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chapter 03
If someone hits you, stab them with a knife
“P-Princess?”
“Adeline… Vita? The slave princess sold off to Nova?”
“Shh. Watch your words!”
The murmurs hiding like rats were ridiculous. Adeline stood at the top step of the entrance to the Hall of Glory, making eye contact with each one of them. Then, she elegantly dragged the long hem of her dress as she walked.
The nobles densely filling the Hall of Glory did not block her path. Without knowing why, they shuffled aside and made way.
She walked very slowly so they could observe her thoroughly.
From the distance, she couldn’t read her father’s expression. But the crown prince Cesare Dixon standing in the middle of the banquet hall was close enough to see clearly. Cesare pursed his lips as he looked at her, thrusting his strong jaw forward and grinding his teeth.
That mad crown prince.
Though much had changed, many things remained the same. His reddish-brown eyes looked almost gentle at a glance, and his black hair had a reddish tint. Only his shoulders had grown broader and his features sharper compared to eleven years ago. The awkward youth who had grown too fast was gone, replaced by an adult man filled with arrogance.
Adeline lifted her head high as she pushed aside memories of the past flashing through her mind.
You’ve grown a lot, Cesare.
But what can I do? I’ve changed even more than you.
The path to her father wasn’t as long as she thought. No one blocked her way.
“Father.”
The king slowly glanced over Adeline’s figure — her cloud-colored hair spread out, the royal tiara, the white dress hem, and the golden sash hanging down. If she were truly the beloved princess of this country, to the king who valued his dignity and reputation above all, this would be a perfect appearance.
Someone swallowed dryly. All eyes shifted to the king’s mouth. What would he say to Adeline Vita, who appeared out of nowhere?
An old servant bowed deeply and whispered something into the king’s ear. The king — her father — stared at her without a word for a very long time, clearly hesitating.
Adeline was a sacrifice to avert war. Slave, concubine, or hostage. When the hostile nation Nova grew fearfully strong and stepped up as a coalition country, the desperate King of Marma proposed a humiliating and petty diplomatic scheme to the King of Nova. That was Adeline Vita.
Ironically, it was then that she first received proper princess treatment from all the nobles of Marma. Because for that diplomacy to succeed, she had to be the beloved princess of Marma. At that time, her ransom value was equal to her father the king’s pride.
“Father, do you know who I am?”
Adeline smiled and asked. No one else mattered. It was the king’s mouth that had to declare who she really was — who she truly was.
The king moved his wrinkled lips. The old servant bowed again and whispered. The king’s lips, previously tight with displeasure and impatience, relaxed.
He would say it.
“Adeline Vita Marma.”
She was the one and only princess of this country,
“You are my beloved daughter.”
Someone everyone should bow to and thank.
“A great martyr.”
A suffocating silence fell over the Hall of Glory. No one dared to dispute the king’s words. Adeline smiled contentedly, approached him, grabbed the long hem of her dress, bent her knee, and bowed her head.
A lukewarm hand stroked her hair, rested on her shoulder, and returned. The king and she smiled at each other as if by prior agreement.
“Adeline, you have returned safely. This is the empire’s great joy.”
Someone swallowed dryly again. Adeline turned from the king and walked confidently to her place. Then she met the gazes of the nobles, who were still pouring at her, head-on.
“Why is the patient out here?”
Cesare approached. It was a question about why someone who should be hiding quietly in the annex had come out this far. Adeline stopped and looked up at him. They glared at each other as if trying to stab.
“Princess… Your Highness… It’s an honor. When did you return?”
Beside Cesare stood his fiancée, wearing a white dress. She was a young lady with large, shining doe-like eyes and flowing blonde hair. She took a step toward Adeline but was stopped by Cesare. He gently held his fiancée’s hand in front of her chest, preventing her from approaching.
“Your Highness?”
Her voice was full of confusion. Cesare stood blocking his fiancée, then spoke again to Adeline.
“You were told not to leave the room until fully recovered.”
A lie. Adeline had never heard such an order.
“Don’t worry so much, Adeline.”
His dark brown eyes smiled.
Worry? What a joke. Adeline could at least understand the hostile king. Even if Eisen had used and broken her, she could understand — he had reasons. Her father, too.
But this man, called her brother, she could not understand. Adeline could not comprehend Cesare’s obsession with her.
