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Chapter 11
“Irina!”
Leandro, who was about to run toward me, didn’t even manage to take three steps. He planted his silver sword into the ground to keep himself steady, then dropped to one knee.
It’s my fault. If I hadn’t put that sleep-inducing ingredient in his tea…
I only meant to let him rest during our journey to the Maximilian Empire. His stamina had been poor, so I wanted him to sleep until we arrived. Leandro drank the tea I offered without a trace of suspicion.
Everything had gone according to plan—except for the assassins.
“Your Majesty!”
Thankfully, the knights surrounded Leandro and blocked the attackers’ blades.
Letting out a breath of relief, I turned to the brown-eyed man behind me and swung my dagger. It was the first time I’d ever used a real weapon, so my body swayed clumsily.
“Well, well! Playing with dangerous toys, are we? Do noble ladies from Maximilian carry daggers for fun? What a barbaric place.”
He blocked my strike effortlessly. The dagger, which I thought I held tightly, was wrenched from my grasp in an instant.
I bit my lip hard, and the man spoke lazily.
“If I meant to kill you, I wouldn’t have bothered to drag you out and put you on my horse, you know.”
He sighed as if my struggling was tedious, pressing my shoulder down firmly.
“You’re… not going to kill me?”
When I turned my head and looked up, our eyes met—his brown ones wavered slightly. Oddly, I felt like there was joy hidden in them.
“Yeah, I’m not killing you. I was just told to bring you back. Well, not just that, but close enough.”
That was, in a way, good news. It meant that no matter what I did, they wouldn’t take my life.
“That’s good.”
“What?”
He looked confused. I knelt on one knee on the horse’s back and said to myself:
I’ll jump off and go to Leandro. I can do it!
The horse wasn’t even moving right now. The worst that could happen would be a broken arm or leg.
Even if the horse is tall and this dress is in the way, I won’t die from it.
Thud!
Just then, a sharp blow struck the back of my neck. My vision spun. Instead of jumping, my body collapsed limply against the horse’s back.
The man’s sigh drifted faintly through the fog in my head.
“I was told to bring you alive. But if you resist too much, I am allowed to break a bone or two. You’ll understand, won’t you?”
I barely clung to consciousness. Through half-lidded eyes, I caught a blurred image—Leandro falling sideways, his sword slipping from his hand.
“Take His Majesty! I’ll cover the rear!”
Ruben gave the order, forcing Leandro’s limp body onto a horse bound for the palace.
“Ride at full speed!”
The knights obeyed without hesitation, their faces blank and focused. By the time Ruben returned to the castle much later, the others had already arrived safely. He finally allowed himself to exhale.
“How is His Majesty?”
“He regained consciousness upon arrival. He’s not fully recovered, but the physician says he’s out of immediate danger thanks to quick treatment.”
“That’s… at least some good news.”
The assassins had vanished without a trace. It was clear now—they hadn’t come to kill the emperor. Ruben wasn’t sure how he could tell Leandro that they’d failed to retrieve Lady Irina.
“Add more firewood! Drive out the cold!”
“Yes, sir!”
Ruben entered the emperor’s bedchamber, giving orders to the servants. Leandro, sitting up in bed, looked noticeably better than the day before.
He’ll ask about the young lady soon… From the way those men fled, it looked like they were heading toward the Osk Empire…
He shook his head, trying to think clearly.
At least we captured one alive. A little interrogation should reveal who sent them.
Leandro’s cold voice broke through his thoughts.
“Irina.”
His very first words were about her. Ruben’s face drained of color.
Leandro massaged his temple, clearly dizzy, and asked again—this time with an edge that made Ruben’s stomach twist.
“Where is she?”
Ruben dropped to one knee, speaking in a grave tone.
“We… could not rescue her, Your Majesty.”
Leandro’s face contorted—not quite shock, not quite anger, something heavier. He closed his eyes tightly.
“Then I’ll bring her back myself. That’s all.”
It wasn’t clear if he was speaking to Ruben or to himself. His complexion was pale, but his eyes burned fiercely.
“Let the knights rest. I’ll take my private guard.”
“I’ve already sent fast riders to track her. We’ll soon know where the lady is. You can act then, without risking your health.”
