnap you, lock you away where no one will find you, and torture the truth out of you.”

“Before or after you block off all paths between House Delphin and the palace?”

He flinched at how I finished the sentence for him.

“Really? You didn’t expect me to be this prepared?”

I smiled brightly.

“There’s more than one way to leak your secret. One of them involves the Empress’s family.”

The Empress — Arpad’s stepmother — was his greatest political enemy.

If she got wind of the Mercenary King’s identity, it would ruin him.

Arpad’s expression contorted.

He leaned in, so close I could feel his breath, hear his heartbeat.

Most people would be flustered to be this close to such a beautiful man…

“But I’m not ‘most people.’ My heart’s racing because I might get my head chopped off.”

After a long silence, Arpad finally spoke.

“You’re a strange woman.”

“I’m just a normal one.”

“Normal women don’t find out my secret identity and use it to blackmail me.”

“…”

“Nor do they sneak alone into an underground crypt under the cursed Blood Moon. How did you even know I’d be here?”

He was referring to how royals with dragon blood often went insane under the Blood Moon.

“Let’s just say… I knew.”

“So you’re not going to tell me.”

I grinned. Of course I wasn’t going to reveal everything this early.

He wouldn’t expect me to either.

“But how do I trust you? What if I follow your lead and it’s a trap?”

Fair. People already think he’s a ticking time bomb. If he “abducted” his cousin’s bride, they’d all say:

“The Crown Prince has finally gone mad.”

Time to give him a reason to believe me.

“I’ve used the whip. Now it’s time for the carrot.”

I calmed my voice and said:

“Let me go for just a second. I’ll give you a small upfront payment.”

“What?”

“I’m not running away. I just need to move my hand.”

I wiggled the fingers of my right hand, still held tightly by him.

He stared, skeptical, but finally let go.

I pulled out a small velvet pouch from my clothes and held it out.

“This is my advance payment. Mercenaries don’t move without one, right?”

Still frowning, he tore it open.

A glint of light dropped out — a shimmering blue pearl on a silver chain.

Arpad caught it midair, reflexes sharp.

His red eyes widened at the sight of the gem.

“This is Agrippina’s Tear. One of the five blessed jewels you’ve been looking for, Your Highness.”

Agrippina — the sea goddess. The pearl’s nickname meant the goddess’s tear.

A rare divine gem said to hold a blessing.

“It’s also one of the heirlooms from my mother’s family.”

Had I married Ludwig, Evangeline would’ve taken it eventually anyway.

But Arpad wasn’t going to fall so easily.

He smirked and said:

“A rare jewel, yes — but do you really think I’d move for something like this?”

He was clearly trying to pretend it wasn’t a big deal.

I smiled even wider.

“As I said — I know you’ve been searching for all five blessed jewels. And I just gave you one.”

His eyebrows shot up again.

He was thinking:

“How does she know that? Even the Emperor doesn’t.”

Time to land the final blow.

“And my upfront payment isn’t just the jewel. It includes a piece of information.”

Now his eyes held both suspicion and curiosity.

I spoke clearly:

“It’s useless.”

“What?”

“The pearl. All of them. No divine artifact or blessed jewel will cure your madness.”

“…!”

“That fact — that none of these things will save you — is also part of my payment.”

I smiled coldly as I said it.

His face froze.

Then—

“Urgh!”

Clang!

The sword that had been at my neck dropped to the floor.

Because now, his hand was choking me instead.

Not playfully — he meant it this time.

His smile looked like a bloodstained wolf.

“You call that ‘payment’? You’ve got guts.”

“Guh…”

“Now I’m really curious what you’re planning to pay with next.”

“I… already told you… I’ll… guh — loosen your grip! I can’t talk!”

Surprisingly, his grip eased a little.

I coughed and caught my breath.

“Cough… I told you. I’ll make sure you ascend the throne without going mad.”

“Explain it. Properly. If you expect me to commit political suicide.”

He was right. If a Crown Prince — already seen as unstable — ran off with his cousin’s bride, people would say he’d lost it.

It was practically a death sentence in court.

But I couldn’t tell him everything either.

“What am I supposed to say? ‘I’ve lived three lives and I know the future?’ He’d cut off more than just my breath.”

I took a breath and shifted from “noble lady” to client of a mercenary.

“You’ll find out if you accept my request… Gerald, Mercenary King.”

“…You want me to pay first?”

“Exactly. I already gave you an advance. Now it’s your choice — accept or refuse.”

“…You’re still blackmailing me.”

“Yup.”

I winked at him cheerfully.

“That’s part of the deal.”

He looked suddenly exhausted, like someone who’d been worn down for hours.

“Weird. I’m the one getting choked here.”

“So after I ‘abduct’ you tomorrow… I’ll find out everything?”

“Yes.”

“You’re driving me insane.”

He rubbed his face with both hands.

From the outside, it probably looked like he was the victim, not me.

“But I have no choice. Unless a direct royal abduction happens, I can’t stop this marriage.”

I had learned that painfully through three lives.

So I looked at him with firm eyes and delivered the final push:

“I can save you from madness, Your Highness. I swear it’s the truth.”

“A swear? Sworn on what?”

He scoffed, clearly not impressed by vague promises.

So, I reached toward the divine artifact I had given him.

I recited a sacred incantation — a skill I’d learned briefly when I lived as a monk in one life.

The divine power shimmered from the pearl, wrapping around my wrist in a glowing bracelet before vanishing.

Arpad’s eyes changed.

“If I lie, my wrist will be severed. That’s the cost of sacred speech.”

“I can suppress your madness.”

He stared silently.

But my wrist remained intact.

“I’ve never seen someone bet their wrist on a sacred vow.”

“Well, you wouldn’t have believed me otherwise, would you?”

He didn’t deny that.

He also didn’t say he trusted me.

But—he let go of my neck.

He didn’t stop me from returning to the mansion.

“That means… he’s curious. And maybe, just maybe… willing to go along with this.”

I hoped that was true.

“Otherwise, I’ll have to do something even more extreme.”

With Sir Beltane’s help, I returned to my room without anyone noticing.

The moment I closed the door, my legs gave out and I collapsed.

“Ah…”

My whole body was shaking.

In the mirror, I saw red finger marks around my neck.

“I really came back from the edge of death.”

“This is a gamble.”

But it was one I had to win — or I wouldn’t survive.

I washed up, changed, and lay in bed — but sleep never came.

And just like that, I greeted the morning of my wedding day with open, sleepless eyes.