Crown Prince Cesare Dixon was the vilest, most quarrelsome, and violent man Adeline had ever known. The righteous, tolerant image known publicly was just an illusion crafted by his cunning mind.
She had realized his nature before she turned twelve, and the year she was taken hostage by the enemy country, she was glad she could escape the grasp of the brother she once had.
This did not mean Cesare had committed an abomination. He treated her like a living toy — playing with her, tormenting her, and wanting to break her.
She remembered clearly: on the day she was dragged to Nova, Cesare had been angrier than anyone in Marma. It was only natural that his childish madness had swelled into a massive rage when what was his vanished.
Now you have grown, so you won’t be the same as before. Adeline hid the hot breath leaking from her lips and gave him a graceful smile as if painted.
“Cesare.”
To strangers’ eyes, her smile would seem angelic and kind.
“I couldn’t miss such an important day. I just wanted to congratulate my brother.”
Cesare hesitated as if surprised and tightly gripped his fiancée’s hand wrapped around his arm.
Adeline whispered like a lark that she had missed him terribly and that, among all things in Marma, family was what she missed most. Of course, it was a blatant lie. Cesare would know it too.
“That’s wonderful, Princess Adeline!”
Cesare’s fiancée pulled her arm free and stepped forward. She was a young lady just past childhood, blinking her big innocent eyes.
“I’ll say it again. Welcome, Your Highness. It’s strange no one told us about your return.”
She voiced the curiosity of all the nobles gathered there without hesitation.
“Indeed. I’m curious, too.”
“Right? Maybe there will be a surprise party?”
A surprise party — such a naive and innocent idea.
The princess’s return had been kept secret because it involved the royal family’s disgrace. Adeline smiled silently at Cesare’s fiancée. No further conversation was necessary.
“You must be in a lot of pain. You should go back now.”
Cesare urged her to leave. Adeline pushed him away as he growled softly. Now that she had achieved her goal, she planned to leave.
“You’ve changed a lot, Adeline.”
“You haven’t changed at all.”
Cesare muttered between clenched teeth as they walked together.
“I don’t know what scheme you’re up to…but you’ll regret it.”
“We’ll see who regrets it.”
Adeline walked straight. The gazes of thousands of nobles were fixed solely on her. At this moment, Cesare and his fiancée were nothing more than insignificant extras.
They listened carefully as if not to miss a single word and rolled their eyes to follow her every step. They were desperate to get close and extract information. Occasionally, some tactless but brave women approached to compliment her dress, and each time Adeline responded with the same words:
“Marma remains unchanged.”
The announcement of the crown prince’s engagement was scheduled when the North Temple bells rang three times. But because of Adeline, everyone forgot about it.
Soon, Cesare and the Duchess of Nord Hill held their engagement ceremony, but the nobles’ attention remained on Adeline alone. Cesare’s face was twisted with tension throughout the ceremony, clearly wounded in pride.
Shall I leave now?
There was no need to stay long. She had publicly revealed her return that her father had tried hard to hide, and trampled on Cesare’s pride. It was truly time to make an exit.
The evening was chilly. Autumn had begun, and the air was cold.
“Your Highness Vita!”
The maids bustling at the annex entrance stopped when they spotted Adeline returning late.
“What on earth…”
“What on earth?”
“Where have you been? Is it true you went to the Hall of Glory? How could you do such a thing…!”
Adeline took off the tiara weighing heavily on her head and carelessly looped it over her finger. Then she strode boldly through the maids harshly criticizing her.
“Princess!”
Inside, Colin was waiting. His neatly combed hair was a mess as if he had been searching everywhere. His eyes held resentment toward the betrayer.
Colin quickly ran up and lamented with blame, begging her not to do that. He even choked with a voice tightly locked, but when Adeline saw the man standing in the middle of her room, she understood why.
“You’re only arriving now?”
Richard Selmore looked at Adeline with a harshly twisted face. He drew his long sword, gripping it as if ready to strike her down.
“From today, I, Richard Selmore, will be Your Highness Vita’s bodyguard.”
Cesare’s reaction was quick. Adeline realized that an angry Cesare was trying to chain her with a leash named Richard Selmore.
“You won’t be able to step outside this building without my permission.”
“Who gave you that right?”
Adeline laughed bitterly, pointing to her injured shoulder.
“You think you’re protecting me? Or delivering me to the assassin’s hand?”
