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Chapter : 32
Tris waited and waited, but when she still said nothing, he kicked the man and spoke.
“Clean up your filthy bloodstain and leave. Never set foot in the Rediang territory again.”
“Y-yes, understood.”
The man looked frightened. He darted his eyes over the floor, then quickly took off his grimy shirt and began scrubbing up the blood. Only then did the maids relax, stifling giggles that finally burst out.
Watching them, Emblin realized something. She finally understood what ruled the world—strength and violence. The very things she lacked. But now a man who could fill that void had appeared. Tris Aake. The real issue was whether he would keep their promise.
Suddenly she felt drained. Like sinking deeper and deeper into a swamp… And surely more moments like this would come, when she would realize just how powerless and worthless she was. She dropped her hands into her lap and hid them, squeezing her fingers so tightly her knuckles popped, holding her breath.
Tris looked over at Emblin. She was staring straight ahead with a blank, expressionless face—but her eyes felt strangely hollow. He had seen eyes like that before. Idella’s eyes. Eyes full of resignation. But why…? Leaving the capital should’ve been good for Emblin, shouldn’t it?
He glanced around. Emblin and two maids—that was the entirety of Wintergarden’s people, it seemed.
“Tch.” Bitter taste filled his mouth. It wasn’t something he could shrug off anymore. He realized he hadn’t seen a single guard stationed anywhere in Rediang. Same in the Valley of Wind. A stray gust of wind blowing through once in a while was nowhere near enough to defend the only road into Wintergarden.
The king of Ackerus must have fully decided to abandon Emblin. He probably wanted the world to tear her apart.
His face twisted savagely. The thought overlapped with the Duke Aake. A father who sold Idella to an old man just to clutch a handful of sandlike power. Damn him.
While he muttered curses under his breath, the man finally finished wiping the floor and stood there awkwardly, unsure.
“Go.”
At Tris’s command, the man rose, clutching his ribs. But he didn’t immediately move. He’d been scared out of his wits. Tris picked up his dagger.
“Still not enough?”
“N-no, sir!”
He took a few cautious steps, then suddenly bolted and ran off. Emblin let out a long breath. She had been terrified—too frightened even to sit straight. But she couldn’t relax yet. The real business was only just beginning.
Emblin lifted her head, eyes sharp.
“Well then. Shall we talk now?”
There was no reason to delay. Tris sat down immediately and pulled a piece of parchment from his coat.
“About Wintergarden and the five villages—”
Emblin cut him off with a mocking tone.
“You don’t need to show me anything I wrote. I remember perfectly.”
“Then why give it to me at all?”
He pulled out a strand of hair she’d given him and waved it deliberately.
Emblin straightened her back completely. Why was he still carrying that? To force something out of her? Her stomach churned as if she might vomit, so she sharpened her expression instead.
“So you’d believe I’m serious. Anyway, I’ll be your wife, but I won’t be performing a wife’s duties.”
Tris just listened.
“And you must never have children. Not with a woman, not a bastard—no children at all.”
What? Tris blinked.
“Are you telling me to live like a monk?”
“Yes. If you can’t, go home. I’ll find someone else.”
Tris’s thick brows twitched in amusement. As expected of a king’s daughter. That cold gaze, that boldness to seize him and knead him like clay right from the start.
And yet his heart had thudded earlier when he saw her new hairstyle and dress. Maybe his eyes had deceived him. But why did his mouth taste bitter? This was a new feeling entirely—something spreading through his chest like ripples… No. Get a grip. He had come here for a reason.
Tris exhaled shortly.
“Before that, I have something I’m curious about.”
“Go on.”
“Did you propose to me because you see me as the heir to Aake?”
Emblin answered instantly.
“No. At the ball, the way you defended Idella left an impression.”
That was it. The reason she had written to a man she barely knew. Not because he had given ointment or told Idella to live proudly, but because he had stood on her side. Oh. So that’s it. She wanted the protection Idella received. She wanted the same treatment.
