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Chapter 2
The emperor’s miracle medicine, Solarsanguis.
Meaning “blood of the sun,” Solarsanguis was the ultimate elixir, said to save anyone except the already dead.
It could pull someone back from the brink of death, restore the health of the weak, and even rejuvenate the healthy, making them look three or four years younger.
The current emperor, Hestern I, was the one who created Solarsanguis. Only he knew the required ingredients and the method to make it.
As the seventh prince of the former emperor, Hestern Kinensia was far from the line of succession.
Though his thirst for power was boundless, he stood no chance in the battle for the throne. So instead, he devoted his youth entirely to the study of dark magic.
He traveled across the entire eastern continent, collecting every secret and ancient knowledge he could find. He even crossed into the western and southern continents and finally achieved what he sought.
The miraculous elixir blessed by the gods—Solarsanguis.
It became the deadly weapon that forced countless nobles to kneel at his feet and eventually enabled him to usurp the throne.
Against swords and spears, people will fight to the death.
But in the face of losing a loved one, people are helpless. If there was a way to save someone they held dear, they would accept any condition.
Hestern, who knew this better than anyone, used Solarsanguis to rapidly expand his influence.
He offered cures to the dying and rejuvenation to the aging, seizing control of powerful families and even the core of the royal court.
By the time the former emperor realized what was happening, the imperial knight commander and royal guard captain were already under Hestern’s control. Most of the princes and princesses, except the crown prince, were as well.
The carefully prepared coup ended successfully in a single night.
The former emperor was executed under false charges of tyranny. The crown prince—once considered the hope of the empire—vanished without a trace.
Rebellions broke out across the land, but they were all in vain. Opposing families were nearly wiped out by Hestern’s loyal group of dark sorcerers.
Upon ascending the throne, Hestern declared himself Hestern I and ruled as a powerful absolute monarch.
Through both bloody purges and the temptation of Solarsanguis, he brought most nobles to their knees.
Thus began the reign of the 29th emperor of the great empire of Stelgart, which had a proud 300-year history.
He immediately increased taxes and imposed countless forms of exploitation. Nobles who resisted were executed without mercy; their lands seized, and their families slaughtered.
Rebellions erupted everywhere, and there were numerous assassination attempts. But nothing worked. Poison had no effect. Even when assassins inflicted deadly wounds, Hestern would rise the next day, unharmed, and attend to affairs of state.
The empire gradually fell into terror. Ten years on, most citizens were merely surviving—not truly living.
No one dared oppose the emperor anymore. Instead, fear of an undying ruler only deepened.
“Your marriage has been decided, Ellice.”
That was the first thing the emperor said when she was dragged out of the detached palace after three months.
Ellice went pale with shock at the thunderous news.
There were still two princesses older than her who hadn’t married. And now, suddenly, it was her?
“If you refuse the marriage, you know what will happen to that slave. Better than anyone.”
“Y-Your Majesty… Hadin did nothing wrong. It was all me…”
At the mention of Hadin, Ellice turned deathly pale. Just thinking of it made her want to break down and cry.
The last she saw of Hadin was the horrifying sight of him being whipped nearly to death.
When she failed to escape and was dragged back to the palace, the emperor had Hadin brutalized in front of her—so she’d never dare try again.
His back was torn open and soaked in blood. His legs were broken so he couldn’t walk again.
His radiant silver hair had been dyed crimson with blood, and his once-beautiful violet eyes were contorted in agony.
Yet even then, Hadin secretly smiled at her.
“It’s all right, my Liche. I have no regrets.”
That was the last thing he said, in the secret language of Tulleang, only the two of them understood.
That night, she cried herself unconscious and then burned with fever for ten days.
When she awoke, she was in the dark punishment room of the detached palace—the same one she was always locked in whenever she defied the emperor.
No news of Hadin ever reached her again. No one delivered word from outside, and even her sole maid, Cecile, was under strict surveillance.
If she refused this marriage, the emperor would surely kill Hadin—slowly and cruelly.
“…Who am I to marry?”
She asked, utterly despondent.
“Lexius von Ernhardt.”
The name that came from the emperor’s lips was beyond anything she expected.
Why that man…?
Duke Ernhardt was a famous man—for his skill, his looks, and the fact that he was one of the few the emperor couldn’t fully control.