“Your Highness Vita!”
“I’ve already failed once. Don’t you see this wound? Just be honest that you came to spy.”
“I was only following orders.”
Adeline and Richard both clenched their teeth simultaneously.
There was only one reason Richard Selmore was chosen as her bodyguard. He was a commoner of the third rank.
All of Cesare’s aides were from powerful noble families. His guards, too. As far as Adeline knew, Richard Selmore was the first commoner knight Cesare had kept by his side. So Richard must have blindly respected and followed him. He probably thought Cesare was a true lord who did not care about origins.
What a fool. So what? He was still a slave-born princess’s guard.
“Colin, what’s wrong with your face?”
Adeline called out to Colin, who was unusually silent from morning after tossing and turning in relief at having struck a big blow against Cesare and her father. The usually bold and proactive Colin avoided eye contact, kept his head down, and stared at the floor like a guilty person, sometimes turning away or trying to leave the room.
Adeline sprang from bed and approached Colin.
“Lift your face.”
“P-Princess…”
“Lift your face.”
Colin squeezed his eyes shut and slowly raised his head. A large, red bruise covered much of his round, youthful face. This was no slap— a strong man had hit him hard. The bruise partially covered his eye’s corner, where a small dried blood drop stained torn skin.
Colin bit his lip and whimpered. When Adeline remained silent for a while, he cautiously lowered his face and said:
“I’ll go prepare breakfast…”
“Colin.”
“P-Princess, I’m fine. Don’t worry.”
Unfortunately, Adeline wasn’t worried about Colin’s welfare.
She didn’t need to ask who hit him. It was Cesare. After assigning Colin to watch her, he reprimanded Colin for doing nothing until Adeline burst into the Hall of Glory. Of course, it was simple venting of anger. Cesare’s temper to vent on the weak was as usual.
“Colin.”
“Princess, the cooks won’t prepare meals anymore starting today. So I will.”
“Quit.”
Colin looked up sharply, not understanding the order.
“Huh?”
“Quit being a maid and go back home.”
His watery eyes trembled endlessly, like a forlorn puppy. The pitiful gaze. Eleven years ago, Adeline would have held Colin, consoled him, taken all the blame, and cried with him, telling him to run far away.
But Adeline knew.
When Richard came to take her from Nova with 60 knights, she paid close attention to the youngest Colin. Even then, Colin felt awkward among the servants. He treated the knight Richard like his superior and followed him. Whenever Adeline acted, Colin looked at Richard. Richard shook his head or nodded in response.
“Princess… What do you mean?”
Tears welled in Colin’s eyes. Adeline walked barefoot back onto the bed.
“You heard me.”
“I will serve you, Princess, no matter what. You feel most comfortable with me. Other maids dislike you… they won’t do anything for you!”
It sounded like Colin was worried about Adeline, but really, he was worried for himself. If he lost his role as watcher, who knows what would happen.
“It’s okay. He won’t kill you.”
“…Huh?”
“Say this: You’re tired of calling a slave ‘Princess’ and bowing down. Swear to leave this country and never come back. Then at least you’ll survive.”
Colin stepped back unconsciously. After Adeline gave him a way out, he didn’t answer. She lay on the bed, wrapping herself in blankets.
“If you don’t run away now, you’ll surely die someday.”
Tears filled Colin’s wide eyes but never fell. Since meeting Adeline, he was showing his strongest gaze yet. His clenched fists trembled, and he awkwardly grasped and released his skirt twice.
“I… I…”
The tears slowly dried up. He was stronger than she expected. Adeline coldly observed Colin gathering himself.
“I’m your maid.”
Adeline warned clearly. She didn’t want to see this clueless child used by Cesare’s hands and disappear dead.
“I’m not going anywhere. I’ll serve you here.”
Was that a weakness?
It wouldn’t be hard to investigate Colin’s background. Adeline had a contract with the continent’s best information merchants. But they wouldn’t move just to save a mere maid’s life. Ordo was ruthless.
“Colin.”
“This injury is just from falling. Don’t worry.”
How could she not worry when he looked like that and wandered before her eyes? She wasn’t a mad killer, nor did she find violence entertaining. On the contrary, she deeply despised such people.
“So you plan to keep spying on me and run to Cesare to tattle every time something happens?”