Tris scratched his head.
“I see. Then there’s no problem.”
He spoke plainly.
“I’m no longer the heir.”
Emblin doubted her ears.
“What? What do you mean?”
Tris grinned.
“The duke will claim he banished me, but truth is—I walked out on my own.”
Emblin formed an “O” with her lips and blinked, startled. Her expression suddenly looked young, like a child. It pulled his eyes to her without thinking. Hard to believe she could look like a cold noblewoman one moment and innocent the next. It made the corner of his mouth lift. So much for thinking his eyes were faulty earlier. This version of himself felt unfamiliar.
Emblin twisted her lips in a smirk.
“So you got kicked out.”
Tris shook his head.
“No. I left.”
“Same difference. But why? The duke seemed proud of you.”
Tris rested his chin on his hand with a scoff.
“We disagreed too deeply.”
Emblin frowned.
“I don’t follow.”
She was honest, surprisingly so. And the more she spoke, the more expressive she got. So Tris chose honesty too.
“It was over Idella’s marriage.”
“That’s impossible.”
“The duke sold her to old Lord Lorem. Wouldn’t you fight over that?”
Emblin’s eyes widened, then narrowed. It was so similar to her own situation. Yet she still couldn’t fully believe a son would defy his father.
“So that’s how I ended up like this.”
At last Emblin truly saw him. She hadn’t looked at his appearance at all before. But now—his rough hair, the dark brown beard along his jaw, his dust-covered clothes… He really wasn’t dressed much differently from that thug earlier.
“Is that true?”
“It is.”
Unbelievable. How could—? Her expression betrayed her disbelief.
Tris shrugged. He understood perfectly. “Difference of opinion.” Parents owned their children—saying such a thing sounded laughable. But he was dead serious.
“When Idella needs me someday, I’ll go back and get her. That’s why I left.”
Emblin’s face went blank again. But this time she stared straight at him, stunned. For a second, pure envy flickered through her large eyes. Thud. A ripple spread deep inside his chest and radiated to his fingertips and toes.
What is wrong with me?
He couldn’t look away. Staring into her eyes, he spoke.
“Well, now that I’ve told you everything, let’s hear your terms.”
Emblin gazed at him silently. Again the questions came—was this what he was always like? Or just pretending because he had something to gain? Still, leaving the estate for Idella’s sake? Meril had been right. He was exactly the kind of man she needed. A man who could protect her like Idella had been protected—Tris.
When she didn’t speak, he asked,
“So, living like a monk—those are all your conditions?”
“Yes. Protect me completely. Then all of this will be yours.”
“That’s truly enough for you?”
“What? What do you mean?”
“You’re not even curious about me?”
Her cheeks flushed instantly—not with embarrassment, but fury. Emblin’s voice turned ice-cold.
“No. Even a brush of hair makes my skin crawl. Men are the most disgusting creatures in the world. So decide. Will you stay and guard me, or leave?”
Tris raised both hands like surrender.
“I wasn’t talking about sharing a bed. I mean, if I ruin this place, aren’t you curious what I’ll do?”
Emblin’s face turned even redder—shame mixed with anger. She’d exposed a weak point. Her lips trembled, but she forced herself to breathe. In, out. In, out.
She finally stood.
“I don’t care what you do, but I hope you don’t ruin it. I inherited this after my mother died. I can’t disgrace her.”
Tris’s expression shifted. So Meril’s suicide was how she saw it. But he didn’t know what had happened between them, so he couldn’t offer blind comfort. He answered quietly,
“Understood. I’ll do my best.”
“You’d better. Since you’re exiled too, it’s not like you’ll ever find another wife on these terms.”
Tris’s lips twisted. Her voice dripped with venom. Yet he understood. She had no fondness for husbands—or marriage. Neither did he. Marriage was born of necessity, not desire.
