IYMH 10

Chapter 10

When Kite was young, his mother had wanted him to behave that way.

She treated Kite like a doll.

Since he had been born from her womb, she wanted him to become Emperor, so she constantly tried to make a good impression on influential people.

Throughout that process, Kite’s own wishes were never considered.

Even so, until he grew older, he still loved her because she was his mother.

Kite did everything he could to earn the approval of his mother, Saraen.

By the time he realized that something was wrong, it was already too late.

He had already earned the hatred of Kali, his only older brother and the first heir to the throne.

Afterward, Saraen died from illness.

Left alone, Kite was treated cruelly by Kali.

Kali drove the still-young Kite out to the frontier.

He forced him to face savage barbarians and monsters.

There was not a single day when his life was not in danger.

Until he eventually met Seren there, he spent his days fighting for survival alone.

And so he moved from one dangerous battlefield to another.

In days where the blood never seemed to dry, Kite gained insomnia and distrust.

Yet he continued to build achievements that no one could deny.

No one had imagined that the small and fragile Kite could accomplish so much.

No one knew that the prince, pushed to the brink of death, possessed such incredible talent with the sword.

Kali tried his best to hide Kite’s achievements.

But it was not easy.

The Empire was a nation that valued military strength.

Because of that, military officers began to favor Kite.

At first, Kite found it troublesome.

He did not want to build a faction and earn even more hatred from Kali.

At the time, Kali seemed like an incredible person to him.

Kite even believed that Kali could kill him whenever he wished.

“But that wasn’t true.”

Although Kali had been born first and became the heir, he was actually a weak man.

That was why he was suspicious of everyone around him and could not even trust his own son.

Afraid that his young son, Leonhardt, might take his position, he spread false rumors and imprisoned him.

Was someone like that really worth fearing?

Once that thought entered Kite’s mind, he began to change.

He actively gathered supporters and increased his power.

And just when he was about to move against Kali—

Kali died.

While riding during a hunt, he fell from his horse.

It was an absurd accident.

But people did not believe it.

They believed Kite had killed his Emperor brother in pursuit of power.

They expected him to return to the capital and take the throne for himself.

But Kite did not.

“I don’t want a position like that.”

The people who had desperately chased after the throne remained vivid in Kite’s memories even now.

Instead, he placed his imprisoned young nephew, Leonhardt, on the throne and became his guardian.

After that, he lived exactly as people knew him.

Sometimes he even went a little too far in order to be seen as someone unsuitable for the position of Emperor.

But he did not solve everything with violence.

Thanks to his mother, he had been born with a beautiful appearance.

So he might as well make use of it.

Kite looked at the maid with a pitiful expression.

The maid, who had been backing away like a frightened squirrel, suddenly stopped.

Beauty worked everywhere.

This is driving me crazy.

For the first time in her life, Evelyn learned something about herself.

She was completely helpless against the vulnerable expression of a beautiful person.

She knew everything Kite had done.

Yet her retreating body suddenly stopped.

How can a person look like that?

A straight forehead.

Eyes like a calm lake.

A well-shaped nose.

And slightly red lips.

“…I’m hungry.”

At the gloomy voice, Evelyn’s heart nearly stopped.

No, how could someone that beautiful say he was hungry?

Her reason was screaming at her to come to her senses.

But her heart refused to listen.

Slowly, Evelyn began moving forward.

“You won’t hit me, right?”

“I don’t hit weak people.”

By a Swordmaster’s standards, most of the world would count as weak.

Then she remembered the noble young master whose leg Kite had broken.

“To be precise, I don’t touch people who haven’t learned combat skills.”

Only then did Evelyn relax and move closer.

“You really won’t hurt me?”

“That’s right.”

Kite smiled gently, as if telling her to trust him.

Like a mouse lured by cheese in a trap, Evelyn approached him.

Finally, she reached the tray.

At that moment—

Kite moved his hands quickly and grabbed the edge of Evelyn’s clothes.

He pulled.

Her body was dragged forward so suddenly that she lost her balance.

Even in her panic, Evelyn instantly pulled out the hidden dagger she had prepared.

She cut off the piece of cloth he was holding and rolled across the floor to create distance.

When she came to her senses, she was already back near the doorway.

“A maid, huh?”

Kite let out a laugh as he looked at her.

“I am a maid.”

“And maids move like that?”

“My grandfather taught me self-defense.”

“You call that self-defense?”

She had moved like a knight who had trained for years.

Kite found it impossible to believe.

“It is self-defense.”

“My grandfather said this much wasn’t even enough to beat local thugs.”

“What kind of place did you grow up in?”

“A frontier region far away.”

Evelyn answered honestly.

But Kite did not believe her.

She had avoided an attack from a Swordmaster.

And now she was saying she could not even defeat local thugs?

What kind of nonsense was that?

Kite became curious about the maid’s grandfather.

Just what kind of man had raised his granddaughter like this?

“There are thugs that strong in the frontier? No, if they’re that strong, shouldn’t they stop being thugs?”

“Well, I suppose I can’t help you eat anymore.”

The maid was no longer stuttering.

A slight chill ran down Kite’s spine.

“What’s your name?”

“Mary.”

“That’s a dog’s name.”

It was obviously fake.

But the maid had no intention of revealing her real name.

Then again, that was only natural.

After all, she had kidnapped a Grand Duke of the Empire.

The maid gave a small bow.

Then she closed the door and disappeared.

Only the food on the tray remained.

Kite picked up the drink and took a sip.

A Swordmaster had pushed their body to the absolute limit and was highly resistant to poison.

On top of that, Kite had undergone training related to poisons.

That was why he drank it without hesitation.

“It’s good.”

There was nothing strange in the drink.

It simply tasted excellent.

It was cool, sweet, and slightly bitter.

Exactly the kind of flavor Kite liked.

“What did they put in this?”

The stew had cooled a little, but it had been simmered well.

Paired with the bread, it tasted delicious.

At the very least, he could tell that they were not trying to starve him to death.

After finishing his meal, Kite looked around the room again.

Strange.

For a room meant to imprison a Swordmaster, the atmosphere was strange.

The metal bed was firmly attached to the floor so it could not be moved.

That part suited a prison.

But everything after that was odd.

The mattress and blanket on the bed were soft, clean, and comfortable.

They were a warm pale-yellow color.

Lace had even been sewn around the edges.

The pillow was the same.

A short distance away stood a bookshelf filled with dozens of books.

It felt as though someone wanted him to pass the time without getting bored.

The bathroom, which barely fit into the space, was also neatly arranged.

Soap and various necessities had been prepared.

At that point, Kite began to wonder if the purpose of this kidnapping might be different from what he had originally thought.

Seren stared at the clock hanging on the wall with a stiff expression.

Kite had clearly said he was going to visit an information broker.

Yet half a day had passed, and he still had not returned.

Seren had even asked around nearby.

There was no trace of him.

“Aren’t you worrying too much?”

When Alex said that, Lersen glared at him.

“Lord Kite has many enemies. It’s only natural for the Vice Commander to be worried.”

“But there isn’t anyone stronger than Lord Kite, is there?”

“There are two other Swordmasters.”

“Even so, one is so old that he’s retired, and the other is weaker than Lord Kite.”

“You really don’t think things through.”

Lersen sighed.

Alex immediately became offended.

“That’s not wrong!”

“It’s not right either!”

As the two started growling at each other, Seren slammed his palm onto the table.