Colin, who usually answered well even while sobbing, fell silent. Adeline said again:
“I’ll keep avoiding your eyes and moving around. How can you, who only know how to run errands, do anything else?”
“Princess…”
“You can give orders now. Colin, go out, close your eyes, count to a hundred, then come back. What if I go somewhere in the meantime? Will you keep getting slapped and crying on your way back to Cesare?”
“Then what should I do?”
Colin didn’t cry anymore. Trembling and tightly holding the skirt, he said:
“I can’t disobey your orders or his. I’m just a maid.”
“That’s why I told you to quit.”
“How can I?”
Colin looked genuinely lost. Adeline understood. Cesare could kill or spare a single maid with a word.
“Princess, I… I want to live.”
Was it not a weakness but fear?
“Please, I’ll do well. Even if the queen’s maids despise you, I’ll serve you best. I’ll wash you every day, care for your hair, even defy the cooks to bring you good food. So please… don’t disappear suddenly. Don’t defy the crown prince, okay?”
It was ridiculous. Colin was holding her hostage.
“It’s nothing to you, Princess! Just wear pretty clothes and stay still!”
“Why should I?”
“Huh?”
“You’re not someone precious to me, so why should I?”
Colin’s face twisted as if about to cry, full of resentment toward Adeline.
“…Are you serious?”
“Does it sound like a lie?”
“You’re really cruel, Princess.”
“Is that what you think?”
Adeline lay on the bed, resting her chin.
“Why take out Cesare’s anger on me? I never ordered you to spy, nor punished you for disobedience. I even advised you to run to avoid injury.”
“But, but!”
“Colin, think carefully. Cesare can’t kill me. If he really gets furious beyond control, the one who dies won’t be me, but you.”
There was nothing more to say. She motioned for trembling Colin to leave.
Colin shut himself in his quarters.
The queen’s maids whispered, curious who had hit Colin so severely when they saw him. They looked as if dying to know who had done it.
“I’ll read the newspaper for you.”
The head maid, who had been reluctant before, unexpectedly appeared and opened the paper. Not a gossip magazine loved by maids but a general info paper read by nobles. Adeline nodded, interested. The maid smirked slyly and began reading the article.
“Disgrace of the Marma royal family, Adeline Vita, has returned. Known among gossipers as the noble courtesan…”
Aha. I see.
The maid clearly chose a paper that harshly criticized Adeline. Her voice was especially loud reading “disgrace of the royal family” and “noble courtesan.” Adeline waited with her chin in hand until the maid finished reading.
“You, mouth.”
“Don’t call me that.”
“Do you know what the king called me yesterday?”
The maid, lowering the paper with a satisfied face, froze. Adeline grinned widely and shared the answer.
“My beloved daughter and great martyr, the empire’s joy.”
If the maids had eyes and ears, they all heard what happened in the Hall of Glory.
“You think differently?”
The maid looked unsure what to say. Any words would be blasphemous.
“I only read the paper.”
“I know.”
“Then I’ll be off.”
“Stop right there.”
Where do you think you’re running?
Adeline caught the maid trying to leave the bedroom. It was already inconvenient enough that Colin refused to leave his quarters.
I’ll work you till you drop.
After Colin, the maids declared a strike. No one appeared in Adeline’s room. No one served her or prepared meals. Occasionally, she heard movement outside in the sitting room, but no one answered her calls.
The Lion King happened to come then.
The person who brought him into the room was Richard. Richard, who always got irritated whenever he saw Adeline, opened the reception room door with a very stiff expression. Seeing his tense hands, veins bulging from the force he was exerting, and his stiff gait, it was clear he was quite nervous. Even though the Lion King wasn’t wielding a sword or causing a ruckus, Richard looked like a hyena confronted by a huge beast, not knowing what to do.
“Here again?”
Adeline asked, sitting with her legs up on the sofa in the reception room.
Richard frowned at her rather unrefined appearance. Royal women were supposed to greet guests with near-perfect grooming, and it was polite to notify visitors at least a day in advance. But here, neither guest nor host showed any manners. The Lion King had appeared suddenly without a word, and Adeline was still in her pajamas.
“You just woke up?”
“Not really. I just can’t see where all the maids went.”
“A princess with no maids?”
“Even without maids, there’s a bodyguard.”
Adeline smiled lightly and pointed a finger at Richard. Richard, standing awkwardly by the door, looked at her with a worried expression.