“No. I’ll go myself.”
Leandro threw off his blanket and swung his legs over the side of the bed, grimacing as pain tugged at his shoulder. Still, he gestured for an attendant to bring his clothes.
“Your Majesty, you must rest! Please, allow me to go in your stead.”
“It’s not that I don’t trust you, Ruben. But this is Irina. She’s my reason to go.”
“The physician said any further strain could be dangerous! You haven’t slept or eaten properly!”
“Ruben.”
Ruben knelt again, bowing his head. Leandro placed a hand gently on his shoulder.
“Irina called me by my name for the first time. Not ‘Your Majesty’—my name. Isn’t that reason enough for me to go myself?”
“…”
“There’s something I still need to hear from her.”
He smiled faintly. There was no stopping him now. Turning to his servant Lucas, Leandro commanded with royal authority:
“Prepare the horses.”
“Hey.”
When I opened my eyes, I found myself in a wooden cabin. Roughly cut logs made up the walls, leaving small gaps where wind and sunlight filtered through.
“Hello?”
The brown-haired man kneeling under the window ignored me completely.
“Are you going to keep pretending you can’t hear me? It’s just the two of us here.”
When I kept pestering him, he finally sighed and walked out, closing the door behind him.
Outside the cabin, stacked beside the entrance, were neatly piled logs. Inside, there was only a small kitchen and a staircase leading up. No decorations, no paintings—just a single narrow bed near the wall.
At least it wasn’t as bad as sleeping on the ground.
“Where am I?”
Luckily, the door wasn’t locked. I stepped outside and started walking down a narrow forest path. The man didn’t follow me, so I quickened my pace and broke into a run.
“There’s nothing here—just trees and grass, everywhere!”
It took me until sunset to realize why he hadn’t bothered to stop me. No matter which direction I went, every path curved back to the same cabin.
“Now you see? You can’t leave.”
The brown-haired man dropped lightly from a tall tree, grinning.
“Wow, you really know how to repay kindness with hostility.”
“You recognize me?”
A flicker of surprise crossed his face.
“The pervert who got bitten by a snake.”
“…”
He didn’t speak for a long while after that.
No matter how many times I asked why he brought me here or where “here” even was, he gave no answer. I couldn’t tell if he was sulking—or just genuinely didn’t know.
“Geo. That’s all I can tell you. My name’s Geo.”
He shrugged when I frowned at him.
“And we’re going to be here for a while. Just the two of us.”
Two weeks later.
“Geo!”
“Yeah?”
“I told you not to come in with muddy boots! Take them off outside! You’re getting dirt all over the floor!”
“I’ve never taken my shoes off indoors in my life. It’s weird! Can’t I just wear them?”
Muttering complaints, he trudged back to the door to remove them.
“And who do you think cleans up afterward? You ever swept a floor? If you want to live in a clean house, at least try to help!”
“Tch.”
I glared at him, clutching a wooden ladle. He hesitated, then reluctantly took off his boots. Slowly, watching my reaction, he shuffled closer and asked:
“What are you making?”
“Smells good, doesn’t it? I’ve got lots of hidden talents. This one’s going to make me rich.”
Geo leaned over the pot I was stirring—and froze.
Inside the round-bottomed pot was a mass of green herbs, tangled like slimy threads. A few might have been familiar to him, but together they looked utterly alien.
“This… is going to make you money? Irina, are you sure you haven’t gone mad? People say isolation drives you crazy, but… wow.”
“…”
“How many fingers am I holding up?”
He waved two fingers dramatically in front of me. I ignored him and stirred the pot again. From the bottom, pieces of aloe floated up, limp and translucent. The smell grew increasingly unpleasant.
Geo’s face went pale as he stared at the brownish oil bubbling to the surface.
“Ugh!”
When he finally gagged, I shot him a sharp glare.
“If the smell bothers you that much, go outside. I’m not moving from this spot for at least two hours.”
“I’m fine! I can endure it!”
He shook his head determinedly, sitting down at the rough wooden table and propping his chin on one hand.
“You’re unbelievable. Aren’t you hungry? How about we eat first and then you make… whatever that is?”
He sighed deeply, then added under his breath:
“Tell me this time—you’re actually cooking something edible, right?”
