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Chapter 8
“The Queen… of Molvian?”
To be honest, Ariana had expected Rashan to laugh at her answer.
After all, she was the youngest princess—the one known for doing nothing except smiling sweetly and looking pretty.
If he mocked her…
Or even dismissed her as insane…
She wouldn’t have blamed him.
Instead, his reaction was completely different.
“Do you really believe that’s possible?”
His voice carried no trace of laughter.
Nor was there any mockery.
It was calm, serious… almost thoughtful.
“If you help me kill every last Clayton, the chances will increase.”
“You’re a Clayton yourself.”
“Oh, right. Then do me one favor.”
She smiled.
“Kill me last.”
“…What?”
So this is what he looks like when he’s surprised.
Until now, she had only ever seen two expressions on his face:
A blank stare, as though he were looking at an object…
Or the murderous glare of someone about to kill.
The slight change in his expression was so subtle most people would have missed it.
Yet to Ariana, it felt enormous.
“I mean exactly what I said. I’ll help you wipe out every member of the Clayton bloodline. In return… I want to be the very last. After I’ve become queen.”
“…You’re insane.”
Listening to Rashan mutter under his breath, Ariana barely managed to suppress her laughter.
Yes.
She wasn’t sane.
A powerless youngest princess challenging for the throne…
No one in their right mind would attempt such a thing.
But Ariana had already made her decision.
She would become queen.
If she failed…
Then I’ll die.
She had no desire to return to the miserable existence she’d once endured.
People could call her cowardly if they wished.
She didn’t care.
Ariana wanted to live.
Just as she had before her return—
When she’d desperately struggled to survive despite wishing she could simply die.
But I don’t want a life where I’m merely breathing anymore.
If that’s all that’s left… I’d rather die cleanly.
The moment she’d resolved to become queen…
She had accepted that.
“Do you think I’ll accept this bargain?”
“And if you don’t?”
“I could kill you right here.”
“You certainly could.”
She smiled calmly.
“But you won’t.”
“Why are you so certain?”
“Because a far more reliable path to revenge has opened before you. Why would you choose the uncertain one instead?”
“You’re calling you the reliable path?”
“Of course.”
She shrugged.
“Don’t overthink it, Rashan. You’ve already been exposed.”
“…”
“If you reject my offer, you’ll die. Even if you somehow survive, have you considered how many years it’ll take before another opportunity comes?”
Silence.
“And stop thinking about killing me to keep me quiet. That won’t solve anything.”
“The King knows I came here.”
“What do you think will happen when he learns that his beloved flower has died?”
The first target would be Ruben’s merchant company.
And the safety of all the other avengers Ruben had gathered would also be thrown into jeopardy.
Rashan would gladly sacrifice anything if it meant avenging his tribe.
But…
He hadn’t accomplished anything yet.
Which meant there was nothing to deliberate.
“You shouldn’t be wondering whether to accept my offer.”
“You should be thinking about how much you can gain from it.”
The surest way to place a leash around Rashan’s neck…
Was his desire for revenge.
If someone had a wish they would achieve at any cost…
Then that wish itself became their greatest weakness.
As long as revenge remained his weakness…
Rashan had no choice but to accept her proposal.
And once he did…
She could use that weakness to make him move exactly as she wished.
“How can I trust your promise?”
After a long silence, Rashan glared at her.
He clearly disliked the situation.
But, just as she’d said…
He seemed to have accepted that he had no other options.
“No matter what I say, you won’t believe me.”
“…”
“So why not believe something else instead?”
“Something else?”
“Your chest…”
“It’s still empty, isn’t it?”
Rashan’s eyes widened in shock.
A moment later, suspicion filled them even more deeply.
“…What exactly do you know?”
“A great deal.”
She smiled.
“For example… that you’re a living gravestone.”
Before her return, Ariana had investigated Rashan extensively.
She’d been curious about the barbarian who had almost killed the Second Prince.
Even after escaping the royal palace, she’d continued gathering information.
Because learning about Rashan had been the only thing that allowed her to forget her own miserable life.
That was why…
She knew far more than most people did.
Not only about Rashan…
But also about the Blue Mountain Tribe itself.