“What are you doing? A guest has arrived. Go and serve some tea.”
“Are you talking to me?”
“Who else? Should I tell the Lion King to do it?”
“I’m a knight.”
“Does a knight have no hands? Just put tea leaves in a cup and pour hot water.”
“Your Highness Vita!”
“Last time you despised me for being a slave with no manners or grace, and now you’re sulking because you have to serve tea?”
A princess and a knight growling at each other like fighting dogs.
Richard was about to retort, but after glancing at the Lion King, he closed his mouth tightly and left the reception room. He seemed to be going to summon a maid.
“Sit.”
Adeline pointed to the sofa for the Lion King, who sat down opposite her without a word. It was amazing how such a large man could be so silent.
“Here to propose again?”
“That was the plan.”
She asked, with a tired expression, and he replied with a faint smile.
Adeline had never seen the Lion King smile before. During their two meetings, he had always been expressionless or frowning. But even that slight smile changed his entire demeanor. The chilling aura of a starving beast softened briefly into a languid cat.
“You’ve got guts, wandering around here alone. This is the enemy’s capital, you know.”
“What about you? I heard you were going to the banquet, but I didn’t expect you to behave like this.”
A sudden thought came to her. This man was currently the most famous guest in Marma. The king, obsessed with vanity, surely wouldn’t leave him off the guest list. Inviting the desert king was a good way to show off his own prestige.
Yet, he didn’t appear at the Hall of Glory.
“Why didn’t you come?”
“What?”
“Weren’t you invited?”
“Are you talking about the engagement ceremony? I heard the messenger came three times.”
“Then why not?”
Adeline looked at the Lion King with curious eyes. He leaned back on the sofa and narrowed his eyes again, smiling.
“Because I didn’t want to steal their attention from you.”
“You…”
“I heard tomorrow is the last day, so I plan to go once. I was going to ignore it until the end because it was a bother, but they said it was rude not to show up.”
He smiled again. His smile looked surprisingly boyish. Just raising the corners of his mouth and narrowing his eyes slightly made him look like a completely different person.
Adeline bit her lip tightly. The Lion King knew her intentions. He was saying he deliberately avoided the event for her sake.
“Do you want me to thank you?”
“What? No way.”
“What exactly do you want from me?”
She realized it was a question with an obvious answer. He had said several times he wanted to propose. Just as she was about to sigh in anticipation of that proposal talk again, the Lion King wiped the smile off his face and asked,
“If I say I want to know your next plan, will you answer me?”
“Are you crazy?”
“Well, I guess I have no choice. Deal with it even if it’s a pain.”
“What exactly?”
This time he sighed and said,
“I can’t lie. So I’ll be honest. Eisen Balzac told me that Adeline Vita is like a tree burned black inside and grown twisted—branches and trunk tangled and grown like roots. No sunlight or even a breath of wind can pass under it.”
“So?”
“When I asked what he meant, he laughed and said you don’t trust people. Adeline Vita suffers from terrible human distrust and a royal family phobia.”
That bastard Eisen.
“I honestly don’t know what to do to gain your trust. I asked several supposedly smart guys, but I only got lame answers.”
His confession about not being able to lie seemed true. The Lion King furrowed one eyebrow, pondered briefly, then said as if throwing it out,
“Then you tell me first. What should I do?”
What kind of guy is this?
Adeline couldn’t stop a laugh from slipping out. She had told him to try persuading, explaining, and tempting, and this was all he came up with.
“You mean you’ll do anything I say?”
“If possible.”
“The great Lion of Baltica would obey my orders?”
“If that’s how I can have you, there’s no reason not to.”
He was sincere. He truly wanted Adeline.
“Adeline, I’m different from you. I hate fights by words. I’ll do what you can’t, and you do what I can’t.”
At that moment, the sound of someone pushing a tray outside the reception room was heard. Adeline leaned forward toward the Lion King and whispered in a tiny voice,
“So what can I get?”
The Lion King, with the widest smile she’d ever seen, said,
“The sword of a warrior who has never lost a fight since he started. If you join me, I will fight for you.”
It was an arrogant, incredible confidence.
“You sure about that?”
“As long as I’m by your side, the weak men of Marma, like paper dolls, will never threaten you.”
That was somewhat reassuring.
Adeline thought quietly.