Though he inherited a dukedom, he was formerly the commander of the Iskar Mercenary Corps, the most notorious group across the continent.
Known as a demon of the battlefield, he was infamous for slaughtering without mercy and beheading those who crossed him.
A swordmaster unmatched in the land, a master of tactics and war—he was called a living weapon. A ruthless and violent man who disregarded common sense.
Even the emperor couldn’t deal with him lightly. Instead, he often sent him far away under the pretext of wars or monster subjugations.
“Bear the duke’s child. That is the only way that slave might live.”
The emperor’s demand was beyond horrific. To bear a child…?
He must have finally realized she had begun her monthly cycles. Despite all her efforts to hide it.
“…If I bear a child, will you free Hadin?”
“I’ll think about it. One isn’t enough. Maybe after three.”
But the emperor never gave a definitive answer. He was always like this—willing to sacrifice anyone, even family, to achieve his goals.
“…You’ll treat him, right? So he won’t suffer. So he won’t die before then.”
“That depends on you.”
“Then let me see him. Just once. At least let me know he’s alive.”
The emperor shot her a chilling look.
Ellice was afraid, but she didn’t avert her gaze.
If Hadin was already dead, she had no reason to comply. She would give the emperor nothing. Not even her life.
Better to die than live on in such misery.
“One minute. No more.”
The emperor finally allowed it—likely thinking it would make her more compliant.
“Hadin!”
As soon as the prison door opened, Ellice burst inside.
“P-Princess!”
The knight escorting her was startled and tried to grab her. The emperor had strictly forbidden anyone from entering the cell.
Ellice discreetly slipped him a hidden jewel from her sleeve. Only then did the knight back off.
The underground cell reeked of death. The stench of rot, burnt flesh—an indescribable smell of decay.
“Hadin!”
She called his name again as she approached.
Hadin sat slumped against the wall, bound in chains.
His shredded back wounds were rotting from lack of care. His broken legs were so twisted, they looked beyond healing.
“…Liche.”
He slowly opened his eyes, clearly stunned to see her.
“I… I’m getting married. So I came to see you one last time.”
She forced herself to speak calmly, holding back tears. She didn’t want him to worry.
“…So it’s come to that.”
His violet eyes darkened with concern.
“Yes. But it’s not all bad. He’s a duke, a great swordsman, and they say he’s the most handsome man in the empire. Though not as handsome as you, of course.”
She mentioned only the good, not the many terrible rumors surrounding Duke Ernhardt.
“That’s good to hear. I hope your husband will protect you. You deserve someone who will.”
Hadin smiled faintly.
Ellice only smiled back. No one in this empire would protect her—but she didn’t want him to know that.
Hurriedly, she bit the inside of her mouth, filling it with blood. It was the only way to do what she came to do without alerting the knight.
She glanced at the knight—he seemed eager to leave and wasn’t paying close attention.
Taking the chance, she embraced Hadin and gently pressed her lips to his, signaling for him to open his mouth.
He understood and parted his lips in pain. Ellice, pretending to kiss him deeply, poured the blood from her mouth into his.
“Drink more. Quickly. If I squeeze the wounds, there’ll be more.”
She whispered in their secret tongue once the blood was gone.
“This much is enough.”
Hadin shook his head. He hated seeing her hurt.
“I don’t know when I’ll be back. A year, maybe two. But we won’t get home unless you survive.”
She bit her lip again, drawing more blood, and brought it to his mouth.
Hadin couldn’t refuse. He gently covered her lips with his own, sucking the blood she offered. He even slid his tongue into her mouth to gather every drop from her wounds.
“A-Ahem! P-Princess, what are you doing?”
The knight finally intervened, clearly flustered.
Reluctantly, Ellice pulled away and gently examined Hadin’s wounds and legs.
“Don’t worry. I’ll be fine now, thanks to you.”
Hadin spoke with certainty.
“I’ll come back for you. I promise. I won’t be long.”
“Yes, Liche. I’ll wait. Just don’t push yourself too hard.”
His soft smile was the last thing she saw before the knight pulled her away.
“We must go now, Princess.”
There was little time for farewells. Ellice glanced back at Hadin with aching sorrow as she was dragged out.
The iron door slammed shut behind her with a heavy thud.