“You…”
“What are you?”
“The youngest princess of Molvian.”
“The Clayton whose death you desire.”
“The foolish Flower of Molvian who wants to become queen.”
“…”
“If you don’t like that introduction…”
She smiled brightly.
“How about this one instead?”
“Ariana… the final Queen of Molvian, who will one day die by your hand.”
Seeing the confusion in Rashan’s black eyes, Ariana laughed softly.
“You’re making this harder than it needs to be.”
“Just think about your goal.”
“You want to kill the Second Prince.”
“You want to wipe out every Clayton.”
“I’ll help you do exactly that.”
The Flower of Molvian—
Just beginning to cultivate her own poison—
Was tempting Rashan with nothing less than her own life.
* * *
Left alone in the luxurious reception room, Rashan stared silently at the now-empty seat where the youngest princess had been sitting only moments ago.
What… exactly was she?
“I’ll come for you soon. And when I do, I’ll carve my name across your chest. You can make the preparations yourself, can’t you?”
After warning him to avoid attracting the First Princess’s attention, Ariana had left with a carefree smile.
As though she had never doubted he would accept her proposal.
“A living gravestone…”
Running a hand through his disheveled hair, Rashan leaned back into the sofa and looked up at the ceiling.
The name Rashan was chosen to honor the fallen Blue Mountain Tribe.
In that sense…
Calling himself a living gravestone wasn’t wrong.
The real problem was something else.
The youngest princess—
Who had supposedly never once stepped outside Molvian—
Knew that fact.
“How does she know?”
It wasn’t merely the hidden meaning behind his name that troubled him.
“Your chest is still empty, isn’t it?”
That sentence…
It was as if she knew about the tribe’s sacred ritual.
Knowledge that only the tribe’s shamans—or their descendants—should possess.
There was supposedly a traitor from the tribe inside the royal palace.
But he’d heard that person served the Second Prince and had never once crossed paths with the youngest princess.
“So what’s bothering you so much?”
While Rashan was lost in thought, the door opened.
Ruben entered and sat across from him.
Though he’d clearly been listening to everything from somewhere nearby, he acted as though he knew nothing.
The pretense irritated Rashan.
Still, he revealed nothing.
“The investigation we’ve done so far seems to have been completely wrong.”
“I’ve already finished scolding my men.”
Ruben smiled wryly.
“Starting next week, we’ll have much more reliable information.”
Although Ruben had gathered survivors from various tribes—including Rashan’s—and helped them pursue revenge…
Rashan had never fully trusted him.
The feeling was mutual.
Their relationship existed solely because they used each other.
In a strange way…
That made honesty possible.
“Rashan.”
“What do you want to do?”
“Do you really think we still have a choice?”
“So you’re simply going to follow the youngest princess’s plan?”
“I never said I’d follow it obediently.”
Remembering Ariana smiling brightly while calmly discussing the deaths of her own family…
Rashan frowned.
He had known she and her half-siblings had never been close.
But he hadn’t imagined things were this bad.
I made the mistake of judging her by my own standards.
Quietly, Rashan admitted his error.
“I need more information about the youngest princess.”
“This time we’ll prepare properly.”
“Don’t worry.”
“And…”
“I need a few things gathered.”
“If I can obtain them, I’ll get whatever you need.”
“The Grass of the Dead.”
“The jade-green tail feathers of an orphan bird.”
“And the crimson fruit of Achwi.”
None of those materials could be found within Molvian.
But if anyone could obtain them…
It was Ruben.
“By when?”
“Before the youngest princess comes looking for me.”
“Then we’d better move quickly.”
The conversation ended there.
Ruben silently studied Rashan.
The man who had roared like a beast inside the arena…
Was gone.
Instead, sitting before him was someone with cold, calculating eyes—
A strategist already planning his next move.
Ariana and Rashan.
A flower…
And a beast.
They seemed completely incompatible.
Yet they shared one thing in common.
They’re both insane.
A flower mad enough to seek the throne.
A beast driven mad by revenge.
What kind of future would those two create together?
Whatever it was…
Ruben had the distinct feeling it was going to be something extraordinarily interesting.