“Your Highness, refreshments have been prepared.”
Since Richard had left, she expected Colin to come, but it was the maids from the queen’s palace. The head maid, whom Adeline called the “muzzle,” and another younger maid pushed a tray in. Upon entering, they brightened like flowers when they saw the Lion King. With every movement of their long skirts came a breathtaking scent of roses.
Adeline honestly admired.
“Wow.”
“Why?”
“Nothing. Even if I told you, you wouldn’t understand.”
The Lion King raised one eyebrow and asked with his eyes. But Adeline propped her chin on her hand and watched the maids instead of looking at him.
The elegant head maid spoke softly.
“Your Highness, no matter how unwell you are, such an appearance is disrespectful to guests. Let us help you freshen up.”
“Shall I?”
“Yes, you should.”
“But I have no clothes.”
Like butterflies lightly landing and swans gracefully holding teacups, the maids suddenly stopped moving.
Adeline lifted her pajamas and said,
“The guest indoor wear in the annex. What else is there? All you brought me was some mashed potato porridge and a newspaper calling me a prostitute.”
“That’s… because Your Highness just returned.”
“Right. It’s only been a week since I came back.”
The teacup the maid held clinked on the saucer. The kettle steamed hot, the tea leaves smelled sweet, and the snacks on a petal-shaped plate looked beautiful—all things forbidden to her. The maids must have hurried to prepare when they heard the Lion King came, but Adeline busied herself teasing them rather than praising.
“I was curious to ask anyway. The queen isn’t that narrow-minded, so why hasn’t she given her daughter who returned after 11 years a dress?”
“Your Highness…”
“Seems Marma’s royals have to sew their own clothes, huh?”
Adeline still rested her chin on her hand. When she looked at the Lion King with a glance, he shrugged.
“I only just realized those were pajamas.”
This man really seemed unable to lie.
The Lion King, who she thought would leave soon, stayed in the reception room until dinner time. She had no idea what he was thinking, but in the face of the sumptuous feast before her, she burst out laughing as she lifted her knife.
“To think I’d get a meal like this here.”
“What?”
“Nothing. Just eat.”
The maids serving nearby looked horrified. They disapproved of the princess’s utterly improper manners.
Adeline was still in pajamas. Nobody dared fetch her a dress for fear of the queen’s wrath. Besides, the maids seemed to have agreed to pretend not to notice her pajamas, maybe fearing she’d storm into the Hall of Glory again if given a dress.
“Will you come to the banquet tomorrow?”
The Lion King asked.
The steak knife in his hand looked like a deadly dagger. Watching his rough hands intently, she replied firmly,
“No. I plan to be in pain.”
“I see. That’s unfortunate.”
“By the way, you said you’d go?”
“This time, the crown prince is coming to fetch me.”
“Cesare?”
She laughed. Her father probably wanted Cesare to come instead of her. But due to the shocking appearance yesterday and the ensuing gossip, they planned to send Cesare instead.
Having to serve the person you envy—she imagined how wounded Cesare’s pride must be. The food tasted even better.
“How long do you plan to stay here?”
“Why?”
“It doesn’t seem like an environment fit for a beloved princess and great martyr.”
The maids’ shoulders shrank at the Lion King’s indifferent remark. She hated quarrels, yet this man seemed quite skilled at them.
“I’ll move after the banquet tomorrow.”
“To where?”
“Somewhere moderately beautiful but vulnerable to assassin attacks, and farthest from the queen’s and crown prince’s palaces.”
Having eaten to her heart’s content after a long time, Adeline felt lazy all over. The maids laid out all kinds of delicious things for the Lion King, from appetizers to main courses, desserts, and refreshments. He ate well but eventually looked at her with a bored expression.
“Do I still have to eat more?”
“If you don’t want to, don’t. They keep bringing more because you eat so well.”
The maids awkwardly smiled and put down the cookie and fruit plates they were holding.
They moved back to the reception room sofa. Adeline sat reclining, and the Lion King rubbed his full stomach, frowning. A few trivial conversations followed, mostly him asking questions and her answering.
The Lion King finally stood up late into the dark night. Adeline rose to see him off but smiled softly and went into her bedroom when she felt the intense gazes of the maids and Richard. The maids would escort him out, and Richard would use the excuse to tell Cesare about this.
Once the bustling people left, only peaceful silence remained in her bedroom. Adeline lit candles herself as she walked through the darkened room.
“Princess.”
Colin appeared, his face now pale. No tears, but his eyes were still red and swollen. The red bruise covering half his face had darkened to black.
“Here to say your last goodbye?”
“No.”
She had tried to send him away worried he might die, but he insisted on staying.
“Princess, I have something to say.”
“Say it.”
“Please save me.”
Adeline held a long candlestick and walked to the window.
“Wasn’t that already over? I said it would happen eventually unless you ran away.”
“You can protect me, Princess.”
The flickering candle flame steadied and flared blue. Adeline said nothing. Colin stood at the door, pleading desperately.
“I’ll be your person. I’ll do whatever you ask. Please… I’m begging you. Right?”
“Colin.”
“I heard you’re rough in speech but kind and gentle. You loved your nanny, your tutor, and even the cats you raised so much that the palace would ring with their cries when parting… So why?”
“Colin, my cat died.”
“Huh?”
“Cesare strangled it.”
Colin instinctively wrapped one hand around his neck, then let out a choking groan as if he were being strangled. Adeline sighed and explained.
“You’re young, inexperienced, and timid, but have you ever wondered why Cesare made you his loyal?”
“…No.”
“Because your name is Colin.”
“Huh? Why?”
“My cat that Cesare killed was named Colin, too. A pretty one, young like you, with soft brown fur.”
The tears she thought had stopped spilled again. Colin held his neck with both hands and cried while looking at her.
“Princess… please save me.”
Thick tears dripped down. He was such a tearful child. He cried every time they were attacked on the way to Marma, cried when she was hit by an arrow and lost consciousness, and cried again and again.
She could have fought Cesare to protect him. But she wouldn’t. If she cared for Colin, Cesare’s violence would only grow.
“Take this.”
Adeline took a small dagger from a drawer. The blade curved thinly toward the tip, with sharp serrations on the inside. She wrapped a white handkerchief carelessly around the sharp, blue blade and thrust it toward Colin.
“Take it.”
“…What?”
“Protect your own body. You say you’re too scared to even run away, so how are you going to betray Cesare? Take it. If he hits you or tries to kill you again, stab him with this. Kill him.”
She forced the trembling Colin’s hand to grasp the dagger.
On the last day of the banquet, a tremendous cheer erupted in the Hall of Glory.
King Hugo VI declared Marma the Millennium Empire and crowned himself emperor. The nobles cheered. This fertile land, filled with divine blessings, would be recorded in the continent’s history as the first empire.
This was why the Lion King didn’t care that he missed Cesare’s engagement ceremony. What his father wanted was for him to appear on the last day of the banquet. The desert king’s ignorance and arrogance made him nothing but a beast before the emperor of Marma, who had a thousand years of history.
Adeline didn’t know how the Lion King reacted. But it didn’t seem like the beast king was intimidated by the human emperor.
The banquet, thought to be over, continued for a month. Parties were held not only at the palace but everywhere nobles gathered, with alcohol, food, gambling, and auctions.
A few days later, Adeline was assigned a palace. It was exactly the place she requested—a remote palace in the imperial grounds.
“To the great father of the people, sky of the empire, magnificent Emperor, and Adeline’s most revered father.”
She wrote a letter filled with insincere words to her father, now the emperor.
“Thank you for your kindness. My soul will always remain at Your Majesty’s feet…”
The lies flowed easily, though not planned in advance.
“I will serve with all my heart until the day I die.”
Perfect. She held the letter and blew on it until the ink dried. The new palace was surrounded by forest, with fresh, cold air. From a half-open window, she heard the night wind rushing through the trees.
The bedroom was on the second floor again. She could have gone higher but refused, not wanting to climb stairs.
It was the deep night when everyone was asleep. The favorite time of the errand boy.
“Are you really going to send that letter?”
He sat under her bed.
“Of course. I wrote it to send.”
“I never thought the emperor would like something like that.”
“It’s not that he likes it. He likes showing it to others.”
The errand boy lay on the floor, giggling. His eyes, already thin slits, were so narrow the pupils were barely visible.
Adeline let him laugh freely. No one guarded her room at this late hour anyway.
“Princess.”
“What?”
The errand boy still called her “Princess.” After she checked the ink was dry and put the letter into a golden envelope, he asked, singing,
“So… where’s my room?”
